A Sulawesi Romance

Chapter 35

A/N: The image above does not belong to me. It belongs to the person who uploaded it on the internet.

Third Person POV

Mr. Siwat locked the door of his office and sighed. End of the work day. He wondered where Mark was. His son had not communicated with him the whole day, which was unusual. 

Initially, Mr. Siwat had assumed that Mark had been busy carrying out his duties as Assistant Manager. But then again this was the first time ever that the whole work day went without Mark popping into his office at least one time, to ask for advice over some problem, or just to say hello and ask how things were going.

Mr. Siwat walked around the villa to stop and have a quick word with each department head before calling it a day. When he passed by Mark's office, the door was unlocked but he was not there. Maybe he was going around doing the same thing that his father was doing before officially ending the work day.

Mr. Siwat had finished going around talking to his employees but still no sign of Mark.

Mr. Siwat thought of checking the Supplies Room. Maybe Mark was in there talking to Gun.

Mr. Siwat punched in the passcode beside the door and pushed the door open. Mark was in there doing an inventory of the supplies.

Mark lifted his head from the keyboard when he saw his father come in.

"Hello, son, you look busy. What are you doing on the Supplies computer?" Mr. Siwat asked his son.

"I'm doing the end of week inventory," Mark replied. "I'm almost finished."

"I thought that was one of Gun's duties," Mr. Siwat said.

"I'm training myself to do his duties before I send him back to Bangkok," Mark replied.

"Firing him is not your prerogative, son," Mr. Siwat said gently, as if sensing the turmoil in Mark's brain. "Only I can tell an employee that he is fired.Unless you give me a sufficient and valid reason for letting go of Gun, I am keeping him here."

"Please don't do this to me, Dad," Mark said before burying his head into his arms that were resting on the desk.

Mr. Siwat pulled a chair close to the desk and said, "I think it's time for us to have a heart to heart talk, son."

Mark did not lift his head from the desk.

Mr. Siwat waited patiently. He was not going anywhere until his son confessed exactly what was happening between him and Gun.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Mark lifted his troubled face to his father.

"He has been unfaithful to me, Dad," Mark said in a tearful voice, although he had managed to bravely keep the tears at bay.

"Unfaithful???" Mr.Siwat caught on the word right away like it was a big red flag waving at him. "How can you say that he's unfaithful to you, unless you are in a committed relationship?"

Mark finally broke down. His father stood up quickly from his chair and walked around behind the desk where Mark was sitting on the swivel chair. Mr. Siwat gently pulled his son up to a standing position and gave him a reassuring hug, patting him gently on the back.

Mr. Siwat waited patiently for Mark's tears to subside.

"So what exactly happened in Bangkok, Mark?" Mr. Siwat asked.

"I over heard him confessing to his stepfather that he loved him and that he was the reason why he left Bangkok because he wanted to get over him," Mark said between sobs.

"What the hell," Mr. Siwat sharply drew in his breath. "That is a very strange and very awkward situation. Are you sure that that was what you heard?"

"I am absolutely sure," Mark confirmed.

"I'm very sorry to hear that," Mr. Siwat said. "Give me some time to assess the situation and I will decide from there whether we need for Gun to return to Bangkok or to keep him here."

Mark did not say a word. He merely nodded and went back to sit in front of the computer.

"I'll see you later, son," Mr. Siwat said, as he walked out the door of the Supplies Room.

Mr. Siwat was about to walk towards the elevator lobby to go up to his private suite when he remembered that he had been planning to inspect the ramp leading up to the villa parking lot for visitors. One of the housekeepers had reported to him that part of the driveway had been chipped off, right at the center at the edge that met with the road.

Mr. Siwat carefully inspected the damage, took a picture of it and put the phone back into his pocket. He would have to call the contractor whose company had constructed the driveway and ask his men to fix the damage.

Mr. Siwat walked towards the curb leading to the stairs that went up to the lobby of the villa. His heart jumped at the site of Berkah hugging Gun tightly, right there by the curbside beside his SUV. What was he doing here at the villa? And why was he hugging Gun. Mr. Siwat was getting all confused now. Were Gun and Berkah in some kind of relationship? And what about Gun's stepfather? Was Gun a player? Then it would be best for Mark not to be involved with him before Mark got hurt any further. He would need to prepare Gun's walking papers first thing in the morning. But first he needed to deal with Berkah's presence at the villa.

Keeping his voice on an even tone, Mr. Siwat addressed Berkah. "Good to see you again, Berkah," he said, forcing a smile on his lips.

Gun and Berkah broke apart at the sound of Mr. Siwat's voice.

"Have you decided to come back and work here at the villa?" Mr. Siwat asked. He was thinking, what an opportune moment. If he fired Gun, he had an immediate replacement for him in the person of Berkah.