Oh! That Is Just An Excuse

The elevator was descending from the top floor when Pimchanok Wattanakul stepped inside. She looked so completely out of place that every man in the elevator noticed her.

The men had been standing in silence when the doors opened on the twenty-second floor, then she walked in.

A fluffy light-blue handbag hung from her shoulder, decorated with enough bows, plush key chains, tiny stuffed animals, and dangling charms to make it look like a child’s toy had exploded across it.

Her cardigan was pale blue, her skirt was pale blue, even the little bow clipped into her hair was pale blue. She looked like she had wandered out of a pastel-themed café and accidentally entered the wrong building.

The men surrounding her looked like they belonged to an entirely different world, black suits, dark shirts, broad shoulders and hard expressions. Several of them had scars that were visible even beneath their carefully arranged clothes and standing in the middle of them was Thanakorn Rattanakul.

Korn.

The man who owned half the city’s underground before most people even realized he was involved in it. He stood with one hand in his pocket, his expression unreadable as the elevator descended.

Pim pressed the button for the ground floor then she stood very still… too still. Korn noticed first. She was trying not to cry.

Phayu, standing beside him, noticed next, then Kiet, then Mek. It was difficult not to notice when her eyes were red and her lower lip trembled every few seconds and nobody said anything.

The elevator continued downward, then her phone buzzed. Pim flinched, she pulled it from her fluffy bag and swiped across the screen.

A voice message appeared… Stacy.

Pim hesitated before pressing play. A cheerful female voice came through the speaker. “Oh, sorry, bestie! We sent you the wrong hotel room number, but we’ll be here to pick you up.”

The message ended.

Pim stared at the screen and her fingers slowly tightened around the phone. Wrong hotel room, of course. Her best friend had sent her to an empty hotel room, where her boyfriend had supposedly been waiting for her there, except he wasn’t, because he had been out with Stacy instead.

Her chest tightened and she swallowed hard, then she looked up and froze. The elevator doors were mirrored.

In the reflection, she could see every man behind her. Every one of them was watching her, not openly enough to be rude, but enough. She suddenly became aware that she was standing inside an elevator with five extremely handsome men who looked as though they had all been hired to dispose of a body.

Her eyes moved to Korn. He was already looking at her through the reflection.

Pim immediately looked away. ’Okay. Don’t cry. Do not cry in front of the scary mafia-looking men.’

The elevator reached the ground floor. Ding. The doors opened.

A crowd of people stood outside. People dressed beautifully. Women in elegant dresses. Men in tailored suits. Staff carrying trays of champagne. Decorations glittered beneath the hotel’s warm lighting.

The launch party was already in full swing.

Pim’s heart dropped, because standing among the guests was Nawin, her boyfriend. No… Her ex-boyfriend. Apparently, she just hadn’t known that yet.

Beside him stood Stacy, her best friend.

Nawin’s expression changed the moment he saw her. “Pim?”

Her entire body went cold. Someone behind her stepped forward. Pim panicked, she didn’t think, she simply reached out. Her fingers wrapped around the hand of the man standing beside her.

Korn looked down and Pim looked up. Their eyes met and for one brief second, neither of them moved. Her hand was small inside his, his palm was warm, his expression was completely blank.

Then Nawin stepped forward. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Pim’s heart hammered. She turned toward him. “What?”

“You—”

“So you’re allowed to go on dates with my best friend,” she snapped, “and trick me into going to an empty hotel room?”

The crowd around them fell silent. Stacy’s face went white and Nawin looked stunned.

Pim’s mind raced. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. So naturally, she committed to it.

She moved closer to Korn. Both hands wrapped around his arm, then she leaned against him. “Lucky for me,” she said, forcing a smile, “I met the love of my life last week.”

Korn’s eyebrow moved almost imperceptibly.

Pim continued. “And he came with me to tell you that it’s over between us.”

Korn looked at her and Pim looked up at him. Her eyes silently screamed, ’Please. Please just play along.’

She turned toward the stunned crowd. “Isn’t that right, hubby?” Her fingers squeezed his. Once, twice. Korn looked down at their joined hands then he looked past her at Nawin.

The man had no idea who Korn was, that was probably for the best.

Korn’s gaze moved across the crowd. His expression remained utterly uninterested. “Let’s go.”

Pim blinked, Korn turned away. “I’m not in the mood for this.” Then he started walking.

Pim stared after him. “Wait—” He didn’t stop, she hurried after him, still holding his hand. “Wait!”

Korn kept walking and Pim had to practically jog to keep up with his stride. She glanced behind her and Nawin was still standing there, speechless. Stacy looked as though she wanted to disappear.

Pim turned forward again. The terrifying stranger she had just announced was her husband was dragging her through a luxury hotel without so much as a glance in her direction.

“Excuse me?” Nothing.

“Um.” Nothing.

“Are you always this rude?” Nothing.

“You know, technically, you agreed to pretend to be my husband.” Silence. “And you didn’t actually say yes.” Still nothing.

Pim stared at their joined hands. He hadn’t let go, that was strange.

She looked up at him. “Are you kidnapping me?”

Korn finally glanced down. “No.”

“Oh.”

He continued walking and Pim hurried after him. “Are you going to kill me?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Another few steps. “Are you a gangster?”

Korn’s mouth twitched. “No.”

Pim narrowed her eyes. “You hesitated.”

“I didn’t.”

“You did.” He ignored her. They reached the entrance to the main event hall.

Korn stopped and Pim nearly walked straight into his back. She looked up and several of his men had already spread throughout the corridor.

Phayu stood near one entrance, Kiet had disappeared toward the opposite side, Mek was speaking quietly into an earpiece and Tee stood near the service entrance.

The playful atmosphere of the hotel vanished. These men were no longer pretending to be guests.

Korn looked over his shoulder. “You know what to do.”

The men immediately straightened. “Yes, Boss.”

Pim’s stomach dropped. Boss? She looked at Korn, then at the men, then back at Korn.

He looked down at her. His fingers tightened slightly around hers. “Let’s go?”

Pim stared at him. “What?” He started toward the doors. “Where are we going?”

“Inside.”

“Inside where?”

“The party.”

Pim stopped walking. Korn continued forward for two steps before realizing she was no longer beside him and he turned.

Pim stared at him in disbelief. “I’m done pretending now.”

Korn’s gaze remained calm. “It’s not over yet.”

“What do you mean it’s not over yet?”

He reached for her hand again. “Come.”

“Wait!” He pulled her through the doors.

Pim stumbled after him and immediately realized something was very, very wrong. Every person inside the hall seemed to know him. Heads turned, conversations stopped. Women stared at him, men stared at him. Some looked surprised, others looked wary and more than a few women looked at Pim with open envy.

Pim’s eyes widened. ’Oh. Oh, no.’ This man was not some random handsome stranger, he was important, very important.

A man in an immaculate suit approached them with a wide smile. “Welcome, Mr. Rattanakul. Thank you for coming to support us.”

Korn gave him a brief nod. “Congratulations.”

“It’s an honor to have you here.” The man’s eyes dropped to Pim. His smile became curious. “And who might this be?”

Pim opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Korn didn’t even hesitate. “My wife.”

Pim’s mouth fell open.

The man smiled. “Your wife?”

Korn looked down at her as Pim stared up at him.

His expression was perfectly calm. “Pimchanok Rattanakul.” Her heart stopped.

He knew her name, she had never told him then Korn gently lifted their joined hands and for the first time that evening, Pim noticed something she had completely missed.

Every single one of his men had stopped watching the exits. They were watching her and somewhere across the crowded hall, a man in a dark suit slowly lowered his champagne glass.

His eyes had locked onto Korn, then onto Pim and his expression changed. Because apparently, Korn Rattanakul had not come to this party alone, he had brought his wife.

♡ ⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹ ♡

Pim returned to the table with both hands full of desserts. Nobody had asked her to get them and nobody had even seen her leave, but somehow, within ten minutes of being abandoned at a table surrounded by strangers, she had located the dessert section and returned with enough cake, fruit, macarons, and tiny pastries to feed an entire family.

She dropped into the chair to Korn’s left, then she immediately started eating. Korn glanced sideways. She was chewing on a little pastry while her eyes darted around the room. The party was still moving around them, but Pim seemed to have completely forgotten that she had entered the event as a supposed stranger’s wife.

She reached for a strawberry and paused, then looked at Korn. Her eyes narrowed. She leaned closer. “Boss.” Korn slowly turned his head. “Why do you know my name?” He said nothing. “Are you stalking me?”

Nothing.

“Did you follow me to the hotel?” Still nothing. Pim leaned even closer. “Because if you did, that’s actually really creepy, you know, and I don’t usually judge people but—”

Korn stared at her. She was whispering, technically, but she was doing it without taking a single breath between sentences.

He watched her lips move rapidly for another few seconds then he said calmly, “So I’m your boss now?”

Pim stopped, she looked at him then smiled sweetly. “Hubby.” Korn’s expression didn’t change and Pim’s smile widened, then she leaned closer and whispered threateningly, “Speak or I’ll scream that you kidnapped me.”

One of Korn’s eyebrows lifted. “Didn’t you kidnap me first?” Pim blinked. “You held me hostage in front of your boyfriend.”

“I didn’t hold you hostage, you dragged me away.”

“You followed me.”

“You didn’t let go of my hand.”

“You didn’t let go either.”

Pim opened her mouth and closed it then opened it again. “That isn’t the point.”

Korn took a slow sip of his wine. “What is the point?”

Pim’s shoulders suddenly dropped. The fight disappeared from her face, her lips trembled. “I gave him so many chances.”

Korn looked at her as she stared down at the plate in front of her.

“I kept trying to make things right between us.” Her voice became quieter. “And he still chose Stacy.”

Korn’s jaw tightened slightly.

Pim wiped beneath one eye. “What’s wrong with me?” She looked at him. “I’m pretty.”

Korn’s eyes moved over her face, she was right. There was nothing particularly subtle about it. Even dressed in that ridiculous collection of bows and pastel blue, she was pretty.

“I have a good personality.” Korn remained silent. “I wasted so much time on our relationship.” She sniffed. “But he still chose someone else.” Her lips pushed into a pout. “And I’m not even the one who wanted to date him in the first place.”

Korn stared at her. “You didn’t want him?”

“No.”

“Then why did you date him?”

“I thought we’d get married.”

Korn’s brow rose. “You look too young to want to get married.”

Pim frowned. “Well, it’s not like I plan to date many men.”

Korn waited.

“Isn’t the first one you date usually the one you marry?”

Korn slowly closed his eyes. ’Who taught this woman about relationships?’ He opened them again. “Who lied to you?”

Pim sat forward, offended. “My mama and papa married after meeting each other.”

Korn picked up his wine. “That explains a lot.”

Pim narrowed her eyes. “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“What question?”

“How did you know my name?”

Korn glanced sideways at her. “That motherfucker screamed your name.”

Pim tilted her head.

“Didn’t you hear him?”

She shook her head. “No.”

Korn stared at her for several seconds, then nodded slowly. “Figures.”

Pim blinked.

“The motherfucker screamed your name,” he repeated, “and you kept telling me to wait.”

Pim’s cheeks puffed slightly as she reached for another strawberry. She shoved it into her mouth. “Rude.”

Korn stared at her.

Pim chewed then reached for a macaron.

Korn looked away before she could see the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth. He had dealt with assassins. He had negotiated with men who would gladly put a bullet through his skull. He had walked into rooms where everyone wanted him dead and none of them had ever been as confusing as Pimchanok Wattanakul and somehow, this ridiculous woman was sitting beside him at a table full of his enemies, eating strawberries and calling him hubby as though they had been married for ten years.

Korn took another drink. He was beginning to suspect the night was going to be much longer than expected.