“What do you think, Nicole?”
Nicole was stumped too. She deliberately made Yoda prune the shrubs near them so he could listen in on the conversation with Sheila.
After all, this concerned the company he so painstakingly built.
Yoda stood there and listened to Sheila’s woes. He was upset about the situation as well, thinking that Davin was slacking off. It wasn’t as if Davin had no way out.
“Sheila, go on and have your tea. I’m going to change.”
“Alright,” said Sheila, taking a sip.
Nicole gave Yoda a wink. Motionlessly, he stood up and followed her, carrying a large plant in his hands.
As soon as he caught up, Nicole immediately asked him what he planned to do.
“If you keep concealing your identity like this, the Seet group is really going to suffer,” she said ruefully.
Yoda pursed his lips and replied, “Yet Davin really needs a push. I think he needs to be taught a lesson.”
“And how do you plan on doing that?”
Before Yoda could answer, he heard a loud cough from behind him.
He turned around to see both Juan and Kyle glaring at them both, arms akimbo.
“Why are you two here?” asked Nicole, clearly puzzled by their sudden emergence.
“It’s the weekend, of course we’ll be at home!”
Crap! I had completely forgotten about the kids! Nicole looked at Yoda with mild panic in her eyes.
Kyle folded his arms and appraised Yoda coolly. “And who are you really?”
Juan chose not to mince his words. “You’re Daddy, aren’t you?”
Yoda stared at them impassively, before replying, “You can only find out if you fulfill my conditions.”
“What conditions?”
Yoda crouched and whispered something into the boy’s ears. Surprisingly, they were a little happy to hear about his request.
“One lesson for Davin Seet, coming right up!” said Kyle enthusiastically.
“But I can’t bring myself to play tricks on Uncle Davin like that,” replied Juan hesitantly.
“Well, just assume he’s the enemy!”
“But is he an enemy?”
The two children then made their way back to their room as they discussed what had to be done.
“But why did you ask the kids to teach Davin a lesson?” asked Nicole to Yoda.
“We know that Levant will act, but we’re unsure of how big a commotion it will be. If Davin is to lead the Seet Group in his current state, how is the company going to pull through?”
“Well, if you want him to change, I might have a suggestion.” As Nicole said this, her eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief.
He turned to look at her with curiosity.
Nicole giggled. “Well, give him a good scare!”
Scare him?
Evan was taken aback by the suggestion. “Well, I suppose we can try…” he said, trailing off.
Meanwhile, the real reason why Nicole invited Sheila and Davin over for dinner was to discuss the Seet Group’s affairs properly. Things were going according to plan, for now.
Sheila, having learnt of this, immediately phoned Davin.
“He said he’ll come over, Nicole,” she said after a brief call.
“That settles it then. I’ll have the kitchen prepare dinner.”
Juan and Kyle who were lurking close by shared a look. The boys knew that this would be an unpleasant prank but hoped that their uncle would forgive them for this minor transgression.
“Are you two ready?” asked Nicole.
“Relax, Mommy. Just make sure you sit next to Ms. Sheila and have Uncle Davin sit with us.”
“Very well.”
Davin drove straight to Imperial Garden and parked his car in the garage. He had barely walked two steps towards the door when he suddenly tripped over.
It was a close shave, but he managed to stop himself from falling. He straightened himself shakily and warily looked around the compound, hoping to find what tripped him.
“That’s odd. What the hell was that?”
With that, he suddenly felt his vision go dark and crumpled to the ground.
Some time had passed when Davin awoke. The first sight that greeted him was Juan and Kyle, perched at the edge of his bed.
“You’re awake, Uncle Davin! Here, have some water.”
Davin took the glass from them gratefully and lifted it to his lips. Immediately, he spat the water out.
Sputtering, Davin asked, “What on earth is this? It’s so bitter!”
Little did he know that the boys had added a little nail-biting deterrent to the water. It was odorless, but extremely bitter all the same.
Sighing, Kyle walked over with a test report. “You’ve injured your head and caused some damage to the brain. Whatever you eat and drink in the future will be bitter.”
Davin took the report and had a closer look. “Impossible! How did I get brain damage from that? I only slipped!”
“You’re up? Hurry, dinner’s getting cold!” called Sheila from the doorway. Her expression was grim.
Davin got up and walked towards the dining room without a word. A fall can do this to my taste buds? Yeah right.
