Before every secret was laid bare.
Before Gawin found himself trapped in the arms of an enemy he couldn't bring himself to hate.

There was still a game.

A quiet, dangerous one—

Where both Joss and Gawin still believed they held control.

It was the final days...

Before the real war began.

When Two Predators Meet

When two predators face each other—

The first to lose patience becomes the prey.

Both Joss and Gawin knew that.

Neither intended to blink first.

A Growing Tension

Joss made no move.

Not yet.

He simply observed.

Every gesture, every glance, every minuscule detail Fluke Wichit let slip.

But Gawin was not someone who slipped easily.

He maintained perfect composure,
mask intact,
unshakable.

But both of them knew—

Something had shifted.

Joss no longer saw Fluke as a simple assistant.

Gawin no longer treated Joss as a fool to be manipulated.

Two predators.
Two hunters.
Circling.

Each testing, each reading.

And in this game—

One wrong move would tear everything apart.

Joss Begins to Strike

Joss didn't confront.

He didn't accuse.

He didn't demand.

He simply acted.

One week later, Wongthep Group's internal security was suddenly upgraded.

Financial data re-encrypted.
Firewalls multiplied.
Access tightened.

The anonymous accounts Gawin had been quietly tracking—
vanished.

Joss was erasing the trail.

Locking every door before Gawin could even reach it.

The move was silent.

Deadly.

Exactly Joss's style.

Gawin clenched his fists.

He couldn't let Joss get too far ahead.

If Joss was starting to suspect—

He had to move first.

The Meeting That Never Happened

The next day, Gawin filed for leave.

A perfect excuse.

A "meeting" with a former Wongthep executive—

A man who once handled the company's financial restructuring after the Thanarath collapse.

A man who might hold crucial missing pieces.

But Gawin didn't know—

Joss was already tracking his every step.

The moment Gawin left Wongthep Tower,
a black car peeled off quietly behind him.

Silent.
Patient.

Gawin entered a high-end restaurant.

Ordered a glass of wine.

Eyes sweeping the room once, twice.

Nothing suspicious.

No one following.

He thought.

Five minutes later—

The man arrived.

An older gentleman.

Seasoned.
Sharp-eyed.

He sat across from Gawin.

For a moment—
normalcy.

Until the man froze.

Stared.

Brows furrowed.

And then, almost unconsciously, he murmured—

"Have we met before?"

"Who are you, really?"

A heartbeat of silence.

The world around them seemed to freeze.

But Gawin didn't blink.

Didn't flinch.

He simply lifted his wine glass, tilted his head slightly, and smiled.

"I think you're mistaken, sir."
"I've only been back in the country for a few months."

Logical.

Plausible.

But not enough.

The man still stared.
Still unsettled.

Still suspicious.

And then—

A phone buzzed.

The man glanced at his screen.

Colour drained from his face.

Without a word, he stood up.

"I'm sorry,"
he muttered hastily,
"but I must go."

He left without another word.

Without looking back.

Gawin narrowed his eyes.

This was no coincidence.

Someone had warned him.

Someone had scared him off.

He paid his bill swiftly.

Slipped out of the restaurant.

But waiting outside—

Was a black car.

Door open.

Waiting.

Inside—

Joss.

A Checkmate in Progress

Joss sat there.

Cool.

Unbothered.

As if he'd been expecting this.

As if he'd orchestrated every step.

His voice was calm.

Unyielding.

"Get in."

Not a request.

An order.

Gawin hesitated—

For a fraction of a second.

But he knew.

There was no choice now.

The board had shifted.

The king had made his move.

And now—

Fluke Wichit could no longer run.

But Soon...

Soon—

The real face behind the mask would be revealed.

And Joss would know—

Beyond a doubt—

Gawin Caskey had returned.

The Real War Has Only Just Begun.