Tawan drove to a secluded villa deep in the mountains, far from her own home. The guards stationed outside immediately bowed and opened the gates as soon as they saw her car. Tawan parked, stepped out, and entered the villa. No sooner had she stepped inside than a figure darted toward her. She sidestepped the oncoming figure effortlessly.

"P'Tawan..." - A coquettish voice rang out, sending a shiver down Tawan's spine. Unpleasantly.

She couldn't help but wonder why Ira's soft, teasing tone never gave her the same unsettling feeling as others.

"I heard you're refusing to eat?" - Tawan frowned at the scantily clad woman before her, turning away to avoid the direct looking.

"I knew you'd come, so I wanted to wait and eat with you." - The woman approached, trying to hug Tawan, only for Tawan to evade her again.

"I've already eaten. You should eat now." - Tawan shrugged off her coat, handing it to a servant and motioning for them to hang it up.

However, the woman snatched it and draped it over herself, irritating Tawan.

"Dara!"

"What? I just want to feel your warmth! If you won't let me hug you, at least let me wear your coat!"

Tawan didn't respond. She couldn't bother arguing. She signaled for the servants to bring the meal and sat at the dining table, motioning for Dara to sit across from her.

To Tawan's dismay, Dara sat beside her, closing the distance and grabbing Tawan's right arm. The motion accidentally pressed against Tawan's wound, causing her to wince. Noticing something unusual beneath the fabric, Dara held Tawan's arm and pulled up the sleeve, revealing the bandaged wound. Tears welled up in Dara's eyes.

"What happened? How did you get hurt? Who did this? I'll kill him!" - Dara's face twisted with rage.

"It's nothing. I've handled it." - Tawan sighed, too tired to deal with her outburst.

"Does it hurt? Who wrapped the bandage so poorly? Let me redo it for you!" - Dara motioned to the servants to bring a first aid kit.

"Nevermind. I like it this way." - Tawan coldly pulled her arm back.

Dara scowled, displeased. She knew this wasn't Jaja's work. Someone else had bandaged Tawan, and a hint of malice flickered in Dara's eyes.

"Watch where you're looking." - Tawan's voice was sharp as she caught Dara's gaze midair, unflinching.

"Tawan..."

Dara stared momentarily stunned. Never before had Tawan warned her like this. For years, Tawan had indulged her, let her have her way. But today—because of some vague sentiment toward someone else—she was being told to stop. Rage flickered in Dara's eyes. But before she could speak, Tawan's voice turned colder.

"Dara. For years, I've cleaned up after you. Handled the messes you made. Protected you when no one else would. But from now on—stay put. Stay here. Don't stir up trouble and drag me into it again."

Tawan stood up, her gaze as cold as steel, looking down at the woman seated before her.

"Who is it?" - Dara's voice rose to a shout, tears of anger streaming down her face as she slammed her fists on the table and glared at Tawan. - "Who is it? Tell me, who's made you change like this?"

"No one. I'm just tired of catering to you."

"Tired? You think you have the right to be tired?" Dara's voice rose into a frenzied scream, her eyes burning with an unsettling madness.

"You owe me, Tawan! You owe me everything! You don't get to be tired! You don't get to refuse me! You are mine to indulge, mine to serve— For life!

Do you hear me, Tawan? For the rest of your life, you are in my debt!"

*Crash... clang...*

The sound of dishes shattering on the floor echoed chillingly. Everyone present was stunned, lowering their heads in fear. This was the first time in years they'd witnessed such a scene. But before anyone could process what was happening—

Tawan struck.

With one hand, Tawan grabbed Dara by the neck, pressing her down onto the large table, causing her to lie flat on her back. The dishes and cups that had just been set up were knocked to the ground by Tawan. Her gaze was like that of a wild beast, full of cruelty as she looked at the person beneath her, her voice cold as if from the depths of the underworld.

"Watch your mouth." - Tawan leaned down, whispering like a messenger from hell, draining the color from Dara's face. "Or I'll make sure you never use that tongue again!"

"I... I'm sorry!" - Dara stammered, terrified. For the first time, she saw Tawan's ruthlessness directed at her. Though she knew Tawan could be cruel, she'd never experienced it firsthand. Now, she felt like a lamb before a tiger, her voice trembling.

"Let me remind you one last time! The person I owe is your sister, not you! For her sake, I've indulged you all these years. But debts don't last forever. From now on, stay in line!"

"... un...der...stood..."

Tawan's grip on Dara's neck tightened until she could barely breathe. Only when Dara was on the verge of suffocation did Tawan release her. Dara gasped for air, her frail neck barely escaping being snapped. Fearfully, she looked at the person standing before her like Yama, the King of Hell; the arrogance and cruelty in her eyes were gone, replaced by a cowardly fear.

Tawan looked at Dara prostrating at her feet without any emotion. She scanned the room, noticing a few unfamiliar faces, then glanced back at Dara before walking over to sit on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other in a superior manner, looking at the people in front of her, her voice devoid of warmth rang out

"Those who are not my people, quickly clean up and leave now while you can still breathe; if you wait until tomorrow morning, you'll need someone to collect your bodies!"

Her words sent a shiver down everyone's spines. The unfamiliar faces trembled, stumbling as they gathered their belongings.

"And don't let me see anyone taking what doesn't belong to them."

Another threat sent the intruders abandoning their stolen goods. They fled like rats, leaving their loot behind. Tawan signaled to her subordinates, and two of them followed to inspect the group's departure before letting them leave.

"From now on, keep a close watch on her. If she refuses to eat, call Jaja to give her IV drips. If she dies, handle it discreetly. Don't bother me again!" - Tawan's voice was cold as she glanced at the trembling Dara.

"Yes, ma'am!" - The black-suited subordinates bowed their heads and obeyed.

Tawan signaled for someone to bring her coat, she put it on with a cold demeanor and left without noticing that someone inside had fainted from fear. Checking her watch, it was past midnight, Tawan emotionlessly got into her car and drove home quickly. Although she had told Ira not to wait for her, she still didn't want to return too late.

Tawan rolled down the window, letting the night breeze flow into the car; she enjoyed this bone-chilling coolness. Until now, she had always tolerated Dara, despite her doing outrageous things that went against humanity and moral principles, even having Ace arrange young men for her pleasure while claiming to love Tawan, which disgusted Tawan, but she had never shown it. Because of this, Dara grew more and more brazen and increasingly lawless.

But tonight, the moment Tawan caught the murderous glint in Dara's eyes when she mentioned the person who had bandaged her wound, she felt an uncontrollable urge to strangle Dara with her own hands. Although it wasn't the first time Dara had threatened or dealt harshly with women who came near Tawan, this time was different. Previously, Tawan had been indifferent—those people meant nothing to her.

But this time was different. Because this time—it was Ira.

And when Dara turned her malice toward Ira, Tawan found herself losing control. She didn't hesitate. She laid everything bare, showed Dara exactly where the line was drawn.

And she did it for one reason alone—

To protect the person waiting for her at home. Tawan understood, without a shred of doubt.

If Dara had truly harmed Ira, she would make her regret it for the rest of her life. Even when Dara was the sister of her saviour.

***

Tawan quickly stepped on the gas but still took over 30 minutes to get home. When she arrived, she found Ace and Pey still standing outside the door of her room. She motioned for them to leave, and they obediently bowed before departing. Neither of them asked any questions since everything had already been reported in the group chat. They also knew what had likely happened to Dara and, to be honest, didn't care for her. If it weren't for Tawan shielding her over the years, they might have snapped her neck and tossed her into the woods long ago.

To Ace and Pey, Dara was nothing more than a promiscuous, shameless woman. She always claimed to love their boss but slept around with both men and women. There was even an instance where she tried to seduce Pey and later Ace, which disgusted them immensely. On top of that, Dara frequently targeted anyone who showed interest in Tawan, whether male or female, which caused further dissatisfaction among her close aides. Now that Tawan had openly turned against her, Ace and Pey felt no need to tolerate Dara anymore. To Tawan, Dara was nothing more than discarded trash at this point.

Tawan gently opened the door and stepped inside, careful not to wake the sleeping person. The room's lights were on the night mode, casting a soft glow. Instinctively, she looked towards the bed but didn't see Ira there, causing her a slight panic as she moved further in, only to find Ira curled up asleep on the single sofa. Tawan sighed; this girl must have waited for her and then fallen asleep. Approaching Ira, if her hand wasn't injured, Tawan might have been able to carry Ira to the bed to sleep, but currently, her right arm was powerless, preventing her from carrying out her intention.

Tawan gave a wry smile, resigned to gently waking Ira up with a soft voice.

"Hey, baby..." - Tawan's voice was gentle, her eyes devoid of their usual ruthlessness, replaced by a soft warmth. - "Let's get you to bed, OK?"

"..." - Ira, a light sleeper, woke up immediately when called. She blinked sleepily, saw Tawan's face, and smiled. - "You're back!"

"Why aren't you sleeping on the bed?" - Tawan used her left hand to help Ira stand up.

"I wanted to wait for you, but I fell asleep half-way." - Ira admitted honestly.

"From now on, just sleep first. Don't wait for me." - Tawan gently ruffled Ira's soft hair.

"I don't want to. I don't want to sleep alone anymore!" - Ira pouted, shaking her head in protest.

"Alright. I promise I won't let you sleep alone again." - Tawan chuckled softly, indulging Ira.

"Thank you!" - Ira said happily, stepping closer as if to hug Tawan, but then suddenly stopped, covering her nose and stepping back with a displeased expression.

"..." - Tawan froze, confused at Ira's reaction, standing there stiffly. - "What's wrong?"

"Where have you been?" - Ira crossed her arms, her tone accusatory, her posture resembling a jealous wife.

"I... had work to do." - Tawan, uncharacteristically flustered, stammered under Ira's questioning.

"What kind of work? Who did you meet?" - Ira frowned deeply.

"Personal work... I met... met..." - For the first time, Tawan found it difficult to answer a question. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. - "What's going on? Why are you asking me these questions?"

"Your whole body smells like another woman's perfume, and..." Ira huffed, her lips pouting in obvious displeasure.

She turned away, arms crossed. "...not just any perfume—it's the kind I hate. Like some vixen was all over you."

"Oh... earlier, I went to handle some work. I did meet a few people, and I guess the smell stuck to my coat after I hung it up." - Tawan nervously lied.

"..." - Ira pouted, eyeing Tawan suspiciously.

"I'll go take a shower." - Tawan immediately took off her coat, holding it for a moment before deciding something that left Ira speechless. - "This coat... I think I'll just burn it."

"Huh? Why?"

"It has someone else's scent now. You don't like it, and neither do I."

"But you can wash it!"

"I don't want to, I still feel it lingers, it's annoying, let's get rid of it!" - Without another word, Tawan took the jacket and threw it out the window into the courtyard, planning to have someone burn it in the morning. She then leaned down, sniffed herself, and looked at Ira - "Is there still a scent?"

"It's better now!" - Ira leaned in close to sniff, though the scent was still there, she was afraid Tawan would burn her clothes too if she said so - "Just take a shower and change, we'll wash it thoroughly tomorrow! Don't throw anything else away!"

"Got it! You go lie down on the bed, I'll go shower!"

The words left her mouth before she thought twice about them.

And then— A moment too late, they both realized how suggestive that had sounded.

Their eyes met—then immediately darted away.

In the next second— Tawan spun on her heel and all but fled into the bathroom. Ira, not faring any better, practically dove under the covers, pulling the blanket over her head like a retreating turtle.

When Tawan came out of the shower, drying her damp hair, she saw Ira sitting up against the headboard, reading a book. Glancing at her phone, she noted it was already past 2 a.m.

"You should sleep. It's really late."

"Come here" - Ira motioned with her hand.

"Huh? What for?"

"Come here so I can dry your hair. You shouldn't leave it wet!"

Tawan understood that if she refused, Ira would insist, so she didn't argue. She quietly climbed onto the bed and sat, letting Ira dry her hair.

"Next time, when you wash your hair, let me dry it for you." - Tawan tilted her head back to look at Ira.

"Why?"

" 'coz I want to."

"Alright, whatever you say!"

Tawan smiled, enjoying the comfort Ira provided. Very quickly, Ira had finished drying her hair, putting away the hairdryer, then lying down. Tawan also lay down, adjusting the brightness of the lighting system with her phone, then shifted her position, closing her eyes. Ira also closed her eyes, but she couldn't sleep, turning over instead. Similarly, Tawan, unable to sleep, let out a sigh. Clearly, today had been a long night, nearly dawn, yet she couldn't sleep, whereas yesterday she had slept so well.

"P'Tawan..." - Ira realized the person next to her wasn't sleeping either and called out softly.

"Yeah..."

"I can't sleep..."

"Me neither..."

"Yesterday I slept very well, but today I can't..." - Ira said dejectedly.

"Come here!"

"What?" - Ira turned to look at Tawan, who was lying on her side facing her.

"Come here, I'll hold you to sleep. Yesterday, I held you too, it made me sleep better.

Come on!" - Tawan gently smiled, extending her hand invitingly towards Ira.

Ira looked at the person calling her in the dim light, her ears turning slightly red. She smiled, unable to resist, and softly moved closer, lying on Tawan's left arm, allowing herself to be embraced. A deep sigh of contentment escaped them both.

Tawan curled both arms around Ira, pulling her in. She took in the soft, lingering scent of Ira's skin, something delicate and subtly sweet—so different from the overpowering perfumes of Dara and the others. This scent...

It was soothing.

Tawan's mind, which had been restless just moments ago, felt at ease. The tension in her body melted away.

Similarly, Ira, feeling the warmth of the embrace, wrapped her arms around Tawan's waist, inhaling the cool scent that belonged only to the person holding her. Her heart relaxed, and as she felt the steady breathing of the other, Ira's eyelids grew heavy, and she drifted into sleep.

Another peaceful night of deep, blissful sleep...

END CHAP 9