Her Inconvenient Boss | Chapter 21
Unakarn stifled a wide yawn as she killed the engine, just as her younger sister came racing down the stairs to meet her.
"You're home so late today, P'Prae. I've been waiting forever."
"I went to see P'Is."
Her pale hand reached out to stroke her sister's head before they walked into the house, arms wrapped around each other's waists.
"Really?" Suphannika narrowed her eyes. "That guy just won't quit, will he? But why did you agree to see him, P'Prae?"
"I suspected something..." The young woman left the reason at that and continued, "He invited me to work with him."
"Wait, but he knows you're working at Kent Industries, doesn't he?"
"He knows. The problem is that Khun Wasawatt happened to run into us at the restaurant." She let out a soft sigh.
She didn't want to recount the awkward details to her sister. Nonetheless, the little troublemaker's eyes went wide.
"You ran into... I mean, Khun Wasawatt while you were with P'Is? Why is that a problem?"
"Have you forgotten those leaked photos of Khun Ginny in bed with Khun Wasawatt? Besides, the two companies are competitors with overlapping product lines. On top of that, a senior supervisor in our company just resigned to join LN Holdings..."
Unakarn elaborated on the evening's events involving Teerachai's pestering, the news of Parichat's resignation, and finally, Wasawatt's arrival and his pointed remarks to the assistant sales manager.
Suphannika listened intently, her expression shifting into that of an analyst.
"It's probably not a coincidence, right? Someone resigning to join a rival company. Otherwise, Khun Wasawatt wouldn't have spoken to that Teerachai guy like that."
"It's hard to believe it's a coincidence."
"Meaning P'Is's company is trying to poach Kent Industries' people—including you—perhaps to steal trade secrets or client data. But Khun Wasawatt saw right through it, didn't he?"
"It's possible, but I'm more afraid he'll misunderstand what he saw today."
Suphannika made a thoughtful humming sound in her throat, quick-witted as always. "It certainly is a misunderstanding waiting to happen."
The little sister offered no comfort; instead, her words made Unakarn feel even more uneasy since they shared the same thought.
"Do you think I should explain things to him?"
"Uh... hehe." It was the younger girl's turn to be at a loss for words, lacking enough life experience. "I'm not sure. Why don't you try consulting P'Parn, Mom, or maybe Uncle Bancha?"
Unakarn thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Let's not trouble the adults with something like this. Honestly, I'm still on probation and I'm not in sales or any department involved in critical planning or strategy. I don't have any company secrets to sell anyway."
Despite what she told her sister, after retreating to her private room, showering, and going to bed, she tossed and turned until nearly dawn. Even though her body had been exhausted since leaving the restaurant, those sharp, piercing eyes continued to haunt her.
Unakarn stifled several wide yawns the following day, so many that even her supervisor took notice.
"You left early yesterday. Where did you get this sleep deprivation from?"
"I just couldn't sleep well."
"Is something going on at home?"
"No, I was just overthinking a few things."
"Do you want to talk to me about it?"
The young woman shook her head deferentially, having grown accustomed to never consulting anyone about personal matters. "It would be a waste of your time, P'Oum. If you don't have any more tasks for me, I'll take my work back to my desk now."
"There is one more thing. Khun Nat just called to say our Boss will have four guests this Friday. She emailed the menu down. Check your mail and list the items for the housekeeper to buy."
"But I don't even know what's in the kitchen upstairs yet."
Phakaphan turned to open a drawer and handed her a keycard. "This is for the VIP elevator and the penthouse door. The Boss wants you to keep it until you finish this special assignment or resign. You can go up and scout the place at noon."
"You want me to go up there alone?"
"Khun Nat said the Boss is rarely up there during the day, unless he works late or is too lazy to go home. Usually, he sleeps at his house or at Lady Warinrampai's palace."
"I'm afraid if something goes missing, there will be trouble."
"The penthouse has CCTV. Or, if it makes you feel uneasy, you can ask Auntie Orn to go up with you."
The young woman knew Auntie Orn, the housekeeper who looked after the executive floor, served coffee and snacks to the management, and was responsible for cleaning the penthouse every week or before Wasawatt used it.
"Then I'll ask Auntie Orn to come along. I won't have to fumbling around for things on my own."
Unakarn returned to her desk, called the housekeeper to coordinate, and worked until noon before taking her notebook and phone out of the department.
She took a detour to use the VIP elevator, which was set in a private zone away from the general staff and other building tenants. She swiped her card to ascend to the top floor, a place few people ever had the chance to see.
A moment later, her curvaceous figure stepped out into the fresh scent of citrus-scented air freshener. She stepped onto the plush carpet of the magnificent penthouse, which immediately drew her gaze with its architecture of clear glass, stained glass, and golden stucco patterns. She stood agape, looking around for a long while until the housekeeper opened the door and saw her.
"Oh, I was just about to go down and look for you. I thought you'd forgotten our appointment, Khun Prae."
"I'm sorry." The young woman offered a respectful wai to Auntie Orn, who quickly returned the gesture. "I got a bit distracted looking around. This place is beautiful."
"Oh, no need to wai me, dear."
She said this because Unakarn bowed to her every time they met, but this was the first time they had spoken one-on-one.
"Of course I must. You're likely around the same age as my mother."
"But I'm just a lowly housekeeper. I don't have the knowledge like you young people today."
"As long as it's honest work, there is nothing lowly about it. It's just a different set of knowledge and skills. There are hundreds of thousands of job titles in this world, and every profession has its dignity. My mother is a housekeeper too, you know."
Auntie Orn smiled, looking at the well-proportioned oval face with admiring eyes. "Your mother raised you very well."
"Thank you. Have you been working here long?"
"Since I was young. I used to work in the palace. Later, Her Ladyship sent me to look after Khun Wat at the company..." The housekeeper led Unakarn inside. "As for this penthouse, Khun Wat came up with the ideas himself. He had architect and interior designer friends from abroad help with the design, and we used our own craftsmen. It took two years to finish."
The design emphasized grandeur with ceilings nearly ten meters high, glass-paneled walls, and the golden stucco patterns in the living room behind the entrance. For someone who had lived in an orchard house her whole life, she was left speechless, spinning 360 degrees in awe.
"This is the first penthouse I've ever been in, but I'm sure nowhere else could be more beautiful than this."
"Each zone is designed differently. Khun Wat gets bored easily, so he had various atmospheres created."
"It must be quite a sight. But please, take me to the kitchen."
"Would you like me to show you around the whole place first?"
"I'm an employee. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to tour the boss's home like a guest," the young woman said, despite her curiosity.
Auntie Orn said nothing as she led the way further inside, passing through a grand hallway with polished, dust-free wooden floors—a testament to the housekeeper's skill and humility. The kitchen made Unakarn's jaw drop once again.
"Lady Warinrampai designed this kitchen herself."
The kitchen was spacious, looking as if it had been pulled from a modern catalog but seamlessly blended with traditional Thai palace-style furniture. There were glass cabinets filled with every type of cookware: Benjarong patterns, porcelain, stoneware, and hand-carved brass. There were enough sets of each kind to host a dinner for dozens of guests. Everything looked beautiful, inviting, luxurious, and precious all at once.
"It's drop-dead gorgeous," Unakarn whispered. "But with a kitchen this size, what's the largest number of guests you've catered for?"
"We've actually hosted about fifty to sixty people, but Her Ladyship says it could handle up to a hundred. This entire floor is Khun Wat's private penthouse, so every room is huge, just in case he has a family later."
"But it looks like it's never been used."
The housekeeper laughed. "Very little. Khun Wat rarely stays here. When he does, I just buy some food to heat up and brew coffee for him. Occasionally, Her Ladyship and the Chairman stop by for a change of pace and cook for themselves."
"I think this place is better suited for a large family."
"Several people have asked to buy it—friends of his, mostly. But Khun Wat doesn't want to sell yet."
"I see." He probably wanted to keep it for parties with celebrities and models, like the ones in the recently leaked photos, she thought. "From what I can see, the cookware is all here. What about dry ingredients?"
"Almost none, because we cook so little, as I told you."
The housekeeper led her to the dry storage and a large refrigerator that contained almost nothing but milk, beer, eggs, and a few pieces of fresh fruit.
Unakarn nodded, exploring once more to be sure while taking notes in her book.
Half an hour later, she showed Auntie Orn the list of ingredients and quantities needed. She politely inquired about the sourcing of the items and gave humble advice until she was certain the housekeeper could find the right quality products. She then handed over the paper.
"How will you go to the market? Is there someone to help you?"
"Khun Nat will have Reuk take me to help carry everything back."
"In that case, I'll go down for lunch now. If you have any questions while buying the items, you can call me anytime." The young woman pointed to the ten-digit number—her private mobile number—at the top of the page for the housekeeper to see.
"Once the items arrive, call me up to check them once more so nothing goes wrong."