Perched upon the penthouse level of an ancient heritage structure along The Bund, an elusive Speakeasy remained concealed within the restored architecture of the 1930s. The interior merged deep crimson, carved Chinese woodwork with a sleek, contemporary marble bar.
The bartender poured a signature cocktail a
Shanghai Huaijiu
into a cut crystal glass. Smoldering agarwood smoke billowed gently from the rim like morning mist, saturating the air with a rich aroma of aged scotch, roasted Longjing tea, and fermented chenpi.
Kawin and Pakpoom sat at the bar counter, framing a sweeping panoramic vista of the Lujiazui skyline across the river, glowing brightly under the night sky like a constellation that never slept.
The bartender slid the signature mix toward the two men.
"This
Shanghai Huaijiu
... was engineered to bridge the heritage of old Shanghai with the sovereign identity of the modern metropolis," the bartender presented with a practiced cadence. "The baseline is a single malt Scotch whisky smooth, deep, and refined, embodying the luxury and ambition of Shanghai’s modern towers. We infuse it with classic Chinese spirit, layered with roasted Longjing tea and aged tangerine peel to deliver that signature bittersweet profile reminiscent of the 1930s tycoon era."
The bartender offered a respectful bow and stepped backward, vanishing into the shadows to grant the two executives absolute privacy.
Pakpoom flicked his eyes toward Kawin, a microscopic smirk playing upon his lips.
"Unbelievable..." Pakpoom muttered softly. "I never anticipated crossing paths with you here."
Kawin glanced over sideways. "Why? Does my presence offend your aesthetic?"
"Obviously," Pakpoom’s voice hardened slightly as he tapped his eyebrow with an index finger, scanning the room with theatrical paranoia. "Everyone knows we detest each other. Yet here we are, orbiting the same target. Walls have ears, doors have eyes... the entire city knows I can’t stand your face."
Kawin watched Pakpoom’s performance and burst into a quiet chuckle.
"What’s so funny?" Pakpoom snapped, knitting his brows.
Kawin grinned, raising his glass slightly. "I’m laughing at your absurd posturing."
"Posturing!" Pakpoom repeated, his pitch rising.
"Precisely," Kawin replied, his smile widening. "Why deliver dialogue with such robotic rigidity? It’s stiff, forced... anyone watching would instantly catch that you’re putting on an amateur play."
"What?" Pakpoom blinked, bewildered.
Kawin reached into his tailored jacket, pulled out a sleek, remote-like device, and set it onto the marble bar.
"Drop the act. This room is totally sterile. No one is monitoring or listening to this conversation... I’ve jammed all recording signals and optical feeds."
Pakpoom’s mouth dropped open. A flash of profound frustration crossed his face as he bolted up from his barstool, tearing his jacket buttons open to relieve the tension before throwing his hands onto his hips.
"Why didn't you lead with that, damn it!" Pakpoom exhaled loudly, running a hand over his face. "Do you have any idea how close my jaw was to cramping up? Pretending to loathe your guts... not that I particularly like you anyway, but you're still vastly preferable to those wolves out there!"
Pakpoom puffed his cheeks, flexing his jaw left and right to release the facial stiffness. Kawin let out an amused laugh as Pakpoom slammed back down onto the stool.
"You have zero idea..." Pakpoom grumbled, gesturing wildly in the air. "My face was practically locked in paralysis trying to maintain a agreeable smile in front of Minister Rong! Inside, I was terrified out of my mind, forced to play the brave hero!"
Finishing his tirade, Pakpoom grabbed the crystal glass of
Shanghai Huaijiu
and threw it back, draining the complex liquid in a single gulp.
"You executed it perfectly... Well done," Kawin delivered, offering a warm, genuine smile.
Pakpoom crinkled his nose with a glare. "Keep your compliments to yourself. When does this insane operation end anyway? Honestly... I joined your crusade entirely blind. To this second, I haven't the faintest idea what your master plan actually is."
Kawin nodded slowly. "Good. That's optimal."
"What?"
"You don't need to comprehend the mechanics or the operational phases... You only need to witness the objective."
"And where does this objective terminate?" Pakpoom asked, his brows knitting tight with suspicion.
Kawin didn't offer an immediate response. He simply drifted his gaze beyond the glass panel, looking toward the blazing towers of Lujiazui cutting through the curtain of night.
"Where do you calculate it ends?"
"Hey! Don't play these riddles with me! If we just bounce questions back and forth, how is anyone supposed to know?" Pakpoom protested irritably.
"Every asset on the core team knows..." Kawin replied calmly, his tone dropping to a steady, resolute register before taking a slow sip of his cocktail. "...exactly where this path terminates, without a single syllable needing to be spoken aloud."
Pakpoom studied Kawin’s serene, undisturbed composure for a long moment. Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly as comprehension dawned.
"Unless..."
Kawin’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile. "Precisely."
"But how is that viable? You were erased from the executive hierarchy of that project..." Pakpoom let out a sharp sigh. "Ugh! It’s embarrassingly pathetic to say... You’re the CEO of Wonder Package. Everyone viewed you as an untouchable strategist who navigated global markets and held the absolute trust of foreign investors. Yet you suffered total liquidation at the hands of a local dragon like the CK Group?"
Pakpoom shot a sideways glance at Kawin, who maintained his subtle, unbothered expression.
"If one refuses to fall from the sky..." Kawin murmured softly, turning his gaze back to his cousin, "...one never discovers the precise methods dragons deploy to butcher each other in the clouds."
Pakpoom tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Do not tell me... you engineered your own liquidation from the start?"
"Not engineered, per se..." Kawin offered a soft smile. "Simply... when a strategic window presented itself, I seized the leverage."
Pakpoom stared, blinking rapidly. "Wow... What kind of insanity is this? I can’t predict a single move you make."
"That is the exact outcome I require," Kawin raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to predict... you simply need to keep pace with my play."
"Doesn't that double my operational exposure?"
"From my observations... Minister Rong appears to place considerable reliance on your profile," Kawin teased smoothly.
"Reliance my foot! The man views me as nothing more than a liquid vault to extract capital from!" Pakpoom snapped back instantly.
Kawin gently swirled the cocktail in his hand. "Then allow him to view you as a vault... Or better yet, position yourself as an endless gold mine."
Pakpoom let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I'm going to lose my mind. How much longer must I risk my neck in this minefield?"
"I will not permit you to fall..." Kawin’s tone suddenly subdued, his voice trembling slightly. "...I refuse to surrender another asset close to me in this campaign."
The atmosphere inside the lounge fell dead quiet. The tragic loss of Ohm and Phueak remained an open, agonizing wound deep within his conscience. Pakpoom spun his empty cocktail glass, his eyes darting evasively.
"You likely haven't processed it yet..." Kawin added softly, his voice strained with suppressed grief. "...Ohm and Phueak, the two men we met at the restaurant... they are gone."
Yet, Pakpoom received the revelation with an entirely vacant stare.
"Right..." Pakpoom muttered flatly in his throat.
Kawin turned sharply, locking his eyes directly onto his cousin. Suspicion flared instantly.
"You... aren't shocked at all?"
"You just informed me they were gone," Pakpoom replied, lifting the empty glass to his lips. Realizing it was depleted, he set it down hastily, a nervous twitch triggering at the corner of his right eye.
Kawin leaned in, his gaze drilling into Pakpoom’s eyes.
"You know something, Pakpoom..." Kawin interrogated softly as Pakpoom froze, meeting his stare. "Why did your eye just twitch... What are you concealing from me?"