Chapter 35. Nyctophobia.
**Nyctophobia is an extreme fear of the dark. The name comes from the Greek word meaning night. Children and adults with nyctophobia may be afraid of being alone in the dark. They may experience anxiety in dark places and have difficulty sleeping in a dark room.**
I looked at the face of the person who had just fallen asleep. His breathing was regular. I reached out and gently stroked his white cheek. His red eyes showed he had been crying a lot. Half an hour earlier, Phoon had been in my arms, crying and telling me his story. At first, he didn't seem to want to talk much, which was understandable.
It wasn't something he wanted to say out loud. Otherwise, it wouldn't have remained a secret until now.
But I talked to him until he realised there was no point in protecting his father anymore. Phoon told me everything, sobbing. That he might not be his father's son was already regrettable, but I didn't want it to be true. Furthermore, he knows nothing about his father's new partner, Prae, or her daughter. Looking at the little body, sound asleep, I felt indescribable pain. Everything Phoon had told me was spinning in my head. Since childhood, Phoon had been treated harshly by his father and stepmother. I thought it was because they wanted the best for him, but in reality, it was just a lack of interest.
I turned on the bedside lamp and turned off the room lights. Now Phoon can sleep with the lights off, as long as I'm close to him. His fear of the dark is intense. When it's dark, his body goes numb, his heartbeat accelerates, and he loses control. Since the last power outage, I've realised I shouldn't leave Phoon alone at night. His fear of the dark and enclosed spaces is similar to mine. I took a deep breath to calm my anger. Knowing all this made me doubt whether I could talk to him calmly the next day.
The only reason it was so difficult was that he was Phoon's father. If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have tried to stay calm. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Jo. I looked at my watch; it was already nine o'clock. I got out of bed, but when I let go of her embrace, I think I woke Phoon.
"Hmm."
"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked softly. Phoon shook his head.
"Nothing?"
"Only Jo called. I'll be right back."
"It's okay," Phoon replied, still half asleep. I gently stroked his head before going out onto the balcony to talk on the phone.
“What’s wrong?” I replied.
[We won't wait until one.]
"Why?"
[Someone said that Rit will send someone to teach North and Phoon a lesson.]
"Really?"
[Yes, he gave the order.]
"Where are we meeting tomorrow?"
[Tomorrow, can you take Phoon for a walk with North?]
"Why?"
[North is afraid that Phoon will get angry because he beat his father.]
"No, Phoon isn't angry. It's a good thing he's with North, so he doesn't think about it too much.
[So, meet me at the mall at 1:00. Bring Phoon with you.]
"Okay." Then he hung up. It seemed like no one could stop Jo anymore.
Send someone to harm North and Phoon? Harm? His son. That person. We can't talk rationally. So I didn't try to stop Jo or ask anything. She's probably already ordered that man to be sent. Tomorrow we won't be sitting in the conference room talking, as I had planned.
"Phi Fah," Phoon called softly as he opened the French window to the balcony. He looked at me worriedly. "Are you okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"About my father."
“How?” I asked.
"Phi Fah," Phoon called again, his face twisted with concern. I'd told him everything I'd planned. Phoon didn't object. He was a very kind person, but he wasn't naive. He understood why things had turned out this way. "What's going to happen tomorrow? Will you talk about it?"
"It's not just a conversation."
"Because he hurt North and you. You understand, right?" I stroked his cheek and hair. The hardest thing was how Phoon felt, being his father. Phoon nodded slightly.
"It's not possible, Phi Fah."
"What does it mean?"
"I understand that this is what he deserves for what he did. North is the last person in the world he should have hurt."
"No, Phoon. You're also the last person in the world he should touch." My words made Phoon raise his head and hug me gently. I returned his embrace.
"Thank you."
"Per?"
"For protecting me."
"You're welcome. So what about what you said before?"
"It can't be, Phi Fah, if there's going to be violence." Phoon paused, but I understood. "Couldn't it be like that, Phi Fah?"
"Okay, I get it." I nodded. "But..."
"But what?"
"Phi Fah won't stop anyone else. Okay?"
"Yes, I understand," Phoon nodded slowly. "Perhaps he asked me because he didn't want me to hurt his father. But if it had been anyone else, I would have understood perfectly. It was the result of his father's actions.
"You're going out with North tomorrow."
"Me? Just with North?"
"Yes, go to the mall."
"Oh, okay," Phoon replied. He didn't seem too comfortable with what Jo and I were about to do, but there was no other choice. If it had just been me, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But once Jo got angry, it wouldn't have ended so easily. She'd asked for it, right?
I accompanied Phoon to the mall as agreed. North and Phoon went to a movie together before Jo, and I took care of that. I followed Jo by car to an unfamiliar location, a large area full of warehouses. As soon as we got out of the car, several men in suits greeted us and bowed as we passed. We stopped in front of a warehouse door, and someone opened it.
Nothing surprising. Inside the dark warehouse, a dim light illuminated the place. He was surrounded by bodyguards. In the centre, a man was tied up, kneeling with his hands tied behind his back. Although he was unconscious and his head was lowered, it wasn't difficult to see how badly he had been beaten.
"Surprised?" Jo asked, sitting in the chair opposite the man. A bodyguard invited me to sit in the chair next to him.
"Not really, I expected it," I answered honestly. I wasn't surprised to see Rit in that state. He'd probably been beaten unconscious, but not for long, maybe two hours. His injuries were severe: cuts to his temples and eyebrows, bruises on his face, and his clothes were wrinkled and stained, revealing the underlying wounds. He was bleeding from his nose and mouth, enough to make it difficult for him to breathe. I looked over at Jo, who was lighting a cigarette and blowing out grey smoke.
"Are you smoking again?" I asked, reminding him that he'd promised to quit for North's sake. "North gave me a cigarette a week," Jo replied, clearly trying to calm down. "I think we have a problem."
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"This idiot borrowed money from someone."
"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow. He already knew about the loan, since I was the one in the back. "Are you mad?"
"Yes, I'm not surprised," Jo said. I nodded in understanding. "But there's a problem."
"What's the problem?"
"You'll see." Jo stood up and put out her cigarette on the kneeling man's temple, who screamed in pain and kept his eyes wide open.
"HI."
"Ahhh! Who are you?" the man shouted, pale with fear. Seeing Jo, he looked at me. "Tonfah? Tonfah, please help me! They've kidnapped me." His face contorted, and he began to cry, but I didn't feel sorry for him.
"What do they want? Are you their boss? Do you know who they are?" He tried to threaten him, but Jo laughed and glared at him before kicking him in the face.
"Ugh!"
"Be careful what you say."
I told you, when Jo gets angry, there's no stopping him. That man was panting in front of me.
"Fah," Uncle Rit looked at me, seeking help again. "What's going on?" Before he could answer, the warehouse door opened, and someone entered. He was wearing a black jacket, his hands in his pockets, and he looked troubled. If I'm not mistaken, his name was Tiger.
"What's wrong today? I have a lot to do," said the newcomer, looking around without surprise, then came closer and fixed his gaze on the person sitting there.
"Wow, you really ruined my debt."
Oh, that's the person Jo was referring to.
“Let's talk business,” said Jo.
“I have two reasons for coming,” Tiger said immediately, looking bored.
"First, this idiot owes me. I can't let you do anything. Second, it's your company's business."
"Gross," Jo complained, looking at me with a hint of disgust. "I told you he was the problem."
Uncle Rit, who didn't seem to know Tiger, looked at all three of us before smiling.
"Oh, so you're the son of the person I borrowed money from. Yeah, you have to protect me? If anything happens to me, who's going to pay the debt? Come on, take care of it. I'll pay it back. Ugh!!" Tiger kicked the person sitting on his back. As he fell to the ground, Tiger stomped on his head with his foot. He applied more pressure until the person he had stepped on screamed.
"Ahhh! Let me go! Please, let me go!" he screamed before Tiger let go of his leg. He looked like he'd heard rumours that he wasn't doing well behind him, and it seemed to be true.
“You talk too much,” said Tiger.
"You'd better watch your mouth. This isn't your place," I reminded him as I watched him try to speak again. With his mouth bruised, after being punished by Jo and Tiger, how could he think he had the right to say anything again? Uncle Rit's face darkened even more, and more tears fell, perhaps because he realised that not even I, who knew him, would help him.
"What, what's happening?" His voice trembled with fear. He looked at me with terror in his eyes, trying to speak loudly to hide his fear. I was slightly hunched over, with my arms crossed and my elbows resting on my knees.
"Where do we start?" I said, looking at Jo. She took some papers from the nearby bodyguard and handed them to me. "Let's start with these." I threw the papers on the ground, leaving Rit to stare at them in confusion.
"What, what is this?" The first document was proof that he had stolen money from the company he worked for. And of course, I was the new president of that company.
It took me over a month to buy enough shares in the company, with the help of some contacts, and now I am the official president.
"You stole three million baht from the company. As president, I will fire you and take legal action. After the trial, you won't fare well," I said calmly. Rit's face looked even more shocked.
"Pre... President? Tonfah? How, how did you become President?" His blood-soaked mouth made it difficult to form words. With all that blood, he'd probably lost a few teeth.
"So, the call from yesterday."
“Yes,” I smiled.
"Did they catch me for this?"
"No, it's because of the people you hurt yesterday. Haven't you thought about that?"
"Phone?"
"You may not know this, but he's my boyfriend," I said. Rit couldn't contain his shock any longer. "And the other person you hurt was his boyfriend, too."
"How dare you touch someone important to someone else?" I said coldly. His face, filled with fear and tears, showed he'd realised he shouldn't trifle with anyone casually. "Are you trying to teach me a lesson?"
"No... no, I didn't mean that... Hey, hey! Stop! What are you doing? Stop!" he shouted as Jo looked at the two bodyguards. They approached and untied the ropes from his hands. Although he tried to fight back, it was in vain. They pulled his hands forward, and Jo stomped on one of them violently.
"Ahhh! Please, no!" he screamed as he watched his hand being crushed, screaming in pain. He couldn't pull it away. I looked down and took a deep breath. I could hear my bones cracking under the pressure. I wasn't surprised, even though it was the first time I'd seen something like this and the person being punished was someone I knew.
"You won't be able to use your right hand for a while, as punishment for beating up my men and thinking of sending someone to teach them a lesson," Jo said nonchalantly as Rit screamed in pain. When Jo lifted his leg, Rit's hand was twisted and deformed. The bone was definitely broken. He wouldn't be able to use his right hand for months.
"Shut him up."
"Ahhh!" A bodyguard hit Rit, knocking him to the ground. Before he could react, he was tied up again.
“I’m kind of sorry this happened to you,” Jo said, looking at me.
"You shouldn't see this."
“No problem,” I replied honestly.
"Are you okay? He's your boyfriend's father."
"No, do whatever you want."
"I thought you'd stop me."
"I won't do anything, not even stop you," I said, echoing what I'd said to Phoon the night before. He told me it didn't matter what happened, as long as I didn't cause the damage.
"Ah."
"Hey, if he dies, who's going to pay his debts?" Tiger, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up. I'd seen him playing with his phone earlier, probably chatting with someone. In such a situation, he remained calm. Amazing.
"So you're here to protect him?"
"Man, I have some work to do. My dad sent me."
"Have you become your father's obedient dog?" Jo's teasing had no effect on Tiger.
“I will pay the thirty million,” said the kneeling man in a weak voice, panting and crying.
"You're not going to sue me, are you? Let me go. You have to protect me. Otherwise, you'll never get it back," he said, looking at Tiger. Tiger was clearly unhappy, but he shrugged resignedly.
"Exactly. I have to ask you to stop. If he dies, the money he borrowed for this business will be gone, and I'll never get back either the principal or the interest," Tiger said, trying to remain calm. I nodded, understanding. Rit had borrowed money from the father-son business for his own.
"Yes! I'm going to be the president of a big company. Who cares if they fire me? I'll sue them and ruin them!"
"You'll never build that company. If I take my shares, you'll go bankrupt with debts of over thirty million. You'll be prosecuted for fraud, and no one will want to do business with you. You won't even be able to find a job," I said in a flat, cold voice. My words made the man's face pale again.
"Share buybacks? Are you crazy? Do you have stock in my company?" He paused, as if he'd just realised. "You?"
"Yes," I smiled slightly. "Behind all the actions you think support you, there is me. All the power you think you have belongs to me. Have you ever wondered why your partners are backing you in starting a new company and suggesting you borrow thirty million? Have you ever wondered why they're giving you an unsecured loan?" My explanation made the man stiffen in shock, as if he were about to faint.
It all started when I started buying shares in the company where Uncle Rit worked and eventually became president. At first, I didn't intend to fire him; I just wanted to keep an eye on him because his position was relatively high. But then I discovered he had defrauded the company of almost three million. This made me wonder what I should do with that money. I learned he wanted to save up to start his own company. So, I sent someone to help him invest. All the money he thought was coming from his partners was actually mine. Although it wasn't specified in the documents, I owned more than 50% of the shares in his new company.
It takes a lot of money to start a company, and Uncle Rit didn't have enough. We told him that if he wanted to be president, he needed to own more than 50% of the shares. So he considered taking out a loan. But no one would lend him millions without collateral, except someone backed by Jo, who directed him to a company we controlled. I told him that if he did the right thing, it would be to his advantage. We would continue to invest in his company and make profits, while he would get what he wanted.
But if he had done something wrong, we would have simply withdrawn our shares. This would have led to his company going bankrupt, leaving him with almost thirty million in debt. His reputation would have been ruined, and he wouldn't even have been able to find a permanent job due to his history of fraud. Furthermore, creditors are not friendly people. If he didn't pay promptly, he could face serious consequences, such as being forced to sell his body or his organs. He asked for it.
"You guys! You tricked me into borrowing money! You made me mortgage my house, my land, and everything I owned! You bastards!"
"We only have one piece of advice. If I had stayed away from Phoon, none of this would have ended like this."
"Phoon again? That damned boy again! Son of a bitch." Before he could continue, Jo ordered the guards to silence him. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger. If I let him continue talking about Phoon, I would have a hard time keeping my composure.
"Did you tell Phoon you wouldn't do anything?"
“Yes,” I nodded slowly.
"Did you hear that?" Jo asked. Rit, who could only open one eye now, slowly raised his head. "Thank you, Phoon. It's a good thing Phoon asked me to let you live. If I weren't his father, you'd be dead already." Jo's words made Rit grit his teeth, trying to contain his fear and shame. It must have been humiliating for him to have to rely on Phoon for his safety.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please let me go. I give up, I give up," he said, bowing his head to the ground, apologetically. He must have realised it was all over. What he saw now was only the end of a man who had once been arrogant and blinded by power.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Don't do anything to me."
"It's not us you should apologise to," I said, glaring at him. "You should apologise to everyone you've hurt over the years."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he cried, but it meant nothing anymore. "I'm Phoon's father. I'm his father. Don't do anything to me."
"Dad?" I gritted my teeth in anger. How could he be so disgusting? He claimed to be a father only when he needed protection.
“Pathetic,” Jo swore in frustration.
"I'll do anything. Please don't do anything to me anymore. Don't take back the shares. I have nothing left. I can't pay that money."
"Please, guys," he looked at Tiger, tears streaming down his face. "Please, help me. If I don't keep this company, you won't get yourselves back either."
"Exactly," Tiger sighed and turned to me. "If you guys call in the shares, he won't be able to make any more money. My company will also lose money. Even if we sell it, we won't get anything back. My father will be furious. Besides, we can't just settle for his son, can we?"
"That's true," Jo replied,
"Are you satisfied?" I asked Jo. He shrugged. "Okay, let's make a deal."
“Say it,” Rit said, sobbing.
"This is all a lesson for mocking our people," I said, looking at his injuries. In his condition, he would have been hospitalised for a long time. His fractured hand might never function again. "I won't retract my shares if you promise to stay away from Phoon."
"Yes, yes. I won't disturb him."
"Divorce Prae and leave her with her daughter."
"Okay, I'll do it."
"Apologise to Phoon for everything you've done. I know you can't be a good father. Your only option now is to apologise and walk away from his life. I'll take care of him."
"Yes, yes, I understand. So, will you let me go?" I looked at Jo for an answer.
"Yes, I think that's enough," Jo replied. Rit had already suffered a beating that had nearly cost him his life. "Remember, I'm only doing this because you're Phoon's father. Otherwise, I wouldn't let you off so easily."
"Thank you, thank you."
"So, are you done?" asked Tiger.
“Yes, we will not recall the shares,” I replied.
"Okay, that explains the first reason I'm here. But there's one more thing."
"What?" asked Jo.
“It’s about the relationship between creditors and debtors,” Tiger took a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and placed it in front of Rit. Seeing the paper, Rit began to cry even harder.
"Excuse me, can I explain?"
"You really have the nerve to use fake documents to deceive us," Tiger said coldly. Jo raised an eyebrow.
"Did you use fake documents?"
"Yes, most of the documents are authentic, but this one is fake. Do you know how angry my father is? If we don't teach you a lesson, you won't know what happens if you deceive us," Tiger said with a cold smile. "That's an order."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't do anything to me."
"Your life is a mess," Jo muttered contemptuously. I sighed and stood up. I had nothing more to do with this. Using false documents with such a dangerous lender would only lead to a bad end.
"Hey, is this the father of someone named Phoon?" Tiger asked Jo.
"YES."
"Is Phoon near Duen Nao?"
"YES."
"Okay," Tiger smiled, a smile that made me shiver. He asked one of the guards for a knife. Rit, seeing the knife, began to cry even harder, losing control. "Phoon can protect him from you, but not from me."
"No, please, no. What are you going to do?"
"I'll leave one eye so you can see. Don't worry, I'm not that cruel."
"Please, I beg you."
"Will you stop me? I know he's your boyfriend's father," Tiger said, looking at me. Beside him, Rit continued to plead desperately.
"Fah, help me. I'm sorry, I regret this. Please, please."
“If you don’t stop him, he’ll lose an eye,” Jo said neutrally.
Of course, Tiger wasn't joking. To him, Rit was just a regular debtor. Besides, Tiger had said it was an order. If I resisted, there would surely be big trouble. I stared at Rit coldly. I knew stopping Tiger would be futile. I knew who he was dealing with: a very dangerous mafia. How could I help him? It was impossible. Tiger's question didn't really need an answer; it was just a rhetorical one.
"Did you know that Phoon is afraid of the dark?"
"What?"
"It's your fault."
"I apologise."
"You should try it yourself, so you can understand how scary it is." I turned and walked out of the warehouse. A horrible scream came from behind me, but I didn't care. Outside, I grabbed the phone and called someone.
"Hello?" A cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.
"What are you doing? Have you eaten?"
"I just saw a movie with North. I haven't eaten yet."
“See you. Tell North Jo’s coming too,” I said as I watched Jo leave the warehouse.
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you."
"Until we meet again."