~To Be Together~
"Khun Zee, we can have a break when we reach the pit-stop. Jeff has refreshments there waiting for us." Kinn informed Zee.
Zee shook his head.
"No! Let's keep going. I'd like to get back home before 9:30, as I have an appointment at 10. No stopping."
Kinn nodded his head and spoke into his ear piece to inform the others.
The run was what Zee needed after what had happened yesterday. He was able to recollect his thoughts and think of a strategic plan on how to handle the shipment problem.
He quickly got out of his sweaty gym clothes and jumped into the shower. 10 minutes later, he walked into his closet to get dressed.
He walked out of his closet 20 minutes later in his tailor made suit, custom made shoes and his hair carefully parted to the side. He stood in front of the full length mirror and made some adjustments to his tie before wearing his watch and marching out of his room, downstairs to the kitchen. The chef had prepared his breakfast of Khao tom which he had requested. He wanted a light breakfast today as he knew he would be having a much heavier lunch.
As he sat down to eat, his phone buzzed notifying him of a call. He looked at the caller ID and frowned as it was his friend Max.
"Tsk, what do you want? I'm not in the mood for your silly shenanigans." Zee clenched his jaw showing his annoyance.
"Ow, and a very good morning to you mr grumpy pants." Max retorted with amusement in his voice.
Max was one of the lucky few that could get on Zee's bad side, but still lived to tell the tale. They met in high school, and after a run in with a school bully, have become best of friends. Max was one of the few people that Zee could talk to about his problems. There were some secrets that were only known by them. Max was also the first person that Zee came out to about his sexuality. They have a brotherhood that is strong and even though they don't say it out loud, they love each other. A love that is expressed through actions rather than words. And sometimes, they like to annoy each other as a way to show their love. They have a love-hate relationship.
"I just got off the phone with a crew member of the ship and he said that he has some information about what happened. He wants to meet up though. What do you want to do?" Max asked in a serious tone, all hints of amusement gone.
"Mueng, can you go and check it out? I have this meeting that I can't get out of. I think it would be best if we got that information sooner. If it's something useful, it can help to quickly resolve this issue."
"No problem. I'll go and meet this person to see if he's got useful information. I'll call if I get something. Oh and the usual place for lunch?" Max could sense the urgency in his friend's voice, so anything to lighten the load, he would do it for his friend.
"Thanks mueng. Yeah, let's meet up at Barrab for lunch. See you." Zee ended the call, thankful for the new information that could potentially solve their problem.
Zee took a few spoonfuls of his breakfast before standing up and heading for the lobby where his entourage was parked. As the CEO of his water company, Zee wanted to speak with the captain of the shipment in person to understand what went wrong, and to make sure that it never happens again.
*15 minutes later*
Zee, his assistant and Kinn were greeted by the captain at the door of a restaurant.
"Welcome Khun Zee. Please come in, and I will serve you drinks." The captain spoke while ushering the men to the bar.
Zee could sense the tension, as he looked around to observe his surroundings. The restaurant had a rustic decor with plants in every corner of the room. The big windows provided adequate lighting which gave the room a cheerful vibe. As the captain led Zee and his men up to the bar, Zee noticed how empty the place was.
"Business running slow?" Zee asked as the captain poured out his drink.
"Oh, we've just finished rush hour. It's a lot more quiet now." The captain replied with a grin on his face.
"Ok. I've come here for one purpose only. Can you tell me what happened with the shipment? Why was the shipment not delivered correctly?" Zee's patience was running thin, as he cornered the captain with questions.
The grin quickly fell from the captain's face. He wasn't able to make eye contact with Zee anymore. His breathing started to falter and his face showed panic and fear. The captain stopped pouring out the liquid, ran to the other side of the bar and knelt in front of Zee.
"Please forgive me just this once Khun Zee. Please have mercy on me. I wasn't fully sober that day and gave the wrong directions to my men. Please forgive me. If you give me another chance, I promise it will never happen again." The captain was on his knees, pleading with voice and eyes.
"I do not want an apology from you! After working with you for more than 10 years, I know you would never do anything to jeopardise your shipment, as it is your livelihood. So, stop with this ridiculous facade and tell me honestly, what really happened." Zee knew that the captain was hiding something. His gut was telling him that it was so much more than just a simple mistake.
The captain looked up to Zee with wide eyes.
"How did he know?" The captain thought.
*5 minutes before meeting the captain*
"Meung! It's much more serious than we thought. I finished talking to the crew member and he said that they were paid 1,833,825.00 baht ($50,000 US) to make an illegal drop off to a secret location. They didn't write it down in the book, but it's on the travel log. So if we can access the log, we might know the name of the secret location." Max delivered the information to his friend.
Zee's doubts were confirmed. He knew that something else was going on, but he never expected this. He just doesn't believe that someone he trusted would betray him. With jaws clenched and his mind made up, Zee knew what he had to do.
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Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and vote on this story. Tbh, I never really expected to get any views on it. I just wanted to write a story with inspiration that I've been getting. I got the biggest shock of my life when I saw that it was being added into reading list, getting comments on it. THANKYOU!! I shall be updating every week. And please, if you have any comments or constructive critics about this story, please let me know, cause rookie writer here :) Hope you enjoy this chapter. And as the story goes, I'll try to keep it interesting. Happy reading.
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ToBeTogether
Fanfiction"With great power, comes great responsibility" ~ Voltaire~ Where two worlds come crashing together, to become one. Disclaimer: Characters, actions, occupations and events in this book are fictional and created for entertainment purposes only.
