27. Backlash

“So,” Rome speaks slowly, his voice heavy with disbelief. “The couple who raised Jet—“
“Were on Chalam’s payroll.” Mali finishes for him. “And they didn’t ‘raise’ him. Jet was sixteen years old.”
“But the people who took him away belonged to Chalam. The car that took him away belonged to Chalam. The Mother Superior gave Jet away…to Chalam.” Kai is aware he’s speaking in awkward and repetitive sentences, but it’s the only way his brain can seem to process the thoughts screaming in his head.
“Deliberately?” Mali sounds as numb as Kai feels, still staring at the birth certificate. “Mother Superior wouldn’t be that cruel--”
“Chalam is a master manipulator.” Rome reminds her. “He probably initiated it, but I doubt he was actually there.”
“He wasn’t,” Kai’s voice is flat, his hands clenched so tight his knuckles stand out under his skin. “But he did orchestrate it. Those people came because Chalam sent them. I was there. I saw it.”
He’s twelve years old again, running back from school to get that missing assignment in spite of Mali’s protests. He’s still wondering why Jet had been so quiet after the Mother Superior had spoken to him in her office.
He sees the black car with tinted windows, and the well dressed couple standing next to it.
Jet came outside with the Mother Superior, his face completely blank. He didn’t look at Mother Superior or the couple waiting for him. He just got in the car, which drove away while Kai watched from across the street.
Kai moved numbly through the rest of the day, unable to get the expression on his older brother’s face out of his mind.
The Mother Superior called them to her office after they returned from school and quietly told them Jet was gone. Mali had cried even when Mother Superior assured them Jet would be well looked after, and they could still keep in contact with him if they wanted. Kai flatly refused.
Anger is easier.
Angry people don’t cry.
Or think clearly.
Kai hadn’t cried.
But he hadn’t thought clearly, either. Jet hadn’t chosen to leave. He’d made it clear from the first that he had tried to reach out, and Kai had ignored him.
Anger is easier than understanding.
Kai hadn’t fully understood.
And why would he before now?
“Why?” Mali’s voice brings Kai back to the present, trembling as she struggles to process. “Why would Chalam…”
“Power.” Rome's expression is grim as he connects the dots. “Influence. Control. A way to keep Jet in line for his twisted games, the same as he does for the rest of us.”
“Do you think Jet knows?” Kai asks the birth certificate, rather than looking up into Rome and Mali’s faces. “Is that why he came back?”
Not because he missed us, but to confront Chalam?
Kai doesn’t ask that last question out loud. Before anyone can say anything else, the rattling of the office doorknob catches their attention.
Rome gives Mali a curious look. “You locked the door?”
“Added privacy. These are incriminating documents.” Mali reminds him, collecting the documents into a haphazard pile. “We can’t have the wrong person finding out we have them before we can show them to Kit and Jet.”
Kai remains frozen on the floor, staring at the image of Jet’s birth certificate on his phone as Rome and Mali scramble to gather the rest of the papers and hide them in Rome’s inner office. Both the red and black books remain on the table and the rattling of the doorknob grows more insistent.
The creeping, sickly sensation Kai hasn’t felt for days is building up inside his chest. Jet said he missed Kai. He’d gone out of his way to spend time with Kai. But was it just to get closer to Chalam? Was Kai being manipulated by his older brother the way Chalam had tried to manipulate him? Was Jet doing the same thing to Mali?
“Kai.” Mali nudges him very gently. “Get up and open the door.”
Automatically, Kai gets to his feet and unlocks the door. Nail stands in front of him, one hand still raised to wrestle with the door handle.
“All you had to do was knock.” Kai’s expression doesn’t change, but his eyes bore into Nail’s, trying to figure out the other man’s motive.
Nail’s gaze moves over Kai’s shoulder, falling on the two books still lying on the table. “Those don’t belong to you.”
Kai takes a very deliberate step to the side, blocking Nail’s entrance. Rome and Mail come out of the inner office, and it’s their presence that allows Kai to speak with more confidence than he feels. “What do you want, Nail?”
”It’s not me who wants anything.” Nail retorts. “Chalam is asking for you, so that you can return what you stole.”
Unconsciously, Kai’s fingers tighten around his phone. But Nail’s eyes are still on the books. Mali takes half a step toward the table, but Rome stops her with a hand on her elbow.
“Just Kai.” Nail emphasizes. “And what he stole.”
Kai forces himself to casually put the phone in his pocket and pick up the books instead. He casts Mali a reassuring glance as he steps out into the hall, pulling the office door closed behind him.
◼️◼️◼️◼️
Nail doesn’t speak as they move down the hallway, but Kai can feel the resentment radiating off Nail in waves. The spines of the books dig into Kai’s hands, which have become clammy again. The ding of the elevator arriving at the floor sounds unnaturally loud. Nail speaks as soon as the elevator doors close, but he still doesn’t look at Kai.
“There’s CCTV even in Chalam’s personal archive.” Nail’s voice is low, but his eyes glitter with unspoken threat. “You think he wouldn’t notice a break in? We saw you take something else that doesn’t belong to you. I’d hate to regain it by force.”
“Never stopped you before.” Kai’s hands might be shaking, but his voice isn’t.
“You’re lucky Chalam sent me, rather than come himself.” Nail’s lips twitch. “He would have gutted you the moment he saw the footage, but decided on discretion instead. Those notebooks in your hands are one thing, but those other documents? You didn’t think we’d notice?”
Kai bristles. “If you knew, then why not take all the documents from Rome and Mali? Why just me?”
“Because you’re the one who stuck your neck out. Not them. Chalam likes to deal with loose ends himself. Passkey.” Nail growls. “Now.”
With trembling fingers, Kai reaches into his pocket, and holds out Nail’s passkey. Nail’s fingers clamp around Kai’s in a vice-like grip. Kai winces, trying to pull back, but Nail’s grip tightens.
“Your brother sprained three of my fingers not so long ago.” Nail hisses. “Should I break yours?”
Kai grinds his teeth together to keep from crying out. His pulse pounds through his fingers, which are rapidly turning blue as the passkey digs into his palm. He keeps his eyes on the elevator doors, rather than at the books in his hands, or at Nail's face. The numbers on the floor display change too slowly, and there’s no other sound but the low hum of the elevator's gears.
As the elevator finally grinds to a halt, Nail’s finger’s loosen, wrenching his passkey out of Kai’s hand. The tingle of blood returning to its normal circulation draws a second silent wince out of Kai. His opposite hand is so slippery with sweat the books nearly topple to the floor.
“Tightrope, Kai.” Nail reminds him. His voice is low, but not with menace. There’s a flicker of emotion in his eyes that Kai can’t quite figure out. Is that—concern? “You’re on a tightrope. A fall like that could break your neck.”
He jerks his head in the direction of Chalam’s office, and goes back down the hall. Kai stares at the polished brass plaque outside the office door: Chalam Tian Samonkongchai, CEO. Other words play across Kai’s mind, making his jaw clench.
Fraud, thief, murderer.
And Jet’s adoptive father.
That last is something he can prove, an accusation that Chalam can’t explain away. Kai won’t even give him the chance to try.
Chalam is not seated at his desk. He stands with his back to Kai, looking out over the city. Three of the walls on the top two floors of the building are made entirely of glass, so that only natural light is needed. The office itself is furnished only with a desk, complete with chair, and a second chair opposite. No hanging art, or additional furniture to clutter up the place. Perhaps the minimalist decor and use of natural light was supposed to make the room inviting.
Kai doesn’t feel invited.
He feels exposed.
And sorely tempted to push Chalam through that glass wall onto the bustling street below.
But he’s not going to sink to that level.
That’s exactly what the shark expects him to do.
Instead, Kai stays rooted by the door, not moving, not speaking, waiting for Chalam to speak first. His mind races. Had the cameras really spotted him? They couldn’t have—that jammer app had worked. Zone said the cameras would be disabled. He’d said the jammer would work.
Right? Right?!
Finally, the CEO turns to face him, those expressionless eyes acknowledging Kai’s presence and then traveling down to the books in Kai’s hands.
“Did you really think outmaneuvering me would be that easy?” Chalam’s voice is little more than a murmur, but the tone of it sends ice shooting through Kai’s bloodstream. “Did you think the feed on my security cameras could be so easily disrupted? Let me guess—a signal jammer on your phone?”
Kai says nothing. How does he know? The cameras were supposed to be down. I was supposed to be invisible.
“That was not a rhetorical question.” Chalam moves away from the window toward his desk, still holding Kai’s gaze. “Smartphone applications don’t always do what their creators claim. Now tell me, what part of an intern’s job description includes breaking into the CEO’s personal archive?”
“There are a lot of things about OmniVentures that aren’t in my job description.” Kai’s grip on the books is so tight the spines are leaving impressions in his palms.
A small smirk plays around Chalam’s mouth. “Is that so?”
“I know there’s more than one heir to your company.” Kai meets Chalam’s gaze steadily. “The proof is here, and I’m going to use it to expose you.”
Chalam’s expression turns mocking. “You believe the public will take the word of an intern over a CEO?”
“It’s not just my word.” Kai doesn’t flinch, forcing his voice to remain steady. “It’s Rome’s, too. And Jet’s.”
For the first time, Chalam’s composure slips, if only slightly. “Jet. What could your brother possibly have to do with—”
“He knows you adopted him.” Kai keeps his eyes locked on Chalam’s face, hoping the lie will hold. “He knows everything, and he’s going to use it against you.”
“This is a very dangerous game you’re playing.” Chalam’s gaze drops to the books in Kai’s hands. “But you have a very impressive hand.”
“And I’m going to play it.” Kai retorts. “This is proof you can’t explain or bribe away.”
“But you forget,” Chalam resumes his seat at his desk. Opening the top drawer, he pulls out a sheet of paper, and then another, and another. “I also have a hand to play.”
Kai moves forward in spite of himself. “What is that?”
“Documentation,” Chalam’s reply is cool. “On Mali.”
He pushes the pile across the desk. Kai’s eyes widen as he flips through the pages. First, there’s detailed internship documentation, with glowing reviews and future prospects. But it’s the second set of papers that catch Kai’s attention: surveillance footage of Mali’s condo, the routes she takes to work, and timestamps of her daily routines.
Kai’s breath catches in his chest. “What the hell…”
“And these,” Chalam slides another packet across the desk. “Are yours.”
Kai hesitates before picking them up. There’s his high school transcript, showing his grades, extracurriculars, and disciplinary forms. Following that are records of the college scholarships he had received, letters of recommendation, and finally, a thick file labeled “Orphanage Records.”
“Why…are you showing me this?” Kai’s voice is barely a whisper now.
“Because it’s time you understood the stakes of the game you’re playing. I would be very careful if I were you.” Chalam taps the paper in front of him for emphasis. “Your university tuition, your academic scholarships, your dormitory rental fees, and this internship are all paid for by me. Your very livelihood is mine. I can just as easily take that away from you and from your sister if you cross me.”
Kai glares up at Chalam. “Go ahead.”
Chalam’s face doesn't so much as twitch. “I beg your pardon?”
“Do whatever you like, you calculating bastard.” Kai picks up the copy of the tuition receipt and shreds it. “I’m getting you thrown in jail.”
He turns on his heel before he gives in to the temptation to put Chalam’s head through his office window.
“Your little game might be amusing, but you’ve just moved the pieces on my board.” Chalam’s calm voice stops him before he can slam the door. “You have something I want. Will you return what’s mine, or do we escalate this?”
Against his better judgment, Kai joins Chalam behind his desk. Chalam’s tablet is open, displaying a split screen. What Kai sees on the screen turns his blood to ice.
One side shows the interior of an elevator, occupied by Rome and Mali. The other video feed is of the mechanical control room, occupied by Nail. He stands facing the camera, phone to his ear, and his opposite hand hovering over a metal panel containing a series of screens and rows of switches.
“What Nail is standing next to,” Chalam says smoothly, “is the elevator’s control system. He has full access to the motor and brake overrides.”
Kai’s throat goes dry. “What does that mean?”
Chalam’s eyes glitter with amusement. “It means Nail can stop the elevator wherever he likes, and if he chooses, he can disable the brake system entirely. The elevator could come to a very abrupt stop, with the potential to… harm the occupants.”
Kai’s mind races. Elevators are equipped with emergency brakes, aren’t they? But the way Chalam presents it, the threat feels all too real.
“Of course,” Chalam continues, “I could tell Nail to hold the elevator in place for hours, until they run out of air or patience. Or…I could ask him to trigger a system malfunction, causing a sudden stop that could leave them with… significant injuries. Broken bones, internal damage. Nasty. Very nasty.”
“Your nephew is in that elevator.” Kai points out.
“As is your sister. I’m curious just how important she is to you. All you have to do,” Chalam’s voice turns silkier, “is place those books on my desk, and I’ll tell Nail to let the elevator continue its normal descent. Otherwise…you can imagine the consequences.”
Kai swallows hard. He doesn’t need to imagine. The image of Mali and Rome trapped, injured or worse, plays out vividly in his mind. His stomach churns as the realization dawns. Chalam didn’t care about the documents he'd stolen and were now hidden in Rome's office. He had planned for that--he'dwanted Kai to take them. The books and SD cards they contain are the key to his power. They held all of Chalam’s true secrets and he would do anything to get them back.
Kai drops the books onto Chalam’s desk. “There. Now let them go.”
“Well done.” Chalam lifts his phone to his ear. “Nail, you can return to my office now.”
On the screen, Nail gives the camera a mocking salute, and steps away from the control panel. The elevator continues its usual descent. Kai’s blood gradually returns to its normal temperature.
“You should know by now, Kai, that I am not someone to be underestimated.” Chalam turns his tablet off, and looks up into Kai’s white face. “Get out. Perhaps you should take the elevator as well, since you now know it’s safe. We can’t have you falling down the stairs.”



"28. Business and Pleasure" 

Read from beginning: "1. Ignored"