White Tiger. Kylie Chan

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      Mr Chen came down the hallway barefoot, towelling his damp hair. He always wore incredibly scruffy clothes at home, and this evening was no exception. His black T-shirt was faded and frayed, and his black cotton pants had a large shredded hole in one knee.

      He had unusually dark eyes, nearly black, and the sculpted face of a Southern Chinese, with prominent cheekbones and a strong chin. He pulled the towel from his hair and threw it over one shoulder, then ran one hand through his long hair, tossed it back, and smiled into my eyes.

      Suddenly Singapore didn’t seem so good.

      Then Mr Chen saw Leo and scowled. ‘You. In here. Now.’ He turned and went into the dining room across the hall without looking back.

      Leo bowed his bald head and skulked into the dining room after Mr Chen.

      ‘Leo’s in big trouble,’ Simone confided to me. ‘My dad’s going to yell at him a lot.’

      ‘Why? He just washed the car. That’s what a driver does.’

      ‘He’s not supposed to leave us alone,’ Simone said, deadly serious. ‘We could get hurt.’

      ‘Hurt? Who by?’

      She leaned closer and whispered, ‘Bad people.’

      Good god, Leo wasn’t a driver; he was a bodyguard. Kidnapping didn’t happen often, but it did happen; all children of rich families in Hong Kong were targets. Of course Leo was a bodyguard, it was obvious. No wonder Mr Chen was so upset about him leaving us in the apartment alone.

      Simone’s eyes were wide. ‘That’s why Daddy carries his sword everywhere. Bad people.’

      ‘Sword?’ I said.

      She pointed towards the sword on its clips next to the front door.

      I jerked back with shock. What was he doing running around with a sword in his hand? And why the hell hadn’t I paid the sword any attention before? I had been working part-time there for six months, and I hadn’t thought to question why my employer needed to carry around a sword.

      ‘Why does he need a sword, Simone?’ I said. ‘Does he work with the movie studios? Or teach martial arts?’

      ‘Arts.’ Simone shrugged. ‘Stuff. Daddy’s stuff.’

      I suddenly realised that I had no idea how Mr Chen made his money, and he was obviously extremely wealthy. He could be involved in organised crime. He didn’t seem like that sort of person to me, but I had to wonder.

      ‘What kind of stuff does Daddy do?’

      Before Simone could answer, the dining room door opened and Leo came out, looking cowed and miserable. He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. ‘Your turn, Emma. Simone can go to Monica for a bath.’

      ‘I want Emma to bath me!’ Simone yelled.

      ‘I have to go and talk to your daddy about working full-time, remember?’

      ‘Ooh, yes.’ She pushed me towards the dining room. ‘Go and talk to him.’

      Mr Chen had tied back his long hair and was checking the mail as he ate a bowl of noodles.

      ‘Sit, Miss Donahoe.’ He pushed his ho fan noodles aside.

      ‘Eat,’ I said. ‘You look starving.’

      He smiled and his eyes wrinkled up. ‘No, no, it can wait. Full-time. Yes or no?’

      ‘You haven’t said how much you’ll pay me or what hours I’ll be working, Mr Chen. I can’t decide until you tell me.’

      ‘Yes, you’re quite right. How about six days a week, live-in, full-time? Sunday off – that’s Monica’s and Leo’s day off. I can probably give you a few extra days off a month as well. Five thousand US a month.’

      I fell back slightly. ‘Five thousand US?’

      He nodded. ‘I think it’s a generous offer. Room and board as well. Is that acceptable?’

      Sixty thousand US a year to be a nanny? I studied him. He seemed genuine. I’d worked for him for six months and he’d been perfectly honourable in his dealings. There was just one question I needed answered.

      ‘Mr Chen,’ I said, then finished the question in a rush, ‘are you involved in anything illegal?’

      He stared at me, his expression completely blank.

      ‘I mean, is the ICAC likely to burst in with guns and drag you away?’

      He stared at me a little longer, then snapped out of it. ‘Nothing I am involved in is illegal. The ICAC could not possibly be interested in me. All of my activities are perfectly legal. I would never put Simone’s happiness in danger.’

      ‘Why do you have a bodyguard then?’

      He watched me silently for a while, then said, ‘Leo protects Simone.’

      ‘Are there people after you?’

      His eyes were very intense. ‘I am powerful. That makes me a target. You don’t need to worry – you will never be in danger if you work for me.’

      ‘Is that why you carry a sword around? Don’t the police stop you?’

      ‘I never carry the sword in the street. It stays in the car when I go out.’

      I leaned over the dining table. ‘What do you do for a living, Mr Chen?’

      His dark eyes looked straight into mine. ‘I will tell you after you’ve worked here for a while. If you decide to stay.’

      ‘Why wouldn’t I decide to stay?’

      He smoothly avoided the question. ‘Will you take the job, Miss Donahoe?’

      I hesitated. Sixty thousand US dollars a year, a delightful little girl and a handsome mystery man. How could I say no? ‘Yes.’

      He smiled, full of warmth and good humour. ‘When can you start?’

      ‘I could start tomorrow, but I’d need to sort out my rent first. Oh,’ I said as I remembered, ‘I have to give Miss Kwok two weeks’ notice.’

      He waved it away. ‘I know Kitty Kwok. She gave me your number in the first place. I’ll sort it out with her, and I’ll fix it up with your flatmate. You can move in tomorrow if you like. You can live in?’

      ‘Sure.’

      He rose and held out his hand, and I shook it. He had surprisingly cool hands, with hard calluses on his fingers. ‘Leo will help you move your belongings tomorrow,’ he said. ‘Welcome aboard.’

      I shook my head as I went down the hall to say goodnight to Simone. Done it again. Two snap decisions in one day. That was a new record, even for me.

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