Umbrella | lBL

Chapter 7

— VEGAS.

All my life, no one has ever risked anything for my safety. No one has ever shown even just a shard of concern. I used to think I'm just a pawn, not even a knight, just a part of my uncle and father's little chess game.

I'm not here alone, all of us are trapped in this giant chess board. Who's the rook who can move only in direct orders? Who's the bishop who moves discreetly among the pieces? Who's the knight who moves forward but never gets the truth? Who's the pawn who can't have enough decision for themselves?

Which is the King between the Queen? Should we fear the most important piece in the game? Or should we beware fight against the strongest piece?

The most important question is... who are these pieces? Who should we fear? Who should we avoid? Who should we be ware of? When in the end, only the player could guess all of that. So why should we bother, when we're all just pawns equal to each other on the eyes of the great mastermind?

My eyes met Pete's from the dance floor. He and Tankhun started partying after everyone arrived in the dreadful island. He had a smile I can't fathom the message. Is he happy? Is he scared? What's beneath all those smiles? All those words.

"You good?" I chuckled and raised my glass.

Kim and I were never on the same side, maybe we understood each other so much that even my uncle and father would fear us being on the same team.

We're the most powerful family divided into two because of their hunger for power.

"Pete's drunk." He stated.

I shrugged, "He's a badass bodyguard, I'm sure he can handle his alcohol really well."

Kim and I shared a joke, "You do know he's one of the wildest drunk in the family, right? One time when he and phi got drunk, they almost set the house on fire. We thought it was Khun's doing, but turns out, they switched roles." I laughed again.

It would be funny to witness, Tankhun stopping Pete from burning a house, just how Pete does on a daily basis.

"Know what? Maybe I should stop him." Kim nodded and tapped my shoulders before checking up on Ché.

I gave Pete a few more minutes before making my way through the small party. He smiled seeing me, thinking I joined their fun. Tankhun's face immediately lit up upon seeing me, he pushed Pete towards me and almost begged to take him home.

"Oi! Pete is red as tomato, he'll hate me for making him this drunk again." It was a rare sight to see Tankhun taking care of his bodyguards.

He took Arm and Pol to a safer place to dance, away from the heat and fire. I chuckled, maybe if we were given another chance, I'd still choose them as my relatives, just not the same family ranking. I supported Pete's weight as he kept dancing and shouting lyrics not even a dog would understand.

I stopped and gave Pete a stern look when he wouldn't stop dancing, jumping and everything but walking, making it difficult for both of us to move forward. I was taken aback when his hand flew to my face, my eyes widened before I it sunk in that the man I'm starting to like just slapped me.

"Oh, hehe. Sorry." He smiled. "You're handsome." He added.

"You're drunk."

I wrapped one of his arm over my shoulder to guide him walk, he took his arm back for the nth time and I almost gave him a smack that would make him pass out if it only weren't for his drunken state.

He's shown his index finger, placing it just between my eyes. "Ha! I am." He smiled like a crazy person. "But!" His eyes were squinted, trying his hard to close them, and open them again, wanting his gaze to fall straight into my eyes. "My vision isn't any worse in my drunken state! I'm completely okay!" He shouted.