Chapter 7: Praemai x Sasina

Warm light from the chandelier overhead spilled across the polished marble floor of Le Jardin de Lune, an upscale French restaurant perched on the sixth floor of a luxury mall in the heart of Bangkok. It was a favorite of Praemai Wisutpaisarn and Sasina Thewapitak—so much so that every staff member knew them by name. Menus were rarely needed; their usual orders were already memorized.

This afternoon was no different. Their usual table by the wide window had been set just so, offering a sweeping view of the sprawling avenue below and the tangle of high-rise buildings in the distance. But no matter how stunning the cityscape looked, Praemai’s smile was noticeably dimmer than usual.

She sat across from Sasina, dressed in her go-to designer dress, yet her eyes were clouded with worry. Her gaze hovered over the grilled salmon with beurre blanc sauce—her favorite dish, barely touched. Quietly, she set her fork down.

Opposite her, Sasina sat with perfect poise, legs elegantly crossed. One hand slowly picked at a salad, while the other scrolled through her iPad as she typed replies to international clients with a composed expression. She didn’t even glance up at the woman sitting across from her.

Time passed.

Finally, Sasina looked up. Her brow arched slightly when she noticed the untouched food.

“Prae, is everything all right?” she asked in her usual calm tone. “You don’t seem to be enjoying lunch today.”

Praemai flinched a little, as if snapped out of a distant thought. She quickly forced a smile.

“It’s nothing. I just drove myself today, so I’m a little tired, that’s all.”

Sasina tilted her head, faintly surprised.

“You drove here yourself? Where’s your driver?”

There was a brief hesitation before Praemai replied, trying her best to sound casual.

“He’s out of town this week.”

Sasina went quiet for a beat, clearly considering something, then spoke slowly.

“But don’t you usually have a backup driver? Why not call him instead? Driving in Bangkok is exhausting—you know how bad the traffic is.”

Praemai swallowed hard before replying, her voice softer now.

“I just… felt like driving myself today.”

Again, Sasina fell silent. Her gaze lingered on Praemai for a long moment, as if trying to decipher something behind her composed facade. Then she gave a slight nod and turned back to her iPad, asking nothing more.

Sasina didn’t feel the need to know everything about Praemai.

And maybe, just maybe… she didn’t want to.

After all, people only feel the urge to know every little detail about someone when they’re in love.

But Sasina didn’t love Praemai.

Not at all.

Not even a little.

.

.

Praemai sat in silence, her gaze lowered to her tightly clasped hands resting on her lap.

A heavy weight had settled in her chest, pressing tighter with every breath. She was about to ask her girlfriend for help—but every time she sat across from Sasina Thewapitak, she felt less like a partner and more like an outsider.

Her thoughts spun in circles until Sasina’s voice cut through the noise in her head.

“Prae,” she said evenly, “I can only stay for about an hour today. There’s an urgent meeting at HQ I can’t miss.”

Praemai’s head snapped up, startled.

One hour?

That was all the time she had left—and she hadn’t even managed to say the words Visuth Tech Group is going bankrupt.

Her heart pounded wildly, erratic and loud in her ears. She hadn’t touched her food since it was served. The grilled salmon with beurre blanc—once her favorite—sat untouched in front of her. Her hands, ice-cold, remained clenched in her lap as she tried to suppress the flood of fear, shame, and hesitation. But in the end… she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Slowly, she lifted her face.

“P’ Sasi…”

The words barely escaped her lips, more breath than sound.

Sasina was still looking at her iPad, but she responded reflexively.

“Hm?”

“I need to talk to you about something… something really important.”

The word important made Sasina pause. She looked up slowly, arching a brow.

“Important?” she echoed with a small, amused smile. “What is it? You can’t decide which Hermès color to buy? Or have you finally figured out the theme for your next party?”

She chuckled lightly, taking another sip of her coffee, still at ease.

But Praemai didn’t laugh.

She didn’t even smile.

Her face was tight with tension, like someone who’d just swallowed a stone.

“It’s not that,” she said, her voice low but steadier than before.

“It’s my family’s business. There’s a serious problem… Visuth Tech Group is going bankrupt.”

This time, Sasina truly went quiet.

The soft murmur of conversation in the upscale restaurant continued. A French chanson floated from the overhead speakers. But between the two women—everything stood still.

Praemai held her gaze, waiting for a response. Though, deep down, she wasn’t sure what she even wanted to hear.

Was it comfort?

Reassurance that she wasn’t completely alone?

Some confirmation that she still meant something to someone—even now?

But whatever answer she had hoped for…

It wasn’t coming.

Not yet.

And maybe… not at all.

The music in the restaurant played on, blissfully unaware that someone’s world had just quietly fallen apart.

Praemai sat stiffly, fingers tightly interlocked on her lap. She had just said the most difficult thing she’d ever had to say.

And what she got in return… was silence.

Heavy, suffocating silence.

Sasina didn’t respond at first. She simply stared, her brows knitting slightly as she spoke at last, her voice quiet.

“Prae... is this some kind of joke? I’ve never heard anything about Visuth Tech Group being in financial trouble.”

“My father’s probably doing everything he can to keep it quiet,” Praemai replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “But it won’t stay hidden for long. Right now... I have nothing left. No savings, no car, no home. Even my pride... there’s barely anything left of it.”

Sasina was quiet again. Still. Not saying a word.

Praemai drew in a shaky breath, gathering the last of her courage to speak the one sentence she had dreaded most.

“P’ Sasi… would your family consider helping Visuth Tech Group?”

The woman sitting across from her—the woman who had been her partner for the past two years—fell silent once more. Then, slowly, Sasina reached out and placed her hand gently over Praemai’s.

“Prae…”

“…”

“I’m sorry. But if Thewapitak Group tries to bail out Visuth Tech Group right now… both companies could collapse.”

It was the answer Praemai had prepared herself for.

But it still hurt.

She didn’t say a word. Her gaze dropped to her lap, her body frozen as she tried to hold back tears.

She failed.

Because deep down, she had hoped.

Hoped that at the very least, Sasina would ask for time. Time to think. To speak with her family.

Not… this immediate, clean rejection.

The first tear slid down her cheek and landed softly on her lap.

Sasina sat still for a moment longer, then calmly reached into her elegant handbag and pulled out a checkbook.

“I know you must be struggling,” she said, her voice gentle but detached. “I can’t help your company, but I can still help you.”

She wrote down a six-figure sum with practiced ease.

“When this runs out, just have my assistant take care of whatever you need.”

Praemai stared at the check in stunned silence. Her fingers trembled slightly as she accepted it.

But what she felt wasn’t relief.

Nor gratitude.

It was shame.

It felt like she had become a beggar, stretching out her hand for scraps from someone she once thought… loved her.

She didn’t want the money.

Not even a little.

But then Sasina said something that knocked the air out of Praemai’s lungs.

“I think… it’s best if we don’t see each other anymore.”

“…What?”

Praemai’s head snapped up, eyes wide with disbelief.

Sasina hesitated for a moment, then let out a long, measured sigh.

“Prae… I’m a businesswoman. I have to protect my image.” Her voice was steady, almost clinical. “Right now, my family’s considering appointing me to the executive board of Thewapitak Group. I’m competing with three brothers for the spot. The pressure is already intense.”

She paused briefly, as if weighing her words—but continued anyway.

“If the person I’m dating turns out to be someone from a bankrupt family, it’ll only make things harder for me.”

Praemai went completely still.

She spoke again, barely audible.

“So… you’re breaking up with me.”

Sasina didn’t reply right away. Her gaze shifted, her lips pressed tightly together. Then, slowly, she gave the smallest nod.

“Yes. I used to think we were a good match. But now… I don’t think we are anymore.”

For a long moment, Praemai couldn’t move. Her mind blanked.

Then, suddenly, she stood and reached across the table to grab Sasina’s hand.

“So that’s it?” Her voice trembled. “You were with me because of Visuth Tech Group?”

She blinked back tears.

“Did you ever love me at all?”

Sasina froze, eyes widening slightly, before glancing nervously around the restaurant.

“Prae… keep your voice down. This isn’t the place. People are watching.”

“Then say it. Right here.”

Sasina exhaled, clearly uncomfortable.

“Let’s talk in my car, okay? If anyone sees us arguing, it’ll reflect badly on both of us.”

Praemai didn’t move. She stood rooted in place, unsure whether she should cry—or laugh—at everything she’d just heard.

…

In the dimly lit underground parking lot of a luxury mall in downtown Bangkok, Tawan and Narin quietly trailed behind Praemai and Sasina, having followed them from the restaurant upstairs.

“Hurry up, or we’ll lose them,” Tawan whispered, quickening her pace.

“Ugh, slow down, will you? My knees are killing me,” Narin replied—less quietly than she should have.

They both froze as they spotted Praemai walking beside a tall, impeccably dressed woman with a sleek low ponytail, heading straight toward a matte gray Porsche Panamera parked just ahead.

Tawan adjusted her baseball cap, tilting the brim lower to hide her face while her eyes locked on the pair.

“By the way,” Narin whispered, squinting, “you still haven’t told me who that woman is. I’ve been dying to know since the restaurant.”

“Why do you even care?”

“Because if we’re going to stalk someone, I’d at least like to have all the gossip. It’s way more fun when you know what’s going on, don’t you think?”

Tawan rolled her eyes but eventually gave in.

“That’s Sasina Thewapitak. Heiress of Thewapitak Group. She’s… Praemai’s girlfriend.”

“What? Girlfriend?!” Narin’s eyes widened. “Ohhh, that’s her? She’s gorgeous. Classy. High-end. Total queen vibes.”

She gave Sasina a once-over, then narrowed her eyes at her sister suspiciously.

“But hold up. Since when do you know about this kind of stuff? You don’t keep up with socialites, and you hate scrolling through gossip pages.”

Tawan hesitated, then cleared her throat and mumbled, avoiding eye contact,

“Her dad asked me to look after his daughter. I had to do a little background research. Just to make sure I knew who she was dating.”

Narin’s smirk widened instantly.

“Ohhh... you mean in-depth research, huh? What, did you memorize her entire dating profile? Bet you even read those luxury lifestyle magazine interviews, didn’t you?”

Tawan reached over and gave her sister a light flick on the head.

“Zip it, Narin.”

Narin pulled a dramatic pout, then silently mimed a mocking face behind Tawan’s back.

Tawan pointed a stern finger at her without turning.

“One more word and you’re finding your own ride home.”

That shut her up immediately.

Tawan sighed and turned her attention back to Praemai and Sasina. Her eyes remained fixed on them, trying to read every movement from a distance.

She couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d seen back at the restaurant. Just for a second—she was sure she saw tears in Praemai’s eyes.

That image still lingered in her mind, and it made something inside her chest ache in a way she wasn’t prepared for.

. . .

Inside the matte gray Porsche Panamera, parked quietly in the basement of an upscale Bangkok mall,

Sasina sat in the driver’s seat, hands gripping the wheel, eyes fixed ahead. She said nothing.

Praemai sat beside her, upright and stiff, gaze lowered to her hands resting tightly in her lap.

Minutes passed before the silence finally broke with a long, quiet sigh from Sasina.

“Prae… I think deep down, we both know why we got into this relationship, don’t we?”

Praemai didn’t respond. She turned slightly, meeting Sasina’s eyes—hers filled with hurt, confusion, and silent disbelief.

“You’re from Visuth Tech Group. I’m from Thewapitak Group. From the beginning, it was about status. About what made sense on paper. Not… emotions.”

Silence.

“But now that Visuth Tech Group is gone… how can this relationship possibly continue?”

The words struck Praemai like a slap. She had always feared this truth—but hearing it out loud, so plainly spoken, still hurt more than she expected.

She drew in a shaky breath, struggling to keep her tears from spilling.

“To be honest… I’ve always seen you more like a little sister. I never felt anything beyond that, no matter how hard I tried.”

Sasina’s voice softened just slightly—but her next words cut even deeper.

“Maybe because… my heart was already with someone else.”

It was like a cold gust of wind rushing through Praemai’s chest, leaving it numb.

“So that’s it, isn’t it?” she whispered, voice trembling. “That’s why you never touched me. Never hugged me. Never kissed me… like lovers do.”

Her large eyes welled with tears.

“You kept saying you wanted to wait until we were married—but the truth is, you never loved me. Because someone else already had your heart.”

Sasina went quiet, her sharp eyes flickering with hesitation.

“Prae… I’m truly sorry.”

Praemai bit her lip hard, holding back a sob. She took a deep breath, but the tremble in her voice was impossible to hide.

“Who is it?” she asked quietly. “The woman you love—who is she?”

“You don’t need to know,” Sasina replied, eyes turning away.

“Yes, I do!” Praemai snapped, voice breaking. Her stare was burning now, wounded and desperate.

“The woman who made me feel like I was never enough for you—not even once in the past two years… I deserve to know who she is.”

Sasina went quiet for a moment before finally speaking, her voice low and slow.

“Her name is Patcharawee. She was my ex-girlfriend. We broke up because my family didn’t approve of her background… but for some reason, I’ve never been able to forget her.”

Praemai froze.

It felt like her brain simply stopped processing.

Patcharawee.

A name she'd never heard before—no face, no voice, not even a memory to cling to. And yet that single name hit her like a nail hammered straight into the truth:

She had never had a place in Sasina’s heart.

Without a word, Praemai reached into her bag, pulled out the six-figure check Sasina had given her earlier, and pushed it firmly into the other woman’s hand.

“I don’t want your money,” she said, her voice cold and steady.

Then she opened the car door and stepped out without hesitation.

“Prae, wait!” Sasina called out, scrambling to open her door and follow.

“Praemai…”

The younger woman stood still, her tears now streaming down both cheeks. Her chin was lifted defiantly, as if determined to hold onto the last shred of pride she had left, but her body trembled—barely holding itself together under the weight of heartbreak.

Sasina approached her carefully, as if afraid she might shatter.

In her hand, she held out the check once more.

“You’re struggling right now,” she said gently. “Please take this… Think of it as compensation. For the two years I never truly gave you what you deserved.”

…