Melted: A MaxTul AU story

Sixty-Nine: Preparing for Hell

Author's Note: The picture above is from Doi Nok Strawberry Resort in Chiang Mai. It's on my list of places I'd love to visit if I ever get to go to Thailand. The cottages are how I picture the lodgings for visitors to the fictional Hongtai Farms.

***

Phon Pakorn ordered room service early on Tuesday morning, following the most surprising night of his life. Apasiri was found, and Tul—with the support of Michelle Bagnet's network—had kept her hidden and taken care of for months. He had stayed up late afterwards trying to process it all, but even though he had gone to bed late, he still woke up early. He had formulated a plan of action for how he could support Tul, too.

By the time the food came, he was already showered and dressed. For some reason, he had ordered a western breakfast, and as he sat moving the food around his plate but not really eating, he wondered if Michelle Bagnet had already eaten since he knew she had probably been up already for hours. He wondered if she would believe him if he went to thank her. He wondered sadly if she would ever believe anything he said again. Then he shook his head, determined to focus.

He was getting ready because he was going into Shilapath early today. He planned to be there every day with his brother until Tul told him about Apasiri. He wouldn't worry about going to the compound, Metinee wouldn't want him there, and he didn't want to be there either. However, he wasn't worried about what would happen if his brother found out at home. He didn't think Tul would tell his father at the compound anyway.

In fact, he didn't think Tul would say anything for a while. The Tul he saw last night was happy but a bit overwhelmed. When Phon had asked him what his plans were before they had parted at the hospital, Tul said his plans hadn't changed. Tul briefly mentioned the house he had that he was fixing up under the guise that it was for Pongpat and his family to rent, but he wasn't concerned that it wasn't ready yet because Apasiri wouldn't be ready to go home for at least another week and the family was fine where they were.

Tul was going to prepare for the launch. Nothing could interfere with that, or it would raise suspicions. He was still worried about his mother's safety since he didn't trust Metinee or what she would do if she found out. Still, Phon felt this odd urge to go bug his brother early today. Also, it would please him to be on hand to see how Metinee and her son dealt with Tul's new popularity. For example, he didn't think Tul was going to get away with not responding to the press today.

He would say later, once again, that he should always follow his gut instinct even if it didn't make sense at the time. The one time he didn't, he'd lost his friendship with Michelle Bagnet. He learned the hard way that his gut never steered him wrong.

**

Metinee Pakorn entered her office a little annoyed at all the excitement going around the company because of the press downstairs. Everyone had been talking about Kim Wisetkaew's SM postings and the Team 2 Crew since the posts started to appear the day the team had left, especially after they arrived at the farm. The majority of the world only saw a little bit of the farm from very short videos and the very few pictures that Sinjai Hongtai put out. Even Metinee had to admit that it looked beautiful with an elegant but comfortable combination of modern and traditional, especially in the cottages where people stayed.

She had plastered on a smile when people asked her about the posts and how Shilapath had been in the news all weekend because she knew how much this positive media was helping Channarong with the board. There had barely been a peep of negative press since Tul's presentation to Sinjai Hongtai, and the trip news seems to have buried any stories trying to follow their internal investigation of the theft. However, it still pained her that it was Tul bringing this glory to the company and not Plustor.