THE MAN WHO WALKED AWAY LIKE A STORM
The doors of the restaurant slammed behind Arthit.
The warm Italian air turned cold the moment he stepped into the street.
Ren ran after him.
"Boss—! Wait—!"
Arthit didn't stop.
His footsteps hit the pavement like thunder, sharp and fast.
His eyes were hollow.
His breathing uneven.
"Boss, you need to calm—"
"Don't touch me," Arthit snapped.
Ren froze.
Arthit's voice was not angry.
It was broken.
"I saw him cry because of me," he whispered.
Ren swallowed.
"Yes…"
"He looked at me… with fear."
Arthit shook his head, disbelief turning into agony.
"Karan was scared of me."
Lucas and New exchanged worried looks.
This was the man who ruled the underground world—
but one tear from Karan shattered him.
Arthit suddenly punched a streetlight pole.
Metal bent under his fist.
Ren grabbed his arm.
"Boss— stop! People are watching."
Arthit ripped his hand free.
"Let them watch!" he shouted.
His voice cracked, raw with heartbreak.
"Let the whole damn world watch me fall apart!"
His chest heaved, eyes burning.
His voice fell into a broken whisper.
"…I came all the way here for him."
Ren stepped closer, softly.
"Boss—"
Arthit's hands trembled.
"He chose someone else."
---
INSIDE THE RESTAURANT: "WHY DID YOU COME BACK?!"
Lean held Karan tightly, helping him stand.
"Karan, breathe. Hey— look at me."
Karan tried, but his chest refused to calm.
His tears wouldn't stop.
Lean wiped them gently.
"You're shaking. Sit down."
Karan collapsed into a chair.
Everything hurt.
His lungs.
His heart.
His memories.
Lean knelt in front of him.
"Why… why didn't you tell me who he was?"
Karan pressed his palm to his forehead.
"I thought he wouldn't come back… I thought he forgot…"
Lean frowned deeply.
"Karan, no one looks at someone like that unless they're still in love."
Karan shut his eyes tightly.
"That's the problem…"
"Do you still love him?" Lean asked quietly.
Karan didn't answer.
But his silence was enough.
Lean's jaw tightened.
"Karan… he hurt you. He scared you. He came here like he owns you."
Karan whispered,
"He doesn't own me."
"But you're still breaking for him," Lean said softly.
"That's why I'm scared."
Karan looked down.
"Lean… please don't make this harder."
Lean placed his hand over Karan's.
"I won't. I'm staying. No matter what."
Karan's eyes softened, but sadness filled them.
He whispered,
"Lean… I'm sorry."
Lean smiled gently.
"I know."
---
THE SAKDA HOUSE IN CHAOS
Thousands of kilometers away—
the Sakda estate was in uproar.
Mr. Sakda received a call.
A short one.
Only one sentence.
"Your son is in Italy. For the chef."
Mr. Sakda's face hardened into stone.
He stood slowly, his aura colder than winter.
His secretary trembled.
"Sir… orders?"
Mr. Sakda spoke calmly.
"Prepare the jet. We are going to Italy."
Anant, standing near the stairs, heard everything.
His eyes widened.
**No.**
Not again.
Not this.
He rushed forward.
"Father— stop. Let me handle Arthit."
Mr. Sakda narrowed his eyes.
"This is not your concern."
"It *is*," Anant insisted.
"Arthit is unstable. If you confront him like this, he will do something reckless."
Mr. Sakda turned sharply.
"Then he should not have left his responsibilities for a chef."
Anant clenched his jaw.
"Don't call him 'a chef' like he's nothing. He's important to Arthit."
"That is exactly the problem," Mr. Sakda said coldly.
"But I—
NOT YOU."
The room fell silent.
Anant exhaled slowly.
He knew arguing was useless.
But he couldn't let things escalate.
He waited for the perfect moment…
then quietly stepped outside and dialed a number.
"…Ren.
Keep him safe.
Both of them."
---
ARTHIT'S SPIRAL INTO DARKNESS
Arthit walked aimlessly through the empty night streets of Italy.
His breath fogged in the cold air.
His footsteps echoed like cracks in stone.
His mind replayed Karan's words.
*"I'm scared of you."*
*"I left to protect you."*
*"I still love you… but I'm scared."*
Arthit stopped in the middle of the street, pressing a trembling hand to his forehead.
"Scared of me…?"
He laughed.
A broken, silent laugh.
Then his face twisted in pain.
"I never wanted this…"
He leaned against a stone wall, sliding down until he was sitting on the ground.
His voice was a whisper.
"Karan… you were supposed to be the one thing that saved me…"
His eyes filled with tears — rare, painful, unstoppable.
"…not the reason I destroy myself."
He tilted his head back, staring at the night sky.
"Come back," he whispered.
"Just come back. I don't need anything else."
His voice cracked.
"I don't want to live in a world where you're scared of me."
Ren approached slowly.
"Boss… let's go back to the hotel."
Arthit didn't move.
Ren lowered his voice.
"Arthit… he still cares about you."
Arthit's eyes darkened.
"He cares about him more."
"You don't know that."
Arthit clenched his fists.
"I saw him protecting that man."
"Lean is his friend," Ren said gently.
Arthit's voice turned sharp.
"He is not just a friend."
Ren fell silent.
Arthit stood slowly, shadows filling his eyes.
"If he wants him…"
His jaw tightened.
"…then I will make sure he can't have him."
"Arthit—"
Arthit looked at him, expression ice-cold.
"No one takes Karan from me."
---
KARAN AT HOME: "WHY DOES IT STILL HURT?"
Karan sat on the edge of his bed, hands shaking.
His breath came out uneven.
He whispered to himself—
"Why… why does it hurt so much?"
He remembered Arthit's eyes.
The pain.
The love.
The anger.
Everything he buried for three years…
came crashing back.
Lean entered the room quietly.
"Karan?"
Karan didn't look up.
Lean sat beside him.
"You don't have to pretend with me."
Karan's voice trembled.
"I thought he forgot me…"
Lean frowned.
"He flew across the world for you. That's not forgetting."
"I don't know what to do," Karan whispered.
"My heart… it—"
He covered his face.
Lean gently pulled his hands away.
"Karan.
Whatever you feel…
I'll support you."
Karan's eyes softened with sadness.
"You're too good to me, Lean."
Lean smiled weakly.
"I wish you could love me… even a little."
Karan's heart twisted painfully.
"Lean… I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you."
"You won't," Lean said.
"Just… don't push me away."
Karan nodded lightly.
But his chest ached with guilt.
---
THE NIGHT OF THE DECISION
Arthit stood on the balcony of his Italian hotel.
Lights twinkled below.
The wind cut sharp against his skin.
His phone buzzed.
**Anant.**
Arthit answered.
"Arthit," Anant's calm voice carried urgency,
"Don't do anything reckless."
Arthit didn't respond.
"Father is on his way to Italy."
Arthit's eyes narrowed.
"…Why?"
"You know why."
Arthit's fingers tightened around the phone.
"I won't let him touch Karan."
"Arthit—"
"I mean it," he said, voice sharp as a blade.
"I will burn the world before I let him near Karan."
Anant exhaled.
"Karan isn't your enemy. Lean isn't your enemy. Father is."
Arthit's voice softened, trembling.
"Karan looked at me like I was a monster."
"You're not," Anant said gently.
"…He thinks I am."
Anant sighed.
"Arthit… please. Do not go down this path."
Arthit ended the call.
And whispered—
"It's too late."
---
A COLLISION IS COMING
In Italy:
Karan cried silently into Lean's shoulder.
Lean held him.
Not as a lover.
Not as a replacement.
But as someone who didn't want him to break alone.
In the hotel:
Arthit stared at the city he flew across the world for.
His heart full of pain.
His mind full of war.
His soul full of Karan.
And in the sky:
A jet landed silently.
With a man stepping out—
A man whose shadow brought death.
**Mr. Sakda.**
With one purpose:
End this.
Or control it.
Or destroy it.
Whatever it took.
---
END OF CHAPTER 29