Her Inconvenient Boss | Chapter 22
Unakarn went about her usual routine without any major excitement until Thursday arrived—the evening she had to prepare the meal for Friday's guests. In the afternoon, the housekeeper called her up to check the ingredients.
It turned out Auntie Orn had selected high-quality produce and ensured everything was accounted for. She even volunteered to assist.
"Khun Nat told me to stay and help until you've finished cooking."
"I assume there's already a skilled cook at his main residence?" Unakarn inquired subtly.
"There is, but Khun Rotjana usually handles the kitchen herself. If anyone else cooks, Khun Wat hardly eats anything."
"Is Khun Rotjana the head housekeeper?"
"She is his nanny, and she's cared for Khun Wat since he was an infant."
The ring of Unakarn's phone interrupted their conversation. She glanced at the screen and silenced it when she saw it was Issara. She didn't answer, letting the call divert to Suphannika's device instead.
"I'll head back down to work now. I'll see you here no later than five-fifteen, Auntie Orn."
As she was about to leave the penthouse after finalizing their plans, another call came in from an unfamiliar number. This time, she answered.
"Hello?"
"..." The other end remained silent for a moment before hanging up without a word.
Unakarn frowned. Her first instinct was to call back, but she assumed it was a wrong number and they had hung up after not recognizing her voice. She returned to her department, only to receive three more calls of the same nature from different numbers.
Each time she answered, someone seemed to be on the line, yet they refused to speak. They simply let her wait for a brief moment before disconnecting.
"Why the long face, little one?"
Khemin poked his head in to greet her just as she was packing her things.
"Someone keeps calling me and saying nothing, P'Kimmy. I don't think it's a wrong number because it's happened four times now from four different numbers."
"Huh. Did you call back?"
"I figured if they have actual business, they'll call back themselves."
"Ugh! You're too patient. Want me to call them back for you?"
Unakarn thought for a second and gave a flattering smile. "P'Kim, could you try calling back using your own number?"
The request was met without hesitation. Khemin grabbed his phone, took the numbers from Unakarn's screen, and dialed immediately.
"No luck. It's like the phone is turned off."
"Then this one..."
Khemin complied instantly. "Can't reach this one either."
The young woman's brow furrowed deeper as she provided the remaining numbers. However, her colleague kept shaking his head after trying all four. The result was identical for every single one.
"That's strange."
"Do you remember if these numbers have ever called you before?"
"No. I've just started working, so I don't get calls from insurance companies or banks yet. It's usually just the same familiar people."
"Has anyone ever called you only to hang up without speaking, and then suddenly turned off their phone like this?"
"Never. If it's a wrong number, they usually talk until they realize it before hanging up."
"I have to ask—do you have an enemy somewhere lately?" Khemin probed, puzzled.
The dark-skinned LGBT supervisor was known for being loud and using colorful, sharp slang that might sound crude to some, but he was kind-hearted. Though they hadn't worked together long, he was observant and helped Phakaphan look after everyone. He had a soft spot for Unakarn because she brought homemade treats for the department every Monday morning.
Since she hadn't told anyone about the acid attack incident, Unakarn simply shook her head, fearing that word of mouth would make the situation spiral out of control.
"I really don't know."
"Well, what are you going to do about these mysterious calls then?"
"I'll deal with it if they call again. Thank you so much, P'Kim."
"Ugh! Do you live in a field of lavender or what?"
The polite young woman laughed, grabbed her bag, and offered a respectful wai to Khemin. "I'm off now."
After parting ways with her colleague, she took the elevator to the top floor but didn't enter the suite yet. She dialed Lieutenant Colonel Thrit, informing him of the mysterious calls and asking for an update on the case.
"Send me all the numbers, please. And have your phone divert calls to mine; if they call again, I'll handle it myself."
"Alright. I'll set up the diversion and then send the numbers via Line."
"We still haven't found the one who threw the acid. In the meantime, please be careful. Don't be alone. Wherever you go, make sure someone is with you at all times..." The officer spent several more sentences emphasizing the need for her to report any unusual occurrences before finally hanging up.
The penthouse door swung open before Unakarn could even use her keycard. She jumped slightly, as she was still preoccupied with thoughts of the mystery caller, before her face flushed at the sight of the tall figure blocking the doorway.
"Do you really hate taking extra assignments that much?"
"Wh... what?"
"You're standing there with a scowl, looking like you're being forced to work."
"That's not true!" she blurted out, fearing he would misunderstand, then immediately hung her head. "I... I was just thinking about something."
"Thinking about what?"
"..." The question left her completely stumped.
A trace of something akin to 'dissatisfaction' flickered across his handsome face.
"Or is the news about Issara making you so anxious you don't want to work?"
"News about P'Is?"
"Didn't he just get into an accident, crashing his car into a guardrail in Chachoengsao?"
"!!!"
Unakarn froze, looking at him as if wanting to ask for confirmation while being struck with shock.
"You didn't know," Wasawatt answered for her based on her reaction.
"Thank you for telling me," she murmured after composing herself. "May I go in and start working now?"
Her employer's thick eyebrows arched slightly. "You don't want to go check on him?"
"I'll probably find out more from someone else later," she explained and tried to sidestep him.
However, her upper arm was firmly caught just as she brushed past his large frame. Caught off guard, her face burned with heat.
"Khun Wasawatt."
His sharp, piercing eyes stared deep into her shimmering brown ones, which were wide with the alarm of a startled doe.
"What exactly is your relationship with Issara?"
"H... P'Is is a senior from my university. I already told you that."
"Yet I've heard that he's absolutely crazy about you."
His gaze—so different from when a third party was present—scanned her suspiciously. He looked her over as if trying to discern what made her so special that Issara would be so infatuated.
That kind of scrutiny would have seemed insolent and crude from any other man, but his predatory, king-of-the-jungle aura only made Unakarn feel tiny and feverish.
"Where did you get that news from, Khun Wasawatt?"
"It's enough that I know it's true," he replied in a soft tone that sounded almost provocative.
"..." She felt only 'intimidation.'
"Well?"
"P'Is is a senior from university. What you saw at the restaurant wasn't... I mean, I had just met him after not seeing him for months." Unakarn repeated her previous explanation, nervously licking her lips as she tried to clarify. But he wasn't about to let it go.
"Not meeting for months, yet he's on his knees professing his love?"
She knew it sounded like an excuse. After all, she wasn't the kind of beauty who would have a man like Issara pining for her to that extent.
"I went to meet him for personal reasons, not because I wanted to pursue a relationship or any other interest as... you might suspect."
She finally managed to defend herself and held her breath as her employer's lips twitched into a smile.
"Good."
"..." Her wide eyes stared at him in confusion, unsure of what exactly was 'good.'
"Go do your work."
The upper arm he had been holding was finally released. The victim instinctively rubbed the spot, her face burning.
"Thank you."
"There's one more thing."
"Yes?"
"I'm staying here tonight. Make me something simple for dinner."
The girl, who had been tensed up expecting further trouble, let out a small smile of relief to herself.
"What would you like to have, Khun Wasawatt?"
"Anything you want to make." He checked his wristwatch without looking at his employee's blushing face. "I'll be back up in about an hour."
Unakarn decided to prepare stir-fried roasted pork with holy basil, an omelet, and stir-fried rice vermicelli with water mimosa and shrimp for Wasawatt's dinner. She had consulted the housekeeper to find out which Thai dishes he usually ordered and his preferred flavor profile.
She steamed the rice and prepared the ingredients, starting the actual cooking only fifteen minutes before her employer's return.
The food was served the moment he arrived, with Auntie Orn acting as the server.
"Wow! Ginny thought you were joking when you said you'd treat me to dinner, Wat."
The socialite who had followed him up exclaimed as she took her seat at the long dining table, positioned near the head of the table where the host sat.
"Going out to eat would waste time we could spend talking," the young man said, raising an eyebrow at the food on the table.
The basil stir-fry was vibrant and appetizing, plated in the center of a large white dish bordered with fresh vegetables. There were cucumbers carved into leaf shapes and tomatoes turned into roses, accented with decorative red chilies and thin slices arranged like floral vines.
A fluffy omelet, seemingly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, was placed alongside it, garnished with a sprig of cilantro and slivers of bright red chili. As for the rice vermicelli with shrimp, its natural colors were already so inviting that it was simply served on a matching porcelain plate.
"I didn't know your housekeeper could cater for guests."
"Auntie Orn didn't realize you'd have a guest, so she didn't prepare any drinks. What would you like to have, Ginny?"