"Boss, our n just reported that Pichaya Rattanaruangrit's car has entered the farm. It'll reach the house shortly,"
Thankhun's aide announced as he walked into the room. Chang and Id, who were playing a board ga, both looked up at the sa ti.
"He's here already? Faster than I expected. Did anyone else follow him?"
Thankhun muttered as he stood abruptly, his expression betraying so inner conflict that Chang could not quite read.
"Our n confird that no vehicles have approached within a kiloter of Sai Natee Farm," the aide replied.
"Good! Well, Chang, would you like to co out and et your father? You must miss him. It's been a while,"
Thankhun asked, turning to her. Chang stared at him coldly as she stood up, Id rising with her. Thankhun shot Id a glare of annoyance before addressing him icily.
"I was asking Chang, not you."
"We're both part of this deal, aren't we? If this is about making an exchange, I should go out there too so her father can see ,"
Id replied boldly.
"Oh, he'll see you when the ti cos. But for now, I want Chang to co with —alone,"
Thankhun snapped as he stared down Id's defiance.
"Let's go, Chang!"
Thankhun barked as he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. Id moved to stop them, but Thankhun's n intercepted him, shoving him to the ground. A gun was pressed against his head, leaving him unable to resist.
"Id!"
Chang shouted, struggling as she was dragged out of the room and toward the front of the house. At that mont, Pichaya's car ca to a stop just outside.
"Chang!"
Pichaya called out as he stepped out of the car and saw his daughter exiting the house. He nearly ran to embrace her, but Thankhun's n distrustfully raised their guns toward him, forcing him to halt.
"Hello, Mr. Pich. We et sooner than I expected,"
Thankhun said, his voice dripping with insincerity. He kept a firm grip on Chang's arm, preventing her from running to her father.
"What is this? Even now, you don't trust ? Why are your n pointing guns at ?"
Pichaya asked sourly. This man standing before him was a far cry from the young man he had once known.
"I don't want to take any risks. My n will search you first, and then we'll talk inside. I promise, as long as nothing suspicious happens, you and your daughter will leave here safely."
Thankhun signaled one of his n, who approached and searched Pichaya thoroughly. Once the search was complete, the three of them headed inside the house.
.....
"There are fewer than twenty n here. This guy must be pretty confident that no one would dare follow Mr. Pichaya."
"So, where do we start, boss?"
"Spread out and take down the ard guards around the house. Once that's done, we'll infiltrate the house and check for any remaining ard n. This is a stealth operation—no noise. If they're alerted, Mr. Pichaya and the hostages could be in grave danger,"
the team leader instructed, peeking at dozen ard n in black who were guarding the house entrance.
The Special Protection unit had taken a shortcut that ran parallel to the main road, though it was far more dangerous, in order to catch up to Pichaya's car. From there, they proceeded on foot, sneaking into Sai Natee Farm through a dense, heavily wooded area that was difficult to spot. Although the farm was equipped with an intruder detection system—designed to deter thieves from the surrounding slums—the team was able to disable it with little effort. Along the way, they avoided not only the black-clad guards but also farm workers who might accidentally raise the alarm. However, as they approached the house, the terrain beca more open, making it harder to stay concealed. Worse, the area near the house was bustling with people constantly moving about.
Although the Special Protection team had to spend extra ti sneaking into Sai Natee Farm, they finally managed to get close enough to observe the house. Pichaya and Thankhun had been inside for over an hour with no signs of coming out anyti soon. Fearing that prolonging the situation could lead to unforeseen complications, the team decided they had to act quickly to ensure the safe rescue of all the hostages.
"Alright, spread out. Rember, fast and silent. Got it?"
Everyone nodded at the Special Protection leader's command before dispersing into their assigned positions. Their objectives were clear: rescue Pichaya, Chang, and Id unhard, and apprehend Thankhun, the mastermind behind the kidnapping, to face justice.
.....
"So you're saying you prepared all these docunts ahead of ti?"
Thankhun asked, his voice tinged with disbelief as he stared at the stack of papers Pichaya had brought. They were property transfer docunts, covering Sai Natee Farm and all the related businesses that Thankhun's father had started. The young man sat frozen, looking at the papers in front of him. It was more than he had expected. Many of these businesses were small ventures that had failed long before his father's death. Thankhun never imagined Pichaya would revive them, let alone turn them into profitable enterprises, seemingly outperforming others in their class.
"I prepared all these docunts because I intended to return them to you from the beginning. I never planned to take them for myself,"
Pichaya said, shaking his head in resignation.
"You think I'd betray your father? I've known him far longer than you have. He asked to take over all these businesses because he didn't want them to fall into the hands of outsiders. He used the last of his savings to send you to study business managent, knowing full well that agricultural expertise alone wouldn't be enough to save Sai Natee Farm—the farm he loved. He never told you about the financial crises Sai Natee and the other businesses he invested in was facing, because he didn't want you to worry. He wanted you to focus on your studies and return ready to manage everything he started. In the anti, I was the one keeping them afloat, ensuring they could sustain themselves until you were ready to take over without risking them falling into crisis again."
Thankhun was stunned into silence by Pichaya's words. Should he believe him? Should he trust in everything—from the mont Thankhun returned and started working for Infinity Group, beginning with small, insignificant tasks. He rembered how he had started from the lowest position, gradually working his way up. Eventually, he was entrusted with managing Sai Natee Farm—the very farm that should have been his by right, not sothing he was managing as an employee.
Thankhun had buried his resentnt deep within himself, quietly doing his work for the company. Back then, he never questioned why Pichaya seed to assign him tasks that were always tied to Sai Natee Farm or the businesses his father had started. From one task, it grew to two, then three, then nearly all of them.
At the ti, Thankhun's mind was fixated on one thought: that Pichaya's actions were ant to mock him. He believed Pichaya was rubbing salt in his wounds by making him manage the businesses his father had built. If he had paused to consider that this might be Pichaya's way of preparing him, to help him beco familiar and skilled in managing these enterprises so he could one day take over completely. But he did not. His bitterness clouded his judgnt, consuming any positive thoughts he might have had. He focused solely on revenge—on reclaiming what he believed was rightfully his.
He had heard of Chang, Pichaya's only daughter being kidnapped several tis before—by criminal groups, business rivals who had lost out to Pichaya, even disgruntled factions within Infinity Group. Thankhun had studied these incidents and spent years planning his own, to find out it was all a misunderstanding. His expression darkened, filled with disbelief. To Thankhun, Pichaya's explanation was nothing more than an excuse—a cowardly attempt to justify stealing everything from him and refusing to admit it like a man.
"So, you're claiming to be a hero now? Saving my family's businesses, teaching how to manage them by hiring as a re employee, and then planning to hand everything back to without expecting anything in return? Hah, you're quite the storyteller. And to co up with such a convincing tale on such short notice, even while you're worried sick about your daughter. But of course, you're a master actor. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have been fooled into starting so many businesses and running himself into the ground,"
Thankhun said coldly, his gaze piercing Pichaya with absolute disbelief.
"You've gone too far!"
Chang shouted at Thankhun. She moved as if to punch him in the face for his absurd accusations, but Id grabbed her arm and shook his head, signaling her to stop. He had noticed Thankhun's n raising their guns, ready to shoot her. Frustrated, Chang yanked her arm free and sat back down, fuming.
"Chang, I haven't gone too far. I'm just speaking the truth. Though, I guess it must sting for your father to hear it. Isn't that right, Mr. Pich?"
Pichaya t Thankhun's eyes, his expression hardening. Any desire for reconciliation with this man faded completely. He knew he bore so responsibility for having encouraged Thankhun's father to pursue business ventures despite his lack of experience.
"Enough! Believe whatever you want. I'm done trying to explain myself to soone who's closed their mind to reason. Let's get this over with,"
Pichaya said, his voice cold and unwavering.
"Fine by . But you'll have to sign the docunts I prepared. Forgive for being cautious, but I can't trust your paperwork. It might be fake and legally worthless."
Thankhun replied. He handed over the docunts he had brought, his tone laced with sarcasm. Pichaya took them, quickly skimming through the text.
"What are you doing? Why aren't you signing already?"
Thankhun asked as he noticed Pichaya scrutinizing the papers.
"I need to see what you've written here. You should do the sa before signing any contract. Always read carefully first. Otherwise, what seems like a mutually beneficial agreent could turn out to unfairly favor one side,"
Pichaya replied. Before Thankhun could retort, a loud thud echoed from outside the room.
"What was that? Go check it out!"
Thankhun barked at one of the two n standing guard in the room. The guard closest to the door stepped out to investigate. Monts later, he returned with a gun pressed to his head.
"B... Boss, the police have taken over this place."
Soone once said that a glass with a crack can never truly be repaired. The sa applied to relationships—once trust was broken, it was impossible to restore it. Even if it seed like things were nding at first, the bond would never be as strong as it once was. At best, the crack could be patched to prevent it from widening further. But in this case, neither side seed willing to nd the crack. The more they talked, the wider the gap grew.
The supposed mutual backstabbing could not truly lead them to common understanding. Misunderstandings, lack of communication, assumptions that the other party could comprehend without any explanation had beco the catalyst for major conflict. The issue seed so imnse that no matter what, they probably would not be able to understand each other ever again.
"What is the aning of this...?"
Thankhun turned to Pichaya, his voice sharp and filled with fury. His eyes burned with hatred and betrayal, convinced that Pichaya had deceived him, breaking the last shred of trust he had left.
"The Special Protection Unit—how did they get here?"
Pichaya exclaid in shock. He had specifically asked everyone to stay behind at the mansion and not make any moves, yet they had secretly followed him all the way here.
"My apologies, Mr. Pichaya. But we must fulfill our duty. We were hired to protect you and your daughter, and that's exactly what we'll do. As for the kidnappers, the local police are on their way to take them into custody."
the leader of the Special Protection Unit said as he stepped into the room. Behind him, several other ard mbers of the unit stood at the ready. Seeing this, Thankhun realized that his own n had likely all been subdued.
"Still as cunning as ever. I actually thought you might show so genuine sincerity toward for once—especially with your daughter's life on the line. But no, you still care more about your precious wealth. And let's not forget, that wealth was stolen from my father in the first place. All that talk about loving and cherishing Chang as if she were your entire world—what a load of lies."
Thankhun sneered as two mbers of the Special Protection Unit stepped forward to detain him and the remaining henchman in the room.
"It's not what you think, Thankhun. You've got it all wrong."
Pichaya tried to explain, referring to the Special Protection Unit's arrival. But it was clear that Thankhun had no intention of listening.
"A liar can never stop lying. I will never trust you again. Co here, Chang!"
Thankhun suddenly grabbed Chang by the arm and yanked her toward him, narrowly avoiding the Special Protection Unit officer who tried to intercept him. Thankhun pulled a small handgun from his waistband and pressed it against Chang's throat.
"Sign the farm over to , now. And tell your n to back off. Quickly!"
To emphasize his point, he struck Chang's chin with the barrel of the gun. Pichaya's face turned pale with shock. Trembling, he quickly signed the docunts transferring Sai Natee Farm and all related businesses back to Thankhun.
"There. I've signed them. Let Chang go, Thankhun. She has nothing to do with this."
Pichaya stood and tried to reason with Thankhun, though it was clear that reason no longer had any place in the conversation.
"Shut up! Tell your n to release mine and clear the way for us to leave. And don't even think about following us—if anyone does, I'll kill Chang on the spot!"
Pichaya and the Special Protection Unit had no choice but to comply. They released Thankhun's two henchn and allowed them to leave, opening a path for their escape. Id clenched his teeth in rage. Seizing the mont when everyone's attention was focused on Thankhun and his n, Id slipped out the back of the house.
-----
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