âExactly, why would it take so long?â queried Damien.
âWell, all we have to do is observe. Iâm sticking to my bet of three years.â retorted Darius.
Jeremy grinned and looked at his companions. âThe cost of the wager will be three months of our salary. Winner takes all!â
âDeal!â
âNo problem.â
While they were gleefully betting on Evanâs progress, the four were not prepared to see the state Evan was in the next day.
Jeremy was the first to be shocked by Evanâs appearance as he made his way towards them.
He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was mistaken. âNo, thatâs definitely Mr. Seet. Are my eyes playing tricks on me?â
âIf you mean that he looks so gaunt and ghastly that he might die at any given moment, then your eyes are not playing tricks on you,â said Damien, wide-eyed.
âIf what Iâm seeing is real, then why does Mr. Seet look so horrible? Thereâs no real way to describe this, thisâ¦â
Jeremy sighed and trailed off, gesturing vaguely at Evan. Meanwhile, the other three were already making their way towards Evan in a hurry.
âWhatâs the matter, Mr. Seet?â
âMy time will come soon,â replied Evan weakly.
The four Hidden Masters were dumbstruck.
âWHAT?â
âWhatâs wrong?â
âMr. Seet, whatâs happening to you?â
Seeing their extremely shocked expressions, Evanâs eyes flashed triumphantly.
It appeared that his corpse-like makeup and acting skills had passed the test. Even the four of them had fallen for it.
I hope this works on Nicole.
âJust focus on keeping Mrs. Seet safe for now. Thereâs no need for excessive questioning.â
Immediately, Evanâs usual demeanor returned as he glanced at them icily.
Only then did the four understand that Evan was pretending to be sick.
Even so, they could not understand why he went through such a fuss.
Soon, they noticed that he slowly made his way towards Nicoleâs residence.
âWhat is Mr. Seet doing?â
âGoing to scare Mrs. Seet probably.â
âBut why?â
âHow would I know! Just watch, Iâm sure he has his reasons.â
The four quietly followed suit, trying not to alert anyone to their presence.
Evan silently observed Nicole, who was sitting in the corridor by the courtyard. This was a figure familiar to him, but she wasnât quite as he remembered her.
Upon closer observation, his expression immediately turned cold, and he couldnât help but raise his eyebrows.
Didnât the woman say that Nicole was cured? Then why did she look so haggard? She was so frail and thin. A gust of wind couldâve easily swept her away.
Immediately, his gaze shifted into one of pure distress.
Nicole in her current state was in desperate need of care. He had to make sure that she came back to him as soon as possible.
He pretended to bump into random things as planned. I have to make some noise.
Sure enough, the sounds succeeded in drawing Nicoleâs attention.
âWhoâs there?â
As Nicole looked over curiously, Evan pretended to evade capture. Instead, feigning difficulty, he turned around and walked away from her with his head lowered.
After a few steps, he collapsed.
Nicole looked at his back with surprise. There was some familiarity there.
This person isâ¦
Is it really him? Or am I hallucinating again?
Perhaps this was a dream.
Nicole stood there blankly, unsure of what to do.
Evan who still lay on the ground, felt surprised at her reaction.
Canât you see that Iâm lying here? Are you pretending to not notice?
His curiosity got the better of him as he secretly opened an eye to peek at her. It was then that he realized that Nicole was walking towards him, brows furrowed.
Immediately, Evan closed his eyes and pretended to lie there motionlessly.
Nicole bent over and studied his face. âIs this real?â she muttered to herself. âOr is this a dream?â
She wanted to pinch herself but she was afraid that it was truly a hallucination. Pinching would be of no use then.