At first, Tinn was displeased that his older brother hadn't come out with him. But when Kon Hin took him into the game store and got him the items he wanted, the boy's mood improved significantly. He hummed a song softly, became more agreeable, and walked into the restaurant located inside the mall. No matter what, when Kon Hin excused himself to go to the restroom and left him with his friend, the boy didn’t mind.
Well, at least it’s P'Tul’s friend.
The boy shrugged nonchalantly, his sharp eyes only focused on the items in his hands, gleaming with excitement. He was starting to want to go home soon, but then he reconsidered.
He’d rather have his older brother take him around some more. Maybe after P'Tul finishes work, he’ll invite me to see a movie? I wonder what’s playing in theaters these days.
Tinn didn’t pay any attention to Nakrob at all, while Nakrob sat quietly, drinking his beverage, watching the 13-year-old in silence until...
“Ai Tul taught you to speak like that, didn’t he?”
“What’s it got to do with P'Tul?” Tinn replied.
The listener tilted his head, turning to look with a haughty gaze that Nakrob openly admitted he didn’t like. It might be because of the boy’s condescending look, even from such a young age. Still when compared to his older brother, a child who expressed himself openly instead of hiding behind a mask was much more likable, hundreds of times more.
Now, he wanted to know what this boy knew. Thus, the big man asked directly.
“So, you’re saying you won’t associate with people of lower status?”
“Well, so what?” Tinn shrugged.
“You’re just a kid, talking like that isn’t pleasant.”
“What’s that got to do with my brother?” The boy scowled, turning to look with a challenging gaze, which Nakrob didn’t like one bit.
Rob could tell that if this boy were his younger sibling, he would have been taught a lesson by now. “I just want to know what kind of evil thoughts Ai Tul is filling his younger sibling’s head with.”
Thunk.
Tinn placed the items down on the table and locked eyes with his older brother’s friend, his eyes gleaming.
He spoke in a heavy tone. “What’s that got to do with P'Tul? Don’t talk bad about P'Tul! My older brother is the best! How I speak is none of your business, it has nothing to do with you!”
The boy’s voice was sharp, clearly angry at his older brother’s friend. No, Tinn was angry at anyone who dared speak ill of his older brother. And yes, he was speaking rudely, but it had nothing to do with P'Tul.
“The best older brother?” Nakrob’s eyes widened. He wanted to laugh, but the laughter wouldn’t come.
This boy doesn’t understand anything.
Sigh. “He can even deceive his younger brother,” Nakrob shook his head, losing interest in the boy.
That bad attitude, he thought, glancing elsewhere. Because Ai Tul might be a good older brother, but when it comes to his Mia, the ones by his side, the ones who protect him—his true nature was so vile, it could be seen from the many scars on Kon Hin’s body!
But being ignored was never in the dictionary of Tinn Metthanun. The boy suddenly raised his voice, not caring whether he was speaking to an adult or a child.
“What do you mean by that? What did P'Tul lie about?”
“None of your business, you child without manners.”
"Ai!!!"
Nakrob furrowed his brows, shaking his head in disbelief. He was just thirteen, but in five or six years, would Tul still be able to keep his head in the dirt?
“Whatever the older brother is like, the younger brother is like that.”
“I already told you, it has nothing to do with P'Tul!”
Nakrob turned away, feeling frustrated.
The older brother hid everything behind a mask while the younger brother was so open. It was infuriating.
Then, because the boy didn’t understand, or perhaps because Nakrob himself was frustrated by not being able to vent what he knew to anyone, he spoke out. If he did, people would just accuse him of being jealous of Ai Tul for always winning every round. Thus, a deep voice slipped out.
“You don’t even know how badly your older brother has acted. You're feather-headed.”
Crash!!!
“Bloody damn!”
The sentence pushed the boy to the breaking point, as the one who rarely held his temper lunged at Nakrob. His angry shout echoed throughout the store. Not only that, but Tinn also tried to climb on top of his older brother’s friend, grabbing his collar with all his might, raising his hand to strike the person who dared to insult his brother.
Grab.
“Hey, hey, that’s enough,” Nakrob caught the punch just in time, tilting his neck slightly, his voice deep and commanding, trying to calm Tinn down. Perhaps he had said too much himself though, because Tinn yelled at him with foul language, telling him to go die.
Then the more Tinn struggled, unable to overpower Nakrob, the angrier the boy became. Tinn jerked his body free from Nakrob’s grip and quickly grabbed a nearby glass of water, throwing it at Nakrob in his fury.
"Khun Tinn!!!"
Splash...
However, the person who had disappeared into the restroom came back just in time, fast enough to grab Tinn's hand, preventing him from throwing the drink. The soda inside the glass splashed all over Kon Hin's face and his student uniform, drenching him. However, this was not the time to be surprised, as Pathapee quickly took the glass away, knowing it could harm the young Khun-chai, and used his other hand to firmly lock Tinn’s waist.
“Let go, damn it, Kon Hin! Let go of me! I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him!!!”
As Tinn kicked, punched, and raged, the people around them scattered out of the store. Still no matter how much he struggled, Kon Hin refused to let go, because he was thinking of the worst thing that could happen to his Khun-chai if this continued.
"Khun Tinn, please stop. Please stop. The more you do this, the more your brother Tul will use this situation against you."
Thunk.
Kon Hin both reassured and threatened, urging Tinn to calm down. The boy froze for a moment, then turned to face him, but... he didn’t calm down at all.
“Why the hell are you siding with him? He insulted P'Tul! Seriously, you hate P'Tul, don’t you? P'Tul shouldn’t have been nice to you at all!”
“Oof.”
Although Tinn did not often get involved with the servants, and had lived abroad since he was young, the listener could not have anticipated him saying that he wasn’t on Khun Tul’s side, especially since he had always been on Khun Tul’s side. His grip on the waist loosened as a result...
Pwah...plang!!!
The willful child was quick enough to grab an empty glass of water and throw it at his head, hitting the corner of his eyebrow before it fell to the floor and shattered. Everyone around was shocked at the sight, but the one who did it showed no remorse, only shouting loudly:
“I’m going to tell Khun Tul! I’ll report you for betraying him!!!”
Grab!
“Let me go, you fucking shit-lizard!”
“Hey, you cursed kid, stop it now! Are you crazy? What the hell are you doing with Ai'Hin? Stop it, or I'll definitely break your neck!”
Nakrob lunged to help. This time, he locked his arms and legs, and with the difference in their body sizes, he could have easily broken his neck with just a little force. But it seemed the willful child wasn’t scared at all.
“I’ll tell my mom!”
“Yeah, you pathetic mama’s boy! Go ahead and tattle! Tell so the police can come and lock you up. You see that Kon Hin is covered in blood, bloody damn cur! What kind of rotten kid are you?”
Nakrob cursed loudly when he saw the blood pouring from Kon Hin, almost running into his eyes. He yelled in frustration, not expecting this child to have such low emotional maturity.
How the hell do they raise their children in this house!?!
“Ai…Kon Hin won’t put me in jail.” The threat seemed to work though, as Tinn’s voice began to tremble.
He turned to look at the mess he had made, blood staining the side of the worker’s face. However, it seemed Kon Hin wasn’t interested, as he was pulling out his phone to make a call to the only person who controlled the young boy.
Kon Hin knew full well that these things shouldn’t be reported, but if he didn’t do it, no one would take care of Tinn.
”Heh, what’s up? He’s caused trouble now, huh?”
I knew it was going to be like this. Tul thought to himself in satisfaction.
The moment he answered the call, Tul spoke in a cheerful tone, so much so that Kon Hin almost groaned in anger at himself. He should have known that his Chao-nai would never bring the younger one out without some hidden agenda, but who could have guessed that his prediction would be so accurate, that Tinn would actually cause trouble like this?
"Khun Tul, could you come help me please?"
”How bad is it? Screaming, fighting, killing, or just breaking things?”
"Khun Tul!" The cold tone in the voice made Kon Hin raise his voice sharply, unable to believe what he was hearing.
Tinn might be rebellious and not listen to anyone, but everything he had done was out of love for his brother, more than anyone else. He couldn’t understand why his Chao-nai had to destroy the last remaining love in this house.
No, wait. He knew it was because of the resentment his Chao-nai held toward his grandmother, which had been passed down to the last remaining grandchild.
Hin knew very well that this was the reason his Chao-nai was able to continue with life normally—because he had a new target: Tinn.
It shouldn’t be like this though Everything shouldn’t fall on someone who didn’t know anything about it.
"Give me that!"
At once, Nakrob, who had restrained the willful child with just one hand, reached out and snatched the phone instead. Then, he shouted into it without caring about the other person’s status as a Khun-chai of any family.
"You come here right now! Ai Kon Hin's face is covered in blood because of your little brother!"
”What did you say?!”
Nakrob was utterly satisfied when he heard the panic in the voice of someone who was always in control of every situation.
Rob sneered mockingly. "So, you actually care, huh?"
”Where are you guys?!”
Nakrob replied angrily, then hung up without caring about the distressed tone on the other end. He tossed the phone back to its owner, who was busy taking a cloth from a staff member to press on the wound. Then, he looked down at the child, whose face had gone pale at the sight of the blood.
"I really want to see who your brother will choose."
Tinn didn’t understand those words, but the boy would soon realize that he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.
Tul had long known that he was a cold person. He didn’t care who lived or died, suffered or thrived. He only pretended to be empathetic and sorrowful to gain the trust of others. However this time was different. The anxiety burning like fire in his chest was so intense that the event of his own grandmother’s death seemed insignificant in comparison.
That non-person can be in any condition, live or die, I don't care... but not Kon Hin!!!
Just hearing that Hin got hurt, rage surged from somewhere, a flood of emotions hit him like a roaring torrent.
What did Ai Tinn do?! What did that bloody damn nuisance do?!
The mixed-heritage young man knew well that his younger brother would inevitably show his bad behavior, as a spoiled child who had always been indulged. Even though Tinn thought no one in the house cared, the truth was, that child was like a prince; whenever he uttered a wish, everyone would try to fulfill it and lay it at his feet. Inside the house, he could be as willful as he liked—staff might overlook it or pretend not to notice—but outside, such behavior was bound to cause trouble.
Tul had expected this, but not that it would involve Kon Hin!
So when he arrived at the shop, his sharp eyes, now blazing with a golden, fearsome intensity, scanned the place for his trusted companion. But all he found was...
"Hey there."
The friend he couldn’t stand, with his half-brother.
"Phii Tul!! Phii Tul, help Tinn! This demon-kin won’t let go! I’m going to die from the pain!" Tinn shouted loudly, struggling to show how he couldn’t break free from Nakrob’s hold. He looked at his older brother with pitiful eyes.
"Yeah, keep whining. Go ahead and complain. Why don’t you mention how you threw a glass and smashed Kon Hin’s head open?" Nakrob sneered at the wilful child struggling to break free, though his grip held firm.
Then he turned back to the man who had run in, drenched in sweat. Tul didn’t even glance at his younger brother. His eyes swept the area for someone else before he spoke in an even, but smugly satisfied tone.
"Look all you want; he’s not here."
Swish.
"Where is Ai Hin!!!" Tul shot a fierce look at Nakrob, his anger evident. He didn’t listen to his younger brother, who thought that no matter what, his elder brother would always side with him.
"He’s not here."
"Where is he?!"
"Phii Tul! Why do you care about just some servant, Tinn..."
“Shut up right now!!!”
Gasp!
The younger child, who clung to his older brother, jumped in shock, eyes wide open. He looked at the tall figure that didn’t even glance in his direction but was staring fiercely at the bloody useless friend. Meanwhile, the shouting made everything he had planned to yell get swallowed back down his throat. The bravado he had always carried was now replaced by a trembling body in utter shock.
Phii Tul... is scolding him!!!
The person who was determined to get the answer about where a worthless worker had gone!
"He went to the hospital. If he stayed here, he’d probably faint from blood loss," Nakrob finally said, while observing the situation. He realized that despite his strong dislike for the child who was holding his arm so tightly, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the shock and helplessness of the child who couldn’t do anything when his older brother yelled at him.
This kid acted as if he was going to die just from being yelled at by his older brother, as if his older brother were the whole world to him.
So ridiculous, Ai Rob. Rob thought to himself.
Nakrob shook his head hard, looking at the person who seemed ready to charge out of the shop, prompting him to call out in a deep strong voice.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to see Ai Hin."
"And what about your brother? What about this shop? Who's going to compensate for the damages? Let me tell you right now, I don’t have the means, and the guy who jumped and grabbed my neck is your little brother," the burly man said in a deep strong voice, eyeing Tul who was scanning the destruction, the kind that even the staff didn’t dare approach, afraid the kid would lash out and hurt someone again.
"Ah... Phii Tul, I am not in the wrong, you know. That guy said something bad about you..."
Tul took a deep breath.
"I think I told you, Tinn, clearly already what I want you to do."
Thud.
The boy who was trying to defend himself fell silent again. He had never been so scared of his older brother’s gaze before. The person who told him... to shut up.
He’s like a different person now. Looks like Ai Tul raised him well, making him obedient.
Nakrob shook his head. Who would believe that the kid who had just caused havoc in the shop was now bowing his head quietly, not daring to speak? He had been cursing and insulting, mixing both Thai and English, throwing insults left and right, but after hearing Ai Tul say one word, he became silent as a stone, biting his lip until it turned pale. But... he did as his older brother told him.
"Ai Hin went to which hospital?"
"Sorry, I don’t know. I wasn’t with him." Nakrob already knew, but he wanted to see what would happen, so he didn’t tell.
This made the listener inhale deeply, take two steps forward, grab his shoulder, and squeeze it hard. The gleaming eyes of the two men, neither of whom would back down, stared at each other intently.
"I don't know what you're trying to provoke in me, but you're not going to get what you want," the mixed-heritage man leaned forward to whisper softly before pulling back.
At that moment, Nakrob saw... the sudden change in his expression.
"I apologize on behalf of my little brother and for everything that has happened. As for the cost of the food today, I will personally take responsibility for all of it," the man, who had been enraged, turned into a perfect gentleman in an instant as he looked at the other guests at the table.
Tul then walked straight to the manager who was on the phone reporting the incident to the head office.
"As for all the damages, please direct them to Metthanun. If necessary, I’ll call someone from home to handle it. You may need to wait a moment," Tul said politely, sounding apologetic.
When someone took responsibility, the listener’s expression visibly softened.
Tul then turned back to look his younger brother in the eye, but the younger brother quickly averted his gaze.
Still Tul didn’t say a word. Instead, he grabbed his phone and began dialing to contact someone at home, followed by a call to a close associate to check on how things were. He didn’t pay attention to his younger brother, whose hands were trembling unexpectedly from the indifferent reaction.
Tinn muttered an excuse, but his older brother wasn’t listening, too furious to hear him.
"Phii Tul, Tinn didn’t do anything wrong."
If Tul said anything right now, he didn’t know what would come out of his mouth, but what was certain was that the moment he found out that Ai Hin was hurt because of someone other than himself, the young man... wanted to kill him.
Therefore, he wouldn’t just send him back abroad. Even if it was his younger brother, he would have to receive the punishment he deserved!
At this moment, Nakrob realized one thing... Ai Tul could do anything, even with his own younger brother.
~~~
"Tul, what the hell is going on! Why did this happen with your younger brother!!!"
Tul knew from the first moment that when he mentioned the family name, this would be bigger than just a misbehaving child causing a scene in the restaurant, and it turned out to be exactly that. It turned out to be true, because as soon as he stepped into the house, the stepmother called him to her room and shouted at him the moment he closed the door, causing the young man to pretend to sigh deeply.
“I don’t know why this happened. I just let Tinn out of my sight for a moment. I didn’t think anything would happen.”
Tul said it using a highly tense tone, but not as much as the other woman, who bit her lip until it turned pale, when the family name—no, the rightful heir to Metthanun—was becoming gossip for everyone.
Tinn Metthanun had to be perfect, not a child who wasn’t brought up properly!
"I apologize, Khun Mother. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have let my younger brother out of my sight. If I had paid more attention to him..."
"Then why didn’t you look after him!!!"
"..."
The mixed-heritage young man fell silent immediately, lowering his head slightly when the other party yelled back at him in a furious voice. There was no trace left of the kind stepmother who had once shown love for a child born of another woman, as she had seemed to others. And when she saw that Tul was silent, Rasa took a deep breath, knowing full well that she still had to be kind to him.
Right now, her husband trusted his eldest son, and if she made him hate her... it wouldn’t be good.
"I'm sorry, Tul. I'm just really stressed about your younger brother."
"It's alright, Khun Mother. I understand. I’m worried about him too. He was supposed to return to study in Thailand, but now this happens," the speaker said with a faint smile, showing understanding. Then, he turned back to the issue that still lingered, causing Rasa to tighten her lips, unsure if her decision was the right one.
"Tul, I’ll ask you honestly. Do you think I made the right decision, allowing your younger brother to come back to live in Thailand?"
The tall man gave a wicked smile before raising his head, his expression turning serious.
"If this were earlier, I would have agreed. I too wanted him to come back and live in our house, but if it’s now, I’m not so sure either. Sigh You know, Khun Mother, people talk all the time. Especially now that he’s received an inheritance like this. I’m worried that Tinn might get conceited and stop caring about anyone, not even his father or... you, Khun Mother."
The other person immediately put on a serious face, her hands clenching tightly. The man, who knew her well, moved closer, placing his hand gently over hers and giving it a soft squeeze.
"It’s alright, Khun Mother."
"Tul, do you think I should send him back?"
The mixed-heritage young man feigned a troubled expression and shook his head slowly.
"I don’t know, Khun Mother. You should decide this on your own. But if it were me..." He acted as though he agreed with her entirely before pushing his own thoughts at the end.
"I would send him abroad, at least until the situation calms down—maybe a year or two. People will forget about this kind of incident by then, and we can decide then whether Tinn should study there or come back to live in Thailand... But whatever happens, I respect your decision."
"Khun Mother," the speaker squeezed his stepmother's hand in a gesture of encouragement, as the other sighed heavily and murmured softly.
"I just want Tinn to be as good as Tul, even just half of him."
"No, Khun Mother. Tinn is a good boy," Even though he said that, Tul kept a sneering smile in his heart.
Don’t let Tinn be like me, or else... you’ll have nothing left.
~~~
By the time Kon Hin returned to the large mansion, it was already quite late in the evening.
One hand rested against his temple, the area that had been stitched up still tender, his head still spinning from the effects of the medication. He gritted his teeth and bore it, making his way back by car. When the older sibling saw him at the gate, they cried out in alarm, not allowing Kon Hin to ride his bike back to the small house alone. In the end, Kon Hin had to relent, letting the other person ride the bicycle to send him back. However...
"Ai Hin!!!"
Before the bike could pass to the back house, a voice called out from the front of the large building, and the injured person turned in a daze. As he saw who it was, Kon Hin quickly patted the cyclist’s shoulder to signal them to stop, then jumped off the bike and stood quickly.
"Khun Tinn, how is Khun Tinn...?"
Nothing serious happened, right?
"Because of you, it's all your fault!!!"
Before he could even finish speaking, the other person shouted, and Kon Hin fell silent, staring blankly at the furious boy, while Tinn’s voice echoed loudly across the front of the house.
"Because of you! Because of your friend! I had to be scolded by P'Tul! I’ve never been scolded by P'Tul, but because of you!!!"
The injured man was at a loss for what to do. He didn’t know what happened after that—he only knew he barely made it to the hospital and back home.
"Khun Tinn, Ai Hin is hurt. I think—"
"Do you want another one, huh!!!"
Before the worker could step in to help, Tinn turned and shouted directly at his face. Then...
"I’ll kick you all out! Especially you, Ai Hin! Get out of here! Get out of this house!!!"
"Ugh."
The selfish words shocked everyone who heard them. They saw the boy pointing toward the front of the house with a serious expression, his eyes filled with contempt as he looked down on those beneath him with hatred. Pathapee, who had done everything to prevent the boy from being hurt by his older brother, trembled in his hands, questioning himself.
Did I do something wrong?
The loud commotion made the others in the house rush out in shock—not only at the condition of Kon Hin, which was already bad, but even more so at the youngest son of the master, who had shouted so loudly throughout the house.
"Get out! Right now! I am the owner of this house now! I’ll throw you out! Get out of my house!!!!"
Of course, everyone was shocked, but the one paling in fear more than anyone else was the person being kicked out, who could only stand frozen, unable to do anything. He looked at the person he had tried his best to help with astonished eyes. Because now, Khun Tinn was the owner of vast wealth, so kicking him out... was easier than brushing dust off of oneself.
Do I have to leave here? P'Tul?
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