||ᴄʀɪᴍsᴏɴ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs|| ᴘᴏɴᴅᴘʜᴜᴡɪɴ ғғ

7

Phuwin carefully navigated the bike through the quiet streets, Fourth leaning heavily against him, still mumbling in his drunken state. Finally, they reached Fourth’s house. Phuwin knew that if he went home like this and his dad saw him, he would definitely be grounded. So, he decided to crash at Fourth's place today.

He had a spare key, so Phuwin quietly unlocked the door, making sure not to make any noise. The house was dark and still, everyone already asleep. Phuwin supported Fourth as they tiptoed their way to his room, trying to stifle Fourth's giggles as he wobbled unsteadily.

"Aii, shh, Fourth! Do you want your dad to wake up?" Phuwin whispered, struggling to keep Fourth quiet.

Fourth, still giggling, nodded dramatically. "Nooo, Phu... no dad. I’ll be quiet..." he mumbled, though his actions said otherwise.

They finally reached Fourth's room. Phuwin let out a relieved sigh as he dropped Fourth onto the bed, watching him flop down without a care in the world. "Ahh, finally!" Phuwin muttered, stretching his arms above his head. He was exhausted after dragging Fourth all the way from the club.

Within moments, both of them were fast asleep, ending the long night.

The next day, the sun shone brightly over the college campus. In their classroom, Phuwin and Fourth sat at the back, as usual, chatting and gossiping. They were both smart enough to know the material already, so they didn’t bother paying attention to the lecture.

Phuwin leaned over to Fourth, whispering. "Did you see that new guy from the other department? He’s kinda cute, isn’t he?"

Fourth chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Phu, you and your crushes... When are you going to focus on more important things, like helping me find a girl?"

Phuwin playfully shoved him. "Hey! I’m just observing, okay? Besides, you were the one crying about being single last night."

"I wasn’t crying!" Fourth protested, but Phuwin just gave him a look, and they both burst out laughing quietly.

Their whispering and giggling soon attracted the attention of the professor, who had had enough. He turned to them, eyes narrowed. "Phuwin! Fourth! If you two have so much to talk about, why don’t you continue your conversation outside?"

Both boys instantly straightened up, but it was too late. The professor gestured toward the door. "Out! Now!"

Phuwin and Fourth exchanged glances before standing up obediently. As they stepped outside, the moment the classroom door closed behind them, they couldn’t hold it in anymore—they burst out laughing.

"Man, we really got thrown out!" Fourth said, still laughing as he wiped away tears of amusement.

Phuwin smirked. "Eh, it’s not like we were learning anything new anyway."

"True!" Fourth agreed, leaning against the wall.

Suddenly, Phuwin grinned mischievously. "Come on, let’s go to the cafeteria."

As they started walking down the hallway, Phuwin turned to Fourth with a playful glint in his eyes. "How about this? Whoever gets to the cafeteria last has to buy lunch for the other!"

Without waiting for a response, Phuwin took off running, laughing as he sped down the hallway.

"Oi! That’s not fair!" Fourth shouted after him, breaking into a run to catch up.

The two raced through the campus, laughing and dodging students along the way. They ran all the way to the cafeteria, their carefree energy drawing the attention of a few amused onlookers. Finally, they reached the entrance, with Phuwin just a step ahead of Fourth.

Phuwin turned around, catching his breath with a triumphant smile. "Looks like you’re buying me lunch, Fotfot!"

Fourth, panting heavily, leaned over with his hands on his knees. "You cheated! You ran before I could even agree!"

Phuwin grinned, shaking his head. "No excuses, you lost. Now let’s go get something to eat."

As they entered the cafeteria, still laughing and teasing each other, it was clear that despite their scolding in class, they were having the time of their lives.

Other side...

Pond sat in his mafia underground office, a dimly lit room that exuded power and danger. The walls were lined with shelves filled with important files and documents, and the air was thick with the scent of cigars. Pond, dressed in his usual sharp black suit, was flipping through a stack of papers, reviewing their latest operations. Across the room, Joe was busy typing furiously on his laptop, the sound of the keys filling the otherwise quiet space.

Suddenly, Joe'sphone rang, interrupting the silence. He glanced at the caller ID, his brow furrowing. He picked up the phone, listening for a moment before his face twisted with anger.

"What?!" Joe shouted into the phone, slamming his fist onto the desk. "How dare he, huh? What does he think of himself? Are we looking like a bunch of jokers to him?! Idiot!" His voice echoed off the walls as his temper flared. "Can’t you do a simple thing without making mistakes? Useless! Shut up!" With that, Joe ended the call, tossing the phone onto the desk in frustration.

Pond, who had been watching quietly, raised an eyebrow at Joe's outburst. "Hey, Joe," he called over, pausing his work. "What happened? Why are you shouting like that?"

Joe leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples to ease the tension. "It’s a mess, Pond. One of our guys got sloppy, and now we’ve got trouble."

Joe ruffled his hair in frustration, his face grim. "There’s this new police officer in town—one of those straight-laced, by-the-book types. He’s been doing his job too diligently, too honest for his own good. And now he’s started poking around in our business."

Pond’s eyes narrowed as he listened, his anger rising. "Go on."

Joe sighed, tapping his fingers on the desk. "He doesn’t know about us yet, not fully. But today, he arrested some of our men. I guess he’s been investigating quietly, and they got caught up in something. He’s going to figure it out sooner or later."

Pond gritted his teeth, fury bubbling just beneath the surface. "These damn cops… why do they always have to bother us? Can’t they just focus on other crimes? No, they always have to mess with us." He clenched his fists. "Stupid fools don’t realize who they’re dealing with."

Joe nodded, his expression serious. "I think it’s time we send him a message, Pond. We can’t let this go. If we don’t act now, he’ll keep digging until he uncovers everything. We need to show him who really runs this city."

Pond’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. "You’re right, Joe. He doesn’t know who he’s messing with. It’s time we remind him. Make some calls—find out everything you can about this officer. Where he lives, who his family is, his routines. I want to know everything."

Joe nodded, immediately reaching for his phone. "Consider it done, boss."

Pond stood up, pacing the room, his mind already formulating a plan. "Let’s make it clear to him—he can’t touch us. Not without consequences. And if he keeps pushing… we’ll make sure he regrets it."

The room fell into silence once more, but the tension in the air was palpable. Pond’s eyes gleamed with the fire of determination. He wasn’t going to let anyone disrupt their empire—not some naive cop who didn’t know his place.

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