Yoda was really getting on his nerves.
Davin returned to the living room, looked at the four kids and Nicole, saying, âThereâs something off about Yoda. I felt it when I was near him just now.â
âWhatâs the problem?â Nicole asked out of curiosity.
Sheila and the kids also widened their eyes and stared at him.
He glanced in the yardâs direction and said mysteriously, âHe doesnât look like a good guy.â
The four children immediately rolled their eyes at him upon hearing that.
Kyle refuted, âYouâre judging a book by its cover.â
âI think youâre the bad guy here,â said Juan.
âThatâs right; youâre the bad guy here. Hmph!â Nina harrumphed.
âUncle Davin, y-youâ¦â Maya was at a loss for words.
The young girl couldnât come up with anything to say, so she balled her fists up instead. âH-Heâs a good guy!â
Davin was stunned by their response.
I was their favorite before Yoda appeared. How in the world did Yoda replace my place in their hearts in such a short period of time?
He turned to face Nicole and said, âLook, Nicole, he won the kids over in such a short period of time. People like him are extremely dangerous. You must be wary of him.â
Nicole gave it some thought and decided that what Davin said had, in some way, made some sense. Yoda did seem too nice to her kids.
It didnât make sense to her that Yoda would go so far for them when they had only met by chance.
Could it be that Yoda has a hidden agenda?
After dinner, Nicole took special notice of how Yoda interacted with her four children.
The way he helped Kyle and Juan build Legos reminded her of the past.
He also had a habit of cleaning up the Legos one color at a time, just like Evan used to do.
Except for his face and his temperament, certain behaviors of his were very similar to Evanâs.
Yoda also treated her four children well in her husbandâs place.
Is this all just a coincidence or something more?
Nicole fell deep into thought.
She suddenly called out to Yoda when he was done cleaning up the Legos. He was walking out of the toy room when he heard her.
Yoda stood motionless as he waited for Nicoleâs instructions.
âCome with me.â
Yoda followed her into Evanâs study.
He stood respectfully before the study table.
Nicole took out a magazine and showed him Evanâs photo.
âDonât you think heâs a lot like you, except for his face?â
Yoda took one look at the photo and shook his head.
âYou donât think so?â Nicole asked.
Yoda took out his phone and typed: Iâve never met him, I donât know.
Nicole scowled. Donât know?
She suddenly hit the picture of Evan in the magazine.
âHe failed to keep his word, broke his promise, and abandoned his wife and children. Donât you think he deserves a beating?â
She scrutinized Yodaâs facial expression as she spoke. He seemed to be very calm and didnât say a word.
His eyes remained emotionless throughout her outburst.
Nicole kept her eyes peeled on him all this while, but she couldnât find any telltale signs of him lying.
Am I overthinking?
Yodaâs not him?
Right, heâs forever goneâ¦
Her heart ached upon that thought, and she lost her balance and fell.
Just as she thought she was about to fall face-first onto the ground, a strong arm suddenly pulled her into an embrace.
She could hear his heartbeat as she leaned against his firm chest. The feeling was oh-so-familiar. It was exactly how she felt when she was with Evan.
She quickly pushed Yoda away when she realized it was him.
This is not Evan. No, itâs not himâ¦
She calmed herself down and told Yoda to return to his room and rest.
The man nodded and walked out of the study. His heart ached for her when he turned around and saw Nicole in a state of panic.
However, he turned around, clenched his fists, and walked away.
Nicole waited till she had calmed down before returning to her room dejectedly.
The next day, Levant was waiting for her at Lane Corporation again.