Greed

chapter 21

Prapai's POV

SKY AND I SPENT THE ENTIRE WEEKEND AT HIS apartment. Eating, talking, having sex. We came up for air once, when his crotchety neighbor banged on the door and yelled at us for being "too loud and vulgar," but other than that, the days passed in a blissful haze.

We were back together. We weren't married again, but we'd slept in the same bed and he'd invited me to his grand opening. It was a giant leap compared to our previous baby steps, and the high lasted well into Monday, when I arrived at the office an hour later than I usually did because I'd made us breakfast.

I whistled my way down the hall, ignoring my team's wide-eyed stares.
Namtan intercepted me by the elevators and followed me to my office, where she crossed her arms and eyed me the way one would an escaped tiger. "Are you sick? Do you need me to call a doctor?"

"I'm fine." I turned on my computer and pulled up the latest numbers.

"Why? Do I look sick?"

"No. You're just...smiling so much." She tapped her fingers against her arm.

"Maybe I should call Dr.Tawinan (Sea) just in case. You have several important client meetings- " "Namtan." I interrupted her. "I said I'm fine. Now, do you have work updates for me, or would you rather switch to a medical career?"

She instantly snapped back to chief of staff mode. "There are rumors something big is coming out this week re: a bank,"

she said. "I can't confirm anything yet, but people are nervous. Whatever it is...it's supposed to be seismic."

I'd heard the same rumors. Wall Street was rife with leaks and whispers.
Half the time, they amounted to nothing, but I kept my ears to the ground anyway.

"Keep digging," I said. "I don't want any surprises."

"Understood."
The rest of the workday passed uneventfully. I left the office precisely at five, which garnered me a fresh wave of jaw drops and bug eyes. No one in finance ever left work on time, but there was a first time for everything.

"Don't stay too late," I told one of the junior associates on my way out.

"Meet your girlfriend for dinner. Enjoy your night."
I assumed he had a girlfriend. Otherwise, the desk photo of him with his arm around a smiling blonde was fucking weird.

He gaped at me with an odd mix of shock, terror, and reverence. "Y-yes, sir."

I stopped by my usual floral shop on the way to Artisan Architecture and picked up a golden rose. They didn't sell them normally, but I made it worth their while to fly in fresh blooms daily.

"Hey. How's everything going?" I greeted sky with a kiss.
"Good." he looked a little frazzled, but he smiled when I handed him the rose and note. #21 out of a thousand. "I'm running around like a headless chicken, but other than that, I'm okay."

"Anything I can do to help?" 'Artisan Architecture' grand opening was this weekend. The office looked great, but sky wouldn't relax until it was over. He was a perfectionist when it came to events.

"Can you clone me or add more hours to the day?"

"I can have my people look into it, but I can't guarantee you an answer you'll like before Saturday." I placed a hand on the small of his back and steered him toward the exit. "In the meantime, let's eat."

"I can't eat. I have to answer a thousand emails, I haven't picked out a dress for the party yet, and I- " "ky." We stopped by the door.

"Breathe. It'll all get done. Anya is arriving tomorrow, right?"
Anya was one of her virtual assistants. She was flying in to help with prep and attend the opening. Sky's other assistant just gave birth, so she couldn't make it.

"Yes, but- " "It'll all get done," I repeated.

"When did you last eat? If it was before noon, dinner is nonnegotiable."

"Fine," he relented.

"It's ironic you're telling me to eat when you're the one who always skips lunch."

"Not always." I kept my hand on his lower back and gently moved him so I walked on the outside of the sidewalk.

"I had a black coffee and half a sandwich today." A grin flashed at his half- amused, half-exasperated stare.

He still had work to do after dinner, so I took him to the gourmet burger shop down the street from Artisan rchitecture.

..........................

I WALKED DOWN THE LENGTH OF MY OFFICE AND stopped in front of the second to last rack. "This one." I picked out a shimmering red suit.

"Excellent choice." Lilah smiled. "It'll look wonderful on him.
Shall I have it shipped directly to his apartment?"

"Yes. Charge it to my account."

Since Sky didn't have time to find an outfit for his grand opening, I'd asked one of his favorite designers to bring over a selection of dresses he might like. I thought the red one suited him best. He'd always looked good in the color, and the cut was simple, and elegant.

I'd already marked the opening in my calendar, set an alarm, and tasked namtan with reminding me should I somehow forget about it come Saturday. I'd learned from my mistakes. I wasn't missing so much as a coffee date again, much less something so important to sky.

Our renewed relationship was still on tentative ground, but we were quickly settling into a new, better normal. Casual date nights, lazy weekends, frequent calls and texts...they reminded me of when we first started dating. The difference was, I had a better appreciation for what we had-and what I'd almost lost. I also didn't have to scrape together cents and dollars for a nice meal anymore, which was a nice bonus.

I settled behind my desk as namtan ushered Lilah and her assistant out of my office. My staff was adjusting to my more relaxed schedule. Hell, I was adjusting to my schedule. After years of working myself to the bone at the expense of everything else, it felt strange to put my phone down for extended periods of time and not watch the moon rise from my office every night. Relaxing in Phuket was one thing; relaxing in Bangkok was another.

I didn't hate it. The fear of losing everything I'd built was still there, but the voices had subsided from screams to whispers.
I'd just pulled up the numbers for my latest acquisition when my phone rang. Mangkorn.

The sight of his name packed a rush of adrenaline. He never called in the middle of the workday unless there was major news, and as CEO of the world's largest media conglomerate, he had his finger on the pulse more than anyone I knew.
"Check your email." No greeting, no goodbye before he hung up. The news must be fucking huge.

________________________________________

Let's celebrate phi peat and forts completion on love sea shooting.🎉
Big congratulations to them.

Btw I'm an Indian writer and there's this song where I always think of fortpeat more as prapai sky. I mean it suits them so perfectly.
This one 👇

It might be only me though, anyways just wanted to share.