Zong Yanxi flinched and moved away from him, a little taken aback by the sudden intimacy.
Tawan, on the other hand, was unfazed by it. “Your hair is messy.”
She raised her hand to tuck the loose strands of hair behind her ear. “Thanks.”
Sorn glanced at the two of them and grinned, taking another bite from the sweetsop fruit in front of her. She noticed the beautifully-wrapped box on the table and asked, “Daddy, what’s inside that box?”
“Clothes,” Tawan replied.
“Who is it for?” Sorn asked.
When Tawan told her that it was for Zong Yanxi, Sorn grabbed Zong Yanxi’s arm and told her to open it.
Zong Yanxi squirmed in her seat. “I’ll rather not.”
“You should at least try it! What if you don’t like it?” Sorn insisted. “Give it a try!”
Zong Yanxi sighed and opened the box to reveal a black gown nestled inside.
She could not tell what brand it was from, but it was obvious that the material used to make the gown was one of a kind. As she moved it around, the hidden patterns on the pitch black fabric shimmered under the light.
“Put it on!” Sorn cheered, reaching out to stroke the fabric. “It’s so silky!”
Zong Yanxi flicked her forehead lightly. “Keep quiet, kid!”
“Huh?” Sorn asked, blinking in confusion.
“You’re a noisy little girl!” Zong Yanxi chided, pretending to be angry.
Sorn fell silent.
Before Zong Yanxi knew it, Sorn had clambered into Tawan’s lap with a hurt look on her face. “Daddy! She’s not cute at all!”
Zong Yanxi was speechless.
Tawan glanced at her, and she lowered her gaze to the gown in the box to avoid making eye contact.
“Put it on. We’re going out at six-thirty,” Tawan said. “You can ask Sally to help you out.”
He turned to Sally and said, “Can you take the gown to the room for Ms. Zong, please?”
Sally walked over and took the gown from Zong Yanxi. “I’ll take my leave first, Ms. Zong.”
She refused to even look at Tawan even though he had been the one giving the order.
Tawan pursed his lips. I think I know why she’s acting like this…
He sighed.
“Daddy, why are you sighing?” Sorn asked, looking up into his eyes.
Tawan picked her up instead of answering her question. “Let’s go and feed the fishes, shall we?”
“Alright!” Sorn chirped.
The fishes were kept in a water-filled rectangular hole in the ground, where they swam around happily amongst the seaweed and rocks.
Sorn took the fish food and threw them into the pond by the handful, while Tawan stared at the window of Zong Yanxi’s room.
Meanwhile, inside the room…
Zong Yanxi slipped into the gown easily, awed by how fitting it was.
The seams of the gown traced the outline of her body perfectly, bringing out her natural curviness.
Sally stood by and studied her from head to toe. “It looks great on you,” she said in Thai.
Zong Yanxi smiled. “Thanks for the help, Sally. You may leave now.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. I’ll manage on my own.”
Sally nodded. “Alright then.”
She walked out of the room quietly.
Zong Yanxi sat before the dressing table and put on some simple makeup to match her gown.
I shouldn’t turn up bare-faced and embarrass Tawan…
Meanwhile, Sally walked over to the pond in the courtyard and told Tawan, “Ms. Zong said that she’s fine on her own.”
Tawan nodded before looking up at her suddenly. “Can you come with me, Sally?”
“Yes, Sir,” Sally said.
Tawan led Sally to the storage room upstairs where the family treasures were kept. Centuries worth of gold, diamonds and property contracts piled high on the floor, while the jewelry were kept in boxes hidden from view.
Tawan opened the closest box to them and took out a red velvet box. “Give this to Ms. Zong,” he said, handing the box to Sally.
Sally looked up at him. “Wasn’t this Ma’am’s favorite accessory set?”
Sally’s mother had been Tawan’s mother’s favorite maid, and she had since retired from her job. When Sally was a kid, she visited the mansion regularly, and her impression of Tawan’s mother was excellent.
All the maids that chose to stay held the family in high regard.
Sally had seen Tawan’s mother with the accessories on more than one occasion, and her own mother had described to her just how much Tawan’s mother loved that particular accessory set.
Tawan did not bother to explain any further. “Give it to her,” he repeated.
Sally nodded. “Sure.”
I’m sure he has his own objectives…
After Sally left, Tawan walked out and closed the door behind him. The traditional lock on the door had since been replaced with the most cutting-edge anti-theft technology out there that required facial recognition, fingerprint recognition and a Morse code password to disengage.
As for the accessories, they have indeed been his mother’s favorite. In fact, it symbolized her high status in the Thitipoom family.
Tawan’s grandmother had passed on the accessory set to his mother, and she had taken great care of it since. In fact, she only wore the accessory set during important events.
Unfortunately, she passed away at a young age. On her deathbed, she had told Tawan to only give the accessory set to the woman he loved.
He had been following the rules the whole time, despite having feelings for Zong Yanxi. Now that she had gotten a divorce, he felt that he had a chance.
Back in the room, Zong Yanxi was almost done enhancing her already-gorgeous features with her makeup when Sally knocked on her door.
“Come in,” she said, and Sally walked in with the velvet box in tow.
“What’s that?” Zong Yanxi asked.
Sally opened the box to reveal a beautifully-crafted set of sapphire accessories.
The accessories included in the set were a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of ear studs, a ring, a brooch and a hairpin.
Every gem was of top-tier quality, and their deep blue color was consistent throughout.
It was already rare to find a sliver of raw sapphire crystals of such high quality, much less find enough to produce a whole set of accessories.
The giant sapphire gem on the necklace was around the same size as the pink diamond she had, though the sapphire on the necklace was surrounded by several others, unlike her lone pink diamond.
Zong Yanxi had been through a lot, but she still felt that the accessory set was overkill. Her own necklace would do the job just fine.
Sally put the box on the table and picked up the necklace carefully. I’m sure Tawan wants to see her wearing this accessory set…
