Her Inconvenient Boss | Chapter 9
As the three women drove away, Unakarn stole a glance at her rescuer, only to have her breath catch as she realized he was already watching her with a contemplative gaze.
"Thank you for helping me, sir."
"Khun Nat told me you are Shanya's younger sister."
"Yes, sir. Shanya is the industry stage name her manager gave to P'Pan. Originally, my father called us Pan, Prae, and Mai."
"Pudpitchaya, Unakarn, and Supannika." He committed them to memory, having just learned her sister's real name. "Are you often this absent-minded when you walk?"
"I... I just wasn't careful..."
"P'Prae isn't usually absent-minded at all," the youngest sister observed. "She's actually as cautious as a strict schoolteacher."
Having finished her critique, the girl let out a sharp intake of breath as her upper arm was pinched rather firmly. The culprit merely released her hand smoothly, as if nothing had happened, though the once-feisty girl visibly 'wilted' in an instant.
Wasawatt watched the exchange with amusement. Neither the expression nor the demeanor of the older sister was at all intimidating. Even when she shot a glare at her sibling, it was done with a flick of her eyes that, if directed at a thick-skinned man like him, could easily be interpreted as a coquettish pout inviting a pursuit.
When those shimmering, doe-like eyes stole a glance at him and realized they were being caught, they reflected a bashful timidity and quickly cast downward. One of the Big Boss's thick eyebrows quirked up in a mix of pride and a strange sense of frustration. However, that thought came to a sudden halt as he reminded himself of what was appropriate. He turned his gaze toward the other young woman.
"How did you end up all the way here, Nong Mai? Did you have an appointment with your sister?"
"Yes, sir. Mai dropped by to see P'Prae. We're going to pick up her car at the garage and head home together."
"Which garage?"
Supannika provided the name of the garage, the street, and the alleyway in such painstaking detail that her older sister couldn't help but secretly roll her eyes. "The mechanic is waiting to change some ordered parts, so we had to leave it there. Thank you again, P'Watt, for saving P'Prae."
"It's a small matter. If you're heading that way, wait a moment. I'll drop you off."
"Oh!" The girl's dark eyes widened. "We can take the bus. We wouldn't dare trouble you, sir."
"I have business that requires me to pass that route anyway. It's no trouble." The young man pulled a mobile phone from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and made a one-sentence call to his driver. "Korkrit will be out shortly."
Unakarn wanted to decline, but she couldn't find a suitable excuse in time. Within seconds, a black European car glided out of the VIP parking area and pulled up to the curb where the three stood.
Wasawatt opened the door himself before the driver could even step out, nodding for them to enter. "Come on."
She shrank past his towering frame and sat inside, followed by Supannika, whose face beamed with the joy of someone who had just been granted a royal carriage. Unakarn leaned her head over to whisper to her sister while the man closed the door and took the front passenger seat.
"Don't be overzealous. It's embarrassing."
"P'Watt seems so kind, though."
"You shouldn't call my boss 'P' either, even if he gave you permission."
"Wouldn't that be rude now?" Supannika whispered back, as her employer had already settled into his seat. The one tasked with answering her sister fell into a silent hush.
"This is Korkrit, my driver... and that is Khun Prae and her younger sister, Nong Mai."
"Hello, sir." / "Hello."
The able-bodied driver and the two young women offered a wai simultaneously, causing Korkrit to let out a sheepish laugh.
"You don't need to wai me, young ladies. I'm just Khun Watt's driver."
"I am just Khun Wasawatt's employee, just like..."
"Khun Prae can just call me Krit. Everyone calls me that."
Supannika smiled broadly upon hearing this. "P'Krit is a name with a very auspicious meaning."
"A monk gave it to me, miss. My older brother is named Kasin; he drives for the Tycoon and Khun Ying. I handle other tasks and transport guests. I only drive for Khun Watt occasionally because the Boss prefers to drive himself."
"I've just started working here... please look after me." The young woman offered another wai, smiling through the rearview mirror at the driver, who quickly returned a broad grin.
"How was your first day?" Korkrit's master struck up a conversation once the car reached the main road.
He likely asked out of the habit of a good employer, yet the respondent remained nervous.
"It was enjoyable, sir. But I expect I'll need some time to adjust."
"If there are any problems your supervisor can't help with, let Khun Nat know." He said only that before turning to his employee. "My mother is coming to the event with my father, right?"
"Yes, sir. But Khun Ying and the Tycoon will likely arrive later... unless you want to stop by somewhere first?"
'Stopping by' was a coded term understood between driver and master, as Korkrit kept the schedule for Wasawatt's current woman.
"I'll just wait at the event."
Korkrit stole a brief glance at his employer. "You've never arrived this early before, sir."
"Good grief, can't I be early for once!"
The driver quickly swallowed his words and shut his mouth. Although the young employer was a jovial, good-humored man in the typical playboy fashion when with friends, every employee in the household knew well that the only son of Mom Ratchawong Warinrampai and Tycoon Saratch had a side entirely different from his outward persona—likely a trait inherited from his mother's blue-blooded lineage.
Wasawatt reached out to turn on the audio player, the solo notes of a world-class violinist filling the car to ward off the silence. One of the two girls in the back seat couldn't help but let a small smile slip, as it happened to be her favorite piece.
"I hope Prae and Nong Mai don't find this annoying. Or if you prefer other music, just say so."
The younger sister, her neck swaying slightly like a plump cat enjoying a melody, quickly answered for her. "P'Prae loves violin solos. She says they're more beautiful than most singers' voices, so I've grown accustomed to them too."
Sharp eyes met shimmering dark ones through the rearview mirror. "Young women usually prefer the songs of famous modern singers."
"Oh, this one is a disciple of the old school, like the Fab Four," Supannika mentioned The Beatles. "If it's singers like Elvis Presley, The Eagles, or Michael Jackson, P'Prae listens to them all and knows every lyric. She hardly knows any modern artists."
The young man looked at the face that had flushed a soft pink, like a delicate flower petal, with amusement. "A listening era that suits your personality well, though the taste is somewhat contrasting."
The girl giggled in agreement. "P'Prae loves reading—even Western classics, the Tripitaka, or cookbooks. But when it comes to music, she loves exactly what I said, sir."
"They're classics," the older sister murmured bashfully as her employer laughed.
"It is a taste that possesses its own internal contradictions."
"I picked it up from my parents," she offered softly. "They had different preferences."
"If I recall correctly, it seems Shanya only has her mother left?"
"Yes, sir," Unakarn answered in a faint voice, reaching out to wrap an arm around her sister, whose once-bright eyes dimmed instantly. The younger girl's head came to rest on Unakarn's shapely shoulder, letting slender fingers stroke her hair. "My father passed away a long time ago. Nearly ten years now."
Wasawatt, who had opened his mouth to ask more, paused. His quick eyes had caught every reaction: from the older sister's profile as she gazed out the window with a straight, poised neck, to the drooping face of the younger sister leaning on her shoulder, her small mouth pouting like a child who had just learned this year's birthday cake was cancelled—yet not sobbing, because a gentle hand was there to comfort her.
"I am sorry for your loss."
The new employee murmured her thanks and fell silent, leaving only the sound of the solo violin echoing within the car.