The house in Bukit Timah

[alec]

the master of story telling at his best!!!

[otamay]

Clap..clap..clap, fantastic performance by Jackson. Camping here for more exciting adventures.

[leinlac]

Damn good story bro, please keep coming!!

[Flyer1]

Where to find dates of next installment?

[diputs1269]

Well done Jackson or ilock, cheers!

[silas86]

Bro.. update soon.. lol !! Story is too nice to miss and it's kinda addictive..

[sexcision]

sooo looking forward to today's update.

[nicko7o7]

I log in everyday to read your writing more than seeing naked photos!

[jasonng]

Waiting for the final update of Part 1...

[Lanpakia]

waiting patiently . . . .

[Bitlivestyle]

Very nice story, camping too!

[btblue8]

Wonderful story telling!

[ilikeoldchangke]

Stepping off the stage with Hong who could not stop laughing, we parted ways at my table

Yiling had a really wide smile on her face as I took my seat.

She did a gleeful clap with the bottom of her palms still connected while her fingers tapped each other rapidly.



Yiling : wow….. hahah… that was awesome …. haha

Jackson : Thank you….

Yiling : good job… !

Yiling tipped the flute of Champagne at me and I met her glass with my beer.

Ben : Jackson ….. your bullshit…. Very the smelly leh… I can smell from here…. Ahahhaha…

Jackson : It’s real…

Ben : hahahha…. If you say so….



Ben insisted I downed a full glass of beer with him or he’s going to take it that I’m not giving him ‘face’.

I could see Rachel looking at me but she didn’t say anything, just an uncomfortable stare. I avoided her looks and stared to focus on the food in the different dishes in front of me.

It’s a weird feeling. You know the feeling you get when someone is looking at you as if you did something wrong, that was the vibe I was getting. Rachel is definitely eye balling me.

When I finally met her looks, she smiled warmly and tipped the ends on her wine glass towards me and I returned her toast across the table.

As if giving Yiling a warning that she has her eyes on me, Rachel directed her eyes towards her after leaving mine.

Brad is nowhere to be seen, and as the euphoria of my triumph slowly wears off, I’m beginning to wonder if I had gone too far.


I decided to turn my attention back to the food. It’s paid for after all.

During my time on stage, I had missed out on the Scallop, the Foie gras, baked fish, and a chilled dish I don’t even know what it is.
What would have been a nicely plated Foie gras instead is instead triple stacked.

Yiling : I don’t like Foie gras….. I put it on your plate by the way…. But I ate the sauce and the accompanying sides….

Jackson : what…. Why ?? … it’s so nice…

Yiling : It’s fattening….

Ben : I also don’t like Foie gras…… I also put on your plate…. I prefer Chicken gizzards…. Hahaha…

That explains the mess but it’s delicious.


As dinner continued to be served, it was not hard to observe that the conversation around the table has been split into 3.

The Rajahs had the attention of the malu malu, the thieves and the monks. Rachel was telling everyone about her recent trip to south America

Ben and King started talking among themselves and Yiling asked me how did I come up with such rubbish. I told her I read about it in a story on an online forum.

Yiling : really ? …. What kind of forums have stories like this ??? ….

I replied in between bites of a stalk of asparagus .

Jackson : The kind girls don’t go to…

Yiling : oh…


Nothing of note happened for the rest of the dinner until dessert was about to be served and I made my way to the washroom.

After relieving myself, I gave my face a couple of splash of water at the sink before wiping it dry.

Going through the 2nd piece of napkin, I saw a man enter the bathroom.

Our eyes met through the reflection of the mirror. I recognised him. He’s one of the man that has never left Minister Chin’s side the entire evening.


He entered the bathroom and before the auto closer could swing to a close I could see his colleague stopping anyone else form entering the washroom from the outside.

Without a word, he walked and checked each cubicle in the washroom to make sure it was empty.

He’s here for me.

Jackson : yes… ?

He eyeballed me for a few seconds. His build, his height and his bearing. Definitely a military man.


James : my name is James…. Minister Chin would like to have a word with you…

Jackson : In the toilet ??

Another man entered the toilet. He has a security ward on him.

As James washed his hands, his colleagued waned me down. It beeped at my phone and my wallet, both of which I removed and put them on the countertop.

I turned to look at James who when bent over slightly at the basin, revealed that he was carrying 2 pistols with spare clips on a shoulder harness.


Jackson : We are in one of the safest country in the world…. Is there a need to carry those around….

James adjusted his hair without looking at me as he replied.

James : We are in one of the safest country in the world….. because …… I carry these around….

The door to the bathroom opened and the guy with the wand left while Welly walked in with a smile. He must have heard the exchange between James and i.

Willy : The world is a dangerous place ……. If you’ve seen and experienced what James did… you’ll want to have those around you too….

His hand was about to reach out and I quickly extended mine to meet his. They’re right about Welly Chin.

He has balls.


He’s willing to shake a man’s hand in the toilet without even thinking twice.

Welly : Young man….hahaha….very interesting auction..…. Hahah

Jackson : very nice to meet you Sir…

Welly : Jackson …. Am I right…

I nodded with a courteous smile.


James : So…. He’s the guy that made you spend $10888….

Welly laughed.

Turning to look at James, I added.

Jackson : I’m the guy that saved him $9112 ….

Welly nodded and explained on my behalf.

Welly : I made a bid of 20, he could have gone for the win against the Rajahs…. I was curious to see what he would do….there’s a lot to consider within that short period of time…..hahaha… good to see that you are quick on your feet….I see you have met James…


Jackson : yes…I have…Not everyday I meet a guy with guns in the toilet….

Welly : hahaha…

Extending an open arm towards James, Welly added that James has been serving the current Prime Minister for almost 5 years. With the impending change in leadership, he has now been assigned over to Welly.

Jackson : And now he’s with you….

Welly : he’s a very intense and serious man…. But I trust him with my life….James… do you mind giving us some privacy… ?

With a curt nod, James left the room.

Welly : It’s not everyday you find a man who can tell a good story….ever considered a career in politics…. ? hahaha…

Jackson : I’m afraid no…. not my cup of tea….


Welly : but you haven tried… who would you know it’s not for you…

I took a moment to choose my words carefully, I’m talking to the future Prime Minister afterall.

Jackson : I’m sure you can tell…. Most of what I said earlier are lies…. They are meant to entertain more than anything else…. At the end of the day…. Nobody gets hurt…. Egos get bruised… but that’s about it… in your line of work…. Everything you say… everything you do…. It affects the lives of many people…

Welly smiled and said he knew where I’m coming from.

Welly : Politics is not about making people happy Jackson …


Jackson : no it’s not…but in today’s day and age, I would say making voters happy is important….

Welly : ahhahaha… I agree…. I agree…..

Welly chuckled before adding.

Welly : Yeah that’s true….. that’s true…. So….. what do you think…. ? .. should I be a leader that listens …..? or one that leads…. ?

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

Jackson : how can you lead…. If you don’t know what your people want…. ?

Raising both his arms to his side, Welly did the action of a scale.


Welly : wants and needs are 2 different thing Jackson ….

Jackson : it’s a balancing act you have to juggle…. While walking on a tightrope….

Welly : so…. I’m essentially a clown…. Working in a circus… hahah

Jackson : hahah… I don’t mean that….i don’t envy your job at all…. Not one bit….

[ilikeoldchangke]

Welly turned to face the mirror, looking at his own reflection.

Streaks of white are beginning to show on his head of black hair. Giving his hands a rinse, he continued ;


Welly : It’s not an easy job…. Not many people appreciates you…. You get cursed online…..

Jackson : then why do you do it… ?

Welly : I didn’t apply for it Jackson …. Hahah….. it landed on my lap…

Jackson : can’t you say no… ?

Welly : and give up a chance… to make everything I think is wrong right… ? no way….

The bathroom door opened and it was James checking in on us.

James : Sir…. Your next appointment starts in 30…

Welly : Thank you James…

Turning back to me, Welly asked me again to consider suggestion.

Welly : I like a man who can tell a story…. Not easy to engage an audience…. Much less the one in the ballroom…. Ahhaha…

Jackson : what about the audience in the ballroom… ?

Welly : I may be a politician that smiles a lot…. But I’m not stupid….. chances are many of those men may end up living off taxpayers money in a government funded facility…..everyone is just one wrong move away….


Jackson : why do you even bother to come for this ?

Welly turned and started walking towards the exit before he turned and replied me with a smile.

Welly : I’m in the business of making friends…. I came to make friends… ahhahah…

I walked out of the bathroom after Welly and as Welly walked down the corridor surrounded by his entourage, I was left facing the 2 Rajahs that were behind Rachel when she arrived.

They are difficult to read, they didn’t say anything either.


Jackson : The bathroom is available now if you need to use it…

Brad appeared around the corner with 3 other Malu guys.

Bard : Siao eh…. Si bei guai lan hor ( Dude…. You trying to be funny ? )

I backed up 1 step against the door of the bathroom.

A couple more Rajahs arrived and I could smell the trouble in the cold air of the hotel.

Right about then, Hong’s voice rang out.


Hong : No wonder so smelly ahhh…. So many people holding their pee near the toilet ah !!!

I turned to see Hong and Seven arrive together with another 5 of our own guys.

Ok. If this shit breaks out at the Ritz, we will be on the news for sure.

Brad : Your breath smelly as ever Hong….

Hong : oh ?? haven you been smelling my breath ??



That was enough to set Brad off and he pushed forward and shoved Hong who in return shoved him back against his men. The scene immediately descended into Chaos with men shouting and trading curses.

Barely 30 seconds in, the confrontation was broken up by this large man who was part of Welly’s contingent.

He’s big, tall and well built, like a fucking mountain. As if his bulging muscles were not scary enough, he was also armed with automatic weapons.


He hardly needed to do anything, his presence alone is terrifying.

Pushing his way through into the middle alone was enough to get everyone separated into their respective corners and I quickly took the opportunity and position myself somewhere nearer to Hong and Seven.

“ The minister don’t want any trouble tonight. “

That was all he said.

“ Please return to your seats.”

Brad cursed and pointed a middle finger at me before leaving with his men and the rest followed suit. All except the 2 scary looking Rajahs who remained where they were, and they kept staring at me.

Heading back to the ballroom, I was surprised to see everyone loitering around the reception area.

Jackson : What is happening… ?


Hong : The heads are talking in private…. Probably about the attack…. No one is allowed inside….

Jackson : Ok….

Everyone was kept outside the reception area for almost an hour. Refreshments and titbits kept flowing and everyone kept to their own sections with plenty of across the hall eye fucking.

Welly may be gone but he kept several of his men around, probably expecting shit to go wrong the moment he is gone.


The giant man was standing near me and he noticed that I was looking at him.

Jackson : You know… I have… err … this colleague…female colleague…. Err…do you have a sister or….

“ No “

Jackson : Ok, sorry… I just find…. A lot of similarity between you and her….. I can hook you up if you are interested…..

He looked away and ignored my comment.


The door to the ballroom opened and Yiling was the first to walk out. The decibel in the hall dropped a notch as the rest of the heads and reps walked out.

Yiling : ok… we can go…


That was it.
The closed door meeting is over.

Yiling did not seem to want to share what was discussed and the next thing I knew was a rapid dispersal of crowd from the Ritz. Everyone went their own way.


Once we were back at the estate, all of us gathered in Yiling’s study.

She looked a little stressed and unhappy, over what exactly, nobody knows.

All of us spent a couple of minutes watching her pace up and down near her desk before she asked everyone of us to go out and she wants to speak with each of us individually.


Kamal was the first to go in.

While waiting outside, Aaron strolled over.

Aaron : Someone made a lot of enemies today..

Jackson : the way I see it… it’s probably only Brad….

Aaron : you’ve just became a huge target board….

The door opened and it was Aaron’s turn to go in.


Hong asked Kamal what happened and he just shook his head, an indication that whatever was said, is for his ears only.

Hong nodded his acknowledgement.

Aaron came out and it was Declan, followed by Hong, Seven and I’m the last.

Shutting the door behind me, I looked at Yiling who was sitting down on her table with her face buried in her hands.

Jackson : you ok… ?

Yiling : mmmmhhh…

Jackson : what is it… ?

Yiling : what I’m about to say…. Is for your ears only….


Jackson : ok….

Yiling : The Rajahs are holding onto another 2 of the men that attacked them that day…

Jackson : Oh… did they manage to get anything out of them….

Yiling nodded.

Yiling : they did….

Jackson : Who are they…

Yiling avoided that question.

Yiling : They are willing to give them to us….


Jackson : that’s nice…. I mean you have those that attacked us and the 1 from the monks right….surely you can figure things out or report them to the authorities…

Yiling massaged the sides of her head for a while before asking me something out of the blue.

Yiling : Jackson …. You know the homes you deliver things to… the 1st one….

Jackson : Yeah… what about it….

Yiling : did they make any structural changes…to the building…. New gate…. Crash barrier or anything….


Jackson : hmmmm…. they installed more cameras…. And they knocked down a shared wall between them and the temple next door….

Yiling : Besides that…. Anything else…

Jackson : Not that I noticed…. Why…

Yiling looked at me for a brief moment before looking away.

[ilikeoldchangke]

There is something bothering her. It’s written all over her face. I’m not sure how the old folks home is related to the men that attacked us.

Yiling : nevermind….ok…here’s the thing….The Rajahs will release the 2 men over to us…. But you need to be the one picking them up…


Jackson : What… why ?

Yiling : Rachel insisted….

Looking at me in the eye, Yiling stressed that we needed that 2 men.

Jackson : ok…. When… ?

Yiling : They’ll let us know…you just need to get ready….

Jackson : ok fine…

Yiling : There’s another thing…. Someone is feeding the Rajahs information….

Jackson : yeah… Hong told me about the 3 stars statue… the Rajahs deliberately brought the same as us….

Yiling : no…. That’s not the case…. The Rajahs were told that we will be bringing a phoenix, which is why they brought the 3 star….

Jackson : what… ?? but Hong told me …



Yiling : Hong is not wrong…. Someone is out sowing discord between the families…. The Rajahs were told we changed our auction item at the last minute to be the same as theirs too….. someone is definitely fucking with the families… from the inside…

Jackson : bloody hell…. It’s good that you guys get to talk and trash it out then….

Yiling : It came out by accident…. Rachel was bitching about it… The Rajahs have always brought something associated with the phoenix every year, it’s part of their company logo…. Someone is stirring shit….


Jackson : is it us ??

Yiling : I don’t know…. I don’t think so…. Or rather I hope not…

Jackson : Ok… then what do we do now… ?

Yiling stood up and looked at the door, well aware that everyone is gathered outside.

Yiling : You are the only one who is not aware of what we will be bringing for the auction. The rest of us are in a common chat group…


Jackson : I see…. Eh wait…. Why am I not in that chat group…. ?

Yiling avoided my question again and asked to be left alone, i left the study with more questions than ever.

When I went outside, Candy, Xiaoyu, and Cindy were there too.

All of Yiling’s lieutenant are there.

Hong gave me a twitching eyebrow look as if trying to ask what Yiling told me and I shrugged my shoulders.

I mean aside from the fact that the Rajahs are willing to give us their prisoner and I was to collect them, other than that, I don’t know what is going on either.


Yiling definitely looked concerned about something but she is not sharing.

Yiling popped open the study door and the girls went through the same thing as us. Yiling spoke with each of them individually. Cindy was the last one.

No one said a word as we gathered in the living area and as time passed, I could feel this tension in the air I could not explain. It’s as if everyone know something is wrong, something is going on or rather, something is about to happen.


The relaxed atmosphere is gone the moment we left the hotel.

It’s not a good feeling if you get what I’m saying.

Everyone’s being suspected of doing something right now, it’s a sucky feeling.

It’s late, coming to 12 am.
When the door opened about 30 minutes later, Yiling stepped out and all eyes turned to look at her.

You could tell from her expression that whatever decision she needed to make, she has made it inside her study.


As if the intense atmosphere is not enough to send chills down my spine, Yiling said something that sounded right out of a movie.

Yiling : I want…. everyone’s phone…. In this bag…. Now…

She handed a large brown leather bag to Declan and I could see everyone knew the drill.


No one questioned her like a teenager having her mobile device taken away.

No one questioned the need for us to remain here so late at night .

No on even batted an eyelid as everyone removed their phones from their pocket. Some put in 1 phone, some put in 2. Declan had 3.

The silence of the living room was broken only by the clatter of our phones knocking into each other in that leather bag. The leather bag went in an anti clockwise direction before coming to me.


Kamal : Jackson too boss ?

Yiling : yes…

I was the last to drop my phone in and I handed the bag over to Yiling.

Jackson : what now… ?

Kamal smiled and chuckled and so did Xiaoyu. It was then I realised everyone’s eyes were on me.


This seemed to be some indication of sort that I was about to be let into something deeper and darker.

Yiling : everyone to the pantry….

Hong laughed and I felt his large hand slap on my back as he gave me a snigger.

Hong : Pantry Jackson …. Pantry…. Hahahahahah….we’re going to the pantry….pantry pantry ~~~

The manner in which Hong said it is a little unsettling.

The door to the pantry is unlocked by Yiling’s fingerprint.


The pantry turns out to be a large wing of the house that is connected to the garage. It’s a comfortable size, about 2000 sqft, or 2 four room flats combined.
It’s an open space with 5 couches, 3 massage chairs and 2 hammocks strung across the columns. There’s also a bean bag area with projector and several game consoles.
Candy seemed pretty comfortable in the pantry, a sign that she has been here often enough. She hurried over to the beanbags and got a cozy spot and Xiaoyu joined her.


There’s even 2 bunk beds tucked in a corner of the room. I could see 3 bathrooms with attached toilets as well.

Since it’s called a pantry, there’s a well stocked cabinet. Coffee machines, hotwater, cup noodles and snacks. There’s even a vending machine that dispenses soft drinks free of charge.

A bookshelf is filled to the brim with magazines, comics and old newspaper.
Another shelf on the side is filled with boardgames, cards and even a mah-jong set, and beside that is a series of wardrobes and drawers.
I feel it’s more like a lounge or sort.

I saw Cindy pull out a set of dumb bells from under the bunkbeds.

I can see this is a place everyone frequents.


Given the situation, I don’t think we’re here for a gathering or a team bonding session.

I whispered to Hong to ask him what this is about.

Hong : ok… whenever a big deal… or transaction is coming up… or something…ermm.. important…. Sensitive… everyone comes here…

Jackson : ok …

Hong : we don’t know who is involved…. Who will be handling the work… until Boss assigns it…

Jackson : ok…


Hong : the rest… will remain in the pantry…. Until whatever needs to be done… is over….. there’s everything we can possibly need here… toilets are over there…. Food… drinks…. Couches can be converted to sofa beds…. Think of it as a….. vacation…. No nothing… brain switch off vacation… hahhaha…

Jackson : No phones…

Hong : No… no communication with the outside…. Watch TV la… we have premium subscription…. Every channel have….

Jackson : what if Yiling or whoever is out there needs our help….

Hong pointed to a old school phone that would be a familiar sight in the early nineties. The bulky metal phone that takes ten cent coins is mounted on the wall beside the vending machine.

I thought that was a decoration.


Hong : you call that phone….

Jackson : I see…

Hong : but relax… it has never rang before….

Jackson : are we going to be lock inside here…. ?


Hong : No… but you better have a good reason to open that door because if you do… you’re out….

Jackson : out ? ….as in out of the company…

Hong nodded at the cameras.

There are cameras on the walls in plain sight. I guess doing the shady things they do, it’s normal to be paranoid even with your own people. No harm playing it safe.

Everyone is each other’s chaperone, no one leaves, period.

At least not until what needs to be done is over. It’s a rule that has never been broken so far.



Yiling left us alone and given how late it is, most of us just want to rest.

The bathroom is like that of a spa, well stocked with towels and bathrobes.

We took turns to wash up and by the time I was done at 1am, I was beat.

It turns out that everyone has spare clothes that they kept inside the pantry for situations like this. Kamal offered me a pair of jeans and a collared t-shirt. I took it, it’s much comfortable to be in those than a suit.