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In which there is a confrontation, a threat, and a revelation. |
Rome Kittiyapan is the nephew and heir to OmniVentures Ltd. and everything from the designer labels on his clothes to the luxury car he drives says as much. Actually, heâd rather work at a non-profit than the main corporate branch of the company, but his uncle got dangerously quiet whenever that was brought up, so Rome had learned to keep his head down and his mouth shut. Eventually, all of Chalamâs employees learned to do that, whether they were related to the CEO or not. Which is why heâd made sure no one saw him eavesdropping on the conversation between his uncle and Nail that morning, or heard when he called Mali afterward. The look on Maliâs face when heâd picked her up tonight made him think twice about asking questions. Heâd just driven to the address she gave him, and stayed in the car while she went inside. After about five minutes, he was tempted to turn the car back on so he could run the AC. But he also didnât want to drain the car battery, and he has no idea how long Mali will be in the condo. Apparently, longer than five minutes. Rome gets out of the car, checking his watch again. Most of the windows in the condo building are dark, but thereâs one light on in a room on the top floor. Is that where Mali is? Exactly how much trouble is Kai in? Rome met Maliâs younger brother when he had attended a university open house the year that Rome had graduated. Kai had hung around the lobby of OmniVentures corporate office while Mali was interning there, so Rome had gotten to know him even better. The three of them even had dinner together once a week. When Chalam took Kai on as his own intern, all the employees assumed it was because either Chalam had seen Maliâs work ethic and believed Kai would work just as hard, or he was doing his nephewâs girlfriend a generous favor. All the employees except Rome, that was. Because Rome knew that his uncle never did anything without a hidden motive. And that motive is anything but generous. Romeâs phone buzzes. He doesnât need to see the name above the message to know who it is. The text is short, and to the point. CHALAM: My office. Right now. Well. That could mean a whole lot of things that Rome isnât in the mood to figure out yet. As he slides his phone back into his pocket, Mali finally comes out of the condo building. âWho was on the phone?â âNobody important. Is Kai ok?â The look on Maliâs face has already answered the question, but Rome asks it anyway. âI saw what your uncleâs enforcer did to him.â Mali tries and fails to keep her voice neutral. âDonât call Nail an enforcer,â Rome gives her a grim smile to soften the warning a little bit. âAt least, not to his face.â Mali says nothing as she gets back in the car. Rome lets her sit in silence, driving down the street for a little bit before asking another question. âIs it bad enough that Kai will need to take time off?â Rome is fully aware of Nailâs brutal efficiency. The last time Nail was sent to âtalkâ to someone, the rival CEO died quietly in the hospital while Chalam just as quietly took over that manâs company. âTime off for an unpaid intern?â Maliâs voice pulls Rome back to the present. âWill your uncle allow that?â âKai isnât technically on his personal payroll, so I donât see why not.â Rome sounds more confident than he feels. âYour brother can take as much time off as he needs. Did you find out what was taken?â Mali shakes her head. âI canât exactly question Kai if heâs unconscious. Jet doesnât seem to know either.â Hearing the worry in Maliâs voice, Rome glances sideways at her. Her posture is rigid and she stares ahead of her without seeing anything. âMali, I told you when you started this that I would help you,â He takes one hand off the steering wheel, so that he can take Maliâs. âI meant that. All you have to do is tell me what you need.â Maliâs fingers are as tense as her voice. âRight now, all I need is to know my brotherâs safe.â âOk,â Rome strokes his thumb along the back of her hand. âKai can have all the time off he needs, and Iâll deal with my uncle and Nail.â Mali doesnât say anything, but he can feel the muscles in her hand slowly loosen, and she doesnât let go of Romeâs hand until they reach her condo. Calming Mali down helps Rome squash down the knot of dread thatâs building up inside him. He hates that he is the heir to such a twisted business empire. There isnât much he can legally do about changing it, though. Chalam had taken control of OmniVentues when Rome was ten, shortly after the deaths of his parents, with the understanding that he would transfer the company to Rome once he reached adulthood. Now, four years past his coming of age, Rome is in charge of several smaller branches of OmniVentures while Chalam is still CEO with full decision making power. Rome couldnât even stage his own hostile takeover. All of the shareholders were deep into Chalamâs pockets. The CEO and his nephew donât live in a condo--they live in a house. A massive split-level structure with two kitchens, five bedrooms, a gym, pool, well maintained garden--and fingerprint locks on the exterior doors that Chalam meticulously controls. In short, the house is a perfect symbol of the state of this uncle-nephew relationship. As Rome had grown up, he spent more and more time at the top of the house, while Chalam lived on the lower level. Their interactions now mostly occur at OmniVenturesâ corporate office, or Chalamâs personal office at the house. âYouâre late,â Chalam rarely greets his nephew anymore, just scolds him--always with the same two words, and always expecting an apology, which Rome never gives. âBut Iâm here,â Rome takes a seat opposite Chalam, and waits for the older man to speak. The office is at the back of the house, furnished with a desk and two chairs in the center of the room, and an armchair in the opposite corner. The chairs in front of the desk have lower seats, so the occupant has to look up to see the man behind it. Velvet curtains suffocate the windows even in the scorching summer heat. There are no ceiling lights, just lamps, which means the room isnât brightly lit even in the middle of the day. Rome has never been sure if the lighting in this room is used as an intimidation tactic or not. On the surface, uncle and nephew look exactly alike--soft dark hair, dark eyes, smooth faces. While Romeâs face and eyes are open, trustworthy, and expressive, Chalamâs are closed, sharp, and deadly as the dangerous fish he gets his name from. âWere you with your little intern?â Chalam doesnât even bother to keep the sneer out of his voice. âThe two of you have been spending a great deal of time together lately.â âMaliâs my girlfriend.â Rome keeps his own voice level, knowing full well that his uncle is trying to needle him. âShe hasnât been my intern in over a year, and so far as Iâm aware, I have your permission to date her. Which means Iâm not violating workplace conduct.â Actually, dating Mali presented quite the conflict of interest, considering their professional relationship. Rome wasnât exactly sure why Chalam hadnât objected, but he also wasnât about to quibble if his uncle was making allowances, even if he suspected the ulterior motive behind it. âYourâŚgirlfriend,â Chalam rolls the words over his tongue. His sharp eyes move over Romeâs face, looking for a reaction. Clearly, he wants to draw this conversation out as long as possible. Rome is not in the mood for whatever lecture Chalam has prepared. He leans forward, looking his uncle directly in the eye.âWhy did Nail assault Kai?â âAssault?â Was that a flicker of emotion in Chalamâs eyes, or just a trick of the light? âWhat reason would my assistant have to âassaultâ my intern?â âYou tell me,â It doesnât help Romeâs mood that Chalam puts the word assault in quotation marks. There the room becomes quiet except for the rhythmic tapping of his uncle's fingers on the polished wood of the desk. Chalam taps his fingers when heâs nervous. When heâs hiding something. Rome feeds the silence, making it grow. He doesnât move, doesnât blink, just keeps his gaze locked on Chalamâs face. âThe boy took something that wasnât his.â Chalam leans back in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of his face. âI simply sent Nail to get it back.â Since Rome has overheard that conversation, he doesnât dispute that point. âWhat did he take?â âNail has recovered it, so thereâs no need to worry.â Someone other than Rome would quail under the deadly look that Chalam shoots in his direction. âRecovered by force, from what Iâve heard.â Rome doesnât bother to keep the disgust out of his voice. âWas it something worth killing for?â The muscle in Chalamâs temple starts to tick in tandem with his fingers. âPerhaps Nail was a little--overenthusiastic in his retrieval methods.â Overenthusiastic? Rome tamps down on the urge to put his uncleâs head through the wall. âIn other words, now that you have the information back, the companyâs âreputationâ remains intact?â Part of Rome knows he shouldnât push, but the other part doesnât give a shit. âWhat about Kai?â Chalamâs smile is thin.âIf what you say is true and he was injured during his--conversation with Nail, then he will be compensated.â âGood.â Rome gets to his feet. âKaiâs taking some time off.â Now thereâs another muscle ticking in Chalamâs face. This one is along his jawline, and seems to be pulsing independently from the one in his temple. âIâve received no request.â âIâm making it for him.â Rome is enjoying looking down on his uncle a little too much.. âYouâre accepting it.â Chalam opens his mouth either to protest or reprimand, but Rome is done. Heâs out of the room before his uncle can say anything. Chalamâs teeth grind together, as Rome leaves the room. This conversation did not go according to plan. ââOverenthusiasticâ doesnât sound right.â Nail steps into the pool of lamplight in front of the desk. There is a splint around the last three fingers of his right hand. âEavesdropping is inadvisable.âChalamâs own hand moves away from the top drawer of the desk where he keeps his gun. âSo we both made mistakes.â Nail doesnât sit in the chair opposite Chalam. He stays standing, just out of Chalamâs reach. âWe did.â Chalamâs voice is low. Someone other than Nail would quail under the sounds of those rapidly tapping fingers. âIs your hand still usable?â Nail hesitates, then forces humility into his voice, lowering his eyes in what he hopes will be seen as a gesture of regret and sincerity, but he nearly chokes on the words. âI would like to apologize--for eavesdropping and myâŚoverenthusiasm.â âI have no interest in paying the hospital bills of an intern,â Chalamâs voice is carefully neutral, and Nail is half tempted to raise his eyes. âParticularly that one. Did you at least complete the task I sent you to do?â âHe didnât have it.â Nailâs answer is almost inaudible. The fingers stop drumming. Tension thickens the air, but Nail keeps his eyes fastened on the carpet, rather than his superiorâs face, forcing himself to stay still. He did not become Chalamâs most trusted subordinate by retreating whenever threatened. The next moment he is sent reeling, face stinging with the force of Chalamâs backhand. Nail recoils and then is propelled forward by that same hand now clamped around the back of his neck, head slamming into the top of the desk so hard he sees sparks. âNothing?â Chalam hisses just above his ear. âThis was a very simple task, Nail. I fail to understand why you were unable to carry it out.â This is the second time tonight that Nail has been grabbed by the neck, but he knows better than to struggle when Chalam uses that tone. The wrong word, the wrong look, would be not just a demotion, but further physical punishment. Nailâs voice is a little muffled due to his mouthâs proximity to the desktop. âWe wereâŚinterrupted.â âThe boy attacked you?â Chalamâs sarcasm is cutting. His fingers dig deeper into Nailâs neck. âI find that very difficult to believe.â âNot Kai,â Nail raises his eyes so that he can meet the sharkâs deadly cold ones, which is a little difficult to do considering the angle at which his neck is bent. âJet. Jet Saetangmasawat.â Chalamâs fingers go slack. Itâs not clear whether the CEOâs face has actually gone white or if itâs just the lamplight making his skin seem paler than usual. Nail straightens, grinning at his superiorâs unasked question. âHe tried to kill me.â "6. Familiar" Read from beginning: "1. Ignored" |