“We’ll discuss further once you arrive.” Evan hung up the call after that.
Davin took a moment to process their conversation in silence but was left puzzled. Ah! I’ll just make a trip to Imperial Garden and get more details.
Back in Imperial Garden, the doctor carefully cleaned and bandaged Nina’s wounds before giving her a jab.
Nina was as pale as a sheet as she tried to withstand the pain but tears still welled up in the corner of her eyes.
“Nina, does it still hurt?” asked Evan worriedly. In response, Nina just silently shook her head.
It was obvious that Nina was just putting up a strong front through both the physical pain from the bite and the emotional pain from what had just happened.
After the doctor left, Evan had Kyle look after Nicole in the next room. The maids were dismissed as well and now, the room was only left with him and Nina.
Evan carefully pulled the usually proud and stubborn Nina close in his embrace as he comforted her gently.
“It’s alright now Nina. Daddy’s here beside you. Tell me where it’s hurting,” Evan said with a gentle voice.
This was the first time Nina had ever been in Evan’s embrace like this. Thinking back on her ordeal, she started weeping.
“Nina, Mommy did not bite you on purpose. Daddy will apologize on Mommy’s behalf. Please forgive Mommy ok?” Evan said as he gently patted Nina on her back.
“W-Why did Mommy call me a monster?” Nina muttered between her sobs.
“Mommy is sick right now Nina. She doesn’t know what she is doing. The doctor had already done a check up on her. She doesn’t even know she is sick. Poor Mommy has to fight against the illness now. Will you please forgive Mommy?” explained Evan patiently.
“What kind of illness? How did Mommy get this weird illness?”
Stumped by Nina’s question, Evan paused for a moment before answering, “I… Well… It’s because Daddy did not take care of Mommy properly.”
“Daddy, is the wound on your face also caused by Mommy when she is sick?” Nina asked after remembering the bruise on Evan’s face while she was wiping the tears from her eyes.
Disregarding Nina’s question, Evan suggested, “Nina, why don’t you go to the Seet Residence with Kyle? You can stay with Grandma, Maya and Juan. That way, Mommy couldn’t hurt you when she gets sick again.”
“No, Daddy. I want to stay here and look after Mommy,” Nina said while shaking her head.
Despite being traumatized by the incident, Nina was still willing to stay back and be with Nicole. The thought of it warmed Evan’s heart. All that tough persona is just for show. Deep down, our Nina is such a darling…
“Nina, be good and listen to Daddy alright? I’ll be here for Mommy. It would be worse if Mommy hurts you again. Imagine how bad she would feel if she found out about the hurt she has caused you. So, the best you can do to help Mommy for now is to stay at Seet Residence. I promise you that once Mommy recovers, I will personally come pick you up. How does that sound?”
Nina contemplated Evan’s words and thought it made sense. “Alright Daddy. I will go over to Grandma’s house.”
“That’s my girl. Daddy will get the driver to send you and Kyle over,” said Evan.
Davin arrived not long after Nina and Kyle were sent off to the Seet Residence. He marched into Evan’s study room to ask him about what happened.
“Evan, what happened in the Imperial Garden? Did a spy steal some sensitive information? Or did you lose something important?” Davin inquired.
Evan shook his head in response, his expression as cold as ice. Sensing that things might be more serious that he expected, Davin probed again. “Evan, what is going on here?”
Evan then carefully explained what had transpired in detail. Davin was horrified at what he had just heard.
“Evan, are you serious? How did this happen?” Davin questioned.
“The maids of the Imperial Garden had all worked at the Hillside Villa before this. The investigation would go nowhere if an outsider were to do it so you’ll have to be the one to do it. Remember to keep this on the down-low so that we do not alert the culprit,” Evan told Davin.
“Alright Evan. You can trust me to get the job done,” declared Davin while nodding his head.
“One more thing—do not let anyone know about your investigation, especially Nicole,” added Evan.
Davin knew that Evan was worried that Nicole would be triggered by it and subsequently deteriorating her health. “Understood, Evan. No one will know about this.”
“Actually, there is one person you can tell. You could even get her to help you with the investigation. Who knows, you might even get to know each other better,” Evan continued.
Davin didn’t even have to guess who was Evan referring to. Telling Sheila would be a good idea I guess. She could even spend some time with Nicole. Maybe that would help the latter with her condition.
