Vintage

Chapter 20: You're My Clarity.

They look up and there he is, standing tall with his chin held high and a pair of eyes that can shoot to kill. Win cannot believe this. "Phi Pavel!"

Bright almost falls off from the chair that he's sitting on. He looks at both Pavel and Win who seem like they really know each other. "Ow, Win, you're here too! What a surprise," Pavel smiles as he sits down next to his mother, in front of Win. "Aunt Vanida, sawasdee khrab," the architect gives a wai to his aunt.

"Sawasdee ja, Pavel. How are you?" Vanida asks.

Pavel leans forward, resting his hand on the table. "I'm good, auntie."

"Oh, I noticed that you and Win know each other. How come?" Vanida can't help but ask his nephew about that.

"Win, want to answer that question?" Pavel smirks at the younger man. Bright clenches his fist under the table, biting his lip in vexation. He's annoyed at how small the world is and old memories slither back into his mind. He doesn't like this, not one bit.

Win clears his throat, not knowing how to react or what to do. He's stuck in the middle. "I-uh, Phi Pavel is actually my boss, mae," he reluctantly tells the woman. Not only Vanida is shocked with the news, Bright is, too.

"Really? Wow, that's good, Win," Vanida beams, truly happy for Win working at her nephew's company. Bright stares at his mother in disbelief. She's very clueless.

Pavel's eyes land on Bright, who's narrowing his eyes at him. "Bright, how are you? Still walking on eggshells? Or have you gotten better now?"

Bright lurches forward, ready to punch Pavel, when Win instantly grabs on his hand. The younger man shakes his head at Bright, silently telling him that it is not worth it to fight here. Pavel observes the lingering looks between both men in front of him. "I'm fine, Pavel. I rule the world now, for your information. What about you? Still hiding behind your so-called strong friends? Or do you settle things yourself now?"

Vivy suddenly laughs after Bright has thrown those words at her son. "Aw look at them, Vanida! They still joke around even though they haven't seen each other for long. Bright, shouldn't you address him as phi? He's older than you na," the woman reminds the obvious to the CEO.

Bright finally scoffs at her. "Why should I? He has never been like a brother to me," he spits the truth. By now, Win holds Bright's hand tightly in his. He's afraid if he can't refrain Bright anymore from lashing out right there.

"Honey, don't speak like that," Vanida softly warns her son. "Don't fight na. Let's order some food first. Shall we?" She changes the topic with the mention of food instead. Everybody at the table agrees with her suggestion, well, except for Bright.

Bright stands up abruptly, the chair is pulled backwards, and it screeches against the marble floor. "Excuse me, khrab. I need to use the loo really bad," the man storms off from the table, disappearing just like that.

Win gulps as he turns to Vanida. He leans closer to her and whispers, "Mae, I'll go and check on Bright."

"Thank you, Win," Vanida tells the young man. Win simply nods at her and politely excuses himself from the table to search for Bright. He walks down the stairs leading to where the restroom is located.

On his way there, he sees Bright leaning against the wall outside of the restroom. His eyes are closed and he is cursing his cousin. Win walks over to the older man, careful not to make any single sound. He stays next to Bright until the businessman opens his eyes, a little startled at Win's presence there.

"Win," Bright whispers. Both are silent for a moment before Bright speaks up again. "Why didn't you tell me about Pavel?"

"I didn't know that he's your cousin, Bright," Win replies defensively.