Accidentally Married

38. Gossip

Sailom leaned against the counter, his lips forming an exaggerated pout as he watched Jui meticulously fold shirts. "Jui, pleeease," he whined, dragging the word out like a child begging for candy. "You have to come to my mom's birthday party. It's super important!"

Jui didn't even look up, his hands steady as they smoothed out the fabric. "I know why you are inviting me,P' Sailom, and your intentions aren't pure. I am not coming."

Sailom's pout deepened as he stomped his foot lightly. "That is not true!"

Jui raised an eyebrow, finally meeting Sailom's gaze. "Oh? Then why do I get the feeling this has more to do with Aum than your mom?"

Caught off guard, Sailom hesitated. "I-I mean, Aum might be there, but that's not the point! You're my friend, Jui, and I need you there for...moral support."

"Moral support, huh?" Jui's tone was skeptical, his expression unimpressed.

Sailom sighed, racking his brain for a way to convince Jui. If he didn't have Jui's help, his carefully laid plans might crumble before they even began. After a moment, a mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as an idea struck him. "Okay, fine. I will admit it—I need your help. Please, Jui?"

But Jui was more resolute than Sailom had anticipated. "No, P' Sailom. I am not going to the party," he said firmly, returning his attention to the shirts.

The reason why Jui was not willing to come was Saifah, who had a hundred percent chance of being there at the party.

 After Saifah confessed to him and asked him out, Jui had been avoiding everything related to Saifah, even avoiding being in the same space as the latter. 

Jui had shared none of it with anyone, not the news of him spending the night at Saifah's place nor about the confession and his rejection. He was planning to keep it a secret as he didn't want anyone linking him up with Saifah in anyway

Sailom tilted his head, studying Jui curiously. "Why? Did something happen?"

Jui stiffened slightly but kept his expression neutral. "No. Nothing happened."

Liar. Sailom could see the flicker of unease in Jui's eyes, but before he could press further, a shop assistant approached them in a hurry.

"Khun Jui, we have VIP guests waiting for you," the assistant informed him.

Jui's face lit up with relief as he grabbed the opportunity to escape. "Ah, excuse me, Phi. Duty calls." He moved briskly toward the lounge area, leaving Sailom standing there, frowning.

"Hey, wait!" Sailom called, quickly following after him.

When they reached the lounge, Jui stopped in his tracks, surprised by the sight before him. Zo was sitting with two elegant women—Sailom's mother, Sainam, and another woman he recognized as Zo's mother, Gina.

"Oh, um..." Jui quickly composed himself and greeted them with a polite bow. "Swadee Khrab. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Gina waved off his formal greeting with a warm smile. "Swadee Ja, son. Oh, no need to be so formal! We have heard so much about you, Jui. Zo and Sailom mentioned you are one of Nai's close friends, and we have always wanted to meet you."

Jui smiled politely. "I am honored to meet you as well."

Gina chuckled. "You are even more charming than we imagined."

Sainam added with a twinkle in her eye, "We actually met Aum at a wedding recently. Lovely boy, isn't he?"

Jui's brow furrowed slightly, glancing at Sailom. "Aum? At a wedding?"

Sailom stiffened, his face betraying his panic. Sainam nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Lom brought him as his date. Isn't that right, Lom?"

Jui's eyes narrowed slightly, turning to Sailom, who was now looking everywhere except at Jui. 

Sailom was afraid that if he looked at Jui, the latter might ask him questions that might be difficult for him to answer. It was not that he didn't want to tell Jui the truth but Aum had strictly warned him not to breath a word about the wedding to Jui.

He could only gulp down his fear and stand there trying to make himself look like the most innocent human in the world

Jui understood that he was not going to get answer from Sailom and turned to Sainam instead. "Whose wedding was it, Auntie?"

"Oh, it was N' Cherd's wedding," she said breezily. "Do you know her?"

Jui's reaction was instant. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait. You went to Cherd's wedding?"

Sainam tilted her head, curious. "Yes. Why are you so shocked?"

Jui chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh, no reason. I am just...surprised. Considering what Cherd did to Saifah, I didn't think anyone would attend her wedding."

Zo and Sailom exchanged confused glances, their curiosity piqued. How did Jui know about Cherd and Saifah's past?

Sainam, however, didn't seem to find anything odd about Jui's comment. She sighed. "We didn't really want to go, but her parents are old friends of ours. It would have been rude not to show up."

"Still," Jui said, his tone dry, "I am not surprised things went south. Knowing Cherd, drama follows her like a shadow."

Sainam let out a heavy sigh. "You are not wrong. The wedding was a disaster. Cherd's fiancé, Phob, had his affair with her younger brother and her father exposed right at the altar."

Jui, looked completely unfazed. "Sounds about right. Phob's always had a wandering eye. He is the kind of guy who has trouble keeping his pants on. And Cherd isn't much better, to be honest."

Gina leaned forward, her eyes wide with intrigue. "What do you mean?"

Jui shrugged casually. "Well, Cherd was seeing other men behind Phob's back. Honestly, I wonder who the father of the child she is carrying is."

"Child?" Sainam gasped. "Cherd is pregnant?" 

Jui nodded, his expression nonchalant. "Yeah. Didn't you notice?"

Sainam and Gina exchanged shocked looks before turning back to Jui, eager for more details. This was news to them.

They didn't actually have a good impression of Cherd.

Saifah had dated Cherd for a few years in the past. All of them had approved of the relationship even considering the couple to get married in a few years, given how good the relationship between the two families were.

But all of this dropped when Saifah caught Cherd cheating on him with Phob.

Sainam still remembered how heartbroken her eldest son was after he found out the truth and broke up with Cherd.

Saifah had kept himself away from dating anyone all because of the trust issues he developed from what Cherd did to him.

Sainam and Gina hated Cherd for the same. They were happy to gossip about her.

"Well," Jui said, gesturing toward the lounge, "why don't we sit down? I can tell you everything over tea."

The women eagerly agreed, and Jui led them to the lounging area, where they began animatedly gossiping about Cherd and the scandalous wedding.

Zo groaned, whispering to Sailom, "I can't believe this. We are never getting out of here, are we?"

Sailom sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Nope. Not a chance."