Gunny and Kawin arrived at a plant nursery, a place that sold every kind of flora. Kawin quickly walked ahead into the store’s office, leaving Gunny to follow in surprise.

Inside the glass-walled shop, which was air-conditioned, a fine mist of water vapor sprayed from pipes installed on the ceiling to cool the air during the warm afternoon. Sunlight streamed in, creating a warm and peaceful atmosphere. Various trees and flowers planted throughout the area made the shop feel fresh and lively.

Gunny followed slowly, her eyes wide with undisguised astonishment. Her mind was filled with questions: ‘Why did he bring me to a plant shop? How is this related to anything?’ She tried to analyze the connection between the plant shop and the matter Kawin wanted her help with, but she couldn’t find any at all.

“Is there anything you’d like to ask about?” A dark-skinned young man in an apron emerged with a bright smile to greet them. “What kind of plants or species would you like? Please feel free to ask.” He asked with a polite demeanor.

“A cactus with flowers,” Gunny quickly answered for Kawin. She remembered his reason for being here was to get flowers for some girls, so she decided to simplify the matter by suggesting a flowering cactus. But a cactus? Not a rose? Yes, she was deliberately being just as irritating to him.

“If you’d like a cactus with flowers, please walk toward the right section,” the man replied, gesturing the way.

Gunny nodded. “Thank you.” Gunny quickly separated and walked off in the indicated direction, while Kawin walked to a small, beautifully arranged garden corner. He scanned the area cautiously until he spotted a medium-built man with dark brown skin and messy hair who was carrying a sack of marble stones, preparing to set up a display garden for customers.

Kawin quickly grabbed the man's arm. The man turned back, his eyes wide with fear as he came face-to-face with the heir of the Pattanagool family.

“Kawin!”

“So you remember me well, Maen.” Kawin narrowed his eyes.

Maen, his former gardener who had fled and was in hiding here, jerked his arm away from Kawin’s strong grip, as Kawin slowly lowered his hands to slip them into his trouser pockets.

“How did you find me here?” Maen took a step back.

“For someone who would stab their benefactor in the back, no matter where they run, to the ends of the earth, I will track them down.” Kawin countered without hesitation, stepping forward and grabbing a handful of the other man’s dingy shirt collar.

“You... you know!”

“If you don’t want any more trouble, confess who is behind this. I know someone like you wouldn't hurt my father without an accomplice.”

“I don’t know anything, sir. I didn’t see anything,” Maen shook his head, looking suspicious.

Kawin yanked his hand, tightening the grip on the collar, forcing Maen’s face closer. “If you confess that you know, your heavy sentence will become light.”

“But I truly don’t know, Kawin!” Maen cried out anxiously.

Kawin narrowed his eyes, chuckled in his throat, bit his lip, and closed one eye, thinking to himself, ‘Someone like him won't talk easily, because there must be someone wicked backing him up.’

Maen’s eyes darted around nervously. Kawin gave a wide smile, like a villain in a drama. “Okay. If you won’t tell me, that’s fine. But I’m going to warn you: if you think about running anywhere else, your wife and child won’t be safe.” His cheerful expression only made Maen feel that he and his loved ones were in extreme danger.

“What are you going to do!” he croaked.

“I have people watching your wife and child closely right now. If you try anything tricky, it will take just the blink of an eye.” Kawin blinked one eye, then released his grip on the man’s collar, causing Maen to stumble and fall onto the ground.

“What do you want from me, sir? I don’t know or see anything!”

“I told you, I’ll give you time to think. I will come back for your answer later. But I’ve warned you—if you run away, the people you leave behind will lose everything as well.” Kawin concluded. His threat terrified the former gardener so much that he nearly knelt down to beg for his life.

Kawin hurried out quickly, only to find Gunny emerging from another section of the shop, carrying a flowering cactus in a pot, accompanied by the salesman.

“A cactus, really?” he asked in a half-amused tone, squinting at her as if thoroughly evaluating her attitude.

Gunny glanced at him with weariness before lifting her chin slightly. “Yes, a cactus. I don't have a lot of free time, you know. I need to rush back to work.” she replied irritably, not even looking at his face. As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and marched toward the exit without delay.

Kawin watched her quickly disappear. He chuckled slightly at being directly scolded by her, truly impressed that she didn't fear him even a little bit.