[The next morning - Rain's apartment]
Rain woke up to seventeen missed calls and forty-three text messages, all are from Phayu...
Phayu: I can't sleep without you
Phayu: Please talk to me
Phayu: I'm sorry for losing my temper
Phayu: Rain, you're killing me
Phayu: Answer your phone
Phayu: RAIN.
Phayu: Fine. Take your space. But don't think you can replace me. You'll realize no one will ever love you like I do.
Rain's hands shook as he scrolled through the messages.
The last one had come at 4:47 AM.
Part of him felt guilty—Phayu really was suffering.
But another part, the part that had finally found its voice last night, recognized this for what it was: manipulation.
He needed advice.
He needed someone to talk to.
But most of his friends had drifted away over the past two years, tired of canceled plans and Phayu's cold hostility whenever they came around.
Except Sky.
Sky had been persistent, refusing to let their friendship die completely..
Rain dialed his number.
"Holy shit, he's alive!" Sky's voice was cheerful but concerned.
"Rain, where the hell have you been?"
"I... I need to talk. Can we meet? Maybe grab a coffee?"
There was a pause.
"It's about him, isn't it? About P'Phayu."
Rain's silence was answer enough.
"The café near campus. One hour. And Rain? Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. You're not alone, okay?"
Rain felt tears prick his eyes. "Okay. Thank you, Sky."
[Main Estate - Morning Meeting]
The dining room of the Main estate was elegant and imposing—much like the four men seated around the table.
This wasn't a family breakfast; this was business.
Kinn sat at the head of the table, reviewing documents on his tablet.
Porsche sat beside him, coffee in hand, looking more relaxed than the others but no less attentive.
Across from them, Vegas leaned back in his chair with his usual cold expression, while Pete studied a file with a small frown.
Prapai stood by the window, half-listening to the discussion about shipping routes and territory negotiations.
His mind was elsewhere—on his cousin.
"Prapai, are you with us?" Kinn's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Sorry. Yes, I'm here."
Vegas's eyes narrowed. "You've been distracted all week. Is there a problem?"
Prapai hesitated.
How did he express his concerns without sounding like he was attacking family?
"It's Phayu. Have any of you noticed he's been... off lately?"
Porsche and Pete exchanged a glance.
Kinn set down his tablet.
"Define 'off,'" Kinn said carefully.
"Obsessive & Paranoid. He barely sleeps, he's constantly on his phone, and when I asked him about it, he nearly bit my head off."
Prapai turned from the window. "It's that boy, isn't it?"
The temperature in the room shifted subtly.
"We've been monitoring the situation," Vegas said, his tone neutral.
"The boy seems harmless enough. Middle-class background, no connections to rival families, no criminal record."
"But?" Prapai prompted, sensing there was more.
Pete closed his file. "But Phayu's attachment to him is... concerning. It's not healthy. I've seen the way he talks about Rain—like he's a possession rather than a person."
Porsche set down his coffee cup with more force than necessary. "Someone should talk to him. This is how things go wrong. When love becomes ownership—"
"It's not our place to interfere in Phayu's personal life," Kinn interrupted, though his expression suggested he shared Porsche's concern.
"Unless it becomes a security risk."
"And if it already is?" Prapai challenged.
"What if this boy decides he's had enough of Phayu's intensity and goes to the media? Or the police? What if—"
"Then we handle it," Vegas said coldly. "Like we handle all potential threats."
Pete's hand found Vegas's under the table, a gentle squeeze that reminded him of who he used to be versus who he'd become.
Vegas's expression softened slightly.
"We don't 'handle' innocent civilians," Pete said firmly. "If Rain is a problem, it's because Phayu made him one. We should be focusing on helping Phayu, not planning damage control for his victim."
"Victim is a strong word," Kinn said, but he didn't sound convinced.
"Is it?" Pete challenged.
"I've seen the surveillance footage from Rain's apartment building. The way Phayu watches him, follows him, shows up unannounced. That's not love. That's—"
"Enough." Kinn held up a hand. "You've made your point. Prapai, since you're concerned, why don't you do some... informal reconnaissance? See if you can assess the situation without Phayu knowing. Meet this Rain. Get a sense of whether we need to intervene."
Prapai nodded slowly.
"How do you suggest I do that?"
A small smile played at Pete's lips.
"Rain is an architecture student. He frequents the university library, takes his lunch at the café on Fourth Street, and..."
he glanced at his file, "...apparently has a close friend named Sky who's been trying to get him to socialize more. Maybe you could engineer a chance meeting."
"You have a file on him?" Prapai's eyebrows rose.
"We have files on everyone connected to this family," Vegas said matter-of-factly.
"It's how we stay alive."
Porsche stood, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
"Just... be gentle, okay? If this kid is what Pete thinks he is—a victim of Phayu's obsession—then.."
"I'm not Phayu," Prapai said quietly. "I won't hurt him."
"Make sure of it," Pete said, his eyes holding a warning.
"Because if you do, you'll answer to me. I don't care if we're family."
[Fourth Street Café - Late Morning]
Rain sat in the corner booth, hands wrapped around a cup of tea he'd barely touched, and told Sky everything.
Sky listened without interrupting, his expression growing darker with each revelation.
When Rain finally fell silent, Sky reached across the table and gripped his hand.
"Rain, this is abuse. You know that, right?"
Rain flinched at the word. "He's never hit me—"
"There are other ways to hurt someone."
Sky's voice was gentle but firm.
"Isolation, control, manipulation, coercion—those are all forms of abuse. And what you described last night, when he grabbed you..." Sky's jaw tightened.
"You need to end this. Completely. And maybe... maybe you should consider a restraining order."
"I can't do that. Phayu would—"
"Would what? Rain, listen to yourself. You're afraid of him. That's not love."
Rain knew Sky was right, but the thought of completely cutting ties with Phayu filled him with dread.
Not because he loved Phayu anymore—he wasn't even sure he did—but because he was terrified of what Phayu might do..
"I just need some time," Rain said. "Maybe with some distance, he'll realize this isn't working either. Maybe—"
"Rain, guys like Phayu don't just let go," Sky interrupted. "They escalate. Promise me you'll be careful. Change your locks, vary your routine, don't go anywhere alone at night."
"You're scaring me."
"Good. You should be scared. But you should also know you're not alone. I've got your back, okay?"
Rain managed a weak smile. "Thank you, Sky. I don't know what I'd do without—"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes fixing on something—someone—over Sky's shoulder.
Or rather, someone had just walked into the café, and Rain's breath caught in his throat.
The man was tall, impeccably dressed in casual but expensive clothes, with an aura of confidence that seemed to command the space around him.
But what struck Rain most were his eyes—warm and kind, so different from Phayu's intense & possessive gaze...
Their eyes met for just a moment, and the man smiled—a genuine, friendly smile—before turning to place his order at the counter..
Sky waved a hand in front of his face. "Did you just have a stroke or something?"
Rain blinked, shaking his head. "Sorry, I just... nothing. Never mind."
But his eyes drifted back to the stranger, and he found the man looking at him again, a curious expression on his face..