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[Duskfall]

A luxury car pulled into the driveway of an extravagant mansion. The staff immediately recognized the car's owner and hurried forward to greet her. The car door opened, and out stepped a tall, slender young woman holding a paper bag. Her face was sweet and approachable, and when she smiled at the bowing staff, that smile alone seemed enough to steal their breath away.

- The eldest Young Lady is just too beautiful when she smiles...

Soft murmurs spread behind her back, but the young woman didn't seem to mind. She was used to it. Removing her dark sunglasses, she revealed a flawless face, so striking it made several of the onlookers flush and stumble over their own hearts.

- Sis!

From the house came a tall figure running up to her. The hug came without hesitation, as did the radiant smile and the familiar, affectionate gaze.

- You're back! - Orm Kornnaphat beamed. - I have missed you so much!

- Do you miss me... or the gifts I'm bringing home? - Lingling Kwong let Orm Kornnaphat wrap her in a hug, one arm sliding naturally around the little girl's slender waist. Her voice was playful and indulgent.

- Of course I miss you! - Orm pouted adorably. - Didn't you miss me too?

- I did... - Lingling's gaze softened as she looked into those rare amber eyes. - I miss you so much...

Orm lit up when Lingling said she'd missed her. Lingling's deep brown eyes sparkled with delight. Orm squinted slightly, as if working something out in her head, and then boldly leaned in close...but a paper bag suddenly came between their faces.

- Hey... - Orm's smile drooped.

- What? - Lingling grinned. - Don't want your gift?

- I do! - Orm let go of Lingling and snatched the bag, but gave Lingling a sulky side-eye.

- What's with the sulk? - Lingling chuckled.

- You didn't let me kiss you! - Orm huffed, clearly wounded.

- You little... - Lingling sighed. - You have grown up now. You can't go around kissing people like that anymore.

- What people? It's just you! - Orm shot back without missing a beat.

- Even if it's me...it's still not appropriate. - Lingling Kwong felt a bit helpless with Orm Kornnaphat.

- Why not? Didn't you always let me kiss you all the time before, and you even kissed me back? - Orm Kornnaphat said, unconvinced.

- That was when you were a little. You're twenty now. You can't play around like that anymore, understand? - Lingling said gently, trying to soothe the little girl in front of her.

- But I...

- Lingling's right, dear. Stop teasing her already!

A warm, maternal voice rang out from inside the house. Two figures appeared, Orm's parents.

- Papa, Mae, I'm home! - Lingling greeted them with genuine joy on her face. - I brought gifts for everyone!

Lingling Kwong gestured for someone to bring the bags in, and the butler arranged for her luggage to be taken care of.

- I asked the cook to prepare your favorite dishes. You must be tired after the flight. - said Koy Narumol, walking up to Lingling and gently cupping her face.

- Not tired at all. It's not my first time flying, Mae. Don't worry. - Lingling said, smiling as she held Mae Koy's warm hand.

- How are things over there? - asked Oct Sethratanapong.

- All fine, Papa. I've sorted out a few things...

- Enough with the business talk... - Mae Koy cut in. - She just got home. Let her rest. You two can talk about work later at the company, alright?

Lingling Kwong and Papa Oct exchanged knowing smiles and shrugged in sync. The family of four made their way into the dining room. Lingling looked at the happily married couple ahead of her and their young daughter walking by her side. Warmth bloomed in her chest.

Lingling Kwong had been adopted by the Sethratanapongs when she was six. Lingling's biological parents, close friends of Mae Koy and Papa Oct, had passed away tragically in a car accident, leaving Lingling Kwong orphaned overnight. Her extended family, the Kwongs, had immediately pounced, each relative more interested in the inheritance than in the little girl herself. All they wanted was legal guardianship to claim her parents' assets.

But none of them had expected that Lingling's parents had already prepared a legal document, granting full custody to their best friends, Koy and Oct Sethratanapong , in the event of their deaths. As Lingling grew older, she came to understand why: her parents had foreseen betrayal from within their own family, driven by greed and power.

And so, Lingling Kwong became the honored eldest daughter of the Sethratanapong household. Mae Koy always said Lingling would carry on the legacy her parents left behind. To the world, they announced proudly that Lingling was their adopted daughter. Lingling Kwong was raised under the Sethratanapongs' care, nurtured and protected like one of their own.

When Lingling was seven, the Sethratanapongs welcomed their first biological child, a baby girl with rare amber eyes. Lingling still remembered cradling the infant in her arms as Papa Oct gently guided her. The little baby had a chubby, angelic face, eyes wide with curiosity, and when she looked up and saw Lingling's face, she burst into laughter.

- I'll protect her... for this life.

The words came unexpectedly from seven-year-old Lingling, surprising both Mae Koy and Papa Oct, who glanced at each other with a smile.

- And we'll protect you. - Papa Oct said, kneeling to ruffle her hair with a warm voice.

- What's her name? - Lingling asked, eyes full of wonder.

- Kornnaphat Sethratanapong. - Papa Oct replied. - But we will call her Orm.

- Orm Kornnaphat Sethratanapong... - Lingling Kwong repeated softly to herself, committing the name behind those amber eyes to her memory. - Nong Orm, I'm Lingling Kwong.

She told the giggling baby in her arms, eyes shining with affection. In that moment, Lingling Kwong silently vowed to devote her whole life to cherishing this little girl. To cherishing Orm Kornnaphat.

In the twenty years of Orm Kornnaphat's life, Lingling Kwong was present at every milestone, big or small. Lingling stepped in as a second mother, feeding Orm those first spoons of baby porridge, bathing her, taking her to school and picking her up again each afternoon. Lingling Kwong was there for every birthday. When Orm fell and got hurt while playing, Lingling would carry her home on her back, blowing gently on the wounds all night long so Orm could sleep soundly. Lingling would even skip a hangout with her best friend, Jaja, without a second thought if Orm refused to eat in Lingling's absence.

And so it went, twenty years, over 7,300 days, in which Lingling Kwong gave all her tenderness and affection for Orm Kornnaphat.

At twenty years old, Lingling was already eligible to inherit the Kwong legacy, but she chose not to return right away. Instead, Lingling remained in the Sethratanapong household to work and learn. She had noticed that her youngest aunt, the only one who supported the Sethratanapong couple in becoming her legal guardians, was handling company affairs brilliantly. Lingling understood she wasn't ready to take over yet. And so, she stayed.

Five years later, Lingling Kwong began managing several subsidiaries of the Kwong group, yet still she did not leave Sethratanapong. This, to Papa Oct's quiet delight. The two families weren't rivals, and Lingling's capabilities were beneficial to his business. Lingling, too, was willing to stay, wanting to help Papa Oct until Orm Kornnaphat and Art Sethratanapong, his younger son, were ready to take over the family business.

Now, at twenty years old, Orm Kornnaphat had begun easing into her role at the company. She was a business prodigy, true, but even prodigies wither without tempering. Art Sethratanapong, still studying at boarding school, rarely came home.

The dining table was full with dishes Lingling loved. Warmth swelled quietly in her chest. Without the Sethratanapongs, her life might have taken a much darker turn. But they had taken her in, given her warmth, and even bring her that glimmer of light that lit up her once dim world. Lingling glanced to the little girl sitting beside her. That light, in her eyes, had always been blindingly beautiful, so radiant, it left her spellbound.

- Eat up, will you? Stop staring at me! - Orm Kornnaphat laughed when she caught Lingling's gaze.

- Nong Orm looks thinner lately, doesn't she? - Lingling Kwong frowned.

- I... I'm not... - Orm stammered, looking guilty.

- You're on a diet?

- I...

- Don't lie to me!

- Okay... I just thought I was getting a bit chubby... - Orm mumbled, eyes lowered, avoiding Lingling's gaze.

- I don't think so at all. - Lingling's tone turned stern. She picked up her chopsticks and, in a few deft moves, filled Orm's plate.

- But...

- Eat up. No more dieting, okay? You're already too skinny.

- I still feel chubby...

- Then go to the gym with me.

- Nooo~ that's exhausting... - Orm pouted. Unlike Lingling, who was diligent with her workouts, Orm's coordination and stamina was almost tragically hopeless.

Lingling glanced at the little girl staring down at her plate and chuckled. Lingling reached over and gently ruffled Orm's hair.

- Be a good girl. You're already fit. No need to lose anymore weight.

- Khap~~! - Orm turned and nodded with a grin, eyes twinkling. Orm loved it when Lingling was soft with her like this.

The Sethratanapong couple looked at the two girls and couldn't help but smile. It was a meal brimming with warmth, filled only with laughter, chatter, and the quiet hum of happiness.

Later that night, Lingling Kwong and Orm Kornnaphat took a walk in the garden. Lingling strolled beside Orm. The little girl Lingling once knew was now this tall, even slightly taller than herself. Lingling mused that in a few more years, Orm might outgrow her.

- What are you thinking about? - Orm stepped in front of Lingling, bent slightly, and looked up into her face.

- Thinking that my Nong Orm is already this tall, and will probably outgrow me soon. - Lingling smiled softly.

- If you don't want me to be taller, I'll always bend lower than you, okay?

- No need for that! - Lingling laughed.

- Why not?

- Your knees will get sore.

- I don't mind!

- Silly girl! - Lingling chuckled.

Orm looked up at the unguarded, carefree smile blooming on Lingling's face, eyes curling into crescents, lips like a crescent moon, teeth bright as porcelain, that tiny mole dotting her left cheek, Lingling's cheeks tinged with a pink so faint it glowed. Since the moment Orm became aware of the world, she had carved this smile into the deepest part of her memory.

- Your smile... it's beautiful. - The words slipped from Orm's lips, soft and warm like a breeze.

Lingling's smile faded for a beat. She turned to meet Orm's amber eyes, so still and intense. Orm's features were exquisite, heart-shaped lips, porcelain skin. A breeze drifted through the garden, brushing past Lingling's face and carrying a sweet, powdery scent into her lungs, then permeated every corner of her soul. She knew that perfume, Orm's usual fragrance, but it was more than that. There was something in her skin, something singular and unforgettable. A scent no other person could replicate.

The air suddenly turned strange.

Orm Kornnaphat had been gazing into Lingling Kwong's eyes, but now her eyes shifted lower... to those full lips. And Lingling Kwong, as if drawn by the same gravity, did exactly the same. For a moment, both of them stared at each other's lips, unmoving. A simultaneous swallow. Breaths turned slightly ragged.

And then... *a sudden flicking sound*

- What was that for? That hurts! - Orm winced, rubbing her forehead where Lingling had flicked her.

- Where did you learn to look at someone like that, huh? - Lingling frowned, eyes wide. She was grateful she'd snapped out of it in time, just a little later, and something might've really happened.

- Look at someone like how? - Orm tilted her head, grinning with innocent mischief.

- Like you were about to devour them whole! - Lingling gently rubbed the spot she had flicked Orm. - Don't look at people like that again, got it?

- Got it... - Orm chuckled softly.

Orm hadn't meant to stare like that. It was just that... Lingling's smile had been too beautiful, too radiant, it drew her in, like gravity around a star.

Orm stood still, letting Lingling gently rub her forehead. Then they both walked over to a bench by the little pond.

- Sis... - Orm's voice barely stirred the air.

- Hmm? - Lingling turned to her.

- What does it feel like... to like someone? - Orm asked, eyes steady on Lingling's face.

- Why do you ask? - Lingling didn't answer directly. - Do you like someone?

- No... - Orm shook her head, gaze distant. - I just got a love confession from a senior boy in my department.

Lingling said nothing. She felt a dull, aching pinch in her chest, but her expression remained placid. She drew a quiet breath, carefully choosing her next words.

- What's he like?

- He's the department heartthrob, everyone knows him. - Orm smiled, carefree.

- And... how are you planning to respond? - Lingling asked carefully.

- I'm still unsure. Kwang said I should try dating at least once. I mean, I've never dated anyone before... - Orm's voice softened. - That's why I wanted to ask for your opinion.

Again, silence fell between them. If Lingling could choose, she'd tell her not to do it. Absolutely not. But she couldn't say that. Not out loud. The turmoil in her chest churned quietly.

- What about you? - Orm suddenly turned the question around.

- Me?

- I've never seen you date anyone.

- You haven't seen it doesn't mean it hasn't happened. - Lingling smiled faintly. She had, in fact, been in several relationships.

- So you hid it from me? - Orm pouted.

- Not hidden. You were still too young, it wasn't something for you to worry about. - Lingling let out a helpless laugh, her little princess was sulking again.

- When was the last time you dated someone? - Orm pressed.

- About three months ago... - Lingling's gaze faltered.

- Was it a man or a woman?

- Huh?

- I'm asking, was it a man or a woman?

- What kind of question is that? - Lingling couldn't meet Orm's eyes.

- I remember back in school, you had so many girls around you. And now at work too, you're surrounded by female staff who clearly adore you. - Orm narrowed her eyes, studying Lingling's profile.

- I...

- It was a woman, wasn't it?

- ...Yeah.

- What did it feel like? - Orm continued.

- What do you mean?

- Did you kiss her?

- I did... - Lingling admitted, but still couldn't look Orm in the eye.

- How did it feel? - Orm asked, her voice oddly flat, as if holding back something unnameable.

- Nothing! - Lingling replied honestly. She also didn't know why, no matter how many people she dated, she had never felt anything when she kissed them.

- Have you... done that? - Orm asked quietly, serious.

- Orm... what are you even asking?

- So you have. - Orm frowned.

- ...Yeah. - Lingling nodded, lips pressed tight.

- So you let someone else touch you?

- No... - Lingling answered instinctively, not realizing the tone Orm had taken on - ...Only me touching them.

- Did you like it?

- No... - Lingling shook her head, her voice low.

Lingling sighed. Maybe she was frigid or something. Physical intimacy never stirred anything in her. Every time she did it, it was just to appease the relationship, to do what was expected. That's why all her relationships fizzled out. They all said she didn't love them. And maybe, they weren't wrong.

- So if I dated someone, I'd have to kiss them. And then... sleep with them, right? - Orm murmured, more like to herself than anyone.

- Orm! - Lingling's voice sharpened, brows furrowing.

- Why are you raising your voice at me? - Orm pouted again.

- Do you even know what you're saying?

- You dated. You kissed. You did that. Why is it wrong if I do the same? - Orm tilted her head, eyebrow arched with challenge.

- Because you're still a child...

- I'm twenty!

- It won't be safe.

- I know how to protect myself!

Lingling's eyes turned cold. A slow, simmering fury began to coil in her chest, curling like smoke in her veins. And along with it, bitterness, sharp, acidic, rising to her head. She imagined Orm kissing someone else. Touching someone else. Lying beneath someone else.

Her blood boiled.

Teeth clenched, Lingling said nothing. Her lips pressed into a hard line, and for the first time in a long time, she found it nearly impossible to breathe.

Orm Kornnaphat could tell that Lingling Kwong was trying hard to suppress her anger. Fearless, she got up and walked over, bent down until her face was close to Lingling's, and let her unique scent surround Lingling Kwong. Orm's amber eyes glimmered with mischief as she looked into Lingling's face.

- You don't want me to love anyone, do you? - Orm's voice was soft, almost teasing.

- Who you love is your business. Why ask me? - Lingling's reply was cold. The fire in her chest didn't waver in the slightest.

- So you're okay with me kissing someone, doing all sorts of things with someone else? - Orm said boldly, undeterred.

- Up to you! - Lingling spat out the words, her voice icy. She slammed her hand on the bench, dodged past Orm, and walked away.

Orm stared after Lingling's furious figure and broke into a grin. Then she quickly chased after her, grabbing Lingling's hand to stop her from leaving.

- I was just joking. Don't be mad! - Orm ran ahead and blocked her path, putting on her most innocent face.

- What kind of joke was that? - Lingling was clearly unamused.

- All my friends have had one or two relationships. I'm just curious!

- Curios in such a way is a bad habit!

- So what, I can never fall in love for my whole life? - Orm blinked up at her with wide eyes.

- Wait until you're a little older before talking about love. You're still just a kid!

- And when exactly am I not a kid?

Lingling fell silent, thinking it over for a moment, then looked at Orm and pronounced flatly.

- When you graduate. That's when.

- So... two more years?

- Yep. So until then, behave yourself. No silly romances, you hear me?

- Roger that! - Orm grinned and nodded, accepting the order.

- Let's go back inside.

- Can I sleep with you tonight, Sis?

- No.

- Why not?

- Because I'm punishing you for talking nonsense.

- Please, P'Lingling! It's been so long since I last got to sleep with you!

- No negotiation.

- Pretty please...

Orm put on her most adorable face, whining and pouting until Lingling gave in, as she always had for all those years, and let Orm crawl into bed with her like old times.

Lying on the big bed, Orm snuggled right into Lingling's arms, breathing in the faint scent of her skin mingled with her body wash. Orm laughed softly, then drifted peacefully into sleep.

Lingling instinctively wrapped her arms around Orm. She'd been away on business for over three months and hadn't slept well at all. Ever since she was little, Lingling could only truly sleep when Orm was beside her.

Thinking of what Orm had said during their walk, a vague ache stirred in Lingling's chest. She gently brushed Orm's hair, her heart heavy with a strange sorrow.

One day, this girl in her arms would no longer be here. Orm would lie beside someone else, belong to someone else. Lingling felt her chest tighten, the pain sharp and real. Her arms instinctively tightened around Orm, as if she could etch Orm into her very soul.

Eventually, Lingling drifted into sleep. For years, her dreams had always been sweet. But tonight, for the first time, she had a nightmare. For the first time, with Orm beside her, Lingling woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding. Her eyes fluttered open, only to find tears streaming silently down her face, soaking into the pillow.

Lingling looked down at the sleeping girl in her arms. Orm's face was peaceful, serene. Lingling bit her lip to suppress the sob threatening to escape.

She had dreamed of the day Orm stood beside someone else. Dreamed of Orm on a wedding aisle with another person. Dreamed of Orm smiling in love, but not with her.

Her chest felt so tight she could barely breathe. Gently, Lingling eased her arm out from beneath Orm's head and slipped out of bed. She went into the bathroom and stared at her reflection in the mirror, silently scolding herself for losing control.

Lingling Kwong is in love with Orm Kornnaphat.

Lingling had realized this irrational love a year ago. She once thought her feelings were those of a big sister, wanting to protect, to care. But they weren't. The urge to possess Orm had grown stronger every day. Lingling wanted to hold Orm. To kiss her. To do things she shouldn't. She kept reminding herself: Orm was her little sister. Mr. and Mrs. Sethratanapong loved her like their own daughter. Lingling couldn't hurt them. Couldn't let her feelings destroy everything beautiful between them.

But today, when Orm Kornnaphat said she wanted to try dating, wanted to kiss someone, wanted to do reckless things with someone else, Lingling Kwong felt like going mad, like unleashing the possessiveness within her. But she didn't dare. She didn't want to hurt Orm Kornnaphat. That little girl treated her as a big sister, and she didn't want to jeopardize such beautiful bond they have now.

Besides, even if she could love women... Orm couldn't.

Mae Koy and Papa Oct would never accept it.

Two years ago, when Lingling first dated a girl, she had seen the disappointment in their eyes. Though they eventually let it go and still treated her kindly, she knew. Perhaps they thought that because Lingling Kwong wasn't blood-related and wasn't a Sethratanapong by birth, who she loved, or any scandals it might cause, it wouldn't tarnish the Sethratanapong name.

The more Lingling Kwong thought about it, the more she tried to keep her own relationships quiet. But no matter how many people she dated, no matter how many women she met, none stirred her the way Orm Kornnaphat did. None made her heart race the way this girl could.

Lingling returned to bed. As soon as she slipped under the covers, Orm immediately turned and embraced her again. Lingling's brown eyes filled with pain and longing as she looked at the little girl she loved.

Lingling Kwong exhaled softly, wrapped her arms around Orm Kornnaphat, and whispered silently in her heart...

"I know the day will come when I'll have to let you go... So let me hold onto this warmth, just a little longer, while I still can."

- - - END CHAPTER 01 - - -