Impasse

13. Tempering

Chalam is angry.

He's been angry for days now, ever since Nail told him the news.

News of the return of the one person who could be a real threat to him.

Jet Saetangmasawat.

Chalam stares at the smiling, confident face on his computer screen. The boy had been no more than sixteen the last time Chalam had seen him, standing in this very office suite, eyes burning with hatred, swearing that Chalam would pay for everything he had done.

At the time, Chalam had mocked him, this insignificant little orphan who dared to break into the OmniVentures building and threaten the CEO, only to be dragged out by security guards and thrown onto the street outside. All it had taken were a couple of phone calls to the right people and Jet Saetangmasawat had disappeared and the problem had been solved.

Or so he had thought.

An angry sixteen year old was easy to dispose of.

But Jet is no longer an angry sixteen year old.

He is now the COO of one of the most successful international automotive businesses in the country.

Which means that he has power and allies he didn't have before.

But power can be taken away, and alliances can be persuaded to shift. Provided the right type of persuasion was used.

Chalam looks up as Nail enters the office suite. The bruises on his assistant's face have faded, and his arm is no longer in a sling. Nail stands stoically in front of Chalam's desk, waiting for his superior to speak. When Chalam finally breaks the silence, his question is not what Nail is expecting to hear.

"What do you know about ManiratInfinateDrift?"

Nail blinks, but his face remains expressionless as he responds. "They are an international company that operates in both Bangkok and Monza, under the corporate umbrella of Manirat Nexus, and one of the most successful independently owned businesses in the automotive industry."

"Independent business always need investors," The words are said quietly, but Nail knows Chalam is addressing him. "Set up a meeting."

"I doubt they have any interest in merging with this company." Nail knows it's the wrong thing to say as soon as the words are out of his mouth. Chalam's fingers begin their irritated tap-tap on the top of his desk.

"Independent companies require a little more--persuasion than others." Each tap of Chalam's fingers makes the hairs on the back of Nail's neck stand on end.

"You've never been interested in the automotive industry before. Why are you so interested in it now? And why ManiratInfiniteDrift in particular?" If anyone else had asked these questions, there would have been serious consequences. But Nail is not any other person--he doesn't ask questions unless they need to be asked. "Or is it one particular employer you're interested in?"

Chalam's fingers have stopped their tapping, but the muscles in his jaw and temple are twitching again, and his eyes are boring into Nail's. Both know the answer to the question, but Chalam wants Nail to say it out loud. When Nail doesn't answer, Chalam supplies the name for him. "Jet Saetangmasawat is the COO of ManiratInfiniteDrift."

Nail clenches his jaw ever so slightly to keep it from dropping open. Now he understands exactly what his superior is thinking. "You want to confront Jet professionally."

"'Confront' is such a harsh word."

"But it's what you're going to do." Nail presses. "You think Kai gave the missing information to Jet."