Looking directly at James, Hou Yi continued "James I am not that altruistic. I make decisions for business reasons not simply to please my wife. The medical clinic for staff has been in process for three years. We had to get over all our regulatory hurdles before we could even work on creating the facilities on site and linking with hospitals for necessary urgent transfers and then have all that approved. The last of all of that was finalised about six weeks ago, and we have advertised for administrative and medical staff. The only thing I would do is tell human resources to employ you if you were interested, but from thereon, you would have to like all other staff prove that you can keep the position."

"I will consider it. Now Alecia as she was heading off to XF International was talking about some tea tonight with family friends?"

"Let me just say you are in for a treat tonight. These friends call Alecia 'princess', your sister 'empress' and me 'the toff'. You will get some name within a couple of minutes. I a.s.sume you father-in-law told you about where he lived with the triplets when they were young?"

"All he said was it was not the best inner-city neighbourhood at the time, but it was what he could afford and ensured that he was not travelling for hours to get to work and school."

"That is the best way to describe it. These gentlemen were petty criminals when he and the triplets moved into the area, but the intersecting of their lives turned them around, and they founded their own property investment and development company. They view Tan, the triplets and now Amanda as their family, and consider your sister and I the same. Despite their background they are generally good natured although we can end in business conflict, but that does not change the fact that we are friends."

"Something was also mentioned about a wedding present?"

"d.a.m.n it, your father-in-law is a menace. They have given Alecia shares in their company plus either a few apartments of part-owners.h.i.+p of a building they have developed. As none of them have children yet, they take the triplets as their children. And before you ask some are married, some are not and their leader, who we all call King, is a widower."

"Does Ton and Junior know about that?"

"Absolutely not, and Tan and I have told them all not to say anything. You know the current issues particularly with Junior."

"Trying to force an apartment to be brought for him? I know. Alecia told him to prove that he deserves it and earn it before asking. The look on Junior's face said if he could have, he would have it hurt my wife. Apparently, he is like his birth mother in demanding items like that. She sounds like someone who I do not want to meet."

"Hopefully you will escape that. Around four years ago when she came back and tried to force her way into the triplet's lives Tan told here were to do.  She then came to me and tried to force her way into my life to get to them.  She demanded money from Tan and I to disappear.  We refused and it was not pleasant.  In the end I agreed to pay her what she asked for but she failed to read the agreement she signed for the money.  I have been for years dripping it out to her each month.  She keeps pus.h.i.+ng for all the money at once, but the agreement does not allow it, and in fact prevents her from demanding money from Tan or me.  She uses the children for that, and Junior is the most vulnerable to that manipulation."

"Tan knows about what I have done, but Amanda and the triplets do not, and I want to keep it that way." Hou Yi paused "Now come on, we need to get home as we are due to meet them at Mama and Papa's restaurant in a couple of hours for this tea. That will take you to the neighbourhood where they lived when the triplets were babies."

Placing the last few papers in his briefcase Hou Yi walked out of his office with James behind him, telling a.s.sistant w.a.n.g to finalise the work and head home. Hou Yi had his fingers crossed this weekend would not be interrupted to sort out a couple of matters like his Sat.u.r.day night was. That disrupted Anna, and she did not need that.

Forty-five minutes later, just as the car that dropped them off was pulling away, a second vehicle stopped, and out stepped Alecia. Spotting James, she ran straight into his arms and gave him a kiss before turning to Hou Yi and saying, "Uncle Yi, good to see you."

Leaning over and giving Alecia a kiss on the cheek, Hou Yi said "Alecia, good to see you. How about when we go to this dinner, we take the one car?"

"Sounds good Uncle Yi. What time do we need to leave?"

"Say in about an hour. We will call you as we leave and meet you down here."

James said "Absolutely." With that he took Alecia's hand and they headed into one elevator while Hou Yi needed into the elevator that went directly to the apartment.