In the Ayutthaya Empire, ruled by one and only Khem Ayutthaya, not a single employee dared to make a mistake.
Their CEO was a perfectionist, and perfection demanded fear.
The poor employee standing in front of him was trembling so badly his knees nearly gave way.
Khem sat coolly behind his desk, flipping through a file with a deep frown. Everyone knew what that frown meant—termination. The guy was already imagining himself packing boxes.
A sudden knock broke the tension. Without waiting for permission, Pond, Khem's one and only secretary-slash-personal-slave, stormed inside.
"Did I allow you in?" Khem raised an irritated brow.
"No, but this is important!" Pond shot back, standing his ground.
"Khem, if you fire one more new employee, I swear I'll jump off this building! And when I do, my ghost will haunt you, because I can't keep working as your errand boy and personal slave!"
Khem smirked, completely unfazed. He turned to the shivering employee and said casually,
"You're fired. Reason? You don't look promising enough."
The employee bolted, nearly tripping on the way out.
"Seriously?" Pond stared in disbelief.
"Now jump," Khem replied, voice smooth and wicked. "I want to see it with my own eyes. Do a flip, too."
"You've got to be kidding me!" Pond exploded.
"No. I'm dead serious," Khem said with amusement just as his phone rang.
Both men froze. That number only family and Pond knew. Seeing Weir flash on the screen, Khem instantly picked up.
"Khem! Come home! Quick!" Weir's panicked voice blared.
Khem could hear the banging of doors and the younger ones shouting their baby sister's name. His jaw tightened.
"What happened?" he asked sharply.
"No time to explain! Just get home as fast as you can!" Weir shouted before hanging up.
Khem grabbed his bag and turned to Pond. "Cancel all meetings. I'm going home."
"Khem? Is everything okay?" Pond asked worriedly.
Khem paused at the door, glanced back with that deadly stare. "Either jump before office hours end… or…"
"Or what?" Pond asked cautiously.
"By tomorrow noon, I want every finance file from the last ten years. Organized, presented, with analysis, rise and fall."
Pond looked like he'd been struck by lightning. "WHAT THE FUCK, KHEM?! That's not humanly possible! It'll take me three days just to collect them!"
"Jump. Or do it. Your choice," Khem replied coldly before walking out, chuckling at the string of curses Pond hurled after him.
---
The Ride Back
At the lobby, Khem ordered the guard, "Call the driver."
The poor man rushed, but when the driver arrived, he was pale. "S-Sir, the car's at the wash. You ordered—"
"Useless! Did you not arrange another car from home?!" Khem thundered, making the driver tremble.
"Ah, Khem! Stop terrifying the poor guy. I'll drop you."
Khem turned to see Tee, his ever-annoying business partner, grinning like a fool.
Khem sighed, dismissed the driver, and slid into Tee's car.
"Why are you here?"
"My heart is here," Tee said dramatically. "Anyway, fire Kla for me. Let me hire him."
"No," Khem replied bluntly. "Kla handles an entire department flawlessly. You couldn't afford him anyway."
"Fine! Then take Win instead. I'll trade."
"Firstly, I don't deal in human trafficking. Secondly, Kla hates your face. Thirdly, my secretary refuses to even breathe the same air as Win."
Tee groaned. "Why does Kla hate me so much?"
"College. You called him a kid, said high school was one building away, kissed him on a dare, and later—"
"Enough! I get it!" Tee cut him off, sulking.
When they reached the mansion, Tee tried again. "At least offer me coffee!"
Khem threw a couple of notes at him. "Buy your own. I don't have time for gossip." And without another glance, he strode inside.
---
Ayutthaya Mansion
The mansion had seen more drama than a k-drama binge marathon. Khem braced himself for the worst.
Inside, Weir was pacing by the stairs.
"What's the emergency?"
"Kaew locked herself in her room! Sky and Kaeng tried everything, she won't open!" Weir grabbed Khem's arm and pulled him upstairs.
Outside Kaew's room, Sky and Kaeng looked helpless.
"No clue what happened?" Khem asked.
"No," Kaeng admitted.
"The Only live witness is still stuck in the lab," Weir reported quickly.
Khem nodded, knocked softly. "Princess, it's me. Will you tell me what upset you?"
There was a shuffle, then finally—the door opened.
Kaew's eyes were swollen, nose red. Seeing her broke their hearts. She burst into tears and collapsed into Khem's arms.
He hugged her tightly, sharing a grave look with his brothers.
They sat her down, surrounding her on all sides.
"Are you okay?" Khem asked gently.
"Kaew, what happened?" Kaeng pressed.
Kaew twisted her hands nervously. "Brother… am I ugly?"
The brothers froze.
"What? Princess, you're the most beautiful in our family," Sky said firmly. "Even prettier than Mom."
"Then… Why did he say I'm not good enough?" Kaew sobbed again.
"Who said that?!" Weir growled.
Kaew lowered her gaze, silent.
"Kaew, please. Tell us," Kaeng urged.
Before she could answer, a voice cut through the tension.
"It's okay if she doesn't wanna say—because I already punched him for her."
They turned to see Zar strutting in, hands on her hips like she owned the battlefield.
"Yo. Miss me?" she smirked.
"Zar, what happened at college?" Sky demanded.
"I don't know all the details. But I heard the gossip about Kaew and Navin, so I rearranged his pretty little face," Zar said, punching the air—barely missing Weir.
"Oi!" Weir yelped, dodging.
"Kaew, you gonna talk? Or should I punch you too?" Zar teased sharply.
Kaew sighed, glanced at her brothers and her savage best friend. Finally, she nodded. It was time to tell them everything.
"I…"