CH-22

One Week Later...

Orm stared at her reflection in the mirror, making sure every strand of her hair was neatly in place and that her outfit looked perfect. A faint smile played on her lips as she observed herself. With determination, she said to herself, "Alright! We have to be enthusiastic today!" Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of her room and headed toward the dining room.

"Good morning, Khun Phoo, Khun Mae," she greeted cheerfully, flashing a bright smile at her parents, who were already seated at the dining table.

"Good morning, dear," Mae Koy responded gently, returning her daughter's smile. "Come, sit down. I've cooked your favorite dishes."

Orm glanced at the table, her eyes lighting up at the neatly arranged meal. "Wow..." she murmured in excitement before quickly taking a seat beside her mother. "I can't wait to eat this."

Mae Koy swiftly took some food from the center of the table and placed it on Orm's plate. "Eat plenty, sweetheart," she said with warmth and care.

"Of course, Khun Mae," Orm replied cheerfully, immediately digging into her meal. A satisfied smile never left her face as she savored each bite.

Tanakorn, who had been quietly observing the interaction, finally spoke. "Are you going to campus with Meen today?" he asked, his tone serious but calm.

"Yes, Khun Phoo. P'Meen also invited me to accompany her later," Orm replied casually after swallowing her food.

Tanakorn gave a small smile, seemingly pleased with the answer. "I'm glad you've been spending more time with Meen lately."

But before Orm could respond, one of the house staff approached them cautiously. "Excuse me, sir, but someone is here looking for Khun Orm," the staff member said respectfully.

Tanakorn frowned slightly, his expression turning serious. "Who is it?" he asked in a firm tone.

"Her name is Khun Ling," the staff replied, bowing slightly.

At the mention of that name, Orm froze, her hand gripping the spoon tightening unconsciously. Tanakorn, noticing his daughter's reaction, immediately stood up from his chair. "I'll handle this. Orm, stay here," he instructed firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Khun Phoo," Orm replied quietly, obediently following her father's order. Her heart pounded, a mix of fear and anxiety washing over her at the sudden reappearance of Ling in her life.

Meanwhile, at the front entrance, Lingling Kwong stood uneasily, her hands slightly clammy as she waited. She had come with the hope of seeing Orm and explaining everything. But when the door opened, her hope was crushed upon seeing an older man instead of Orm.

"Sawadeekha," Ling greeted respectfully, though her heart was filled with apprehension. She assumed this man was Orm's father.

"Sawadee," Tanakorn replied, his voice calm but laced with coldness. His sharp eyes studied Ling intently. "So, you are Lingling Kwong?" he asked, his tone unreadable.

"Yes, that's right. I've come to see Orm," Ling stated, trying to sound polite while holding back her nervousness.

But Tanakorn showed no sign of warmth. "Orm is out with Meen, her boyfriend. You should just leave," he said bluntly.

Ling was taken aback, her brows furrowing in confusion. "Boyfriend? But Orm once told me she wasn't in a relationship with Khun Meen," she responded, trying to stay respectful but clearly puzzled.

Tanakorn remained composed, though his tone grew firmer. "Orm and Meen are dating, and soon, they will be engaged. So stop disturbing Orm," he stated sharply, as if cutting off any hope Ling had left.

Ling shook her head, unwilling to believe what she had just heard. Her body felt weak, but she forced herself to stay standing. "I love Orm, and Orm loves me too. There's no way she would get engaged to someone else," her voice trembled slightly, filled with emotion.

Tanakorn let out a quiet scoff. "Love? If you truly loved Orm, you wouldn't have made her cry and hurt her by going back to your ex," he said coldly, his piercing gaze locked onto Ling.

"I never meant to hurt Orm. I love her so much and want to make things right. I'm going to break up with Khun Mean, but Orm suddenly disappeared," Ling tried to explain, her voice soft yet filled with sincerity.

"Enough, Khun Ling!" Tanakorn's voice thundered, his words echoing with finality. "I don't care about your excuses. I’m telling you to stop bothering Orm. The best thing for her is to stay away from someone as unstable as you." His tone left no room for debate.

Ling fell silent, realizing that no amount of words would change anything. With a heavy heart, she bowed slightly, trying to hold back the tears threatening to fall. Tanakorn wasted no time and turned away, leaving Ling behind as he walked back into the house.

••••

Before heading to campus, Orm decided to stop by her apartment to pick up a few things she needed. After making sure all the important items were packed in her bag, she stepped out of her apartment. The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of her footsteps echoing as she walked toward the elevator.

Orm stood in front of the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her without warning. Startled, Orm instinctively tried to resist.

"Who are you?" she shouted in panic, struggling to break free. The person continued pulling her toward an empty storage room at the end of the hallway. Once they reached the room, the person finally let go of her wrist.

"P'Ling?" Orm asked in shock when she realized the person in front of her was Ling, wearing glasses and a cap.

Ling took off her disguise—her glasses and cap—then looked at Orm with a serious expression. "We need to talk, Orm."

"There’s nothing to talk about," Orm replied coldly, stepping back, ready to walk away.

But Ling quickly grabbed her hand again, her grip firm, as if she was afraid Orm would run away. "Why did you leave so suddenly, Orm? What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling, barely concealing the pain reflected in her eyes.

"Let me go!" Orm shouted, trying to pull her hand away, but Ling’s grip was stronger. "I don’t want to talk to you anymore, Phi."

Ling looked desperate. "Why did you leave me? Is it because you’re getting engaged to Meen?"

Orm froze for a moment, surprised by how accurate Ling’s words were. But she quickly put on an emotionless expression and replied firmly, "Whether I get engaged to P'Meen or not, that’s none of your business, Phi."

Ling couldn’t believe what she was hearing. "You said you loved me, but now you’re getting engaged to someone else? What does all this mean?" Her eyes welled up with tears, and her voice shook, revealing how heartbroken she was.

Without another word, unwilling to continue the argument, Orm roughly pulled her hand free from Ling’s grip. "Don’t bother me again, P'Ling!" she snapped before shoving Ling, causing her to stumble slightly.

Seeing Ling stagger, Orm took the chance to escape from the storage room, leaving without looking back. But Ling wasn’t willing to give up that easily.

"Orm, wait!" Ling no longer cared about her disguise and started running after Orm, who was already far ahead.

Orm rushed toward the parking lot, occasionally glancing back to make sure Ling wasn’t following her. When she reached the parking area, she quickly got into the car where P'Meen was already waiting.

"What happened?" Meen asked, confused by how out of breath Orm was.

"P'Ling was chasing me. We need to go now, Phi," Orm said, still trying to catch her breath.

Meen looked at her in surprise. "How did she even get here?"

"I have no idea. She just suddenly appeared and dragged me into an empty storage room," Orm replied, lightly hitting Meen’s shoulder. "Now, start the car. We need to leave."

"Alright, alright," Meen said, turning on the engine. As they drove out of the parking lot, Meen glanced at Orm with an amused expression. "It seems like Khun Ling really wanted to talk to you. Why didn’t you just talk to her? Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell her that your feelings are gone?" he teased, chuckling.

Orm pouted at Meen. "I can’t do that, Phi. You know I can’t completely erase my feelings for P'Ling." She let out a deep sigh, leaning back against the car seat. "But I don’t want to talk to her anymore."

Meen chuckled again at Orm’s honest confession. "I knew it. You can’t erase those feelings."

"P'Meen! Stop teasing me!" Orm whined, unable to handle Meen’s teasing any longer.

"Alright, alright," Meen laughed, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, did you know my dad met with your dad yesterday?"

"Oh? So what if they met? Isn’t that normal? They always talk about business," Orm replied casually.

"But this time, they weren’t talking about business." Meen slowed down the car. "They were talking about our engagement."

Orm’s eyes widened in shock. "WHAT? How do you know?"

"My dad told me. He even told me to propose to you as soon as possible," Meen sighed.

Orm took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed. "So that’s why," she muttered, recalling what Ling had said in the storage room earlier.

Meen glanced at Orm curiously. "What do you mean?"

"P'Ling mentioned the engagement earlier. At first, I didn’t understand why she brought it up, but now I know."

"And?" Meen, who was driving, waited for Orm to continue, but Orm stayed silent for a moment. "Oui Nong, can you stop talking in half-sentences in a situation like this?" Meen grumbled playfully.

"Be patient!" Orm snapped back. "I suspect my dad told P'Ling about this when they met this morning. And he didn’t even tell me anything about it."

"So, now that you know, what will you do?" Meen asked.

"I don’t know… Why does Khun Phoo insist on marrying me off to you and refuse to accept that his daughter likes women?" Orm said in frustration.

Meen smirked. "Maybe because I’m handsome, rich, and not as emotionally unstable as Khun Ling."

"P'Meen!" Orm yelled, though deep inside, she felt slightly comforted by Meen’s playful response.

Meen reached over and gently ruffled Orm’s hair. "You don’t have to worry. I’ll talk to them as soon as possible. I don’t want to keep lying and dragging you into this mess."

"It’s okay, Phi. I understand your position," Orm gave Meen a small smile. "You always know how to make me feel better," she said softly, still looking at Meen. She felt lucky to have Meen, who was like an older sister to her.

Meen smiled warmly, occasionally glancing at Orm sitting beside her. "I already see you as my little sister, Nong. I won’t let you go through this alone."

••••

It had been a long and exhausting day for Ling, though she went through it half-heartedly. Her focus on filming was completely in shambles. Even so, she tried to remain professional; she didn’t want to burden the staff and other cast members who had worked hard.

While waiting for Best, her assistant, to finish packing up her things, Ling decided to sit down for a moment. She rested her weary body, but she felt that it wasn’t just her body that was exhausted—her soul was just as drained.

"Ling?"

Suddenly, a soft voice calling her name broke Ling’s thoughts.

Ling, who had been looking down, lifted her head. Her eyes met Mean, who was standing in front of her, looking at her with concern.

"I told Khun Best that I would take you home," Mean said in a gentle tone, as if trying to comfort her.

"Hm..." Ling merely hummed in response, indicating that she wasn’t in the mood to talk much.

Mean stepped closer and cupped Ling’s cheeks, gently stroking them. "Are you okay? How about we stop for dinner before heading home?" she asked, her voice full of care.

"I'm not hungry. Let’s just go straight home—I want to rest," Ling replied flatly, ignoring the offer.

Mean nodded but didn’t remove her hands from Ling’s face. "Okay, are you ready to leave now?" she asked again, waiting patiently for an answer.

Without responding to Mean’s question, Ling stood up and started walking ahead, leaving Mean behind. Mean could only follow silently.

When they reached the car, Ling got into the passenger seat without a word. Mean, following behind, settled into the driver’s seat and started the engine, making no effort to break the heavy silence between them. The streets that night were relatively quiet, but the atmosphere inside the car felt even more silent. Mean stole occasional glances at Ling, hoping to find some hint of emotion on her face, but Ling only stared out the window, lost in thought.

After a long drive, they finally arrived in front of Ling’s house. Without saying anything, Ling stepped out of the car and walked straight into her house without looking back at Mean. The tense air made Mean hesitate for a moment before deciding to follow her inside.

"Ever since Orm resigned, you’ve been unfocused," Mean finally spoke, breaking the suffocating silence between them. She watched as Ling suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around to face her with a sharp gaze.

"What do you mean?" Ling asked curtly. Her tone was flat, but there was an underlying demand for an explanation.

Mean took a deep breath before replying. "Normally, when your personal assistant quits, you don’t react like this," she said, her eyes fixed on Ling, who was now standing right in front of her.

Ling stared at Mean for a moment before answering, "Orm wasn’t just my personal assistant." Her voice was firmer than before, making it clear that this was no trivial matter. "She is someone I love."

"Hah?" Mean’s expression instantly shifted to shock. "Did I hear that right?"

"You heard me correctly," Ling replied firmly. "Orm is the one I love—the one who holds my heart right now."

Mean blinked a few times, still struggling to process what she had just heard. "How is that possible? You’re my girlfriend now. You took me back and said you still loved me," she argued, her voice rising with disbelief.

Ling took a deep breath, trying to stay calm even though her emotions were beginning to flare. "Yes, I’m your girlfriend," she admitted coldly. "But only in front of the public. I accepted you back and didn’t reject you because I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of everyone at that time."

Her words hit Mean like a slap, leaving her frozen in place.

"You must be joking, right?" Mean still refused to believe what she was hearing. Her eyes searched Ling’s face for any sign that she was lying.

Ling shook her head slightly, her gaze unwavering. "I'm not joking. That’s the truth," she stated firmly. "My love for you disappeared the moment you left me back then. And I want us to break up now. I can’t pretend anymore—I lost Orm because of all this."

"I don't want to break up with you!" Mean said resolutely, refusing to accept Ling’s decision. "I’ve done everything for you, Ling."

"I don’t care!" Ling shot back with the same intensity. Her sharp gaze left no room for negotiation. "I want us to break up. Soon, we’ll announce this to the public."

Mean lowered her head, trying to process the cold words Ling had just thrown at her. After a few seconds of silence, she looked up again, her eyes filled with emotions. "Fine..." she finally said. "I’ll agree to break up, but only after My Cherie Amour is released."

Ling frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. "What? I want to break up now!" Her tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. "Why should I wait and waste more time with someone I don’t love?"

Mean remained calm despite Ling’s intense glare. "Like you said, let’s just pretend in front of the public," she replied coolly. "If we announce our breakup now, it’ll ruin the audience’s perception of the series. And the result? The ratings for My Cherie Amour will plummet."

Ling fell silent, her face tense. Mean’s words forced her to pause and think, though she refused to show that she was affected.

"Can you imagine how Khun Dew, the staff, and the other cast members would feel?" Mean continued. "All their hard work will go to waste just because of your selfishness."

That last sentence struck deep. Ling, who had been full of emotion, now remained silent, her expression conflicted. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Mean had a point, even though it didn’t change her feelings toward her.

"Fine," Ling finally spoke after a long pause. "I agree. We’ll pretend to be a couple in public until the series airs. But don’t ever hope that I’ll love you again."

Mean smirked slightly—a confident, almost smug smile. "There’s still time," she said in a low, steady voice. "I can still make you love me again."

Ling’s glare grew sharper. Her expression was serious, showing no sign of wavering. "That will never happen!" she declared with absolute certainty.

Mean didn’t respond. She simply smiled before turning around and walking out of Ling’s house without looking back.

Ling rubbed her temples, feeling drained from the conversation that had just taken place. She sank onto the couch, leaning back as she tried to push away the thoughts swirling in her mind. Even though she still had to pretend to be in a relationship with Mean, at least she had been honest about her true feelings.

One thing was certain—her love for Mean was gone, and nothing could ever change that.