Billionaire Biker Boy

Chapter 33 - You've Changed

 

After the blissful long holiday ended, the daily routine resumed. Wonchana continued to ride his Ducati to pick up Samut as usual, but with a relationship that seemed to have a dreamy, romantic filter over it. If described in slang, it'd be:

... it was low-key giving main-couple energy.

 

Samut walked down from his condo, wearing a pastel-pink shirt and a lotus-petal pink tie. But above all, it was his cologne that was captivating, as his rash had completely cleared up. When Wonchana helped him put on his riding jacket, the man couldn't help but grin.

...My little pup smells so good.

 

When they arrived at the sandwich shop, the vendor came out with a bag of three sandwiches. Even though she didn't recognise Samut, she still teased her regular customer.

 

"Oh my, you've got someone riding on the back today!"

 

"The first, the only, and the last one," Wonchana replied to the vendor but directed the sweet words to his passenger.

 

"Aww, I'm so jealous. Stay in love forever, okay?" The vendor sent a mini heart gesture before taking the payment and heading back inside.

 

The one on the back, whose cheeks were burning red inside the helmet, didn't know what else to do but lightly bump his head against the back of the man in front and tighten his arms around him. Because last night, his heart had started sending signals...

...that the person in front of him was becoming more and more special to his heart.

 

When they arrived at the Atcharangkul Building, Wonchana handed the smaller man a stainless steel cup with a puppy design he'd cleaned himself. Then, they went to buy drinks at their usual coffee shop under the building before walking up to the eighteenth floor together, chatting sweetly along the way.

 

After finishing his sandwich, Samut found that his iced cocoa, sweetened to 25 per cent, was still as delicious as when he'd bought it. He couldn't help but praise it.

 

"Wow, this cup is amazing! No dripping, no messy hands, and the ice hasn't melted, so the cocoa still tastes good." But after the praise came a complaint. "But the shop downstairs only gives a five-baht discount for bringing your own cup. At this rate, I'd have to drink from it for a year to make it worth it, like over two hundred times!"

 

The taller man, who was sipping hot coffee from a ceramic mug, smiled.

 

"My coffee's still hot today, too. Normally, it'd have gone cold by now," Wonchana said in a calm tone. I think with features like these, and the fact that we're helping reduce waste, it's worth it even if we don't use it two hundred times."

 

Samut thought about it and scrunched his nose. "That's trueee."

 

As work time approached, the smaller man grabbed his cocoa cup and a bag of crispy Thai crepes called khanom buang and coconut pancakes called khanom babin, ready to head out.

 

Wonchana gently held his small hand and gave instructions. "I've got an outside meeting at lunch, so I can't eat with you. But after work, come up here and wait for me, okay? And if anything comes up, just text or call me anytime."

 

Samut smiled sweetly at the man in the lotus-petal pink shirt and grey tie.

 

"Don't worry, P'Win. And we don't have to eat lunch together every day. I can go with the seniors in my department sometimes, or I won't fit in with them."

 

"Alright... then can I get a little reward for

encouragement?" Wonchana smiled and tilted his cheek toward him.

 

Samut’s fair cheeks turned a deep red. His pouty lips jutted out in mock annoyance, but he still complied with the request... and even gave an extra kiss on the other cheek. Once he finished giving the reward, Samut dashed out without waiting to hear any more teasing words, leaving Wonchana laughing to himself.

....Having a (soon-to-be) boyfriend is really something else.

 

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When Samut got off the eleventh-floor elevator, where Sardina Company was located, he ran into Sirichok. The smaller man greeted him as if they hadn't seen each other over the holiday.

 

"Hey, Oat. How was your holiday?"

 

"It was good. How about you? That rash you mentioned, is it gone now?"

 

"Yeah, it's gone. Just a mild food allergy. One injection, and the rash cleared up completely."

 

Sirichok looked at the man, who now appeared bright and fragrant, holding a high-end branded cup. He couldn't help but frown.

 

"You're wearing cologne now?"

 

"Yup, P'Win bought it for me."

 

"You've changed, O. You weren't like this before."

 

Samut glanced up with a steady gaze, his full lips curving into a beautiful smile as he replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, I guess I've changed. But that's human nature, isn't it? Always changing. Some people even change so much it's like we never knew them at all."

 

Sirichok wasn't sure if the comment was directed at him, as Samut had never spoken to him like this before. But he decided to speak plainly.

 

"But I haven't changed one bit. I've liked you for a long time, and I still do.  That guy you met at the shoe store, I was just casually seeing him. There's no strings attached."

 

Samut paused for a moment before shaking his head slowly.

 

"You don't like me, Oat. If you did, you'd have reciprocated my feelings a long time ago. I used to like you, but now I've changed. I like P'Win."

 

"Because he's rich?" Sirichok's voice rose. This time, Samut gave a cold smile.

 

"I'm rich too, Oat. Maybe not as loaded as P'Win, but I can live without relying on a wealthy boyfriend. If I go back to Hat Yai, I'm practically a millionaire there."

 

"A stingy millionaire, huh? Fine. I'll wait for the day that guy dumps you. When that day comes, don't come crying to me."

 

A soft, icy laugh escaped the smaller man. "If that day ever comes, I wouldn't come crying to you. I've got my mom and my big brother waiting for me at home. Thanks for worrying about me so much."

 

Samut couldn't stand there any longer. He stepped aside and walked away immediately.

...he really had trusted the wrong person all this time.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

When Samut reached his department, he brought the snacks to share with the three older women in the pantry.

 

"Guys, I've got snacks for you, but I didn't buy them with my own money."

 

"Who's the generous sponsor?" Sakawjai teased.

 

Everyone had already seen the photo of the little hero jar on Facebook. At this point, there was no need to investigate who was courting whom, especially since the jar's owner had made such a bold move to stake his claim.

 

"Do you even need to ask, Som?" Botan teased while eating her congee.

 

"It's You-Know-Who. But hotter than Voldemort." Wanna joked, and ended the joke herself to avoid awkward silence.

 

Sakawjai, pulling a thick piece of coconut pancake from the box, shrugged. "Whoever the sponsor is, I don't care. As long as O brings us nummy snacks often, I'm happy."

 

"Such a glutton," Botan muttered, though her hand was already reaching for the snack. The one who brought the snacks could only laugh, unable to get a word in, before grabbing a piece of coconut pancake for himself...

 

Yum.

 

Then a stray comment floated over. "Must be nice, huh? Not having to do anything and still getting snacks delivered to you."

 

Samut froze, but he didn't have to respond because the trio stepped in for him. The first one was Botan, who delivered the sharp retort.

 

"We may not have money to buy snacks, but what we do have is manners."

 

And it worked. The instigator slammed her drawer shut and grabbed her small bag before storming off to the restroom.

 

The three women sighed in unison. They weren't entirely sure if Nittaya had a grudge against Samut, given she'd always seemed like a normal coworker, aloof but never problematic. Sakawjai turned to Samut. "She's probably jealous. Don't mind people like that."

 

"Her behaviour's been getting worse lately," Wanna remarked. Samut, now certain that the woman who had just left seemed to have a particular issue with him, still wasn't sure of the exact reason. If it were just about his friendship with Sirichok, why would she hold a grudge against him?

...What's the real reason behind this?

But the new employee could only respond with a joke.

 

"Maybe she just doesn't like me. But since I started here, I haven't stepped on anyone's toes."

 

"Ammw, it's okay if someone doesn't like you. As long as we like you, that's enough... Oh, but I think just having You-Know-Who on your side is more than enough," Sakawjai declared boldly. She'd tasted the 'dark power' of those who herself.

 

"Gosh, please stop teasing me!"

 

The chatter gradually died down as work began. But Samut silently vowed to himself.

... I'll find out why she doesn't like me.

 

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Not long into the workday, Puchong called Wanna. After hanging up with the department manager, Wanna walked over to Samut, who was diligently typing away at his documents.

 

"O, the manager's calling for you."

 

Samut set his work aside and followed Wanna obediently. After a polite knock, the two entered and closed the door behind them.

 

"What's up, P'Pu?" Wanna asked as she settled into a chair. The older man glanced at Samut before explaining.

 

"Initially, the company hired more staff because we're launching a new product line. Since it's not a major project, the management decided to train new employees to handle it so it wouldn't affect the existing staff. That means O will be responsible for salmon procurement. But just found out that he's the son of a major cold storage owner, as we need frozen salmon for this project."

 

"No wonder I saw a quotation from Ocean Sea Marine Foods. I was surprised since this place doesn't usually use frozen fish," Samut said.

 

"Those were documents requested for an initial cost assessment," Puchong explained. Wanna, who had just learned about Samut’s background, was slightly taken aback. However, being a professional, she didn't comment on it and instead asked about the matter at hand.

 

"In that case, O can't handle this, right? Since it'd be a conflict of interest."

 

"Exactly. That's why I called you both here. I wanted to ask you first, Pern, if I were to reassign Nittaya to take over O's responsibilities and have him work with you instead, would that be okay?"

 

"I have no problem with that," Pern replied.

 

"Neither do I," Samut quickly agreed.

 

"Good. Now, please step out and call Nittaya in for me." Wanna acknowledged the instruction and led Samut out. She then went to inform Nittaya as per the manager's orders.

 

Since Puchong didn't explain the real reason to Nittaya, only informing her about the task reassignment with Samut, when Nittaya walked out of the manager's office, she could only glare at Samut with pure hatred.

....This privileged brat is here just to ruin everything.

 

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As lunchtime was nearing its end, Sirichok, who had gone out for lunch, was heading back to the office. He was mulling over the message Nittaya had sent, informing him that she was being reassigned to a role switch with Samut. This meant she might only be able to help his relative a few more times.

...Samut, huh?

 

He sighed. If he'd known, he wouldn't have spoken so harshly to Samut. Judging by the situation, it seemed unlikely he could win over Wanna, who followed the rules to the letter. His eyes then caught sight of a newly opened flower shop.

...Should I buy flowers to apologise?

 

Although Samut had said he wasn't into him anymore, could someone really let go of feelings they'd held for years that easily? As for himself, if he were honest, he still liked Samut. But that liking wasn't strong enough to compete with money.

...Guess I'll have to apologise first.

 

With that thought, his long legs carried him into the bright and colourful flower shop. Looking at the flower prices, Sirichok sighed.

...Why are they so expensive?

 

In the end, he settled on a single large red rose and asked the shop owner to wrap it beautifully in paper and ribbon.

...Hmph, almost two hundred baht for one flower.

 

"Would you like to write a card, sir?"

 

"No, that's okay."

 

He didn't want to write one. If Nittaya saw it, it could cause trouble. After all, he couldn't let go of Nittaya just yet, given how uncertain things were. If Samut didn't perform well, Nittaya might be reassigned to her original role.

 

When he returned to the office, Sirichok instructed the housekeeper to place the flower on Samut’s desk, emphasising that no one should know who it was from.

...Samut will probably ask about it soon enough.

 

════[changbins_delulu_wife]════

 

After another shopping spree with the trio, Samut seemed to enjoy buying snacks and treats even more. After all, his bank account now had nearly fifty thousand baht.

 

Snacks he wanted to eat, little trinkets he thought were worth the price... he didn't haggle anymore...

...Yeah, dream on. That's in my DNA; it's not something you can just stop right away.

 

But Samut only asked the vendor once to lower the price. There would be no pestering or using his ultimate skills anymore. As he glanced around the shops, he wondered if he should buy something for the money's owner.

 

...But P'Win probably wouldn't use anything from a street market.

...Oh, but that dog-print T-shirt might be something he'd wear.

 

Snacks aren't really his thing either. Maybe food? But P'Win seems to lean toward healthy things, while these items are all carbs, sugar, and unhealthy fats. Samut wandered until he came across a Vietnamese food shop selling various spring rolls in neat little boxes. They looked appetising and healthy, something Wonchana might like. But in the end, he decided to ask him to be sure.

 

I'm out shopping at Lalai Sap right now.: Ocean 

Do you usually eat before working out? : Ocean

Or do you eat after?: Ocean

Win: I eat after working out.

Win: But if you're hungry, grab a snack to tide you over.

Win: Just eat before five, so you don't feel too full.

(Send a Chihuahua sticker giving an OK sign: Ocean

 

And that settled it. No need to buy anything. He'd save it for another time. For now, he could just grab a bottle of fresh milk to tide him over.

 

As he continued walking, Samut ended up with a large bag of roasted nuts and a chilled bottle of soy milk. Once the trio finished their shopping and returned to the office, Samut noticed a single, beautifully wrapped red rose on his desk. When he turned to ask the other coworkers in the room, they said the housekeeper had placed it there.

 

... Is P'Win surprising me again? Samut took a photo of the flower and sent it to Wonchana via LINE...

...while the latter was currently in the middle of an intense meeting.