We were just getting into it when those two barged in at the perfect—or rather, worst—possible moment. I shoved his chest away, but the arrogant man didn't even seem to care.
Knock. Knock. Knock...
"Why don't they just start a drum corps?" he muttered after the first round of rapid-fire knocks. Even so, his face stayed buried against my chest. Was I really that irresistible? I'm not a teddy bear, you know!
"I had plans with them. They probably knocked on the other door and didn't hear a thing. Let me go!" I huffed. As if he didn't have all his weight on me. I'm clearly the fragile one here.
"This was your plan, wasn't it?" "Are you crazy? What plan? I actually scheduled a physics tutoring session for the boys." That wasn't a suspiciously high pitch at all—totally natural.
"That little bastard," he cursed—under his breath, but I still caught it. He finally climbed off the bed and hastily wrapped a towel around his waist. I didn't stick around for the conversation. I grabbed my scattered clothes, dashed into my room, and tried to make myself presentable.
He must have seen everything. God, how embarrassing...
Knock. Knock. The connecting door sounded. "I need to talk. Just five minutes," that man called out. What now? "Don't make me break this door down. You'll regret defying me."
"Honestly, his parents must have spoiled him rotten. Has anyone ever dared to say no to this man?" I muttered. If he heard that, we'd be here all night.
In the Minister's room, the tall man stood with arms crossed, his trademark stony expression fixed in place. Was he seriously not going to put on a shirt? Parading around with that sculpted six-pack like it's some national treasure—fine, I'll admit, it's highly touchable.
I sat on the sofa and stared right back at him. "I want you to take better care of my sons," he said after a heavy silence. "It's your duty to keep them from risky behavior. I want them to have goals and take life seriously."
"They're teenagers. Give them some breathing room," I countered. "They're still figuring themselves out. If you force them to be as stiff as you are, one day they'll either implode from the pressure or sink into a deep depression. Is that what you want?" I had to say it. I honestly didn't get why he expected so much from them.
"What would you know? You don't have children. You'll never understand how I feel."
"Even without kids, I get it well enough. But you—do you really think this counts as understanding them? You're all work. Do you ever actually parent them? You keep that frozen face on twenty-four hours a day—doesn't it ever hurt? They're your kids, yet you keep them at arm's length. Since I got here, I've never once heard you refer to yourself as their father. Be honest—are those two really even yours?"
"Kawinthida!" He ground his teeth, looking as dramatic as a lead in some soap opera.