2

The morning felt different.

Rosario Mehra could feel it the moment she woke up—an unfamiliar mix of excitement and nervous energy settling deep in her chest. Today wasn’t just another day of routine.

Today, she was leaving.

Her suitcase stood neatly packed near the door, a silent reminder that this was real. No last-minute hesitation, no backing out.

Thailand.

A place she had only seen in pictures… and now, she was actually going.

“Rosario, are you ready?” her mother called from outside her room.

“Coming!” she replied, taking one last look around.

Her room felt smaller today. Familiar. Safe.

For a brief second, doubt flickered.

But she pushed it away.

This was her moment.

The airport was crowded, alive with movement and noise. Announcements echoed through the air, people rushed past with luggage, and everything felt fast—almost overwhelming.

Rosario stood between her parents, holding onto her mother’s hand a little tighter than usual.

“Take care of yourself,” her mother said, adjusting Rosario’s hair gently, her voice filled with concern.

“I will, Maa,” Rosario smiled softly.

Her father, quieter but equally emotional, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Call us when you land.”

“I promise.”

There was a brief silence—one of those moments where no one wants to say goodbye, but everyone knows they have to.

Then, with one last hug, Rosario stepped back.

“Go,” her mother said, though her eyes said she didn’t want to let go.

Rosario nodded, turning away before her emotions could catch up with her.

She didn’t look back again.

Because if she did, she might not leave.

Hours later, as the plane descended, Rosario pressed her face slightly toward the window, her eyes widening at the sight below.

Thailand.

The ocean stretched endlessly, shimmering under the sunlight. Islands dotted the landscape, surrounded by deep blue waters.

It was… beautiful.

A soft smile formed on her lips.

She had made it.

The moment she stepped out of the airport, the air felt different—warmer, heavier, unfamiliar. Everything around her was new. The language, the faces, the sounds.

And yet, there was something thrilling about it.

“We’re actually here!” one of her friends exclaimed excitedly.

Rosario laughed, her earlier nervousness fading into pure excitement. “I know!”

After settling in and grabbing a quick meal, the group gathered to decide their next destination.

“So,” her friend said, scrolling through her phone, “we can stay here… or we can go to Phuket.”

“Phuket?” Rosario repeated.

“Beaches, islands, nightlife—it’s basically everything,” her friend grinned. “And it’s not too far.”

Rosario hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

“Let’s do it.”

It felt spontaneous.

Free.

Exactly what she had hoped this trip would be.

At that same time, miles away in Bangkok, Dominic Vireth was already moving.

“Phuket?” one of his men questioned. “Is it necessary for you to go personally?”

Dominic adjusted his cufflinks, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“Yes.”

The answer was short. Final.

“There’s been a complication,” he continued. “I don’t trust anyone else to handle it.”

That was enough explanation.

When Dominic decided something, no one questioned it further.

Within hours, everything was arranged. Travel cleared. Security prepared.

Phuket wasn’t a leisure trip for him.

It was business.

And business, in his world, often came with consequences.

As evening approached, Rosario sat by the window of her hotel room, watching the unfamiliar city move beneath her. Lights flickered to life, and the distant hum of nightlife began to rise.

Tomorrow, she would leave for Phuket.

A new place.

A new experience.

Another step away from the life she had always known.

She smiled to herself, unaware of how much was about to change.

At that very moment, Dominic stepped into his private jet, his mind already focused on what awaited him.

Phuket.

A place of beauty for some.

A place of business for him.

Two journeys had begun.

One filled with excitement.

The other with purpose.