Bound by expectations they never desired.
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At the restaurant of the Grand Centre Point Hotel on the central area of the city, a young woman and a young man were meeting for the very first time.
"Good afternoon…" Anchanah stepped forward and stopped at the table where the waiter had shown her to.
"Afternoon… You must be the one my aunt invited!" The curt, dismissive voice came from the man who was still staring down at his phone. He raised his eyes just enough to glance at her, without giving her his full attention.
He was one of the heirs of the Phongkul family—grandson of Praphan, father-in-law to Kangsadan, the powerful chairwoman of the Sahaphan Group.
"Anchanah," she replied coolly, her slender figure clad in a navy blazer over black slacks. Her tone was detached, as though this meeting carried no real weight for her.
"We need to come to an understanding," the man in a charcoal-gray suit and black tie said, still tapping on his phone.
"I already heard everything from your aunt. I'm not sure what more there is to understand."
"We've never met before. Doesn't this make it a blind date?" He finally lifted his gaze to study her properly. His eyes lingered long enough to unsettle her.
"No," she countered politely. "This feels more like a business negotiation."
"Ah, then I see my aunt chose the wrong words," he said, his lips curving in faint mockery.
"How so? I don't follow."
"She told me she arranged for me to have lunch with a friend's daughter."
"Is that so? Because what I was told is that the two of us were here to negotiate."
"Negotiate what? I don't understand."
"Why don't you explain first," she said evenly, "since you were the one who claimed we needed an understanding."
"The Sintaweesap Insurance Company is about to be delisted from the stock exchange. And so, I've been shoved into overseeing the mess." His biting tone struck her like a blade.
"Fine. What do you expect from me, then?"
"Nothing much. Perhaps your family simply wants to trade you into marriage to cut their losses."
"That's too far. You're insolent." Anchanah shot to her feet.
"Surach," he said, finally giving his name as though it were a weapon.
"I have no interest in knowing an insolent man. And I certainly have no intention of marrying you." Her anger burned bright on her face.
"On that, we agree. I don't wish to marry either. But I am being forced."
"Then tell your aunt this deal is off." Her voice was sharp, her expression stormy.
"I'd like you to look at the numbers first. Your company's debts are so severe that it faces delisting. Isn't it better that we step in and take over, rather than watch it collapse?" He rose, as though ready to fetch the documents.
"Don't bother. Let it collapse. I'll find someone else to take over."
"Don't forget my aunt's generosity. Do you really think you'll find better terms elsewhere?" His tone carried an arrogant edge.
"I've already told her—I'll marry if she insists. But I won't live under the same roof."
"And do you think I'd agree? I have no desire to share a roof with a man who can't even respect me."
Their voices rose, drawing the attention of nearby tables. Surach abruptly seized Anchanah's wrist and dragged her toward the elevator.
"Have some manners! I don't want to go to your room!" she snapped.
"I want you to see the documents yourself."
"Why not bring them down here?"
"There are too many," he countered.
After a tense moment, she followed. When the elevator doors slid open, Surach's face was flushed with suppressed rage at her stinging words.
"You think you can insult me? Don't flaunt your family's wealth here. My family may have fallen, but that doesn't mean we won't rise again."
"You're nothing but a pawn," she fired back, "a dog following the elders' game."
The insult hit him like a blow. His jaw clenched, face darkening as he yanked her into his suite without restraint.
"Such a sharp tongue," he growled. He pulled out a small suitcase, unzipped it, and laid thick files across the desk.
"Look at the numbers yourself," he said, gripping her arm to force her closer.
"Don't drag me—I can walk on my own!" she barked.
Seated at the desk, Anchanah glanced over the documents he thrust before her. Her heart sank as the truth unfolded: debts nearing a hundred million, far beyond anything she could cover. No wonder Aunt Kangsadan—her mother's friend—had intervened, offering to shoulder the burden under the umbrella of the Saphan Group.
"I only just returned from America. I was thrown into this without warning," Surach muttered.
"I admit, your aunt is kind to help my family," she replied bitterly. "But I cannot accept being tied to a man I don't even know."
"I don't know where I stand either," he countered cryptically.
"Let's not argue anymore. My head hurts," she sighed.
"And mine worse. I'm the one forced to shoulder your family's debts."
"Then tell your aunt again—I want no part in this. I can't take the stress." The familiar sting of her migraines was already building.
Surach looked at her, his mind heavy. The woman before him only added to the turmoil already breaking apart his relationship with Nicharat, the woman he'd just returned from Paris with.
"My head aches even more," he muttered.
"Why? Because you already have someone else?" she shot back, reading the look on his face.
He exhaled, the sound more weary than annoyed. "It's my heart that aches."
"Then tell your aunt the truth. Tell her you don't want to marry, that you already have someone."
"It's not that simple."
"Why not? You're the great businessman, aren't you? Surely you can manage that." She leaned in, meeting his gaze head-on.
Irritated, Surach began pacing, his agitation only deepening her headache.
"I have no choice. I must obey."
"That far?" she asked incredulously.
His expression darkened, voice dropping low as he muttered words she barely caught—words that tied everything together.
"The Sahaphan Group and my family are bound…"