Her Inconvenient Boss | Chapter 15
Prayong took the menu and listened to the catering details from her middle daughter with genuine interest.
"I haven't seen a course menu that blends authentic royal court recipes with Western dishes so beautifully in quite a long time," she remarked.
"I heard that Khun Natthawara's family is related to the Rapeepasakul line—the Chairman's mother is a Mom Ratchawong, you know."
"I've heard of them. Long ago, your great-grandmother was quite well-acquainted with that lineage."
The great-grandmother Prayong referred to was Khun Ying Pradapdao, a descendant of a royal house and a prominent socialite of her time. She had earned a Master's degree in Finance and Banking from the United States during an era when most women were still expected to be the 'hind legs of the elephant.'
However, a severe dispute between Unakarn's grandmother and her husband's relatives led to a drastic split. The grandmother insisted that her daughter and son—Prayong and her now-deceased uncle—use her own surname. Consequently, the memory of being descendants of Khun Ying Pradapdao had faded with time.
Prayong never taught her children to boast of their distant lineage, seeing the gap between them as far too wide. Nor had she ever stooped to ask for help, even during times of desperate struggle, out of a profound desire not to trouble others—even though some relatives had shown kindness to the family after learning of Prosecutor Athip's passing.
"Really? Then you must know Khun Ying Warinrampai, Mother."
"I don't know her personally, dear. I only saw her from a distance a few times. She was an overseas student who spent most of her life abroad—the most sophisticated 'it-girl' of that era. She even married a foreigner. She was an idol for many socialites of my generation, even if the elders on this side weren't particularly pleased."
"Because she married a foreigner?"
"Yes. She is a royal descendant, after all. Rumor had it she was the sole direct heir of the Rapeepasakul house, yet she ran off to marry a man of a different race and language to live abroad. Luckily, her husband was immensely wealthy."
"You know quite a lot, don't you?" the young woman teased, leaning in to hug her mother's arm as Prayong sat ironing banana leaves for the steamed curried fish (Hor Mok).
Prayong offered a faint smile. "I only know because she was famous and very beautiful. But that's the extent of it."
Unakarn wanted to pry further but feared making her mother suspicious, so she changed the subject.
"Mother, I hope you don't mind that I'm not accepting a fee for this."
"Why would I mind? It's a good thing. Consider it helping your company."
"But you'll have to tire yourself out helping me for several days."
"Ever since Pan forbade me from taking orders, it's been lonely. Having a big job to do once in a while is actually nice."
"Then I'll go check the kitchen to see what we're missing so I can list what I need to buy tomorrow."
"Oh, I've been meaning to ask for days now."
"Yes?"
"I haven't seen you wearing that necklace you usually wear. Are you bored of it, dear?"
Unakarn made a grimace. "No, Mother. The chain snapped and I lost it. I've searched everywhere I thought I might have dropped it, but I couldn't find it."
The 'everywhere' included the scene of the accident in front of the company, the hallways, the restrooms, her office, and she had even called the garage where she'd taken her car for an inspection. No one had seen it.
The young woman had resigned herself to the fact that it was likely gone forever, much as she regretted it.
"It's just a material object. If it's lost, just let it go, dear."
Unakarn went out to buy supplies for the event with her youngest sister, who excelled more at manual labor than anything else. On Saturday, they toured markets for ingredients and dry goods, buying slightly more than needed, as she had to submit the bills.
Early Sunday morning, they went for the fresh produce on their list. They hauled it back in 'Phi Nang Yam' and hired another motorized tricycle to follow them because the car wasn't large enough.
Then came the arduous process of kitchen prep, which prompted the 'villain' to complain.
"Ugh, by the time I finish pounding the curry paste and grating the coconuts by hand, my back is going to be in knots."
"The coconuts are already husked and shelled, and we have a press. Complaining already? I thought you were 'Team Labor'."
"Household labor for us and making food for thirty people for two days are two different things! By the way, can't we just use boxed coconut milk or buy it freshly squeezed?" the girl asked sheepishly.
"Boxed milk isn't as fragrant and fresh as what we grate ourselves. I've bought the pre-squeezed kind before and it occasionally had a smell. It's no match for doing it by hand."
"What about the curry paste? Can I use a blender?"
"Pounding it in a mortar releases the aroma of the spices. It's more delicious and the texture is smoother. A blender requires too much water, making it soggy and the flavor harsh. Ancient curry paste recipes must use a mortar and pestle to be at their best."
"Most of your guests are foreigners, aren't they, P'Prae?"
"Half are executives from America and subsidiaries from various countries. The rest are Thai executives."
"Those people have probably never had delicious royal court food like what Mother and you make anyway. Even if you used a blender and boxed coconut milk, they wouldn't know the difference. Their palates aren't that refined!"
The protester made a sorrowful face, but a fair hand reached out to pinch her skin, making her yelp.
"Alright, alright! I'll do it!"
"Once the job is done, I'll give you a little something for your effort."
"Money?" The dark eyes sparkled with greed.
"Helping your sisters—does that require a wage?" her mother scolded while peeling garlic and shallots. "Doesn't Pan give you enough of an allowance?"
The little villain looked dejected, making a sheepish excuse. "It's not that I want to charge P'Prae, but this month there are extra university activity fees. I just thought I wouldn't have to ask Mother or P'Pan for more."
"I intended to give her some anyway, Mother," Unakarn said softly, feigning ignorance of the perked ears and the longan-seed eyes that were beginning to gleam again. "It's her birthday in a few days. Giving her cash will save me the cost of a gift."
"Hey!" the girl protested under her breath but didn't dare pout. "The birthday gift has to be separate!"
"I'm doing this for the company for free..." The young woman locked eyes with her sister to convey a hidden meaning; she had strictly forbidden Mai from telling the family about the accident for fear of worrying their mother. Supannika was sharp and understood immediately.
"Oh... well, you didn't say it was pro bono. In that case, I won't take a wage."
"Are you sure?"
"But the birthday gift is a tradition. It cannot be cancelled!" The villain puffed out her cheeks and let out a whine, turning away in a huff when a slender finger poked them flat. "You don't love me, do you?"
"If I don't love you, who else would I love? How about I cook for a party with your friends on your birthday?"
At that, the manual laborer beamed from ear to ear and worked hard from morning till evening without another word of complaint.
In the afternoon, Nicharee, a best friend from high school, came to help. She brought along Phutthimeth, another member of their circle.
"Oh, Tao, Meth. Do you have an appointment with Mai today, children?"
Prayong greeted them as they filed through the doorway behind her youngest daughter to offer a polite wai on the floor where everyone was working.
"Tao heard Mai had a lot of heavy lifting today, so I came to help, Mother. Meth insisted on tagging along."
"Oh, this much work, the three of us can manage, dear."
"We figured that once the work is done, we'd like to settle our stomachs here. I came because I missed your cooking, Mother," the tall, fair-skinned young man with Chinese heritage—the faculty's 'hottest guy'—took the opportunity to flatter her.
"My, if you want to eat, you can come anytime. Mai shouldn't have made her friends go through this trouble."
"Mai didn't ask; we wanted to come ourselves," Nicharee said with a sweet smile. "Working and chatting together is fun."
"Hello, P'Prae."
Phutthimeth greeted Unakarn as she carried a large basket up from the back garden stairs. He and Nicharee hurriedly stood up to help, being well-acquainted with her—especially the latter.
The boisterous chatter of the young people that followed was so jovial it made Prayong smile, choosing to listen rather than speak.
The twenty-plus savory and sweet items prepared for Monday's three meals were finished before 8:00 PM, thanks to the extra hands.
As for the parts that needed to be cooked fresh—like the vegetables for the sour orange curry (Kaeng Som) for which the broth had already been simmered, or the prepped fresh vegetables and cooked seafood for the spicy salads—they were blanched in cold water, categorized into deep trays, wrapped in plastic film, and refrigerated immediately to maintain their freshness.
Prayong, highly skilled in the kitchen from years of selling food and handling catering where hosts picked up the food themselves, had every piece of equipment necessary. This included large coolers, insulated boxes of various sizes to maintain temperature, aluminum foil, and ice packs for transport.
Unakarn also packed two large tiffins for Nicharee and Phutthimeth to take home after dinner. Prayong excused herself to bed early, exhausted from the day's work.
"Oh, I'm so full I'm about to burst. You don't have to give us anything to take back, P'Prae. You might not have enough for the guests."
"You must take some for your families. I calculated for extras."
"Once those people get a taste, there might not be anything left," Phutthimeth remarked.
"There will be enough. Besides, foreign palates differ from Thais; it might not be as delicious to them as we think. As for the pintos, if you don't take them, don't come back to help again," the young woman delivered an ultimatum.
"I give in, I give in!" Nicharee quickly offered a wai and accepted the tiffin. "I wouldn't dare cross P'Prae, or I'll miss out on delicious food."
"Tao's housekeeper makes good food too," Unakarn noted.
"Just home-style cooking. It doesn't compare to this house. Even my mother said so herself. She even messaged me this evening asking what Mother and P'Prae were making today. She'll be thrilled to know I have souvenirs."
"I'm glad she likes it. By the way, whose car are you in today?"
"Mine, sir. I'll drop Tao off and then head home."
"Then I'll walk you to the car."
"Wait, Mai said you have to cater for two days, right?"
"Yes, but my boss gave me Monday off with full pay, as if I were in the office as usual."
"Wasawatt's Kent Industries, right? Mai told me."
"Do you know him, Meth?"
"I've met him a few times when I accompanied my father to parties," the young man, son of a hundred-million-baht seafood exporter, explained. "But not often. Our company scale is tiny compared to his circle."
"Aha! Claiming kinship already? You must know him personally then," Supannika teased.
"P'Watt refers to himself that way. Everyone in our generation who has the chance to know him respects him."
"Is he the model 'Thai Casanova' you're following?" Nicharee joked. This 'Faculty Heartthrob' had many female admirers and had dated several girls before recently stopping because he'd fallen for someone around here.
"I'm no Casanova," he said, shooting a brief glance at the other girl. "But P'Watt's group of friends... they all have real merit, not just wealth like..." He stopped abruptly, as if remembering something.
"Like who?"
"Like the people he's having problems with right now."
"Wait, there's drama?"
The young man shrugged. "Typical for men, I guess. Some personality clashes."
"Spill it! Don't leave us hanging." Supannika turned her 'radar' on her best friend, eyes full of curiosity.
"Why do you want to know, Mai?"
"Well, P'Prae works with him. It's good to listen for her general knowledge. Is it the scandal people are whispering about?"
"What are they whispering?" Unakarn asked, curious.
"It's a long story, P'Prae."
Unakarn offered a faint smile. "If you don't want to tell because we're women, that's alright, Meth."
"Oh, it's not that! It just involves a lot of people."
"Do you think we're big-mouths? P'Prae and I never gossip recklessly. And Tao over here is as tight-lipped as a clam. I'm the only one who knows how to open a mouth!"
"It's not like that, Mai," the young man started to feel pressured.
"Hmph. If you don't want to tell, fine. But don't come asking me for anything ever again."
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you." The one who always lost to the little villain because of his feelings for her sighed dejectedly.