The engine of the bus rumbled softly through the morning air.
Pantawan stood in front of the same old wooden house, a small suitcase resting by her feet. She gazed one last time at Mistveil Coffee Farm, shrouded in white mist.
Every coffee tree, every pathway, and every corner of the house was filled with memories of her father, her mother, and Grandma Bua.
“You have to be strong.”
Uncle Khampan approached and held out a small cloth bag.
“These are coffee beans from the first tree your father planted. Keep them with you. Don’t lose them.”
Pantawan took the cloth bag and held it tightly against her chest.
“I’ll come back... with answers.”
Uncle Khampan nodded before seeing her onto the bus, which was about to leave the village.
The bus slowly made its way down the mountain.
Turn after turn, it passed pine forests, streams, and a sea of clouds that gradually faded away.
Pantawan looked out the window, tears welling in her eyes before she even realized it.
She had never left Mae Hong Son alone before.
This time... everything was different.
It wasn’t a trip.
It was a journey to uncover the truth.
Several hours later
Chiang Mai Airport
This was the first time Pantawan had ever flown.
The flight announcements, the voices of the people, and the chaos all around her made her feel both excited and nervous.
She pulled out the Phutawan Group document envelope and read it again.
Position applied for
Assistant coffee product developer
“I can do this.”
She whispered the words to herself.
One hour later
The plane touched down at Bangkok.
When the airport doors opened, the heat and the never-ending roar of traffic told Pantawan at once that a new world had begun for her.
She hailed a taxi to the address listed in the documents.
Along the way, skyscrapers lined both sides of the road, enormous billboards towered overhead, and hurried crowds made the young woman from the mountain stare at everything in wonder.
Suddenly, her eyes caught on a gigantic digital billboard covering one of the buildings.
“PHUTAWAN GROUP—The Future of Thai Coffee”
Beneath the sign was an image of a young man in a black suit. His features were handsome, but his eyes were cold.
His name appeared in bold letters:
Kirin Wattanakorn, executive vice president
Pantawan stared at the image for a moment before clutching the document envelope in her hand.
“We’ll meet... sooner than I thought.”
At the same time
Thirty-fifth floor, Phutawan Group headquarters
The young man whose face appeared on the billboard was studying an applicant’s file on his desk.
His secretary entered with another stack of documents.
“Mr. Kirin, the applicant from Mae Hong Son has arrived in Bangkok.”
Kirin glanced at the name on the file.
Pantawan Arunsiri
He didn’t know why...
But the moment he saw that surname, his heart skipped a beat.
He slowly closed the file and spoke in an even tone.
“Tomorrow... I’ll conduct the interview myself.”
His secretary froze. In all the years she had worked there, the company’s executive vice president had never once come down to interview a new employee in person.
But this time...
He had chosen to do it himself.
Unaware that the young woman from the mountain about to step into his company would be the one to change his entire life—and reveal a secret that had been hidden for more than twenty-five years.