I stepped outside after receiving a message from Chak. Yun will drive you to the company and drop you off at the old entrance , it said.
I locked the gate and spotted a black Audi. Standing in front of it was a young man wearing an earpiece. I walked up to him and asked,
"Are you Yun?"
He simply nodded and opened the back door. I got in and buckled up. When Yun started the car, I heard his voice:
"Sir, I'm on my way with Niran."
The drive was quiet. I kept repeating to myself: Everything will be fine. Raeng will pay for everything he did.
When we arrived, Yun turned to me and said, "We're here, sir."
I unbuckled my seatbelt and whispered, "Thank you."
He opened the door for me and added, "Good luck." I smiled faintly at him.
I slowly walked toward the company entrance, my heart pounding. I glanced back—Yun was still watching me.
Chak probably told him to, I thought.
Noon was waiting for me at the entrance, slightly nervous. She smiled and quietly said,
"Raeng isn't here yet."
"Okay" I replied.
Not far away, I noticed Taeng waiting for his signal. Noon and I walked inside.
At the reception, she said,
"I need your help."
She pulled some documents from her folder. "I can't find this data. You were the last one to update the spreadsheet, and I think you forgot."
"You're right. I'll add it now,"
I said and thanked her.
As I turned, I saw Raeng approaching me with a cold smile.
"The fish took the bait," he said.
"Come on, we're going to see Chak."
He took just two steps when Taeng bumped into him, breathing heavily.
"Sorry, I tripped over something," Taeng said.
"It's fine, young man. Just be careful next time," Raeng replied.
As we walked toward the elevator, Raeng turned to me and said coldly,
"You really are something. You mean a lot to him. But soon, you won't."
I felt anger boil inside me. I wanted to say something back, but I held it in and just gave a nervous smile.
Inside the elevator, Samchai was already there. Raeng turned to Taeng:
"So, where do you work?"
"GrabFood," Taeng replied.
Raeng pulled out a business card and handed it to him.
"If you ever need anything, give me a call."
When we stepped out, Taeng said, "Goodbye, Mr. Raeng."
Raeng turned to me and said,
"Go tell Chak to prepare the shares. We'll meet in the meeting room ."
I walked nervously toward Chak's office. Coworkers stared at me. I knocked on the door.
"Come in," Chak said. He looked at me and spoke coldly,
"What are you doing here, Niran? You've been fired. You shouldn't be here."
Then he winked at me. I whispered,
"Raeng told me to tell you to prepare the shares and meet him in the meeting room ."
"I'll be there right away," he said, grabbing a black folder from the drawer. He walked over, gave me a quick hug, and kissed my forehead.
"Let's go stop Raeng."
In the meeting room, Raeng was already seated at the head of the table.
"That's my seat," Chak said coldly.
"Not for much longer," Raeng sneered. Chak sat on the opposite side. The tension was thick.
"Give me the shares, and you can keep Niran. Otherwise, he's coming with me," Raeng said.
Chak smiled icily.
"Even if I don't give you the shares, Niran won't be going with you."
Just then, Kit entered with a black folder, placed it in front of him, and sat down. He briefly looked at Chak.
"Your company won't survive without me," Raeng continued.
"I have no other choice," Chak said flatly. He opened the folder, pulled out the fake documents, signed them, and handed the folder to Raeng.
Raeng grinned. "Even if you gave them to me, you should know this someone close to you betrayed you."
At that moment, Rattan and Samchai entered the room.
"Two people in this room betrayed you," Raeng declared triumphantly.
Chak smiled. "I know," he said calmly.
Raeng looked confused. "Then why are you smiling?"
"Because I don't care. It was Noon and Rattan who gave you information."
"You knew?" Raeng asked.
"Because they told me. They had the courage to confess. And that's how we trapped you."
"Trapped? What are you talking about?"
"Noon told me your plan yesterday how you to get the shares and Niran. But you won't get either."
Raeng looked at Noon and shouted, "How dare you?!"
"You don't talk to my employee like that," Chak said sharply.
Kit raised the folder. "Here's all the evidence that you manipulated and threatened Noon and Rattan." He handed it to Raeng.
Just then, Taeng entered—with police officers.
"You?!" Raeng yelled. "You were part of this too?"
Taeng smiled. "Of course."
He stepped closer, took a recording device from Raeng's jacket pocket, and handed it to the officers.
One of the officers grabbed Raeng's arm and began escorting him out of the building.
When the police took Raeng away, Chak stood up, walked over to Noon and Rattana, and said:
"Thank you both for helping expose the truth and capturing Raeng."
Noon lowered her gaze, then quietly replied:
"I know I made a huge mistake by betraying the company. But there's no better feeling than when someone gives you a second chance and believes in you, even when you no longer believe in yourself."
I stood up and hugged her.
"You know, some people choose the easy way and never admit their mistakes. But you showed courage. You told the truth and stood up to someone like Raeng. That means something. The truth always comes to light."
I looked at Chak, then walked over to him and leaned on his shoulder.
Chak smiled slightly and said:
"Everyone who was involved in the plan will be rewarded with a raise." Then he looked at me. "Niran, you're no longer fired. Welcome back."
I smiled at him with relief.
Chak then scanned the room with a cold tone:
"If anyone reveals that there's something more than a professional relationship between Niran and me, they will be immediately dismissed."
Samchai looked at Noon, gave her a slight smile, and stepped closer.
"Noon," he said somewhat hesitantly, "I know today wasn't easy for you... but... would you like to grab a coffee with me? I mean, if you have time, of course."
Noon looked surprised, then her face lit up.
"I'd love to. After all this, I really need something normal… and coffee sounds perfect," she replied with a gentle smile.
As the two of them headed toward the exit, I caught up with Noon and nudged her lightly with my elbow.
"Hey, Noon… wait. Do you still have those pictures of Chak?"
She laughed.
"Of course I do. You only wanted them for the project, right?" she said with a teasing tone.
I blushed and looked away.
"Of course, for the project…"
She winked and pulled a USB stick from her bag.
"Here you go. Just don't say I didn't warn you — he looks dangerously good in some of them."
"I deleted all the other pictures."
I took the USB stick and looked at her gratefully.
"Thank you."
When Samchai and Noon left, I returned to Chak.
"What are you holding?" he asked.
"Nothing, nothing," I replied and smiled at him.