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Zone remembers being seven years old and watching his big brother get hit for crying as he and their mother watched their father take Zone away from the house.

He remembers only seeing Cir sporadically, and noticing how every time, Cir would seem more broken.

He remembers Cir becoming increasingly emotionless, burying his hurt and his broken bits behind a mask of steel and indifference.

He remembers Wim telling him about Cir talking about feeling like a robot, about having no choice but to follow orders, and he remembers Wim one day telling him about Cir liking a boy and suddenly feeling emotions again.

He remembers Wim telling him how Cir bargained for four years of freedom at university, and how the price he had to pay was agreeing to let their mother control the rest of his life. In return for a measly four years, he’d have to marry whoever Ratri chose, work wherever Ratri assigned him, live wherever Ratri told him to, and be at her beck and call at all times, no questions asked.

He remembers Wim swearing up a storm about Cir not putting up more of a fight.

Not even becoming a legal adult lets Cir slip out of Ratri’s talons.

So when Cir gets to his final year of university, and he still doesn’t look like he’s planning to break loose (he hasn’t contacted the guy he still likes and still talks about himself as a robot and his four years of university as his one freedom), Zone decides that enough is enough.

Their mother is a horrible woman, who deserves nothing, and Cir is a good person, who deserves to be happy. And Zone is going to make sure that happens. He’s willing to pay pretty much any price for it. He’s had a good life, while Cir has been suffering. Zone is willing to do a lot to repay his brother for that sacrifice.

But when he tells his dad this, his dad says, “The price is you.”

“Me?” Zone says, confused.

“When we divorced, we made a deal to take a son each. I tried everything I could to get custody of you both, but she wouldn’t have it. She’d refuse to let the divorce go through, or she’d take both of you, if I didn’t agree to leave one of you there,” Aisoon explains sadly. “She didn’t care which one. It’s not like she had a favorite. She just wanted to keep one of my sons away from me forever. So in order to make her let Cir go, you’d have to take his place.”

Zone mulls it over for a bit. He doesn’t want to be the robot she controls, but he can’t stand watching Cir suffer the way he is for the rest of his life.

“There’s nothing else we can do?” he asks.

Aisoon shakes his head. “I’ve tried everything to get Cir back, but she’s got a lot of power and influence. She’s told me the only way for me to get Cir back is to give you up.”

“Well, that’s what we’ll have to do then,” Zone says decisively. Aisoon looks at him as if he’s crazy, but Zone has made up his mind.

“Ozone, you can’t do that,” Aisoon says.

“I’m a legal adult. I can do what I want to,” Zone counters.

“She’ll make you suffer,” Aisoon tries.

“Or maybe I’ll be the one making her suffer,” Zone says with a grin. “Don’t worry, Por. I’m not gonna run over there right now. I’ll make a plan first.”

Ratri may think she’ll be able to torture Zone like she’s done with Cir, but Zone has had fourteen years of normalcy. He has friends. He has interests and hobbies. He has a sense of self. He’s not a little kid she can just mold however she wants. He’ll make a plan, and then he’ll be the one making her life a living hell for once. And hopefully at the end of the plan, both he and his big brother (and their dad) will finally be free of that horrid woman.

Aisoon is still looking at him as if he’s just announced himself queen of the moon, but Zone has faith in himself and his planning skills.

So he talks to Wim, and he spends a few days working out the details, and finally he has a plan. A perfect, 4-step plan to getting Ratri the fuck out of Cir’s life, out of his own life, and keep it that way. And then he just needs an opening to put the plan in motion.

Phase 1: exchange places with Cir

Cir’s love for his boyfriend is enough to make him finally grow the backbone to resist Ratri, but Zone doesn’t trust that woman to ever let go of Cir without an incentive, so he keeps his plan.

Cir’s newfound conviction does, however, provide Zone with the perfect opportunity to enact the first part of his plan and exchange places with Cir.

Wim calls him one day to tell him he’s taking Cir’s boyfriend to their mother’s house, to hopefully help Cir finally be rid of her. Zone takes that as the green light to get things rolling. He tells his dad what’s happening, and the two of them rush over to Ratri’s house to hopefully negotiate Cir’s permanent freedom.

They arrive just in time to hear Ratri inside the house, shouting, “You and I have been abandoned!”

Zone looks over at his dad. It clearly still pains Aisoon a lot, that he had to leave Cir behind. Zone hopes that with time, Cir can see that too and learn to forgive Aisoon. Cir deserves to have at least one parent in his life.

“Do you hear me?! I have no one left!” Ratri shouts.

Zone rolls his eyes so much he feels like he might injure himself. She has some nerve, to talk about being abandoned and having no one left when it’s all exclusively down to her and her truly awful behavior.

“We should hurry,” Aisoon mumbles.

But Zone shakes his head. “Wait just a bit. Let’s hear what else she’s saying.”

Aisoon gives him a confused look, but complies nonetheless. Together, they quietly approach the house. The front door is slightly ajar, which is why they could hear the shouting. But either they’ve stopped talking or they’ve stopped shouting, because they can’t hear any more, not until they’re right outside the door.

“How can you call yourself a mother?” Cir asks angrily, and Zone feels a pang in his chest. Cir really is trying to finally stand up to the woman, and yet it won’t be enough. Zone knows it won’t be enough.

“I’m not your mother. I’m your owner,” Ratri says coldly. “Property for property. Bring your little brother to suffer with me in your place.”

Silence follows. Even from the other side of the door, Zone can tell that the tension in there is thick enough to cut with a knife.

He waits a moment, to hear if anyone in there will say anything, but when the silence drags on, he figures that none of them are going to say anything else, and he takes that as his cue.

He mouths “Wait here” to his dad, and waits for his dad to nod, however reluctantly, before he moves. With quick, quiet moves, he opens the door enough to slip through, and says, loudly and clearly, “If that’s what you want, Mae.”

Four heads turn to look at him, with various levels of shock on their faces.

He keeps his eyes firmly on his mother. She’s used to people being too afraid of her to look her in the face, from what he knows, so keeping eye contact is the first step to rattling her, or even just putting her on the back foot for a moment. And every little victory will count for a lot.

“I’m here to take my brother’s place,” he says.

“Ramil,” Ratri says after a pause. The shock seems to be enough to have er scrambling a bit.

Zone smiles ruefully. “Glad you still remember my name,” he says. Not that he had expected her to forget it, but it still feels true, somehow. She’s certainly cared so little about him that she might as well have forgotten his name. “But since you said that if you’re going to give up this property, you need to replace it with a new one,” he steels his voice again, “I’m here to take my brother’s place.”

And then, as the final touch, he turns his head and says, “Isn’t that right, Por?”

He can’t see or hear Aisoon walk in, but he doesn’t need to. Cir’s face tells him exactly when their dad comes into view.

Cir is still a long, long way from accepting any kind of positive relationship with their dad.

Ratri seems genuinely shaken to see him in the house.

“Khun Aisoon, how did you get in here?” he asks, and she doesn’t sound nearly as confident as she usually does. “Get out of my house now!”

“I’m here to exchange our sons,” Aisoon says.

Zone winces. That’s not going to endear the man to Cir.

And as expected, Cir asks, outraged, “How the hell could you do this?”

“It’s Zone’s decision,” Aisoon says sadly.

“That’s right, Phi,” Zone says quickly, hoping to curb off most of Cir’s anger. “This is my decision.”

He watches Cir’s emotional turmoil as he explains why he’s doing this. Cir tries to stop him, like Zone knew he would, and Ratri has collected herself enough to protest the swap, too. It sounds mostly like a desperate grab for control to Zone’s ears.

“Can I trade myself for them?” Aisoon asks, and the silence that follows is so still, you could hear a needle drop.

The offer seems to leave Ratri shaken. It’s not something Zone can really remember seeing before. She takes a couple of deep breaths before she looks away, like she can’t maintain her cold composure and look at Aisoon at the same time.

“You should leave,” she says. “If you want to take Rames, go ahead.”

“Mae,” Lukprae protests quietly. It’s enough to make Zone remember she’s there, but it doesn’t seem to achieve anything else. She’s really not important right now.

“But Ramil has to stay,” Ratri says, as if Lukprae hadn’t spoken. “A property must be traded for another.”

And with that, she turns around on her heel and walks away. She’s holding her head high, but it looks a little bit like a defeat to Zone.

Lukprae scrambles frantically. “Khun Mae, what about me?”

“Hold on!” Zone grabs her arm to stop her from chasing after his mother. “How about a chat with your new fiancé?”

She’s not really part of his 4-step plan, but he’s going to have a lot of fun messing with her.

With a final reassurance to Cir, he drags her away, through the dining room and out to the back of the house.

“Let me go!” Lukprae protest. And now that he’s gotten her away from Cir and Phu, Zone complies. He lets go and watches as she dramatically rubs her arm.

“So,” he says cheerfully. “You and I are engaged now, huh?”

“Like hell we are,” Lukprae hisses. “The deal was that I’d marry Cir.”

“The deal was probably that you’d marry my mother’s son, and she only has one son at a time,” Zone counters. “And now, that son is me.”

“I’m not marrying you, I’m marrying Cir!” Lukprae protest.

“No, you’re not,” Zone says, stepping closer. “The deal about P’Cir is off. From now on, you’re gonna stay away from him, and from Phu. They want nothing to do with you. P’Cir especially.”

“This isn’t fair!” Lukprae says shrilly.

“Fairness has no place in my mother’s household. You should know that,” Zone says.

“Do you people really think you can just make arrangements, and I’ll agree to marry you instead?” Lukprae asks, narrowing her eyes, probably in a very poor attempt to seem intimidating.

“Mae certainly does,” Zone says simply. “Of course, you can always try to break off the engagement. That still won’t get you P’Cir, though.”

“But –” Lukprae cuts herself off, like she doesn’t actually know what to say.

“You can protest all you want. It won’t change anything. Mae doesn’t care about P’Cir anymore, so she won’t bother to force him to uphold some kind of engagement deal anymore,” Zone says. “Give it an hour and I’ll be the only son she acknowledges, and that means everything she had planned for P’Cir is now planned for me. That’s how it works.”

Lukprae points angrily at him. “This isn’t over yet!”

Then she huffs one last time and storms back into the house. Zone just watches her leave.

“You’re right,” he mumbles. “It’s only just beginning.”

Phase 1 is done. He’s managed to set Cir free by exchanging places with him. Now he can move on to phase 2.

Phase 2: use new position to gather incriminating information

For this part of the plan, Zone will have to play the long game. He’ll have to bide his time to finish it.

But not to start it, because switching sons is apparently not a big deal to Ratri. Zone had sort of expected there to be more work involved, but Ratri seems to have everything sorted within just a couple of days. Or at least, it’s only two days later that she sits Zone down at one end of the dining table, seats herself regally at the other, and starts telling him the rules.

“You are not allowed any contact with your father, under any circumstance. No visits, no meetings, no phone calls. If I hear about as much as a text message between you, you’ll be punished,” she says, in a voice so severe one would think she was talking about a life-threatening matter, not her damn ex-husband.

“What if I’m in the hospital?” Zone asks.

“Under. No. Circumstance,” Ratri repeats firmly.

“What if I see him in the street? Do I have to cross to the other side to avoid him?” Zone asks.

“On the street, he’s just like any other stranger. You just ignore him,” Ratri says.

“What if he talks to me on the street?”

“You ignore him. He’s nothing to us,” Ratri growls.

“Alright, fine,” Zone says easily. It’s what he expected, anyway. He knows Cir had to live under that rule too, though it was probably easier for him, since he doesn’t even like their dad. But Zone has been prepared to have little to no contact with his dad for a while. “What about P’Cir?”

“I don’t care what you do with Rames,” Ratri says dismissively.

“What if I meet up with him and Por is there?” Zone asks.

“You leave,” Ratri grits out.

“Wouldn’t that be rude?” Zone asks. Ratri opens her mouth to answer, but Zone continues before she can. “Oh, I guess you don’t care much about that. My mistake. What else?”

Ratri’s eye twitches. Zone’s lips quirk up, but he keeps his smile to a minimum. He’s already getting on her nerves, and it’s wonderful.

“Whatever I want you to do, you’ll do,” Ratri says.

“That’s a very broad order. What does it mean?” Zone asks.

“It means if I tell you I want you to do something, you do it,” Ratri grits out.

“What if I do something you don’t want me to do?” Zone asks.

“You’ll be punished. However I see fit,” Ratri says, and she looks almost… happy about it. Like the idea of punishing Zone brings her joy. It probably does. Zone suppresses a shudder. She really is awful.

“So what am I not allowed to do?” he asks.

“You’re not allowed to do anything that would bring shame to the family name, or to my company,” Ratri says, practically putting her nose in the air.

“Again, very broad,” Zone says. “Can’t you be more specific?”

Ratri clenches her jaw. Zone must really be getting on her nerves now. How very fun.

“You’ll find out along the way,” she says.

“But I want to be a good son!” Zone protests, in the most obnoxious, false tone he can muster.

“Just don’t disobey me when I order you to do something!” Ratri snaps.

Zone raises his hands in surrender. Ratri composes herself again, and once she looks as haughty as she normally does, Zone asks a different question. “Do I have to live here?”

“No, you can live at your condo,” Ratri says. “At least, until the day you graduate. At that point, your life fully becomes mine to do with as I wish.”

“Exciting,” Zone says dryly. A vein in Ratri’s forehead throbs hilariously. “What if I want to stay here sometimes?”

“You can stay in Rames’ room,” Ratri says dismissively.

Right. Because Zone’s old bedroom, from back when his parents were still married, has probably been completely redecorated to erase his presence. And Cir’s room probably isn’t much different from a hotel room. Zone has seen Cir’s condo. It’s got some personal items, but not many, and from what Zone could gather, Cir took everything he wanted to bring from this house when he moved there. Zone can easily use his old bedroom like his own.

Having access to a room here will come in handy, too. He’s got a plan to follow.

“Anything else I need to know?” he asks.

“Not for now,” Ratri says. Zone moves to get up, but before he can, Ratri holds up one finger. “Oh, there is one thing.”

There was always one thing. She’s just doing this to be dramatic. Zone rolls his eyes a little. “What?”

“You’re not allowed to date anyone,” Ratri says. “For the rest of your time in university, you must remain single. If you want to sleep around, that’s up to you, but no dating.”

“Really?” Zone asks, lifting a single, unimpressed eyebrow.

“Once you graduate, you’ll be marrying Lukprae. You’re not going to ruin that by declaring your love for someone else beforehand,” Ratri replies haughtily. “I don’t care if you love Lukprae or not, or if you love someone else. But you are not allowed to date or be in a relationship with anyone else. If I find out that you are, I’ll make sure it’s ended.”

Zone huffs out a humorless laugh. This is definitely because of Cir and Phukan. She’s not about to risk Zone rebelling for love the way Cir ended up doing.

“Got it,” he says. “Is that all?”

“For now,” Ratri says. She’s probably intending to sound ominous, but Zone isn’t particularly afraid.

Being afraid will only give her more power. He refuses to do that.

So instead, he just stands up, doesn’t push his chair back in place, and waves at her over his shoulder as he heads for the kitchen.

“Nice chatting to you,” he calls back. He doesn’t even look to see how she reacts to being the one dismissed.

*

Regular life goes on, despite the switch and the new rules Zone now has in his life.

He can’t spend his every waking moment trying to find some kind of dirt on his dear mother to get her out of his and Cir’s lives. He has classes and homework to deal with. He has a social life that he doesn’t want to ditch – he’s probably going to need his friends along the way.

So he goes back to his apartment, and he goes back to university, and his days progress mostly as they did before.

Mostly.

Because while Zone knows that Cir stayed away from the house as much as he could, he himself makes sure to stop by at least once every few days for two purposes: the first is to see if he can dig up any information or evidence, and the second is simply to annoy the shit out of his mother.

The first time he shows up uninvited, Ratri comes out of the dining room and stops in her tracks when she sees him.

“What are you doing here?” she asks. The usual hard, condescending tone is barely detectable in her voice. Clearly, when unprepared, she can’t quite put up her masks fast enough.

“Just thought I’d stop by,” Zone says nonchalantly. “Don’t mind me.”

And then he walks past Ratri before she can say anything else, heading upstairs to his new room.

It could be a hotel suite or something out of a magazine. Immaculately decorated, completely impersonal. It’s nothing like the room Zone has at his dad’s house, or even like his apartment. It’s not even like Cir’s apartment, which at least has a few mementos scattered around.

This is the world Cir grew up in.

Zone is thankful that he hasn’t been subjected to that, but he’s just as happy that he can now finally take the burden of this world off Cir’s shoulders.

He leaves the room again almost immediately. There won’t be anything he needs in there, he knows. Instead, he starts exploring the rest of the floor.

It’s mostly bedrooms and bathrooms, and most of those are never used, but one suite belongs to Ratri.

Zone kind of expects it to be locked. Surely a woman like her will guard all her secrets as tightly as possible. But when he grabs the handle, he’s surprised to find the door open.

Apparently her arrogance outweighs her caution. That’ll probably work in Zone’s favor.

Her bedroom is as much like a hotel suite as Cir’s room. A monochrome color palette, every piece of furniture and every decoration immaculately placed, and not a shred of sentimentality or even personality anywhere. Despite the fact that Ratri sleeps in here, there’s no mess to be seen, no blankets out of place or laundry on the floor. The room could belong to anyone, and mostly looks like it belongs to no one.

“Wow,” Zone mutters under his breath. He can’t help but wonder where Ratri goes to relax or express herself, if this is what her bedroom looks like.

Then he can’t help but wonder if she even has a personality to express at all. If she even needs to relax, or if she simply powers down at night like a robot.

He’s not expecting to find much in her – incredibly impersonal – bedroom, but it’s a place to start.

The walk-in closet is full of expensive pantsuits in various tan colors. At first glance, Zone thinks she’s just bought the same one a thousand times, but on closer inspection he can see that they’re all different. Marginally, at least. There’s rows and rows of stilettos, and not a single pair of comfortable shoes. The jewelry drawers are neatly arranged with diamonds that could feed the entire country. All of it fuels the robot theory, but it’s not the least bit useful. There’s not even a hidden safe he can try to crack.

She has a desk in her bedroom that doesn’t look like its ever been used. Which makes sense, when she has an office just downstairs. The top of it is perfectly clean and organized, and the drawers contain nothing but blank paper.

Things get interesting with the nightstand. He finds a phone in the drawer and a notebook with what looks like diary entries in the cupboard. He pockets the phone and uses his own to take pictures of a few of the notebook pages, so he can read them later and see if there’s anything interesting. The phone is locked, but he has a friend who’s good with technology who can maybe help him with that.

And with that, he leaves Ratri’s bedroom. He’d be surprised that no one has come to check up on him and seen him in there, except he’s pretty sure neither Ratri nor her little henchmen could ever imagine that he’d be snooping around in her bedroom in the first place.

Her office will probably be more difficult to rifle through. Or at least, he’ll have to time it right.

For now, he retreats back to Cir’s old hotel room and waits for someone to call him down for dinner. He might as well take advantage of being here, after all.

*

“You’ll be taking Lukprae on a date this Friday,” Ratri says over breakfast the next day.

“Will I now,” Zone says dryly without looking up from his breakfast bagel. His mother has always employed amazing chefs and has never appreciated their food.

“Yes. You’ll be showing her and the world that you’re interested in her,” Ratri explains.

Zone looks up, raising one eyebrow. “But I’m not.”

“I don’t care. You’ll do it anyway,” Ratri says firmly.

“Is this one of those things where I’ll get punished if I don’t obey?” Zone asks, just to be annoying.

Ratri tilts her head back a little and smirks at him, full of self-satisfaction. “Yes.”

Zone stays quiet for a moment. Then he shrugs and says, “Okay.” Ratri blinks, as if she wasn’t expecting it to be so easy. “Where am I taking her?”

“You can pick the place,” Ratri says.

Zone’s lips twitch, and he bites the inside of his cheek to keep the smile off his face. She has no idea what kind of power she just handed him. He’s going to have so much fun with that. Lukprae? Probably not as much. But Zone doesn’t actually care if Lukprae has fun.

“Does she know we’re going out?” he asks.

“Her father does. I assume he’s told her, but it’s none of my concern,” Ratri says dismissively.

Zone just hums and pulls out his phone, because it’s not really much of his concern either, whether Lukprae knows about the date or not. She’s probably not interested in going either way.

No, Zone’s concerns are much more with figuring out how to make the date as fun for him as possible.

He pulls up his chat with Cir. Got any plans this Friday?

Cir doesn’t reply immediately, which comes as no surprise. In fact, it’s not until Zone is done eating his breakfast that his phone buzzes in his pocket.

Yes, why?

Zone huffs out a laugh and shakes his head. Typical Cir.

“What’s so funny?” Ratri asks. Her tone implies that him having fun is a personal offense to her.

“Oh, you wouldn’t understand,” Zone says, with an air of elderly wisdom that he doesn’t have, but the dismissal makes Ratri clench her jaw again.

He looks back at his phone and types out, What are your plans, phi?

“It’s rude to text at the table,” Ratri bites out.

Zone, in response, gets up and heads upstairs without taking his eyes off his phone as Cir’s reply ticks in. Phu and I are going to the arcade at the mall. Why?

No reason, just curious about my big brother Zone replies, smirking to himself.

An arcade, huh? Sounds perfect.

*

Lukprae probably couldn’t look more out of place if she tried. In her sparkly, strappy heels and tight blue mini-dress, she sticks out like a sore thumb in a sea of sneakers, jeans and t-shirts. If they were going clubbing, or out to eat at a fancy restaurant, she’d be appropriately dressed. But not for an arcade.

She glares over at him, and Zone doesn’t even bother to hide his smile.

“Where have you taken me?” she grits out angrily.

“An arcade,” Zone says, as if that should be obvious. Which, it kind of should. “What, have you never seen an arcade before?”

“I’m not setting a foot in there,” Lukprae says with clear disgust in her voice.

“We have to go on a date,” Zone reminds her.

Lukprae flexes her jaw. It had been obvious when Zone picked her up that she was less than thrilled about this date. She’d sulked all the way to the mall in the car and has refused to look at Zone until now.

“Then take me somewhere decent,” she bites out. “Or take me home and I’ll tell my dad that this whole thing is a waste.”

“Please,” Zone scoffs. “My mother has your father by the balls. He’s not letting you out of an engagement to my family as long as its what she wants, and she definitely still wants me to marry you. Hence why we’re here.”

“You thought taking a lady to an arcade would be a good choice for a date?” Lukprae asks.

“Firstly, I see no lady here,” Zone says, and delights in the way Lukprae’s face immediately goes red as a tomato. “Secondly, I actually think an arcade is a really fun place for a date.”

“I’m not going in here,” Lukprae maintains.

“Well, I am. And I’m not taking you home for at least a couple of hours, so why don’t you just play along and go in with me? You might even have fun,” Zone teases. Lukprae huffs, and she’s clearly considering just walking away. Except if she goes home now, alone, she’ll probably get an earful about not giving the date a chance, and she’d have to take a cab as well, something Zone knows she’d hate.

So, with stiff shoulders, Lukprae marches into the arcade. Grinning, Zone follows her.

Lukprae stops in the middle of the arcade, surveying her surroundings like everything around her is disgusting, so Zone heads for one of the games he likes and leaves her to it. He’s not actually here to spend time with her, after all. And, as if she doesn’t know what else to do, Lukprae eventually follows him.

She stands next to the console with her arms crossed and a face like she bit into a sour lemon the entire time he plays. When he’s done, she primly says, “Alright, you played a game. Let’s leave.”

“No way,” Zone laughs.

Lukprae glares at him. “Why not?”

“Because I’m having fun. That’s the point of an arcade. You come here to have fun,” Zone says simply.

“Well, I’m not having fun. I want to leave,” Lukprae says insistently.

“Have you ever tried having fun?” Zone asks, raising an eyebrow. Lukprae puffs up indignantly, but she doesn’t say anything. Zone holds up a coin. “Why don’t you try a game, hm? We can have a cute moment where I teach you to play.”

“As if,” Lukprae huffs, but she does snatch the coin from his fingers and march over to one of the came consoles. It looks like an old Japanese game based on drumming.

Zone leaves her to it and goes to find some more games to play himself. Every now and then, Lukprae comes back over to pester him about leaving, but he gives her more coins and she stomps back over to her Japanese drum game (from what Zone can tell, she’s not very good at it). The entire time, he keeps an eye on the entrance to the arcade. Bringing Lukprae to a venue where she’d be out of place is, after all, not the only reason he chose to take her to an arcade.

They’ve been there for maybe an hour when Cir and Phukan walk in.

Cir looks happy. His eyes are shining with joy, there’s a smile on his face, and his shoulders look light and relaxed. He’s holding hands with Phukan as Phukan leads them to the coin machine.

Zone can’t help but smile at the sight. A normal date, in a normal life. Exactly what Cir deserves. Exactly why Zone traded places with him, and why he’s doing all this. Seeing that Cir is actually doing that, living his life freely and happily, makes Zone certain that no matter what he has to go through, it will all be worth it.

A glance to the side tells him that Lukprae hasn’t noticed them yet. When Zone made the plan for this date, he’d known that he would risk Lukprae spotting Cir and Phukan before he could intervene and run over to pester them.  But luck appears to be on Zone’s side.

He saunters over to where she’s still losing at the drumming game and pokes her shoulder. She misses another beat, but Zone doesn’t think his poke has much to do with that.

“What?” she grits out.

“Look who’s here,” Zone says, nodding in Cir and Phukan’s direction.

Lukprae glares at him, but she does turn around to see what he’s talking about. When she spots them, it’s immediately noticeable.

Her face lights up, her back straightens, she even lets out a little gasp of joy. She starts adjusting her hair and her dress, and Zone has to bite his lip to stop himself from bursting into laughter at the sight of her primping and preening.

“Cir!” she calls out and takes a step forward to walk over them. Zone grabs her arm, stopping her in her tracks immediately. She whips around to glare at him again. “Hey! Let me go!”

Zone glances over at Cir and Phukan. Despite Lukprae’s attempt, it seems like there’s too much noise for them to have heard her.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Zone asks.

“I’m going to talk to Cir,” Lukprae says, shaking her arm to get it out of Zone’s grasp. Zone doesn’t budge.

“No you’re not,” he says simply.

Yes, he took Lukprae here tonight in the hopes that they’d maybe see Phukan and Cir on their date, but he doesn’t actually want her interrupting it. He just wants to show her that Cir is with Phukan and that he’s happy now. It probably won’t make much impact today, but it could be a start to make her drop her obsession.

“We’re supposed to get married,” she says.

So, not much luck with dropping the obsession so far.

“Not anymore.”

“Yes, we are, we had a deal!” Lukprae insists shrilly.

Zone rolls his eyes. “I’m not letting you march over there and ruin what looks like a pretty good date night for P’Cir,” he says. Cir and Phukan have gotten their coins and moved over to one of the claw machines, and it looks like they’re trying to work together to get the claw to pick up a trinket. “You wanted to leave right? Fine, we’ll leave.”

“But –”

“Come on, I’ll buy you a slushie.”

“I don’t want a slushie!” Lukprae protests, pulling on her arm as Zone drags her to the exit, keeping a wide berth to Cir and Phukan so they don’t notice Zone and, most importantly, Lukprae.

“Then I’ll buy you two,” he says in response.

“Zone, you son of a bitch!”

Zone isn’t sure Lukprae is aware of just how accurate that statement is. He doesn’t comment on it, and just drags Lukprae out of the arcade and down to one of the small kiosks to get Lukprae that slushie. He’s a man of his word, after all.

When he wants to be, at least.

*

The slap Ratri hits across his cheek echoes around the marble entryway. Distantly, Zone wonders if she could break someone’s neck with a slap like that.

“You little weasel,” she hisses. Zone turns his head back to look at her again.

“What did I do?” Zone asks. He’s proud of how steady his voice is, given how shaky he actually feels at the moment. It’s not the first time Ratri has hit him, but she hasn’t done it since he was a little kid.

“That date you took Lukprae on was a sham,” Ratri says. “An arcade? Where you knew she’d hate it?”

“I thought you didn’t care,” Zone points out.

“I don’t care if she hates it or not. I care that she goes whining to her father about it,” Ratri corrects him. “Now I have to deal with him to keep everything according to plan.” She hits him again, this time a backhand to the other cheek. “And I know you saw Rames and his little slut there. She wouldn’t shut up about him, apparently. You probably planned that too.”

Zone flexes his aching jaw, then looks at Ratri with as blank a look as he can muster.

“I didn’t plan for her to not shut up about him,” he says.

“So you did plan for her to see them,” Ratri snarls.

“Not at all. It was just a coincidence,” Zone lies.

Ratri narrows her eyes dangerously. It takes a lot of Zone’s willpower to stay where he is, instead of cowering or running away. He cannot show her any weakness. He needs to face her every time she does this.

Which hopefully won’t be very much, because his jaw hurts from just two slaps.

Apparently Ratri decides not to push the Cir thing any more, because what she eventually says is, “Next time you take Lukprae on a date, I expect you to do it properly. I don’t care if you hate it. I don’t even care if she hates it. Just make sure she doesn’t have any valid complaints again.”

Demonstratively, Zone rolls his eyes.

“Whatever,” he says, aloof, already turning around and walking away. He half-expects Ratri to shout at him some more or stop him from going anywhere, but she doesn’t. Zone calmly walks upstairs to his room and locks the door behind himself.

And then sinks down against it to take some deep, calming breaths.

He’s not that hurt. He knew he’d most likely be getting some rough treatment, no matter how much he pretends to play ball with Ratri and her rules. She’s unreasonable and volatile and he knows this. He’s known this most of his life.

Still, the pure shock of being hit again, after so many years, has him feeling a little shaken. He’s spent the past fourteen years with a loving parent. He’s not used to the violent one anymore.

He also can’t help but think this is what P’Cir has lived with.

In those fourteen years, Cir had been stuck in a cold house with the violent parent, with no possible escape anywhere. He’s gotten used to being treated like this. He’s been hit, probably more times than he can count over the years. He never had the chance to get used to being treated with kindness and love, not after their dad took Zone and left.

Hopefully, Phukan will teach him what that’s like now.

In any case, as shaken as he is right now, Zone is more thankful than ever that he’s taken Cir’s place and allowed Cir to escape from this hellish life Ratri wants to inflict on her son (singular, because she only has one at a time).

Now Zone just has to find something concrete he can use against her to let them both be free at the same time.

So he takes a couple of deep breaths, calms his nerves, and then gets up. He has work to do.

*

Ratri and Lukprae’s father arrange for them to go on another date the following Friday. Zone complies with Ratri, takes Lukprae to a nice restaurant, and spends most of the evening texting his friends while Lukprae complains about everything and does some online shopping.

Ratri doesn’t slap Zone the following day, and he doesn’t hear anything about Lukprae’s father causing more trouble, so Zone considers that a success.

He spends his Saturday holed up in his room, reading through the notebook he’d found in Ratri’s bedroom.

His tech-savvy friend is on vacation, so he still hasn’t been able to unlock the phone he found, but the notebook pages have been somewhat revealing. He’d skimmed over the photos he’d taken before his and Lukprae’s first date. A lot of it hadn’t made much sense, almost like she’d written it in code, but that in and of itself makes it interesting, and what Zone had actually understood only made it even more interesting. Stuff about verbal agreements she’s made and progress on a few projects.

So he’s taken the book again and locked himself in his room to study it.

Ratri isn’t a movie villain, so the pages aren’t filled with monologues about how much she hates her ex-husband or how much she enjoys kicking puppies, or what her evil plans for her son are, but there’s information about some of those plans nonetheless.

There are pages and pages of single sentences, of deals made with abbreviated names. The dates go back a few years on the earlier ones, so Zone suspects this isn’t a book of all her deals. Given that she kept it in her nightstand, it’s probably actually a careful selection of very specific deals. Which would probably be a great weapon against Ratri, except there’s not enough detail for Zone to make out what most of the deals are about.

Three years ago, she made a deal with PK to exchange presents.

Two years ago, she made a deal with GR to purchase online gallery space for him to manage.

One year ago, she made a deal with ON to provide flowers for an event.

Not much of it makes sense. But Zone keeps looking through it all very carefully, because in between the cryptic stuff, there are things that do actually make sense.

Like her agreement six months ago with Kanphai to start following Cir again.

And her deal with some city council member to provide him with benefits in exchange for tax exemptions.

And another deal with a client to keep his money laundering a secret in exchange for a cut of the profits.

Zone takes photos of the last two and saves them in a separate folder so he knows where they are, because that’s exactly the kind of evidence he needs. She’ll do anything she can to maintain her image as an upstanding businesswoman, so this – written statements of her shady business practices – is precisely the kind of thing that they can use against her. If this stuff comes out, the people who Ratri manipulates and blackmails into protecting her from consequences go down as well.

Not that Zone particularly cares about a council member giving her tax exemptions she doesn’t have the rights to. It’s bad, sure, but what he wants to use this for is just to threaten Ratri with revealing it, so that she’ll leave him and Cir alone. That’s all.

The notebook is only about halfway filled. Still, Zone thinks it’s been a very productive day when he puts the notebook back and heads downstairs to leave.

“Khun Ramil,” Kanphai’s voice calls out.

Zone turns around to look at him as he marches over from the kitchen. Zone has no idea how long the guy has been here, and he doesn’t care. He clearly doesn’t care what Zone is doing, so he’s not as much of a threat as he probably thinks he is.

“Yes?” Zone asks.

“Will you not be staying here tonight?” Kanphai asks, voice dripping with fake politeness.

He may be beneath Zone in the hierarchy of this house, but there’s no doubt he considers himself above that.

“Nope,” Zone says and turns back to the door.

“Khun Ratri was under the impression that you would be staying here,” Kanphai says.

Zone keeps walking. “Well, we all make mistakes.”

“She wants you to stay at this house for the weekend,” Kanphai informs him.

“Why?” Zone asks, pausing by the door.

Kanphai gives him a smile as fake as his politeness. “I can’t say.”

“Because you’re not allowed or because you don’t know?” Zone asks. Kanphai’s lips twitch, and not in a smile. “The second, I’m guessing.”

“It’s not important either way,” Kanphai says. “Khun Ratri wants you to stay here tonight.”

“She’s not even here,” Zone points out.

“She still likes having you in the house,” Kanphai says.

Zone scoffs. “Sure. Easier to keep tabs on me that way. She won’t need to hire anyone to take pictures of me from the bushes at school.” Kanphai’s eye twitches, but he says nothing. “Listen, if she doesn’t have an actual reason for me to stay, I’m leaving.”

“Khun Ramil –”

“Bye!” Zone says cheerfully, with a jaunty little wave, before walking out of the house. Kanphai calls out for him again, but Zone just gets into his car and drives away.

If he can’t let Ratri control him too much, he certainly can’t let Kanphai control him at all.

Good thing Kanphai is such a spineless fish, then. Without orders from Ratri, he’s not actually brave enough to do anything to Zone. Running circles around him will be easy. And as a bonus, it’ll probably piss of Ratri even more.

*

On their next forced date, Zone takes Lukprae to get smoothies. They sit down at a table in the corner, because Lukprae thinks that’s where she’s least likely to be seen with him by any of her friends, and Zone doesn’t care. They don’t talk. Instead, they scroll their phones and wait for enough time to pass for this to be a sufficient date to not get them in trouble.

Zone is on Instagram when he comes across a post that presents him with a great opportunity to actively annoy Lukprae again. And he’s not one to miss those chances.

“Awww, look,” he coos obnoxiously and shoves his phone in Lukprae’s face. Lukprae doesn’t even look at the screen. She just glares at him instead, so Zone shakes his phone a little. “Go on, look.”

With one of her usual huffs, Lukprae looks at the phone in front of her.

It takes a moment, but when she registers what she’s looking at, her whole face goes pink and pinched with anger, and she shoves Zone’s phone away.

“Get that trash away from me,” she growls.

“You don’t think it’s cute?” Zone asks innocently, holding his phone out again.

Lukprae glares at it like it has personally offended her. In a way, it probably has, because it’s showing a photo of Cir and Phukan. They ‘re cuddled together on what looks like a picnic blanket, probably in a park. Phukan is holding the phone above them, smiling brightly, while Cir kisses his temple. It’s a very cute couple’s photo, radiating love and fondness.

“It’s wrong,” Lukprae sneers.

“You got a problem with gay people?” Zone asks, raising an eyebrow judgingly. He doesn’t actually know what her opinion is on sexualities, but he wouldn’t be too surprised to find out she’s homophobic.

“It’s not that,” Lukprae says. “It’s wrong because Cir is supposed to be with me. And he’s not gay.”

“I guess we don’t really know his sexuality,” Zone says airily. “He might be demisexual, actually.”

“He’s straight,” Lukprae insists.

“I’m sure his male boyfriend would beg to differ.”

“He stole Cir from me!” Lukprae snaps.

“Okay, firstly, P’Cir wasn’t ever yours,” Zone says flatly. “He was Khun Mae’s, and she decided you two should get married.” Lukprae opens her mouth, probably with more ridiculous protests, but Zone cuts her off. “And secondly, Phukan didn’t steal him. P’Cir chose Phukan. Because that’s who he wants. Because he loves him.”

“He doesn’t know what he wants,” Lukprae grumbles.

“I’m pretty sure he does,” Zone comments, amused. Because it is amusing, how Lukprae thinks Cir is in any way still a possibility for her. As if she has any control over whatever deal her father has made with Ratri, or over Cir’s life and love.

“I haven’t given up on making him see sense,” Lukprae insists firmly.

Zone winces. “You really should, cause it’s a lost cause.”

Lukprae rolls her eyes so hard, Zone wonders if they’re gonna fall out of her head.

“Whatever,” she huffs. “Can we just get out of here? I’m done with this stupid date.”

For a moment, Zone considers denying her. He could order dessert to drag things out. But he’s not all that interested in spending any more time with her, so he just grabs his cup and gets up without a word.

He can annoy her some more another time.

*

A lot of Zone’s life isn’t all that affected by switching places with his brother. Because he’s still in university, and because he seems to have simply taken on whatever stupid, unfair deal Cir had with her, he’s still mostly free to do what he wants (dates with Lukprae being among the few exceptions).

One thing that has definitely changed, though, is that he’s not allowed to contact his father.

Zone misses him. They’ve never gone without contact for this long before, and Zone feels, more than ever, like he could use a good hug and some reassuring words from his dad. Sure, he knows his dad supports him and will be there for him when all this is done, but Zone still wishes he could actually see him and talk to him. Be reassured that everything will be okay and that the two of them will finally get to be with Cir again, and all the rest.

But it’s not allowed. If Ratri finds out, Zone doesn’t know how she’ll punish him, but he’s damn sure it would be painful.

However, Ratri hadn’t said that Zone wouldn’t be allowed to see his brother, so on a day he has no classes, he heads to Cir’s university. He’s not sure exactly where Cir is, but he waits in the courtyard outside the Business faculty’s buildings, and hopes that he’ll eventually catch Cir or one of his friends coming out of a class.

He only has to wait there ten minutes before his patience rewards him.

“Zone!” Wim calls out.

Zone looks up from his phone, and sees Wim and Cir heading towards him. He waves at them. “Hello, phis.”

“What are you doing here?” Wim asks.

“I came to see my big brother,” Zone replies.

Cir looks him up and down, concerned. “Are you okay?” he asks.

“I’m fine,” Zone grins.

Cir doesn’t look convinced, and Wim gets a disbelieving look on his face too. It makes Zone wonder if he looks very different from last time they saw him. He hasn’t noticed any changes himself, but maybe that’s just because he sees himself every day.

“Are you sure?” Cir asks.

“I’m sure,” Zone assures him.

“That old hag hasn’t been torturing you too bad?” Wim asks.

“Unless you count dates with Lukprae as torture, then no,” Zone says with a laugh. “And I guess you could call that torture.”

“You’re going on dates with her?” Wim asks.

“I am,” Zone confirms with a smirk. “But I think she’d rather we didn’t.”

“Aow.” Wim blinks. “Why?”

“I’m not exactly being the perfect fiancé for her,” Zone says, smirking. Cir rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t quite manage to hide his smile.

“You little shit,” Wim says fondly, and shoves Zone’s shoulder gently. “Sounds like you’re not the one being tortured then.”

“If she’d just give up on P’Cir, maybe I’d be nicer to her.”

That gets Cir to frown at him. “Is she still interested in me?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Zone sighs.

“Is she gonna try to come for Phu again?” Cir asks. His body is getting tight with worry and the furrow in his brow is getting deeper. Zone wonders what happened last time Lukprae came for Phukan. Cir is an overprotective worrier by nature, especially, it seems, when it comes to Phukan, but this reaction must mean that something more happened last time than just a few possessive declarations from Lukprae.

Maybe he’ll ask her about it on their next date.

“I don’t think so. I think she knows that would be a bad idea,” Zone says. Cir doesn’t look particularly reassured, and Zone can’t make it any better. All he can do is say what he knows to be true. “But if she does, I know you’ll take care of it and protect Phukan.”

Cir is still frowning, but at least he looks a little placated.

“Anyway!” Wim cuts in loudly, probably to stop Cir from spiraling. “How are you doing, Zone? How’s life now?”

“I’m doing good. Life isn’t all that different, really,” Zone replies. “Khun Mae probably has much worse planned for me when I graduate, but right now not much has changed. Except for the dates with Lukprae.”

“So she’s allowing you freedom until graduation too, then?” Wim says. Cir squirms a little next to him.

“Yep,” Zone confirms. “Then her plan is to control me. I’m not gonna let it come to that, though.”

Wim tilts his head in confusion. Cir frowns, almost deeper than before, and crosses his arms over his chest.

“What do you mean?” he asks.

“I mean I’ve got a plan,” Zone says.

“What kind of plan?” Cir presses.

“One that’ll get Khun Mae out of both our lives permanently,” Zone replies.

Wim’s eyes go very, very wide. “Really? You’re gonna take her on like that?”

“I’ll definitely try,” Zone says.

“That’s dangerous. She’s capable of a lot more than you might think,” Cir says.

Zone smiles softly at him. Cir has strange ways of showing he cares, but he does care. He cares a lot. And Zone cares a lot too. That’s why he has to do this.

He puts a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “I know what she’s capable of. But she doesn’t know what I’m capable of. I’ll make sure she can’t do anything to either of us or anyone we love ever again,” he says. Cir opens his mouth to protest, but Zone cuts him off. “Don’t worry, Phi. I’ll be careful. I’ve got it all under control.”

Cir doesn’t look happy about it, but he nods. “Fine. I guess I can’t stop you, anyway.”

“Nope,” Zone chirps.

“Man, you’re braver than you look,” Wim comments. He sounds impressed. “We’ve got another class in ten minutes, but if you wanna wait until after that, you can join us for lunch.”

“Yeah, sure,” Zone says easily. “I can just go sit in the cafeteria.”

“We’re not eating here,” Cir says.

“Aow? Then where are you eating?” Zone asks.

“The Arts cafeteria,” Wim replies. “That’s where Phu studies.”

“And Jin,” Cir says pointedly, smirking a little, and Wim’s face flushes red.

Zone looks between them, intrigued. “Sounds like there’s lots to catch up on. Count me in.”

*

His tech-savvy friend, Tul, comes back from vacation and hacks into the phone Zone had found in about ten minutes and tosses it to Zone so he can go back to playing a video game like it was nothing. While he does that, Zone goes through the phone for any and all potential evidence.

Sadly, it’s not a treasure trove of information. It’s disappointing, but not surprising.

The phone appears to be an old one, and it seems like it’s been wiped clean and reset to factory settings. There’s nothing on it at all.

“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful,” Tul says.

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault,” Zone says. “I’ve already got some good stuff, and I know where else to look.”

“Are you gonna be able to get enough?” Tul asks, sounding a little worried, because he knows how horrendously awful Ratri can be.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. I don’t need a written confession. I just need enough incriminating stuff to make her stay away from all of us. And some of the stuff I found in the notebook is already pretty incriminating on its own,” Zone tells him. He gets up and heads for the door to grab his stuff. “I’ve gotta go.”

“You got plans?” Tul asks.

“Yeah, I have to take my fiancée on a date,” Zone replies, with as little enthusiasm as he thinks is humanly possible.

Tul, who knows about the forced marriage and Zone’s thoughts on his fiancée, snorts. “Have fun.”

“I’ll try!” Zone calls out before shutting the door behind himself.

He doesn’t bother going home to make himself look better. He drives straight to Lukprae’s house to pick her up and takes her to an American diner at the mall.

“Do I look like someone who’d eat anything here?” Lukprae hisses at him.

“No, but I like it,” Zone says, gives her a winning smile, and heads inside. With a hilarious noise of frustration, Lukprae follows him.

They get seated in a booth, and Lukprae grumbles under her breath about the grossness of the leather seats and how expensive her jeans are (she seems to have at least given up on the party dresses for these dates, which makes Zone think that next time, he should take her to the fanciest restaurant he can find). The much too kind waiter doesn’t sass her back, but instead just hands them their menus. Zone orders a bacon cheeseburger, while Lukprae orders a Caesar salad. Drinks are delivered shortly after, and Lukprae sips her water through her straw while glaring out the window.

Zone wonders, not for the first time, what they look like to everyone else. He hopes they look funny.

“So, darling,” he says obnoxiously. Lukprae rolls her eyes without looking at him. “I talked to P’Cir the other day.”

That gets Lukprae’s full attention.

“What did he say?” she asks quickly.

“He said that you came for his boyfriend once,” Zone says. Disappointment, anger, and embarrassment all manage to settle on Lukprae’s face at once. “What did you do to Phukan?”

“Nothing,” Lukprae grumbles.

“I find that hard to believe,” Zone says dryly.

“I just told that little weasel that Cir is mine,” Lukprae snaps. “He was throwing himself at my fiancé. I had every right to stake my claim and tell him to back off and stop trying to make Cir like men.”

Now it’s Zone’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Not that again,” he groans. “Phukan didn’t make Cir like men. I’m pretty sure Cir has always liked men. At the very least, he’s liked one specific man since high school, and that man is Phukan.”

“That’s when Phukan got his claws into Cir,” Lukprae says, like she’s correcting Zone on facts.

“That’s when Cir fell in love,” Zone says, actually correcting her. “Phukan had no idea how Cir felt until earlier this year.” He’s not sure he should be telling Lukprae a lot of details about Cir and Phukan and their relationship, so he switches to something slightly different. “And anyway, P’Cir was only your fiancé because Khun Mae and your father arranged it.”

“He was still mine,” Lukprae sulks.

“You know Khun Mae only picked you because P’Cir hates you, right?” Zone says, though he’s pretty sure that no, she has no idea.

“He does not!” Lukprae protests, confirming Zone’s suspicions. He’s a little baffled by just how unbelievably delusional this girl is. And he has to marry her? Sounds awful. Really, it’s no wonder her dad has had to resort to an arranged marriage for her.

“Yeah, he does,” he chuckles. “He’s hated you since we were kids.”

Lukprae’s eyes get very, very wide. “No way.”

“I’m telling you the truth. He always thought you were way too clingy. Whenever we were at the same place, you’d hang onto him until someone forced you off, and you’d whine in his ear about all sorts of crap,” Zone recalls.

“I did not!” Lukprae shrieks, face going pink. “You’re lying!”

“You can call P’Cir and ask him yourself,” Zone says with a shrug.

“Fine.” Lukprae holds out her hand. “Give me his number and I will.”

Zone hadn’t considered that she might not have Cir’s number or LINE. It makes sense that she doesn’t. He can’t imagine Cir ever giving her any way of contacting him. Zone sure as hell isn’t going to either.

“So you can harass him day and night? I don’t think so,” he says.

“Then how am I supposed to call him and ask him myself?” Lukprae counters.

“Guess you’re not. Shame, huh,” Zone grins.

Whatever comeback Lukprae may have had is interrupted by the arrival of their food. If looks could kill, Zone would definitely be a dead man, and Lukprae’s salad would be wilted and moldy.

As it is, the salad looks perfectly crisp and Zone is a very amused man instead.

*

Zone has been summoned to his mother’s house for dinner and he has no idea why. He’s not too afraid, though. He’s fairly sure Ratri is just flexing her power, showing him that he’s at her beck and call when she wants him to be. It’s more annoying than frightening, that he has to spend an evening with her and her henchman instead of at home or with his friends.

So he does what he can to make it as fun as possible. He hadn’t been given a specific time to show up, so he only shows up a few minutes before Ratri’s usual dinner time, and he enters by slamming the front doors open, and loudly singsongs, “Khun Ma-ee!”

There’s silence for a beat, then rushed footsteps.

Kanphai arrives first, looking surprised and a little annoyed. He drags one hand over his slicked hair, as if some of it is out of place.

“Khun Ramil,” he says, plastering on that fake smile he always has around Zone.

“I’ve been summoned for dinner by my dearest mother,” Zone says.

Kanphai looks over his shoulder, then down at his watch, then back at Zone with a single raised eyebrow. He probably thinks he looks very judgmental or something. “I believe you’re a little late.”

“Can’t be late when I wasn’t given a time,” Zone points out.

“Khun Ratri usually expects –”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Zone says, waving Kanphai off.

Kanphai is starting to look pissed underneath the false pleasantries, which is exactly what Zone had been aiming for. But before he can push that a little further, Ratri steps into the foyer, from the same direction as Kanphai had walked in. They’d probably been in her office, plotting to murder kittens or something.

“Hello Khun Mae,” Zone says, in a tone that matches Kanphai’s false pleasantries. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?”

“You’re late,” Ratri just says.

“I wasn’t told when to be here,” Zone says again. “Luckily, I remember when you usually eat.”

“When I invite people over for dinner, I expect them to show up ahead of when the food is served,” Ratri says sharply. “And especially you. There are things I want to discuss with you.”

“Why would I wanna come early and have to spend more time than absolutely necessary with you?” Zone asks. “We can talk about whatever it is you wanna talk about while we eat. And you should probably make it snappy, cause I’m leaving again once dinner is over.”

A vein throbs in Ratri’s forehead. “You do not set the timeline.”

“Are you ordering me to stay?” Zone asks.

“You will be staying for as long as it takes for us to finish our talks,” Ratri says, voice hard as steel and cold as ice.

Which has very little effect on Zone. He shrugs, sighs, and says, “Alright, whatever. I hope there’s dessert, then.”

“Do you think this is a treat? Or a joke?” Ratri hisses.

“Of course not,” Zone says, all sarcastic sincerity that has Ratri visibly fuming.

“Khun Ramil,” Kanphai says in a warning tone. Zone ignores him.

“Shall we?” he says cheerily and walks to the dining room without waiting for Ratri to answer.

He spends pretty much all of dinner just humming at the right places as Ratri details her plan for his final year of university. There are certain classes she wants him to take, events she wants him to participate in, and she’ll apparently arrange for him to have an unpaid internship at her firm in the break between semesters.

Zone barely pays attention to any of it. With a little luck, none of it will matter. She’ll be out of his life long before then.

*

Ratri keeps her office locked when she’s not home. Which most likely means that she has actual information in there, stuff that could be incriminating and powerful. Which means Zone has to get in there while she’s not home, when it’s locked.

Which, of course, means he learns how to pick a lock.

Planning to take down his mother is giving Zone some interesting new skills.

It only takes him a few tries before the door clicks open. Zone steps inside and takes in the room that is most likely to give him the kind of evidence he needs.

The office is probably the room in the house that has the most personality. All the furniture is stylish and impersonal like the rest of the house, but there are decorations in here that are actually personal. Ratri has hung up a couple of diplomas, probably from university, and some pictures of herself meeting important people. And behind the desk is a shelf lined with odd, seemingly random objects. Things like a golf ball, a teacup, and a dried tulip in a glass vase.

It sends something cold down Zone’s spine. He’s not sure why, but he can’t shake the feeling that those objects are some kind of trophies. Records of things she’s done and people she’s hurt.

He’s rarely ever hoped so much to be wrong.

He shakes himself out of it and walks over to take a seat behind the desk.

It’s a wooden desk, with a few drawers under the tabletop and cabinets on either side. The first drawer contains nothing but pens of various kinds. The second drawer contains blank paper and post-it notes.

The third drawer has a stack of files all labeled “Rames”.

Zone grabs all of them and spreads them over the desk.

It’s a horrifying read. There are school reports and grade tables, all with Ratri’s own handwritten notes describing what she approves, what needs improvement, and how she has punished Cir for some of it. The most trivial things seem to have been punished, and badly. There’s also notes on things that have happened at home, like how often Cir has cried or broken a rule of some kind. Ratri has even saved some of the scarce correspondence she had with their father, and most of it seems to be about subtly letting him know that Cir was more or less living in hell. There are surveillance photos of Cir at university, notes on his extracurricular work for the student union, and a list of trips he’s gone on outside of Bangkok and what their purpose was.

There are documents outlining their agreement on custody of the children, followed by all the various motions Aisoon filed in his attempts to get Cir out of Ratri’s house. Each one was denied, some with very vague reasonings in the official documents, but with a detailed account of how Ratri used every ounce of influence and power she had to pressure lawyers, judges, entire systems into following her orders.

“Well, well, well.”

The voice makes Zone’s head snap up to look at the door. His heart his hammering in his chest already, but he starts calming down as soon as he sees who it is. Because it’s not Ratri, or Kanphai, or anyone important.

It’s just Lukprae.

She’s got her arms crossed over her chest, and she looks extremely satisfied with herself when she says, “Look what we have here.”

“Hey,” Zone says simply and turns back to the files in front of him.

“What are you up to, in your mother’s study?” Lukprae asks, still sounding very pleased.

“Why would you care?” Zone counters.

“Because I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be in here,” Lukprae replies. “And I’m guessing you don’t want her knowing that you were here.”

“And what? You’re gonna blackmail me about it?” Zone asks as he takes a picture of a list of companies and CEOs, most of which have blue tick marks next to them. He has no idea what any of it means, but that’s probably a sign that it’s worth keeping.

“Maybe,” Lukprae says.

Well. Zone can’t be bothered to come up with a lie. “I’m trying to find stuff I can blackmail my mother with.”

The silence that follows his statement makes him look up. Lukprae looks shocked, though he’s not sure if she’s shocked about his plan or shocked that he told her.

“Cat got your tongue?” he asks innocently.

Lukprae seems to shake herself out of it. “What do you want to blackmail her for?”

“She’s a cold-hearted bitch and I want her out of my life,” Zone responds simply. “I want her to leave me and my brother and my dad alone.”

“That’s no way to speak of your mother,” Lukprae says, though she doesn’t sound very convinced of her words.

“It’s true, though,” Zone says. “Even you know that, right? You were there when she let P’Cir go. You heard her talk about her own kids as property. She probably thinks of you as property as well, since we’re engaged now and all, even though we don’t even like each other. And didn’t she also slap P’Cir?”

“We shouldn’t be engaged,” Lukprae grumbles. “I’ve tried to talk to Khun Mae about it, but she won’t listen. She won’t even see me.”

“I told you, you’re just property to her,” Zone says and snaps the last of the “Rames” files shut. He stuffs them back into the drawer and moves on to the cabinets. The binders he finds there aren’t labelled, so he just pulls out all of them.

“I can tell her about all of this,” Lukprae says, gesturing at Zone. “Maybe then she’ll listen to me and change the engagement back.”

“There is no changing the engagement back,” Zone says, amused. “I told you, Khun Mae has one son at a time. It used to be P’Cir, that’s why you were engaged to him. Now it’s me, and that’s why you’re engaged to me.”

“I refuse to marry you!” Lukprae huffs.

“Then leave me alone and let me get the evidence I need to get her out of my hair. That’ll get me out of your hair, too,” Zone says.

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Lukprae purse her lips thoughtfully. He lets her mull over whatever it is she’s mulling over while he looks through the binders. A lot of it is business stuff he doesn’t understand, like spreadsheets and stock reviews. None of it is terribly interesting, and because he doesn’t understand it, he doesn’t know if it’s shady or not. But he keeps looking, because maybe something will pop out at him.

Then Lukprae steps closer, until she’s right in front of the desk. Zone looks up at her and raises one eyebrow.

“How about a deal?” she offers. “I’ll help you get information and evidence on Khun Mae, if you help me get Cir.”

In all honesty, he’s not terribly surprised at this suggestion. Lukprae can be shrewd. She’s used to getting most of what she wants, and what she wants is Cir. She’s made that perfectly clear (so clear that Zone has to wonder what exactly her obsession with Cir is. Does she love him, or does she just feel entitled to him?). It’s not a great, big shock that she’d be willing to turn on Zone’s mother to get Cir.

Zone pretends to think about it, long enough for hope to appear in Lukprae’s face.

Which makes it all the more satisfying when Zone simply says, “No.”

Lukprae lets out a high-pitched whining noise that has Zone wincing from the volume.

“Why not?” she asks shrilly. “She trusts me a lot more than she trusts you! I can be helpful! And you don’t want me any more than I want you, so let’s help each other get what we both want!”

“But you getting P’Cir is not what I want,” Zone says calmly, as if talking to a child. “The whole point of this is to get Khun Mae out of both mine and P’Cir’s lives, so we can both be free of her and whatever plans she has for us. Making P’Cir marry you would be sort of detrimental to that.”

“He was promised to me!” Lukprae objects. “We’re supposed to be together and get married! That was the plan. It’s been the plan for years. And I’m getting that plan back on track!”

“But he doesn’t want you, and Khun Mae doesn’t care about him anymore,” Zone says, for what feels like the hundredth time. It never seems to really register with her.

Lukprae flails with her arms. “I – it’s – we –” she cuts herself off with a frustrated noise. “Cir and I are meant to be. That’s it!”

Zone studies Lukprae. She’s furiously, clearly, and frustrated. But the way she’s digging her heels in is screaming denial far more than scheming. She’s not refusing to listen to Zone because she thinks disagreeing with him will let her get her way. She’s refusing to listen because she doesn’t want to believe him.

“Do you really not care that he loves someone else?” he asks.

And for a moment, Lukprae looks unsure. She pauses, almost like she’s at a loss. She looks away, thinking, and her whole demeanor changes, from fight and frustration to sad and small and hesitant. It’s kind of pathetic, but also probably the most human and sympathetic Zone has ever seen her.

“For years it hasn’t mattered who he loved. Because we were gonna get married. And I thought as long as that was the plan, he’d love me,” Lukprae admits in a small voice.

“Really?” Zone asks, not unkindly. “You thought that was all there was to it? You’d get married and he’d automatically love you?”

“Why not? I’ve loved him for years,” Lukprae says, with a little more strength in her voice now.

“That doesn’t mean he’d ever love you. I’m really not kidding when I say Khun Mae picked you for him because he hates you. He’s probably hated you for as long as you’ve loved him,” Zone says.

“He could grow to love me, I’m sure of it,” Lukprae says. “We just need time.”

Zone shrugs. He can’t deny that with 100% certainty, but it seems very unlikely to ever happen.

“Maybe he would. Except for two things.” He holds up one finger. “Firstly, he’s been in love with Phukan for years, and been content to love him from afar, because that’s how much he cares about Phukan.” Another finger. “And secondly, since your engagement to him was forced, I think P’Cir might have just resented you his entire life for keeping him trapped and keeping him from Phukan.”

Lukprae opens her mouth, but nothing comes out, so she closes it again.

Zone turns back to the files in front of him. The conversation seems over, and he has work to do.

“I won’t give up on Cir.” Apparently, Lukprae does not think the conversation is over.

Zone sighs deeply and looks up at her again. “If you have any brains at all, you will. It’s a lost cause.”

“It’s just that stupid kid. He’s got Cir all confused about who he is,” Lukprae insists, back to her haughty self.

“I don’t think P’Cir has ever been more sure of who he is than he is right now, with Phukan,” Zone counters.

“But that’s not who he’s supposed to be!”

“According to you.”

“I love him!” Lukprae shouts.

“Do you even know what real love is?” Zone asks. Lukprae flounders, at a loss for words. That’s enough of an answer, really. Zone sighs. “Listen, I’m busy, so go do whatever it is you do during the day and leave me alone. Maybe you can discover what love is and stop obsessing over a guy who’s just not into you.”

Lukprae huffs, sticks her nose in the air, and leaves. Zone chuckles a little, watching her. She’s unintentionally very funny.

The chuckles die as he turns back to the files in front of him. Even just these papers on Cir are enough. The evidence of how she’s manipulated the legal system to get her way should be good enough to blackmail her into leaving them alone.

He’s found it. He’s found all the evidence he needs. And he’s alone in her office, with more stuff to go through.

By the time he leaves the office, he’ll be well-armed to take down his mother once and for all.

*

When Zone gets home, he sends a text to Cir. Come to Khun Mae’s house at ten on Saturday. There’s something I want you to see.

The reply he gets a few minutes later is Why would I ever go back to that house?

It’s understandable that Cir wouldn’t want to go back there for the rest of his life. That house was his prison for most of his life. He’s finally escaped, and not just for four years, under strict conditions.  Zone really doesn’t blame him for not wanting to set foot in the house again. But Zone also wants Cir to be there, to see with his own eyes as Ratri gets what’s coming to her and is forced out of their lives for good.

Which Zone also wants to be a surprise, so he doesn’t tell Cir that. Instead, he replies I told you, there’s something I want you to see.

And I have to go there to see it? Cir texts back.

Yes, Zone replies. It involves Khun Mae. But I promise Phi, it’s good. Really good. For both of us.

What are you up to? Cir asks.

Zone smiles. Come to the house on Saturday and you’ll find out.

Three dots appear and disappear a few times in the corner of his screen, then nothing. Cir must be thinking about it. Eventually, the reply ticks in. It’s a simple one.

Fine.

Zone can’t help but smile a little. He’d have understood if Cir had told him no, because Cir’s wellbeing is more important than Zone’s flair for dramatics. But Cir has agreed to come. He’ll be there, to see the end of Ratri’s reign of terror over them. And Zone will even still get to surprise him with it.

The next thing he does is call his dad.

“I didn’t think we were allowed to have any contact,” Aisoon says.

“We’re not, but who’s gonna tell her?” Zone says.

“Be careful, Zone. She has eyes and ears everywhere,” Aisoon warns him.

“I know, but it won’t matter for much longer anyways,” Zone says, as nonchalant as he can muster with how excited he is.

There’s silence on the other end for a bit, before Aisoon says, “What do you mean? What are you up to?”

“You know, P’Cir asked me the same thing when I told him to be at the house at ten on Saturday,” Zone comments.

“You talk to Cir?” Aisoon asks. His voice has changed, to something soft and sad and a little bit desperate. It’s not that different from how he used to sound when talking about Cir, back when he wasn’t allowed any contact. It makes Zone wonder.

“Do you not talk with P’Cir?” he asks.

“Not much, no. I’ve reached out to him, but he needs time. More time than the couple of months it’s been since the switch. Which he also hates me for,” Aisoon says quietly. “I can’t blame him for any of it. Even if I did everything I could, I get why he thinks I should’ve tried to do more to save him sooner. And I get why he’s mad that I’d agree to switch you two, even if it was completely your decision.”

“Por…” Zone trails off, unsure what to say.

“It’s fine, Zone. We’ll get there, I think. He just needs more time,” Aisoon says.

“Well, I’ll be back soon, and I’ll make sure you and P’Cir get to talk more,” Zone assures him.

“What do you mean? How?” Aisoon asks.

“Come to Khun Mae’s house at noon on Saturday and you’ll see,” Zone replies.

“I’m not exactly welcome there,” Aisoon reminds him.

“It won’t matter. Come on, Por. Be there and all will be revealed,” Zone promises.

Aisoon sighs, very deeply, but he agrees to be there nonetheless. Zone hangs up, cheerful and excited. Now all he has to do is prepare his evidence, and he’ll be set.

Part of him feels like rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain.

It’s all coming together now.

*

On Saturday, the big day, Zone shows up at the house a little early. He doesn’t want to risk his dad or Cir being there without him and suffering whatever wrath Ratri decides to spew at them. He also wants to catch Ratri a little off-guard, make her lose her footing before hitting her with the big guns.

He doesn’t announce his arrival when he gets to the house. Kanphai doesn’t appear in the foyer with his stupid false smile to greet him patronizingly either. So Zone simply takes off his shoes and wanders around to find his mother. The more he can surprise her with his presence, the better, so he doesn’t call out or make a lot of noise.

When he walks down the hallway, he notices that the door to the office is open. Thinking that’s probably where Ratri is, he heads towards it. And as he gets closer, he notices noises coming from the room.

He’s not sure what the noises are. They’re not loud, but they are sort of rhythmic. It sounds like shuffling, mostly, with some heavy breathing here and there.

In any other situation, he might have recognized the noises for what they are, but he’s never considered his mother to be someone who… well. Who has sex.

Which is exactly what he sees happening when he gets to the open door.

Kanphai is half-sitting on the side of the desk, gripping the edge of it tightly. Ratri is not exactly in his lap, but their crotches are pressed together and humping. They’re both fully dressed, but the way Ratri’s skirt is hiked up and the movements make it clear what they’re doing. The only other point of contact between them is one of Ratri’s hands on Kanphai’s shoulder, probably for balance. They’re mostly silent, except for the occasional huff of breath, that honestly sounds more like they’re doing exercise than copulating.

Zone stares at them for a moment, frozen in shock. He really hadn’t expected this. He hasn’t ever really thought about his mother having sex, but if he did, he would have thought she wouldn’t be interested. She’s too busy being evil and ruining people’s lives for things like that. And he certainly hadn’t expected a potential sex partner to be Kanphai, of all people.

But maybe he should have. After all, who else would go anywhere near her?

He should probably find it more gross than he does, to catch his mother having sex. But the woman in there is as much a stranger to him as any of his professors, so there’s no added layer of disgust.

Making sure that the sound on his phone is on, Zone snaps a picture of the scene in front of him.

The loud sound of the fake shutter gets Ratri and Kanphai’s attention immediately, just like Zone wanted. Their heads whip around so fast and sharp, it looks like it hurts, and they both stare at Zone with wide eyes. Ratri’s face drains of all color when she realizes what Zone has done (with his phone still held up, pointed at them, he’s not exactly doing anything to hide it). Kanphai’s jaw practically drops to the floor, and his eyes flicker frantically between Ratri and Zone.

Without a word, Ratri shoves herself away from Kanphai and turns to face Zone. She barely has to straighten her clothes. They still look immaculate, like she hasn’t done anything but sit all day.

That can’t be a good sign for Kanphai’s skills.

Or maybe it’s more a sign of Ratri’s attitude.

“What are you doing?” she asks, voice quiet with fury, while Kanphai scrambles to zip up his pants behind her.

“What does it look like?” Zone asks back. Ratri doesn’t say anything. She seems incapable of it, actually. Zone wiggles his phone a little. “Thanks for the extra evidence, actually.”

“Delete that immediately,” Ratri demands.

“I don’t think so,” Zone says, shaking his head.

“Delete it,” Ratri growls. “Now.”

“No,” Zone says. “It might come in handy.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Ratri says. Then she pauses, as if she only just registered that he’d said extra evidence. “What did you mean by evidence?”

Zone gives her a saccharine smile, more teeth than anything else. “You’ll find out soon. There’s a reason I said I’d come here today, after all. We’re just waiting for the others.”

“The others?” Ratri echoes impatiently.

“Yeah,” is all Zone says.

“Ramil, you will explain yourself right now,” Ratri orders. “And you will delete that picture!”

“Actually, I’ll do neither. And you’ll find out why real soon,” Zone counters.

“Ramil!” Ratri snaps.

“You should appreciate my dramatic flair. I definitely got it from you,” Zone comments casually.

Ratri’s face is getting very, very red. She looks ready to lunge at him, or at least at his phone. And she’s not above using violence, Zone knows. All too well. Zone holds his ground and doesn’t move, just stares back at her. But before she can decide to use violence or not, the sound of the front door opening reaches them.

Followed by Cir calling out, “Zone?”

Ratri’s eyes go wide as saucers.

Wordlessly, the three of them head back to the foyer, where Cir is standing right next to the door, as if he’s ready to escape at any moment.

His face is carefully blank, but he still looks a lot better than he did last time he was in this house. He looks stronger, healthier. Ready to handle whatever will happen here today (not that Zone has any plans of Cir needing to handle anything today).

“Rames,” Ratri says, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Cir gives her a cold look. “Zone told me to come.”

Ratri looks at Zone, who ignores her and instead goes to give his brother a hug. Slowly, carefully, Cir returns it. He’s not usually like this when Zone hugs him (not that it happens very often), but being in the house probably brings a lot of caution out in him.

“Ramil, what are you up to?” Ratri asks sharply.

Zone pulls back from the hug to look at her again. “You’ll see.”

“Khun Ramil, you should not disobey your mother,” Kanphai says.

Zone can’t help but laugh a little at that, and eh raises an eyebrow at the man. He meets Zone’s amused look with an even one of his own, as if he has any leg to stand on here.

“I don’t think you should be demanding too much of me given what I just saw,” Zone points out.

Kanphai’s face goes tight and he looks away. Ratri shifts and rolls her shoulders, as if she’s trying to shove away the reminder that Zone caught her and Kanphai going at it and has photographic evidence of it.

“What did you see?” Cir asks.

“You’ll find out soon,” Zone promises.

Cir rolls his eyes. “Why are you being so cryptic today? What’s going on?”

“I’d like to know that too.”

It’s a new voice. One that has all of them turning to the door. Cir with apprehension on his face, Zone with excitement, and Ratri with pure, unfiltered shock and fury. A look that only one person can bring to her face.

Because Aisoon just walked into the house.

“Por!” Zone greets him cheerfully.

“Hi Zone,” Aisoon says with a smile, then turns to Cir. “Hello Cir.”

“Por,” Cir says  shortly.

“What is he doing here?” Ratri hisses. Zone turns back to her.

“I told him to come,” he says. Ratri gives him a look like he’s betrayed her. Zone ignores it. “And now we’re all here, so come on. Let’s go sit down. We have so much to talk about.”

Phase 3: confront Ratri with evidence and walk away

The reason why Zone is doing all this is two-fold. Firstly, he wants to get revenge for all the shit Ratri has done to him and his family. Cir has by far taken the brunt of it all, being left with her, but Zone and their dad were not spared her cruelty and insanity back when they all lived together. She didn’t go insane because her husband left her. Her husband left her because she was insane.

Secondly, getting something to blackmail her with, to checkmate her, is the only way to get her out of their lives permanently. Because theoretically, Zone can walk away. He doesn’t need his mother or her money or her connections. He has a trust fund from his dad, and his dad has connections of his own. Both Zone and Cir are already pretty much set for life. They could both simply walk away and not care about her.

But the problem is that Ratri won’t leave them alone if they do. She’ll come after them. She’ll spread rumors to get them fired, she’ll attack their friends and loved ones, until their lives are left in ruin somehow. She’ll go for Phukan just to make Cir suffer, and then she’ll go for Wim too, just as an extra treat.

There is no walking away unscathed from Ratri. Not unless they can find something to keep her at bay.

That is why Zone is doing all this.

And now, the big moment is here.

They’re all sitting in the dining room. Ratri is in her usual seat at the head of the table. Kanphai is in a corner behind her, looking a mixture of ashamed and angry (probably because Zone walked in on them and got photographic evidence, and Ratri’s likely gonna take it out on Kanphai in some way. Zone does not feel bad about that in the least). Zone has placed himself in the middle of the table, so he can show her everything he’s got on her without involving anyone else. Cir and Aisoon are at the opposite end to Ratri, with Aisoon at the end of the table and Cir next to him.

“So,” Zone begins, “you’re probably wondering why I’ve set up this little meeting.”

Ratri just continues to glower.

“We are, actually,” Aisoon says. Zone grins at him.

“I’ve gathered you all here today because there’s something I want you all to hear,” he says, and fixes his eyes firmly on Ratri. “I want you to leave me and P’Cir alone. Forever.”

“No,” Ratri says simply. “I own you. You’re my property. That was the deal. One son for another. If you want to leave, you can switch back with Rames.”

“We’re not switching back,” Zone says. He glances quickly at Cir, who has his shoulders basically by his ears with how tense he is. Zone knows that if he asked, Cir would switch back. Probably with his own plans to get Ratri out of his life again, but he’d make the switch if Zone asked. But Zone will never ask for that, and fortunately, it won’t be necessary. “And the deal ends today. We’re both adults, and neither of us will be your property anymore. You’re gonna let both of us go and stay out of our lives.”

As expected, Ratri scoffs, laughing. “You’re a fool if you think you can just tell me what to do.” She tilts her head mockingly. “I’m disappointed in you. I thought you were smarter.”

“Oh don’t worry, I am,” Zone reassures her. “I’m not just gonna ask. I know you can’t be reasoned with like that.”

Ratri crosses her arms but says nothing. She just raises one, unimpressed eyebrow.

Zone reaches into the bag he’d brought with him and pulls out a thick folder, which he holds up almost demonstratively.

“What’s that?” Ratri asks.

“This is evidence,” Zone says, putting the folder on the table.

“Evidence?” Ratri repeats, with barely concealed confusion and annoyance. She never likes to be confused.

“When I said I’d trade places with P’Cir and become your property in his place, I didn’t do it on a whim. I’d thought about it beforehand. I came here that day with a plan to let P’Cir be free from you, and eventually be free again myself,” Zone explains. “I had no intentions of letting you control my life for very long. I had a plan to do whatever it takes to get you out of our lives permanently. To find something to hold against you, so you’ll be forced to leave us all alone.”

Ratri goes very, very still. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“For the past couple of months, since the switch, I’ve been gathering evidence of stuff you’ve done over the years. Blackmail, extortion, shady deals, the lot. Some of it is illegal and some of it isn’t, but all of it will do a hell of a lot of damage to your reputation,” Zone says.

Ratri is now vibrating with fury.

“What,” she says quietly.

Zone slides the folder over to her. “This is all the evidence I’ve found. And obviously I’ve got all of it saved somewhere else, just in case you were thinking of burning the folder or something.”

Ratri opens the folder and goes white as a sheet. Behind her, Kanphai steps closer to look over her shoulder, and his face falls when he sees the contents.

“You’ll find everything from emails to notes to bank statements. With names of your business partners too, of course, just in case you thought some of them might be willing to protect you. They’ll be just as screwed as you if any of this ever becomes public,” Zone says, folding his hands on the table.

“Zone, what are you doing?” Cir asks, quiet and confused.

“I’m getting lifelong freedom for both of us,” Zone tells him. He turns back to Ratri and waves his phone. “And now of course I also have that photo from earlier.”

“You wouldn’t,” Ratri hisses.

“You would, so who knows if I would,” Zone counters.

“This… this is outrageous,” Ratri croaks out.

Zone huffs out a laugh. “This is what you’ve been doing to others your whole life.”

The look Ratri gives him could have strong men cowering in the corner. It’s not a look Zone has seen on her before, because he’s never seen her be blackmailed like this, but it’s close enough to a myriad of other hateful, disdainful, angry looks he’s seen on her before. Strong men may cower in front of her, but Zone doesn’t.

Instead, he puts his phone back down and leans forward a little, meeting her eyes steadfastly. Ratri breathes in slowly, then turns back to the file in front of her.

“So here’s what’s gonna happen,” Zone says, as Ratri flips through the papers with mounting horror on her face. “You’re going to leave me and P’Cir and Por alone. For the rest of our lives. You’re not going to be keeping one of us as your property. You won’t be deciding how I live my life or how P’Cir lives his. Neither of us is gonna marry Lukprae or work for you, ever. You’re not going to hurt Phukan or Wim or anyone we care about to force us, either. You’re just gonna leave us alone. Forever. No contact, no spying, no blackmailing, no nothing. If you do anything to either of us, or to Por or someone we love, I will put all this out there for the world to see.”

“You’re not serious,” Ratri says.

“I am. I’m so serious. I’ve never been this serious about anything before,” Zone says. He glances at Cir, who looks shellshocked, and their dad, who looks mildly surprised. He’s known for a while that Zone had a plan, after all. “You’ll give us both our freedom and leave us alone, or the whole country is gonna know how you do business. And what you do in your spare time.”

“You can’t do this to me,” Ratri seethes. “You are my property!”

“Not anymore,” Zone says calmly. “And I never should have been. I’m not a fucking dog. I’m your son.”

“And that means I own you!” Ratri shouts.

“That’s not what parents do! They don’t own their children!” Zone counters. He can’t help but raise his voice too, so he takes a pause to breathe in and breathe out. He can’t lose his cool in front of her.

“He’s right,” Aisoon says, breaking into the conversation for the first time. “You’re their mother. You’re supposed to treat them with love.”

“I’m not their mother,” Ratri protests, just like she’d done back when Cir and Phukan confronted her.

“Fine, you’re not.” Aisoon shakes his head a little. “But that also means you have no right to them. Let them go. Your issue was never with the boys, anyway. It was always with me. Stop taking it out on them. Please.”

“Por is asking nicely. I’m not,” Zone says. “I’m not giving you a choice. We’re both adults, so we get to choose our own lives. And I’m not sorry I have to blackmail you for that.” he gets to his feet and picks up his bag. Then he turns to Cir and Aisoon. “Come on, P’Cir. Let’s get out of here.” He glances over at Ratri, still seething in her chair. “For the final time.”

Cir gets to his feet too, looking a little shellshocked. It’s probably a lot for him to take in.

“Zone…” he starts, but he doesn’t seem able to finish.

“Don’t worry, P’Cir. You and Phukan will both be safe,” Zone assures him. “Or she’s getting humiliated in public.”

Something settles on Cir’s shoulders and steels his gaze a little. The shock is definitely still there, but there’s a surety now, too. He glances briefly at Ratri, then gives Zone a single, firm nod.

“Let’s go,” he says quietly.

Ratri slams her hands on the table and gets to her feet too. “I’m not letting you do this!”

“So you want everyone to see what a lying, cheating, criminal, abusive bitch you are?” Zone asks, because he’s done mincing his words. He’s put all his cards on the table. It’s been fun, but he also wants it to be over now. “I’d be happy to show the world your true colors. It’s what you deserve, actually, after everything you’ve done to us, and to anyone you didn’t like. But I’ll be nice, and I won’t reveal anything unless you force me.”

“And I’ll support him and confirm everything to those who ask,” Aisoon says, standing up. “I’m not letting you torment my sons any longer.”

“No, no, no. No one is ever seeing any of this,” Ratri says firmly and takes a deep breath through her nose. “This is – no. You are not showing this to anyone else, but you are also not leaving!”

“If no one is gonna see that, then you can’t make me or P’Cir stay,” Zone says.

“So you’re all just going to leave me to be miserable alone?” Ratri asks.

“Yes,” Cir says.

“It’s what you deserve,” Zone adds.

Ratri turns on Aisoon with fiery eyes. “This is all your fault! I’m alone because of you!”

“Yes and no,” Aisoon says calmly. “You’re alone because I wanted the divorce, yes. But you didn’t become like this because we got divorced. We got divorced because you’re like this.”

Ratri visibly, audibly seethes. Her expression is wild and furious, her hands clenched and her posture coiled like she’s about to explode. Her breathing is deep and uneven, and she lets out a snarling sound, but she doesn’t say anything. She doesn’t do anything. She doesn’t even move when Zone and Cir start heading for the front door.

Zone wonders if she knows, on some level, that Aisoon is right. That she lost her picture perfect trophy family because of her own behavior. If she does, she probably won’t admit it, but maybe she knows.

He doesn’t care either way. As long as he never has to see her again, she can tell everyone that Aisoon was an awful husband and that Zone and Cir were ungrateful children. Whatever. As long as she stays the hell away from all of them.

“It’s over, Ratri,” Aisoon says, in a tone of finality.

Zone doesn’t look over his shoulder, but from the sounds, he thinks Ratri shoved his folder to the floor. It makes him look over his shoulder, and yep, the papers are on the floor, and Ratri looks like a wild, crazed animal. Zone bites his lip to keep from laughing at the sight, but he doesn’t stop himself from grinning. And with a final, jaunty wave to her and a shocked, bewildered Kanphai, Zone leaves the house. For the last time. Ever.

It’s over.

Phase 4: celebratory brunch

“What?” Phukan exclaims.

“Yep. I blackmailed Khun Mae into leaving all of us alone for the rest of our lives,” Zone says, leaning back in his seat, feeling extremely self-satisfied. And he deserves it, he thinks. His plan has been a success and is now in the last and best phase: celebrating their victory.

He and Cir have met up with Phukan, Wim, and Jin at a French-themed café (they both said goodbye to their dad outside Ratri’s house. Zone had hugged him. Cir hadn’t, but he had made a tentative promise to call him soon, and Aisoon had looked as happy to hear that as Zone felt. There’s definitely hope that they can mend their relationship). They’ve ordered what feels like half the menu, and Zone has told the others the short version of what happened. Cir still looks a little dazed, but having Phukan next to him seems to be helping. Phukan is the picture definition of surprise, and Win’s eyes are the size of saucers. Jin mostly just looks relaxed, and fond at Phukan and Wim’s reactions.

“You really put her in her place like that?” Wim asks.

“I did,” Zone confirms.

“Finally!” Wim shouts, slumping back in his seat. “I’ve been telling you two for years to stand up to her and do something! Cir, your brother has more balls than you.”

Zone sputters out a laugh in surprise, while Cir just rolls his eyes.

“P’Wim,” Phukan says, in a slightly berating tone. He’s probably protective of Cir. It’s cute, and exactly what Cir deserves.

“It’s fine. He knows it’s not because I wasn’t brave,” Cir says, glancing at Wim before turning heart eyes on Phukan. “It’s because it didn’t seem possible to win, and I didn’t have anything to fight for. If Zone hadn’t taken my place back then, I’d have fought my way out too. For you.”

Phukan’s face blooms into a pink-cheeked smile, and he leans forward to give Cir a quick peck on the cheek.

“I’d have helped you,” he says. “I want that woman to suffer for what she’s done to you.”

“Me too,” Wim says and crosses his arms over his chest. “If I could kick her myself, I would.” Jin laughs softly next to him, making Wim turn to glare at him. “What, you don’t think I would?”

“I know you would,” Jin says. “It’s just cute. You’re cute.”

Wim blushes furiously. “Shut up.”

“Well, now you don’t have to kick her,” Zone says.

“But I still want to,” Wim mumbles, and Zone can’t help but laugh along with Jin at that.

“I think what Zone has done is more effective,” Cir comments.

“Is that a compliment, Phi?” Zone asks, grinning.

“Do you really think it’ll work, P’Zone?” Phukan asks. “Do you think she’ll stay away from P’Cir?”

“I think it will,” Zone tells him, and a weight seems to be lifted off Phukan’s small shoulders. “And if she ever tries something again, if she ever hurts any one of us again, I won’t hesitate to put everything I found out there for the whole world to see.” He pauses for a moment. “Including the photo I took of her and Kanphai fucking.”

“Oh, ew,” Wim groans, while Jin laughs loudly.

“You what?” Cir asks.

“You heard me,” Zone smirks.

“When did you even get a photo like that?” Cir asks, puzzled.

“Right after I got to the house today,” Zone replies. “I heard noises coming from the office, so I went to see what it was. I didn’t expect to see that, but it was a pretty good opportunity to get a little extra blackmail material.” He tilts his head thoughtfully. “I gotta say, it didn’t look like either of them was really having a great time.”

“Who would ever have a good time with that hag?” Wim says, making the rest of the table laugh.

“You really just say what you think,” Jin says. He sounds almost amazed.

“I always do,” Wim shrugs. “And I’m certainly not gonna mince my words for her.”

“Hopefully none of us will ever have to talk to her, ever again,” Cir says, taking Phukan’s hand and intertwining their fingers. “And we can just be free.”

“I like the sound of that,” Phukan says softly.

Zone’s phone pings with a text. He glances at the screen and chuckles a little when he sees the message.

WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE?!?!?!?! He can practically hear Lukprae’s shrill voice screaming the words in his ear. He shakes his head. He’ll deal with that later.

Instead, he grabs his drink and hold it out.

“To freedom and sweet, sweet revenge,” he says.

“Hell yeah, I’ll second that,” Wim says immediately, raising his own glass.

“Me too,” Phukan agrees. Jin hums in agreement and joins in as well.

Cir is the last to raise his glass. “To freedom.”

“And to us,” Zone says, looking directly into Cir’s eyes. He hopes that now that Ratri isn’t a looming shadow, controlling either his life or Cir’s, the two of them can become close again. Despite his best efforts, they’ve grown apart since the separation. Ratri’s strict rules forbidding Cir contact with their dad didn’t exactly help. But that rule isn’t in the way now, and Cir isn’t trapped in a hellish life, forcing himself to be a robot just to endure it all. But he’s a free man, quickly learning how to enjoy life (and Phukan is definitely part of teaching him that) and smile and laugh. Zone can finally get his big brother back, for real.

Maybe Cir understands his meaning. Maybe he doesn’t. Either way, he nods and gives Zone a small smile as he echoes, “And to us.”

The five of them clink their glasses together and take a drink. The food arrives not long after, and Zone digs into a plate of French toast to truly complete the fourth phase of his masterplan. He’s got Ratri out of Cir’s life, out of his own life, and he’s pretty sure it’ll stay that way.

All that’s left of the plan now is to celebrate the victory. With brunch.