*41* Standing up against father

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“You know why I called you here, right?”  P'Mile's tone of voice indicated that he had called his son about something specific.  It wasn't that he wanted to meet him and have a nice time with him.  No, P'Mile wasn't like that.  As soon as Fourth crossed the threshold of his office, he felt the chill prevailing there, resulting not only from the working air conditioning, but also from the attitude of the man sitting behind the large, heavy, dark desk, on the top of which the boy noticed a yellow envelope.  He smiled casually, as if he hadn't noticed anything.

“To talk like father to son?”  He risked a joke.  It didn't work out for him.  Mile was in a bad mood again.  Fourth thought that the cause must be the person whose personal information was in that envelope.  Someone who has been too late on a loan repayment.

“Forgive me, I don't have time.  I have a task for you”.

When Fourth sat down in the not-so-comfortable chair (he knew that chairs were so uncomfortable for one reason: P'Mile often talked to people he didn't like here, and to make their visit as unpleasant as possible, he chose the most uncomfortable chairs he could find) Mile threw him the envelope and it landed on his lap.  Fourth picked it up, opened it, and took out a photograph, which he looked at carefully.

His world suddenly seemed to start falling apart.  His hands shook slightly, but he quickly hid it, not wanting P'Mile to remember how weak and hopeless his son was.  He put a forced, fake smile on his face.

“P'Erin?!  But she works with...”

“With your boyfriend.  Yes.  That's why this will be your task”. Father Mile didn't even smile.  He was still playing with the glass of alcohol.

“He's not part of your game, how many times do I have to repeat that?!  Why are you dragging him into this?  It's none of his business!  Let it go, Father,” Fourth was irritated.

“It's even better that it isn't, then this task shouldn't be too difficult for you, right, son?  You said yourself it's none of his business.  And you're right, it's your manager's business, not your boyfriend's.  I think you understand what I mean, son?”

Son.

Yeah.  He specifically emphasized this to show that Fourth, as his son, had no choice.  Fourth wasn't going to let himself be treated like that.  Ever since he met Gem and his slightly crazy family and friends, he was slowly starting to gain confidence, he wasn't as afraid anymore, and that gave him courage even in moments like this: for the first time in his life, he knew that he didn't have to be afraid. He knew that for the very first time he has someone outside on whom he can rely and who will always help him.  For the first time in his life he had friends, real friends, he could count on. He was not alone anymore, but P'Mile seemed to not notice that.

„That's right, I'm your son, not one of your minions.  Send someone else, leave me out of this”.

“Why not?  You are the closest to her, it will be easiest for you to convince her to repay the debt”.

“No. This is my final answer: no.”

A short, firm answer and a look full of ice.

Nattawat stood up, hoping he was hiding his emotions well.  He smiled gently.  The face of a poker player, that's what they learned in the last class.  He hasn't had a chance to practice it yet, but perhaps what he has already learned will be enough for him.

“You refuse?”

“Yes, Father Mile, I refuse.  I don't want to be involved in this.  It's your life not mine.  Until now, I allowed you to use me because I saw no other way for myself, but now, forgive me, but I have found my purpose.  We will part here, goodbye, father”.

Blinding Lights: Despite Everything GeminiFourth  Where stories live. Discover now