Her Inconvenient Boss | Chapter 12
The father's face turned livid with rage, and Isara would vanish from the house for days every time they clashed. However, the one thing Luck Lucknara could not dispute was that LN Holdings' performance was steadily improving.
Isara had also entered into partnerships with foreign investment groups, establishing trading companies in Hong Kong and Singapore. This included a legal and accounting consultancy firm that he funded and controlled entirely by himself, barring his father and relatives from any involvement. He used nominees as founders and shareholders, while the parent company's client base continued to expand under the new manager's administration. This led the Board of Directors—who had once lacked confidence in Isara—to place their trust in him. Gradually, it seemed they were beginning to overlook the Chairman, who now occupied the role as little more than a figurehead.
Naturally, several people felt uneasy and had attempted to resist, but they invariably ended up resigning under the contemptuous glares of Isara and the inner circle he had personally handpicked.
'Good riddance, you ancient fossils!'
"Politics is shifting sides these days. Haven't you heard, Dad? Uncle Pham is about to be sued by the Central Bank for dereliction of duty. He approved loans that benefited certain involved parties, resulting in non-performing loans worth tens of billions."
Having said only that, a man who had done business and dealt with politicians as much as Luck could easily piece the story together.
"If I recall correctly, you know both those 'involved parties' and the opposition quite well yourself, don't you?"
Luck did not name the many 'new friends' of his son, as he felt a pang of resentment—after all, he too shared in the profits Isara generated.
"Just acquaintances. But for an experienced elder like Uncle Pham to make such a mistake..." Isara's tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
"Pham is not that kind of person!"
"Even if he isn't, Uncle Pham holds the position of MD there. He has to handle pressure from many sides." Isara referred to the Managing Director of the commercial bank—a state enterprise under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance.
"If you knew in advance, why didn't you tell me or warn him?"
"It's better we don't get involved and risk our own credit. This is exactly why I had to break up with Ginny."
"How will Ginny feel, you abandoning her while her family is in trouble?"
"You've probably forgotten that Ginny once cast me aside and prepared to trample me by bringing in Wasawatt's Kent Industries to replace our LN Holdings. And you were the one who forced me to swallow my pride and crawl back to beg for her forgiveness."
Luck was stunned. "Do you still think of me and Ginny in that way?"
Isara sneered. "Since we got back together, do you know that Ginny was still in contact with Wasawatt, even while she was studying in America? For all I know, she might have made a cuckold of me countless times."
"I don't believe Ginny is that kind of person."
Isara didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out his phone, scrolled for a moment, and handed it to his father.
What appeared was a photograph of Ginjutha, nearly naked on a bed, sleeping in a compromising position. Beside her lay the large frame of a man sleeping face down. Although his face wasn't perfectly clear, the sharp, mixed-heritage profile was enough for anyone who had seen him even a few times to recognize the playboy Wasawatt Siwaratpakdee.
The man Isara considered his enemy, even if the other party had never paid him any mind.
Luck let out an exclamation, his face turning pale. "How is this possible..."
"Now you know, Dad, that your Ginny isn't some angel from heaven. With behavior like this, how is she any different from a whore?"
"Is it possible you've misunderstood? Have you talked to Ginny yet?"
"Oh, I talked. I even suggested she go ask Wasawatt for a service fee to help her father fight the case if the lawsuit drags on."
The utter contempt in his son's voice and expression made Luck shudder inwardly. In just a few short years, Isara had changed beyond recognition.
Chama clung to her older cousin's arm, greeting her father's guests with a beaming smile.
"Is this Kritsada's daughter who just graduated? She's so beautiful I almost didn't recognize her," remarked a guest named Chuenjit coquettishly.
"Thank you, Auntie Chuen."
"And Khun Watt... ah, didn't Bharatee come with you today?"
The attempt to stir the pot made Chama raise an eyebrow after casting a brief glance at Wasawatt.
"Bharatee? Who is that?"
"My, you'd better ask Khun Watt. It was just a slip of the tongue because I've seen the news in the papers."
"Must be one of P'Watt's exes, I suppose," Chama quipped.
"Goodness, have you broken up already?!"
Chama looked up at her cousin again, feeling curious herself, but saw only a smile on his face, as if he were unfazed by the question. It was difficult to guess what he was actually thinking or feeling.
"How is Mr. Praphan doing?" Wasawatt asked, referring to the Director-General of the Department of Provincial Administration—the husband of the woman prying into his affairs. He gave her a slight, dismissive look when he didn't indulge her curiosity.
"Oh, he's doing well."
"I assume his health has improved," he asked, as there were reports that Chuenjit's husband had recently been discharged from the hospital for a chronic illness.
"Much better, thank you for asking, Khun Watt."
"No wonder. I saw him near Silom the other day. I suppose he had official business there."
"The other day?"
"Around ten or eleven at night. I happened to run into a friend at a lounge in that area."
Having dropped the bombshell, Wasawatt feigned ignorance of the woman's pale, panicked expression. He looked down at his cousin. "Excuse me for a moment."
"Where are you going, P'Watt?"
"Wes just arrived. He looks like he has something to discuss." He said this because his best friend had signaled him the moment they made eye contact.
"Hia Wes? Phanthakan, right?" Chama asked excitedly, knowing Wasawatt's close friend.
"Mm-hmm. Let me talk business with him for ten minutes. You can follow after."
"Why do you have to be so mysterious?"
"I'm not." The young man lightly flicked her forehead as she feigned a pout. "But there are certain things a lady shouldn't be privy to."
Chama was about to argue that she wasn't exactly a 'lady' when the large figure moved away swiftly.
"Nong Charm... you and Khun Watt are quite close, aren't you?" The same Chuenjit was still curious and wasted no time digging for information.
"We've been close since we were children. My father sent me to study abroad and had me stay with Khun Ying Auntie during the early years."
'Khun Ying Auntie' referred to Mom Ratchawong Warinrampai, Wasawatt's mother.
"Charm's father and Khun Ying Warinrampai are relatives," someone else in the group who was better informed clarified.
"My, what a shame. I actually thought those two were quite a match."
"Distant relatives like Charm and P'Watt getting married wouldn't be scandalous at all," Chama said with the openness of a modern girl, causing the group of elder women to exchange meaningful glances.
By the time the party ended that night, the latest gossip among most of the guests was that the playboy had broken up with the actress Bharatee because he was cultivating a romance with Chama Dittawat, the sole daughter of the national real estate tycoon.
"Did you really break up with P'Isara, Ginny?"
Jomnaree, who had arrived later than the others, rushed over to whisper the question, earning a glare from Khakanang and the socialite herself.
"Why would you ask that, Jom!"
"Well, I didn't see Ginny with Isara, so I went to ask him. He snapped back that he didn't come with her and looked quite irritated."
"Ginny might just be sulking with him like usual."
"But someone just asked me how Ginny and Isara's breakup happened!"
"Yes!" Ginjutha cut in coldly. "I've broken up with Isara."
"Oh!" Jomnaree pressed a hand to her chest in shock.
The socialite continued, "Don't ask for the reason because I'm not ready to tell. And if anyone wants to be nosy... tell them to come ask me themselves."
After speaking, she snapped her head away and walked in another direction, leaving her two best friends staring at each other in trepidation. Though they had been close for years and she was a generous, ride-or-die friend, Ginjutha had private depths that no one could reach—and a temper that could be terrifying. Once, she had nearly hit someone with her car out of sheer rage. Fortunately, Jomnaree, who was riding with her at the time, had grabbed the wheel to swerve in time.
"Is this why... Ginny tried to drive into that girl?" Jomnaree muttered as if asking herself.
"What are you saying!" Khakanang swallowed hard, looking uneasy.
"Don't act like you weren't there!"
"Ginny said herself she panicked and accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake, nearly hitting that Prae girl who wandered off the curb without looking. But Isara stopped caring about that woman ages ago, didn't he?"
"Er..."
Jomnaree's demeanor made Khakanang frown. "There's something you haven't told me, isn't there?"
"I forgot to tell you that after work, when I went down to find you and Ginny, I happened to overhear that Prae girl secretly talking on the phone with P'Isara. So I told Ginny... while you were in the restroom."
"What did they say? Are you making things up?"
"I couldn't hear clearly, but I was certain she was talking to Isara, so I walked away. When I reached the car, Ginny looked like she was furious or stressed about something. But I didn't think it was about having just broken up with him."
"You might be overthinking it..." Khakanang said out of loyalty to her friend, though her eyes betrayed her growing doubt. "Ginny wouldn't do something that extreme. She likely just hit the gas from shock, like she said."
"The woman is heartbroken; her emotional state isn't normal. Don't you remember what I told you back when we were sophomores?"
"Oh, come on. Ginny was a kid then. Someone flipped her the bird; anyone would have lost it."
"If you lost it, would you dare drive a car into someone?"
"..."