White Tiger

shoved the fake rat at Leo, who took it sheepishly.
    ‘You left the demon jar open,’ I said.
    Both of them cursed and ran.

CHAPTER NINETEEN
    O ne morning in mid-November, we all sat down together for breakfast. The men didn’t usually eat breakfast with us girls; Mr Chen, particularly, was a very early riser. But that morning he smiled indulgently at Simone as she sat at the table.
    Monica came in and ceremonially presented Simone with a boiled egg that had been dyed red. Mr Chen watched, delighted, as Simone ate it. Then he gave her a lai see, a red paper envelope filled with lucky money. She jumped out of her chair and climbed into his lap to give him a hug and a messy kiss. He held her close for a while, his eyes closed and a huge smile on his face. Then he pushed her away slightly so he could stroke her hair.
    Monica and Leo both gave her gifts too: Monica gave her a storybook and Leo gave her a toy tea set.
    ‘Happy birthday, Simone. I’ll have a present for you later,’ I said. ‘You’re a big five-year-old now. Are you going to have a birthday party?’
    ‘Some of Simone’s favourite aunts and uncles will be coming for dinner,’ Mr Chen said. ‘They all have red packets for Simone.’
    Simone clapped her hands with delight. ‘Is Aunty Kwan coming?’
    ‘Yes, she is,’ he said.
    ‘Mr Chen,’ I said, ‘can I talk to you privately later?’ ‘Come into my study when you’ve finished eating.’
    I tapped on the door of his study. ‘Come in, Emma,’ he said.
    I went in and sat down. I’d left the door open; this wouldn’t take long. Mr Chen turned away from the computer, leaving the spreadsheet open, and leaned on the pile of papers in front of him.
    ‘Thanks a lot for telling me,’ I said.
    He looked sheepish.
    ‘Her birthday on her documents is 20 November, not 15 November,’ I said. ‘You could have at least told me you were planning to celebrate it today.’
    ‘Today is her birthday on the Chinese calendar,’ he said. ‘I apologise. I forgot to tell you.’
    ‘What else haven’t you told me that I need to know?’
    He looked guilty.
    ‘Geez,’ I said. ‘If you think of anything else that I need to know, you’d better tell me. Right now though, that’s beside the point. Simone’s five years old and she needs to go to school.’
    ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She can start school next September. I would like you to find a suitable place for her.’
    ‘Would you prefer a Chinese or English curriculum?’ I said, relieved. I had expected a battle about sending Simone to school and was surprised by this easy acquiescence.
    ‘I’d prefer an International school,’ he said. ‘Any one will do. She will be wealthy when she grows up, I will see to that. She will be a citizen of the world. She may want to study overseas. It is important that she goes to a school that will give her that wider viewpoint.’
    Leo was passing as Mr Chen said this and he stopped at the door to listen.
    ‘I’ll start looking for a school for her right away,’ I said. ‘Any particular preference for International schools? The English schools were originally founded for the colonial kids, but they provide a good all-round British education, and you have a lot of links there.’
    Mr Chen nodded.
    ‘French? Korean? German/Swiss? The Japanese one is out in the New Territories, but it’s good as well—’
    ‘Emma,’ he said, cutting through my babble, ‘I am leaving this entirely up to you. You choose. I trust you. Leo can assist you; he is an expert on security and that will be a consideration.’
    I was silenced. He was placing an enormous amount of faith in me.
    ‘Simone should be home-schooled,’ Leo growled from the doorway. ‘She’ll be in constant danger at school, and we won’t be there to protect her.’
    ‘We will arrange something,’ Mr Chen said.
    ‘You’ll waste your energy keeping an eye on her?’ Leo said. ‘It’s not worth the risk.’
    ‘Leo,’ Mr Chen said patiently, ‘you knew this time would come. We have had this discussion many times already. Simone will go to school. That is final.’
    ‘This is a very bad idea.’
    ‘Leo,’ I said, breaking in, ‘how many friends of her own age does Simone have?’
    ‘Being alive is more important.’
    ‘She needs to learn to function socially. Right now she doesn’t have a single friend her own age. She hardly knows anybody who’s even human .’
    ‘We’re human. Monica’s human.’
    ‘We’re staff, Leo. We’re