On the other side of the door, Nicole panicked at the sound of the incessant pounding.
Who could be knocking? Could Sylvia have figured out where I’m living and come to demand her money back?
Fright seized Nicole. She rushed to hide Nina, Maya, and Juan and ordered them to stay hidden no matter what.
Maya blinked for a second before dashing into her room. She threw open her closet doors and tunneled in amongst the clothes.
Nina was wary of her mother’s sudden and intense shift in demeanor. “Why do we have to hide, Mommy? Who’s outside?”
Juan was simply stupefied.
Nicole did not have time to explain and swiftly herded the children into her room.
“Hide now! Under no circumstances should you come out!”
She had only just shut the bedroom door when the door burst open with a thunderous bang.
Davin rubbed his aching shoulder. He took a sharp intake of breath as his gaze landed on the broken door. I didn’t expect that to hurt so much.
“Why are you here?”
The sound of Nicole’s bewildered voice pulled Davin’s gaze up towards her.
“Dr. Tussaud? You live here?” Davin sounded equally baffled.
Nicole nodded awkwardly. “Sorry, I know it’s a mess. Please, take a seat.”
Davin carefully studied the abode before reluctantly taking a seat on the sofa.
“Kyle came to see you?”
Kyle?
Juan’s the one who returned!
He must have spotted Juan coming in. Nicole nodded.
“Where is Kyle?”
Nicole stood and opened the door of her bedroom. Juan and Nina padded out of the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me you came to see Dr. Tussaud? I could have brought you here. It’s dangerous for someone so young like you to come all this way on your own.” Davin worriedly chided Juan.
Juan nodded wordlessly.
I was too careless. I shouldn’t have been so caught up with coming over that I paid no attention to my surroundings. Who knew Davin would be secretly following me?
Juan threw an apologetic look at Nicole. I hope Mommy doesn’t get into trouble now that Davin knows she’s living here.
Nicole smiled warmly at him. “Uncle Davin is just concerned about you. You should thank him.”
“Thank you, Uncle Davin.”
Astonishment flashed across Davin’s gaze. He walked over to Juan and gently pinched the child’s cheek.
“Look at you, all cute and lively. I wonder how long you’ll able to keep this up before you return to being a block of ice.”
Juan blinked innocently. Since he thinks he’s the reason behind my change in personality, so be it. There’s no merit in explaining myself.
A thought seemed to strike Davin as he suddenly turned towards Nicole.
“Dr. Tussaud, you’re a world-famous doctor. Can you cure Kyle’s illness with acupuncture?”
“Illness?”
Nicole stared at Davin, dumbfounded. Juan is as healthy as a horse. What illness does he have?
Besides, Kyle’s illness was cured ages ago!
Davin coughed before moving closer to Nicole. “Dr. Tussaud, Kyle has severe schizophrenia. Please take a look at his condition. If you’re able to cure him, my brother is sure to reward you handsomely!” Davin whispered to her.
Schizophrenia?Since when did Kyle have such an ailment?
Nicole was instantly distressed.
At the sight of his mother’s troubled expression, Juan rushed to explain, “He was misdiagnosed! Kyle is fine!”
Nicole pulled Juan aside before firmly declaring, “I’ll take a look at him.”
Davin nodded appreciatively. “Thank you so much, Dr. Tussaud.”
When they returned to the bedroom, Nicole looked at Juan, still visibly perturbed.
“Tell me what happened!”
“It went like this…”
Juan spilled the entirety of the incident. Nicole finally understood.
After some time, Nicole pulled Juan out of the room. “How is he? Can he be cured?” Davin asked anxiously.
“He’s a child, it’s normal for him to be crying and laughing sometimes. Rest assured, Kyle is fine.”
Fine?
Davin furrowed his brow at Nicole’s reply.
Before he could process her answer further, his phone rang. When he saw who was calling, he picked up as a flicker of irritation surfaced within him.
“Mr. Seet, Kyle is insisting on throwing away the model boat you gave him. We tried to stop him but he refuses to listen.”
“He wants to throw it away?”
Davin glanced at the ‘Kyle’ who was standing right in front of him. My obedient nephew is right here with me. How can he be throwing out the model boat at the same time?
“Yes. He’s throwing a huge tantrum. He says he doesn’t want anything of yours here at Hillside Villa. Do you want to take it back, or…?”
“Stop lying. Kyle is here with me. How could he be throwing the model boat away? Are you trying to drive a wedge between us?”
Blake instantly defended himself, “Mr. Seet, I have served the Seet family loyally and to the best of my abilities all these years. I would never do any member of the family wrong. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check the surveillance tape!”
Blake was an upstanding man who valued honesty. He ended the call with Davin and proceeded to send him a video.
The video showed Kyle kicking and trampling the model boat in a fit of rage.
“This child is too ungrateful. He has no idea the lengths I went to buy the boat. What a brat…”
Realization seemed to hit him and his head snapped up toward ‘Kyle’.
Two Kyles?
What… What’s going on?
His heart pounded and his gaze flickered to the phone. The Kyle in the video was still trashing the model boat.
The phone fell to the ground with a thud.
Could it be that Kyle isn’t schizophrenic, but a clone?What the hell…
This is… insanely terrifying!
What the heck’s going on?
A chill crawled up his spine.
Davin took a deep breath and willed himself to stay calm. A spurt of water suddenly hit his back.
He clenched his fist tightly and turned. There was no one there.
What… This is so creepy!
He stood rooted to the ground, his face completely drained of color.
“What’s wrong, Uncle Davin?”
Davin stared at ‘Kyle’, scanning the face of the seemingly adorable cherub standing before him. But he no longer perceived those features positively. The child’s features now painted a terrifying picture.
Davin’s heart raced at a breakneck pace.
“Dr. Tussaud, come here! Hurry! He’s not Kyle! He’s not Kyle!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.