Unmasked
745 Words
Monday – 4:42 PM
Win was in the pantry pouring coffee when Tee strolled in, chewing gum and smirking like he always knew something no one else did.
“You look rested,” Tee said. “Good weekend?”
Win kept his voice neutral. “I needed the break.”
Tee leaned against the counter. “Ever notice how Phu disappears at the exact times the CEO is rumored to be in the building?”
Win frowned.
“What are you saying?”
Tee grinned wider. “Let’s just say… I heard something from finance. Apparently, someone signed off a big client pitch with the full authority of the Rattanasak family name. No second check.”
Win blinked. “Wait—what?”
Tee clicked his tongue. “You’re smart, Win. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Then he left.
The coffee tasted bitter in Win’s mouth.
---
Tuesday – 2:31 AM
Win sat on his floor, laptop open, heart pounding.
He typed the words again:
“Phuchit Rattanasak CEO photo”
Nothing.
Just the logo. A quote about innovation. A blurry shot from five years ago that could’ve been anyone.
But something gnawed at him.
So he tried again—different search terms. This time, he got a hit.
An old magazine archive from 2018. Some investor gala. Grainy image. A younger man in a sharp suit, holding a glass of wine, standing beside a woman in a dark blue cheongsam.
Win zoomed in.
Even with the grainy image… the resemblance was unmistakable.
Phu.
No glasses.
Cleaner hair.
But the same mouth. The same eyes.
And in the caption below:
> “Phuchit Rattanasak, heir to the Nebula Group, with his mother at the Sukosol Foundation Gala.”
Win stared at the screen, breath shallow.
It was him.
His boss.
The hidden CEO.
The man who'd been watching him, guiding him, touching him with words and looks and restraint—all while hiding this.
He wasn’t just Khun Phu.
He was the Phuchit Rattanasak.
---
Wednesday – 10:12 AM
Win didn’t confront him.
Not yet.
He watched instead.
The way Phu held himself. The slight authority in his posture. How people instinctively cleared space for him without knowing why. It all made sense now.
Phu had been hiding in plain sight.
Why?
And more importantly—why hadn’t he said anything?
---
That Night – Rooftop
Win waited after work. Alone.
Phu came up fifteen minutes later.
“You’re not working tonight?” Phu asked.
“No,” Win said softly. “Just needed air.”
Phu leaned on the railing next to him. Bangkok stretched below them in orange and gold and quiet thunder.
“I know who you are.”
Silence.
Win turned to him. “Phuchit Rattanasak. The real boss.”
Phu didn’t flinch. Didn’t deny.
He just exhaled.
“How long have you known?”
Win shrugged. “Since last night. Confirmed it today.”
Phu nodded, slowly. “I was going to tell you.”
“When?”
“When it was safe.”
“Safe for who?” Win asked. “Me or you?”
Phu looked down. “Both.”
“I feel like an i***t,” Win said. “All this time… I thought you were just a team lead who liked giving me hell. I didn’t know I was being watched. Tested.”
“You weren’t a test,” Phu said quietly.
Win’s voice cracked. “Then what was I?”
Phu stepped closer. “Someone I didn’t expect.”
“Someone you couldn’t resist?” Win bit out. “Even while you lied to me?”
Phu flinched, barely.
Then he said, “I never lied about how I felt.”
Win’s heart hammered.
“Then show me.”
Phu didn’t hesitate this time.
He reached out—hand gentle, fingers brushing along Win’s jaw. The contact sent a shiver down Win’s spine.
Their lips met—finally.
It was slow. Heated. Unrestrained in a way that neither had allowed before. Win curled his fingers into Phu’s shirt, anchoring himself as Phu kissed him like he’d been waiting to do it for weeks.
And he had.
When they pulled apart, breathless, the city still buzzed below them, but up here—everything was still.
“You scare me,” Win whispered.
“Because I’m your boss?”
“No. Because I want more.”
Phu’s voice was rough. “Then take it.”
- Writer
