Kongpob's POV

I had a lot of fun today with Arthit. He really seemed to like to ride. I had offered him to drive, but he says he's not confident enough to drive it since he hasn't driven a motorbike for a long time. But I think next week when we take the red BMW, I will convince him to give it a try.

Nina seemed to like Arthit too. Maybe we can make a point to go to Nina's together on the weekends after he finds his own place. Actually, the thought of him moving out is kind of sad. I have gotten comfortable with him around. It's nice to come home and have someone to talk to that's not about work. I don't need to feel like a damn CEO all the time. I just want to be myself without a care at home.

And his cooking is so good. I have never felt the desire to have anyone invade my space, but I don't mind Arthit's presence at all. In matter of fact, I quite enjoy his company. I like the easy conversations we have. The day seems to go by so quickly with him. I find myself looking forward to seeing him every morning, and every night after work. I even find myself staying up later than usual because of him.

He showed me a lot of things I wouldn't have known. Like today for instance, I've passed by that little town dozens of times, and I've never bothered to venture into it. For some reason, just strolling around with him seemed like a good idea today. And I'm glad I did.

Now, I know why people eat that atrocious stink bomb spiked grenade looking fruit called durian. It's damn delicious with ice. I don't think I would have ever went near such a funk if Arthit didn't dare me. In matter of fact, I would be running the other way if it was within a mile radius. Also, I ended up trying a lot of street food I've never had before.

Arthit kept teasing me about living under a rock, but I mean I've had some of those items, just not from a food cart. I wasn't really allowed on the streets when I was little. When I was old enough to go out, I went to proper establishments. I also had bodyguards with me all the time. It's not exactly cool to eat at a food cart with six grown men hovering over you.

We had a good time watching the street performers too. Arthit was dizzy from watching the guy with the giant hoop. It was funny how Arthit started to sway from side to side like he was about to fall. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder to steady him, and made him leave to watch something else. We walked over to a couple that was performing together. The woman was singing, and the man was playing the guitar. I enjoyed it up until I was pulled to sing in front of the crowd. I don't even know why I was singing along to begin with. It brought back all the memories I've tried to avoid all this time.

After spending too much time at the little town, we quickly left for the fashion house. I had sensed that something was wrong with Arthit after the fashion house visit. He was so blanked out of it when we left, that I got worried about whether he was going to hold on to me properly on the bike. I had to put my hand on top of his every now and then just to get his attention.

He seemed to have a lot on his mind. I wanted to cheer him up, so I took him to a nice Japanese grill house to relax, and have some good food. It's nice because you can take your time to enjoy at your own pace, and just chat. Seeing how much he liked wagyu was great. I'm definitely going to make a point to take him to Kobe with me.

Thinking back, I probably should have warned or prepared Arthit for Davika. I honestly thought she would have cooled off a bit by now. It's been almost a year. I can see Arthit was completely shocked. And I can't blame him though, Davika is very forward, and aggressive. That's also what makes her good at her job. She was determined to not just live off of her appearance, and be something more.

***Davika***

While her parents only wanted to marry her off for money, Davika put herself through school and studied hard with the little money she made modeling. She took advantage of already being a part of the fashion industry to make valuable connections, and got her foot in the door of designing. Like she said back then, she won't be forever 18. I have a lot of respect for her.

She and I started as friends in college. She is very smart, and beautiful as you can see. She was the Campus Star of my year, and I was the Campus Moon. She was also a good friend of my girlfriend Mild at the time, so we hung out occasionally on top of our school activities.

When Mild left me a week after my father's funeral, I was beyond broken. I was grieving the loss of my father, and what I thought was the love of my life at the time. Mild and I had been together since we were 16, so I was devastated. Davika was one of the few friends that helped me get through those days. We gradually became close friends, and then business partners as I admired her ambition and drive. So, I invested in her, and opened Davika Fashion Inc.

We were each other's support for a while. We were friends. We were partners. We were lonely. And one thing led to another, and we ended up sleeping together one night after a few too many drinks. At the time, she agreed that this was not going to change our relationship, and that we will remain just friends.

It was good at first, we had the comfort and convenience of each other without any expectations. However, for the past couple of years, I can sense some changes in her. She has gotten much more clingy, and she had been leaving things around my house. I had to have a whole box of her stuff sent back to her office. We haven't been together since. I don't want to lose her as a friend, but I just don't feel that way about her.

Actually, I haven't had a romantic connection with anyone in the past ten years. I've had casual dates that led to nowhere here and there, but they were mostly because of business. I haven't had the time, or the luxury of romance. Romance will just have to come knocking because I haven't had the chance to go look for it.

So, I'm not actually any luckier than Arthit when it comes to love. I meant it when I said I hate people who used others for personal gain. Like Arthit, I was blinded by love in the past. My first and only real girlfriend was Mild. Mild and I started dating when we were 16. We were young, and I was naive. We made promises of forever, and plans for the future that never came.

***Mild Lapassalan***

Mild was sweet, innocent and beautiful. My parents adored her. She came from a normal average family that my mother related to very well. My mother thought Mild would keep me grounded, and keep me from becoming what she called an overly pretentious snob.

During those three years together, Mild had met a lot of my friends that were in my social circle. The type of friends that were purely for business networking and benefits. Most of them were either rich future heirs, or their parents had prominent positions in big companies. So, when my father passed away, and people were spreading rumors about us filing for bankruptcy, Mild left me for another rich kid a week after my father's funeral. It was the same week I ran away from home. Apparently, I was just a meal ticket until she found a better one.

A few years later, M told me that he heard that Mild ended up marrying that rich kid after college. They even had two children before he cheated on her, and divorced her for someone else. They had signed a prenup, so she got nothing at the end. Then her ex-husband's company was later on entangled in a fraud scandal that eventually led it to bankruptcy. So, that's karma for ya.

Although, I don't know if any of it is even true. I won't allow myself to waste time on someone that no longer matters.

My mother who had liked Mild a lot was also very heartbroken. She treated Mild like a daughter, and spent a lot of time with her. She couldn't believe Mild was so shallow and heartless. After what happened with Mild, my mother stopped trusting anyone that approached me. Any women in the last decade that has even remotely tried to come near me, she would start to investigate them. I would receive a file on whoever that woman is on my desk almost instantly. And to be fair, she had found evidence on a couple of them who were either dishonest, or had ulterior motives. My mother didn't find anything on Davika in case you are wondering, but she just doesn't like her for whatever reason.

So, gradually I've just stopped dating altogether. That's why Nina thinks my mom is an Evil Queen who has turned me into this untrusting man. But in all honesty, I'm just too busy, and no one has caught my attention. So, despite what Nina says, I know my mother is just worried about me. She is willing to do all the dirty work for me. It's not like she has ever forced me to breakup with anyone.

***Chet***

I wonder what my mother thinks of Arthit staying with me. I'm sure Luke has informed her of his existence. There's really not much to say about Arthit other than he is a nice guy down on his luck. In matter of fact, Arthit is too nice for his own good. I can't believe he supported that asshole Chet all these years. I don't think Arthit would like it if I meddled in his business, but I'm going to at least help him get his dog back. If he can't find a place yet, Popeye can stay here too. Sachi would kill me, but oh well. I've already asked Thak to track down that asshole, and find out where he is hiding Popeye.