||ᴄʀɪᴍsᴏɴ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs|| ᴘᴏɴᴅᴘʜᴜᴡɪɴ ғғ

16

In his office room at the mansion, Pond was focusing on his work when he suddenly heard Joe’s voice booming from the planning room. Frowning, he put down his work and went over to find Joe pacing around, clearly upset.

Joe was yelling at Gemini. “Hey, Gem! It’s not our fault your uncle’s always breathing down our necks. Why does he always think we’re the ones causing trouble? We didn’t kidnap Phuwin this time! Why can’t he get that through his head?”

Gemini sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. “Look, sometimes Phu just goes off on his own. My uncle’s just worried because he has no idea where Phu is.”

Pond’s gaze narrowed. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice calm but authoritative.

Joe looked at him, exasperated. “That police officer—is on us again, accusing us of kidnapping Phuwin. But we haven’t done anything this time, and he won’t believe it!”

Pond furrowed his brow, his fingers absently rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Gemini, you have Phuwin’s number, right? Track him.”

Gemini shook his head. “Already tried. You don’t know Phuwin like I do—he’s smart. He either uses a private number or has his location blocked perfectly.”

Pond sighed, his gaze steely. “Then think of something else. You know him better than most; there has to be a way to find him.”

After a moment, Gemini’s eyes lit up. “Wait… I bet Fourth knows where he is or could even be with him. I’ll call him and check.” He quickly dialed Fourth’s number but frowned when the call went unanswered. “Fourth isn’t picking up,” he said, then checked his tracking system. “But I’ve got his location. He’s at the college right now. If we go there, we might be able to find Phuwin.”

Pond nodded decisively. “Good. I’ll go check.”

At the college, Phuwin and Fourth were in an empty classroom, laughing quietly to themselves. Fourth was trying to practice his “kidnapper” voice, but it was nowhere close to intimidating.

In a deep, wobbly tone, he said, “Hello, police officer, it’s Khun Pond. I have kidnapped your son, and… um… you’ll never see him again!” He turned to Phuwin and asked, “Did that sound right?”

Phuwin snickered, reaching over to smack Fourth lightly on the back of his head. “Aii, Fot, that’s terrible! If you sound like that, my old man will definitely figure you out in a second. You have to get the style right! Listen to me closely—Pond doesn’t just speak, he roars. He’s bold, strong. You sounded like a dying rat!”

Fourth pouted, rubbing his head. “Fine, Mr. Critic, show me how it’s done. With you as a friend, my life is nothing but trouble.”

Phuwin smirked, playfully lounging back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. With an air of confidence, he lowered his voice and spoke as if he were Pond himself. “Hello, police officer,” he drawled in a deep, confident tone. “Your son is in my custody. This won’t stop here, not once you’ve crossed paths with us. So, be prepared—there’s no end in sight.”

Fourth broke into applause. “Wow, Phu, that was perfect! You really sounded like him!”

Phuwin smirked proudly. “See? That’s how it’s done. Now, try it yourself.”

Handing Fourth his phone, Phuwin instructed, “Here, call my dad and talk like that, just like I showed you.”

Fourth nodded, straightening up as he prepared for the call. Just as he was about to speak, he looked past Phuwin and froze, his eyes widening in shock.

“Hey, Fot! What’s the holdup? Speak up, you idiot,” Phuwin urged, nudging him to start.

Fourth frantically gestured for him to look behind. “Phu…” he whispered, “just turn around.”