Chapter 4

The air conditioning in the company Toyota Corolla was not broken, but for Lena, it was emotionally broken. It wheezed. It rattled. And it smelled vaguely of wet dog and stale mints.

​”Are we there yet?” Lena groaned, pressing her forehead against the passenger window. She refused to drive. Nut was behind the wheel, gripping it with white-knuckled terror because Lena had spent the last ninety minutes critiquing his lane changes.

​”..almost, Khun Lena,” Nut said, his eyes darting to the GPS. “The GPS says… 1.2 kilometers. Turn left at the next intersection.”

​Outside, the scenery had shifted from the sleek skyscrapers of Bangkok to the grey, dusty sprawl of the Chonburi Industrial Estate. Huge trucks thundered past them, carrying shipping containers. The sky wasn’t blue here; it was a hazy, industrial white.

​”Look at this place,” Lena muttered, watching a cement truck rumble by. “It’s a wasteland. How do people live here? My skin is already clogging up just looking at the air.”

​”I heard Chonburi has… nice seafood?” Nut offered weakly.

​”I don’t eat seafood unless it’s served on a bed of ice by a waiter named Pierre. Turn left, Nut! You’re going to miss it!”

​Nut swerved the Corolla sharply to the left, narrowly missing a stray dog. They bounced over a pothole-thud-that made Lena’s teeth rattle.

​”My spine!” Lena shrieked. “That pothole just aged me five years!”

​They drove through a large metal gate flanked by security guards. A sign, rusted but sturdy, read:

TAECHAMONGKALAPIWAT MANUFACTURING CO., LTD
Established 1978

​The factory compound was massive. It wasn’t just a building; it was a city. There were huge warehouses, silos, a waste treatment plant, and a main office building that looked like it hadn’t been painted since the 90s. It was functional, grey, and utterly devoid of glamour.

​Nut parked the sad little Toyota in a spot marked VISITOR, right next to a line of pristine, heavy-duty pickup trucks.

​Lena stepped out of the car. The heat hit her instantly. It was a humid, heavy heat that stuck to her silk blouse. The noise was overwhelming-the hiss of steam, the clanking of metal, the roar of machinery.

​”Gross,” she whispered, adjusting her sunglasses. “Let’s get this over with. I want the contract signed by lunch so we can leave.”

​They walked up the steps to the main office. The glass doors slid open, blasting them with cold air. The lobby was clean but dated. Terrazzo floors, a wooden reception desk, and a portrait of the King on the wall.

​A receptionist looked up. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, just a polo shirt with the company logo.

​”Sawatdee ka,” the receptionist smiled. “Can I help you?”

​”I am Lena Schuett,” Lena announced, taking off her sunglasses. She waited for the recognition. The gasp. The scramble to find a manager.

​The receptionist blinked. “Okay. Do you have an appointment?”

​Lena’s eye twitched. “I am Lena Schuett. From Schuett Cosmetics? We are here to see… whoever is in charge. My sister, Pimpisa, sent an email.”

​”Ah, Schuett Cosmetics,” the receptionist typed slowly on her keyboard. “Yes. Khun Pim sent a request for a site visit. But… hmm. It says here the status is Pending Approval.”

​”Pending?” Lena’s voice rose. “I am here. In person. I drove two hours in a Corolla. I am not pending.”

​”One moment, please.” The receptionist picked up a landline. “Khun Som? Yes, there are visitors from Schuett in the lobby. No appointment. Yes. Okay.”

​She hung up. “Khun Som, the QC Manager, will come down to greet you. Please take a seat.”

​She gestured to a waiting area with blue plastic chairs.

​”Plastic,” Lena hissed to Nut. “I am not sitting on plastic. It ruins the fabric of my trousers.”

​She stood, arms crossed, tapping her Gucci loafer impatiently on the floor. Five minutes passed. Then ten.

​Finally, the double doors behind the reception swung open. A woman walked out. She was wearing a white lab coat over jeans and a safety vest. She had a clipboard in one hand and looked like she hadn’t slept in a week.

​”Sawatdee ka,” the woman said briskly. “I’m Som. Quality Control Manager. I wasn’t told you were coming today.”

​”Well, we are here,” Lena said coldly. “We need to speak to the owner. Or the CEO. Whoever makes the decisions.”

​Som sighed, checking her watch. “The CEO, Khun Win, is in a meeting at the BoI (Board of Investment). He won’t be back until tomorrow.”

​”Tomorrow?!” Lena looked at Nut, horrified.

​”And the Head of Production…” Som hesitated, glancing at the ceiling as if asking for patience. “She is currently on the floor fixing a mixer. We are in the middle of a critical run for a Japanese client. We are extremely busy.”

​”Listen, Khun Som,” Lena stepped forward, using her full height. “We are not just ‘some client.’ We are Schuett. We are looking to move our entire Silk Skin production line here. That is a contract worth fifty million Baht a year. Now, are you going to give me a tour, or do I call my sister and tell her this factory is too disorganized to handle our business?”

​Som stared at Lena. She didn’t look intimidated. She looked… amused?

​​”Fifty million is a decent number,” Som said calmly. “But to be honest? We are fully booked. Every single machine is running 24/7 for other clients until next year. We literally don’t have the space to take your order.”

​Som paused, looking Lena up and down. “However… since you drove all the way here…” She gestured to a rack of safety gear by the door. “Put these on. I can give you twenty minutes. But you have to wear the gear. Safety regulations.”

​She pointed to a pile of neon yellow vests, hard hats, and-worst of all-disposable hairnets.

​Lena looked at the hairnet. It was blue. It was crinkly. It was hideous.

​”I am not wearing that,” Lena stated.

​”Then you don’t go on the floor,” Som shrugged. “Your choice.”

​Lena looked at Nut. Nut looked at the floor.

​”Fine,” Lena snatched the hairnet. She pulled it over her perfectly styled waves, feeling a piece of her soul die. She jammed the hard hat on top.

​”Happy?” she snapped.

​Som suppressed a smile. “Thrilled. Follow me. And don’t touch anything. Some of the chemicals can burn through silk.”

​Lena paled. She clutched her handbag tighter and marched after Som, deeper into the belly of the beast.