Empress of the Chessboard

Smoke and Mirrors

"Miss Alexandra, Khun Kinn and Porsche have gone off to speak to Khun Korn."

I jumped out of my seat, abandoning the reports of Project Icing Sugar. Before Leo could say another word, I tugged my leather jacket over the simple tank top and shorts I had been lounging in.

Korn would probably already know that something between Kinn and Porsche was amiss and would start twisting his words to get into both their heads, weaving in and out of what is real and what is fiction. That is what I hated about this house, there was no privacy... it was one of the safest places, and one of the most dangerous... it made a lot of sense why Kim moved out as soon as he could.

People turned and avoided me as I walked down the foyer of the building, their eyes trailing over the group of ten guards stalking behind me. Korn would be notified of my impending presence by now, so I had to hurry.

A sigh escaped my lips as heard my brother's voice echo from the patio, the anger barely contained. I love my brother to death, but his penchant to wear his emotions constantly on his sleeve would be his greatest weakness. It was always so easy to know what he was feeling, and exactly how to manipulate the situation to gain the desired response from him... which was why Tawan had such an easy time framing Porsche as the mole.

I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before smiling brightly and stepping out.

"Are we having another family discussion without me again?"

Korn looked at me and smiled.

"Of course not, Alex. I had just sent some of my men to call you from your room."

Sure you did. I made a move to stand next to Porsche, watching as Korn's smile turn slightly brittle as my own men began to move around us, each standing next to one his own, Leo slotting himself next to Chan.

Korn could sense the shift in power, and he did not like it. He had all of it when it was just Kinn and Porshce, his extremely loyal heir, and boyfriend of said heir with limited knowledge of how the mafia world worked... anyways, my parents always taught me that it was polite to share.

"Khun Korn, just revealed that he was the one who covered up the accident that killed our parents because his friend was the one who caused it."

Kinn tensed as Porsche addressed Korn formally instead of 'Uncle'. I feigned surprise at the statement, widening my eyes like a kicked puppy and turning to Korn. I already knew that he had covered up the accident that killed them, I did not just stand in Kim's apartment idly while waiting for him... his little detective map was already being circulated among my own people to dig for information.

"Loyalty has always been the fault for people like us, Alexandra... we would do anything to protect those we care about."

The only loyalty you would have would be to the legacy of the Theerapanyakul name, there is no one on this green planet that you would put before it... even your own sons let alone a nameless 'friend', unless that friend knew about something that would ruffle your feathers if it ever got out... I will have Praew on it the moment this ends.

"Then why drag me into this? Why not tell me?"

The volume of Porsche's began to increase as he moved towards Korn, Kinn's hand moving to his waist to calm him down before it was rejected. I felt Chan shift behind me and twitched my ringed index finger at the same time as Kinn. One to tell Leo to get ready to step in if Chan made a move towards Porsche, and the other to order Chan to leave Porsche be.

It took every bit of self-control that had been drilled into me to not roll my eyes as Korn went on about how he did not know that my biological parents had two small children at the time, and only realised when he saw Porsche saving Kinn's ass, guilt, yadah yadah.