Edward couldn’t help but smile back. He appreciated the way his maid had stepped in to fill in part of the void Amy had left in his life. “Thank you,” he said while ridding her of the tray.

The elderly woman nodded and made to turn away. “Oh!” She exclaimed as she remembered something she hadn’t yet mentioned.

”A letter came in this morning for you. It was delivered to your office, but Viktor brought it in just now.”

Edward eyed the tray for the envelope which he found just beside the kettle. His eyes glimpsed a seal which meant that it had come from a higher authority.

He looked up at Greta before she could catch his reaction. “Thank you, I’ll call you when I’m done.” And just like that, she was dismissed.

After he had closed and locked the door behind him, Edward moved with the tray to the bed.

By then, the water should have been hot enough for his bath so he left the tray on his bedside cupboard before entering the bathroom.

As he let the streams from the panel above run down his tough skin, Edward didn’t allow himself wonder where that letter had come from.

It had been a while since he’d seen a letter like that, with that seal. In fact, it had been years.

Edward recalled that he must have been in his early teenage years when he last saw a letter of that design, or a letter for that matter.

The world had gone digital a long time ago and IV’s, unless it was to a wedding, were sent through the web as emails. Unless…

***FLASHBACK**

The boy, no younger than sixteen walked with his face set into a frown. His hair was brushed back and matted down with gel giving him a look that complemented the ironed tuxedo he was wearing.

But the scowl on his face was probably undoing what his stylist had gone through great pains to achieve.

The reason for the face was nothing other than a rich spoilt teenager being a rich spoilt teenager. His family had been invited for a midnight soiree by another.

The heads of both families were best friends and it was imperative that they were in attendance.

Of course, the boy was avoiding the party for so many reasons the first being that all his father’s friends would be there and that meant all their daughters will be too.

He wasn’t pompous or anything, but the boy was frankly just tired of getting drooled over by a bunch of sissies. None of the girls met his taste, but nothing he said or did seemed to get that message across.

When the invite had come in the mail two days ago, Edward had feigned an illness just to get out of going.

It had worked the first day; then nai nai, his grandmother had come for a visit and proceeded to make one her many irritating concoctions that had left his tongue numb for hours.

He’d dropped the act that morning after overhearing the old woman tell his mother that he would need another cup that morning.

”Good morning,” he’d greeted cheerily as he walked out of his room to the duo standing just outside his door. “I trust you had a nice sleep?”

”Edward!” His mother had called out in disbelief and caution. “Why are you up? You’re not strong enough.”

Mrs. Wu had rushed to her son’s side like a nurse would to a dying patient. She’d been set to drag him by his shoulder and turn him right around and back into his room, but Edward had held down her hands to still her.

”I’m fine ma ma. Nâi nai’s herbal juice worked like magic yesterday. I feel so much stronger.”

The two women stared at him, one through concerned eyes and the other through widened ones. Edward avoided his grandmother’s gaze because he knew he’d been caught.

”Are you sure?” His mother had asked. Her hand was still on his shoulders and Edward was beginning to become uncomfortable with the proximity and attention.

”Oh, he’s fine alright,” Nâi nai had voiced, cutting out the reply he had been about to give. Her eyes had struck him with so much intensity he’d had to look away so as not to get burned by her gaze.

Edward’s mother’s eyes had skirted back and forth between her mother-in-law and son, confusion knitting her brows together.

”What’s going on here?” She’d asked.

”Nothing. Edward and I need to have a talk, that’s all.”

While nâi nai told his mother that she wanted to see him privately in his room, Edward had been looking for a way to escape the meeting.

His grandmother was obviously going to pry the truth out of him and he didn’t want her to know. But there was no getting out of it. His mother had excused them and nâi nai had taken him back into his room to talk to him.

In their house, the punishment for lying was a meeting with their father’s whip. Edward had been scared nâi nai would report him after he’d confirmed to her that he’d indeed faked the illness.

”Why?” She’d asked in a hushed tone.

There was nothing else he could do at that point but to tell her why he’d faked an illness. As he spoke, a plan that had initially sounded like something straight from a geniuses mind began to appear stupid to him.

”So you don’t want to honour a friend’s invitation?”

He had nodded meekly.

”That is unacceptable Edward. The Pin’s have been friends to the family for a long time. You owe them your presence at their occasion. You were requested for personally by Mrs. Pin in fact.”

That had come as a surprise to him because he hadn’t been told by anyone before.

”Well, it’s true,” his grandmother had emphasised at the look of disbelief that flashed across Edward’s face. “Come, I’ll show you the letter.”

And so, he’d been taken downstairs to the drawing room where the letter had been kept atop the centrepiece.

True to his grandmother’s word, he’d seen where Mrs. Pin had etched his name in beautiful gold calligraphy and requested that he be there. She had a gift for him.

”I didn’t even know she has a gift for you,” nâi nai had said after they’d both read through the letter. “Now go up to the bedroom, I’ve asked your mother to set out the suit you’ll be wearing.”

And that was how Edward had ended up in a tux one size too big and had his hair gelled back till the tip tickled the base of his neck. In his opinion, he looked stupid but every house staff that he’d passed told him he looked good. A mini version of his father. Wear suits more often, one had even dared to say.

”No way!” Edward had replied emphatically before storming off.

It was all the compliments and remarks that had gotten his face morphed into an irreversible frown.

As he approached the door to the drawing room, he let out a deep breath. The entire family was gathered there waiting for his father to come down so they could leave for the party and Edward didn’t want anyone to question him.

He straightened out the frown so that his lips were set in a straight line before he turned the handle of the door to let himself into the room.

”Aww,” Min Lee, his younger cousin cooed immediately he walked through the doors. “Don’t you look so good in a tux?”

And the frown came right back…