Chapter Text
♡EST♡
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing.
A dull headache throbbed behind my eyes the moment I opened them, making me groan quietly. I stared blankly at the ceiling for a few seconds before reaching for my phone on the bedside drawer without bothering to check the caller ID.
“Hello,” I muttered sleepily.
“P’Est!”
I sighed softly at the familiar voice. “Fern, what do you want?”
“So cold.”
“I’m hanging up.”
“No wait!” she rushed out quickly. “I left an envelope on the kitchen counter. Can you please bring it downstairs?”
I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing tiredly at my eyes.
“It must be important.”
“Yeah, my boss and I were already on our way to a meeting and the final report is inside.”
I dragged a hand down my face tiredly before sighing.
“Fine. I’ll bring it down.”
“Okay tha—”
I ended the call before she could finish speaking.
Silence filled the apartment immediately after.
I sat there quietly for a moment before finally forcing myself out of bed.
Lately, everything felt exhausting.
Work was slowly draining the life out of me, and my body was beginning to feel it too. I barely slept properly anymore, surviving mostly on coffee and whatever snacks I could find while working through endless deadlines.
I walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water against my face before looking up at my reflection.
Pale skin.
Tired eyes.
A loose shirt hanging slightly off one shoulder.
I looked terrible.
For a moment, I just stood there staring at myself.
Then I grabbed the towel hanging nearby and wiped my face before heading toward the kitchen.
The envelope sat exactly where Fern said it would.
Picking it up, I headed outside.
The cool morning air brushed softly against my skin as I stepped out of the apartment building. I leaned lightly against the wall near the entrance while absently drying the dampness on my face with the towel around my neck.
A few moments later, a sleek black Mercedes-Maybach slowly pulled up in front of the building.
The passenger door opened almost immediately and Fern stepped out.
The moment she saw me, her brows pulled together slightly.
“You look like hell.”
I handed her the envelope. “Good morning to you too.”
“I’m serious.” She took the envelope from me before looking me over again. “Have you even been sleeping properly?”
“I’m alive, aren’t I?”
“That’s not what I asked.”
I ignored her completely.
“Here,” I said instead. “You were panicking over paper this early in the morning.”
Fern rolled her eyes softly before hugging the envelope against her chest.
“Thank you.”
I gave a small nod before turning around.
“P’Est!”
I lifted one hand slightly to show I heard her but didn’t look back as I walked into the building.
By the time I got back into my apartment, the silence felt heavier than before.
I dropped onto the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.
The apartment was quiet.
Too quiet.
My chest tightened suddenly.
A tear slid slowly down my cheek before I even realized I was crying.
I frowned slightly, wiping it away with the back of my hand.
I didn’t know why I was crying.
Maybe I was just tired.
Or maybe loneliness had finally become too heavy to carry alone.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
♥︎WILLIAM♥︎
William rarely paid attention to instincts.
But from the moment he woke up that morning, something felt different.
His Alpha had been strangely restless since dawn, a quiet feeling settling beneath his skin like anticipation.
As though something important was going to happen today.
William adjusted the cuff of his watch as he stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby of Zaven Group headquarters.
Employees immediately straightened at the sight of him.
“Good morning, President William.”
He acknowledged them with a small nod before continuing forward without slowing down.
His secretary hurried beside him with a tablet in hand.
“Your meeting with the Charoen Group starts at eleven,” she informed professionally. “The Singapore investors also confirmed dinner for next week.”
“Move it to Thursday.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The legal department also requested—”
“Reschedule it.”
The secretary nodded quickly.
William stepped into the private elevator, his expression calm and unreadable as the doors slid shut.
Cold.
Composed.
Untouchable.
That was how most people described him.
No one ever noticed the slight tapping of his fingers whenever his Alpha grew restless.
—
An hour later, the black Mercedes-Maybach moved smoothly through the busy streets of Bangkok.
William sat alone in the backseat, eyes fixed on the tablet resting in his hands while Fern sat in the passenger seat reviewing documents nervously.
The soft sound of papers flipping filled the quiet car.
Suddenly, Fern froze.
“Oh no.”
William looked up slowly. “What is it?”
Fern quickly searched through the files again before her expression paled slightly.
“I left an envelope at home.”
William glanced briefly at the time displayed on his watch before speaking calmly.
“Give Mr. Kim the address.”
Fern nodded quickly. “I’m really sorry, sir.”
“We still have enough time.”
She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
The call barely rang once before it connected.
“Hello,” a sleepy voice answered from the other side.
“P’Est!” Fern straightened slightly in her seat. “I left an envelope on the kitchen counter. Can you please bring it downstairs?”
She paused briefly before adding,
“ Yeah, my boss and I were already on our way to a meeting and the final report is inside.”
Silence.
Then—
“I’ll bring it down.”
The call ended immediately after.
For some reason, the sleepy voice lingered in William’s mind longer than it should have.
A few minutes later, the car slowly pulled up in front of an apartment building.
William looked outside absentmindedly at first.
Then his attention stilled.
A man stood near the entrance wearing a loose shirt and shorts, a towel hanging loosely around his neck while damp strands of hair rested against his forehead.
He looked exhausted.
Pale.
Like he hadn’t been taking care of himself properly.
Yet somehow, William couldn’t look away.
The passenger door opened and Fern stepped out quickly.
“You look like hell,” she said the moment she reached him.
The man handed her the envelope with little reaction.
William watched quietly from the backseat.
The stranger barely spared the car a glance before turning around and walking back into the building.
And somehow, that bothered William more than it should have.
For the rest of the drive, William found himself staring silently out the window.
His Alpha had been restless since morning.
Now he finally understood why.