The houses were scattered far apart as if they loathed company, freestanding bungalows both squat and sprawling. Teck Beng pulled near one, drawing close to a pair of looming wrought-iron gates. The sign over the gate read “Ambrosia Hall” in curly English letters.

“There are no guards,” Gean Choo said. “Isn’t the mem afraid of bandits?”

Teck Beng chuckled, as if she’d said something humorous. “The mem isn’t afraid of much.” He paused outside the gates and got out of the car, using a cane this time. His right ankle was turned slightly out, the foot dragging with each step as he approached the gate and unlocked it with a key. The metal creaked as he pulled each side open, anchoring them to the ground before getting back into the car.

Gean Choo hesitated before speaking as they passed through the gates. “Uncle… would you like me to close them?”

“It’s okay.”

On the other side, he limped out again and repeated the process in reverse, leaving the car to idle as he locked the gates. As the car rolled on, her first impression was that of a lush and serene symmetry. A broad driveway framed with stone columns and palm trees soaring overhead led down to the main house—two stories tall and all in white, with a red terracotta roof. Short pillars raised the ground floor to prevent flooding and the verandahs enclosing both floors had carved balustrades, decorated with geometric shapes and flowers.

Teck Beng pulled into a garage at the side of the house.

“Thank you for driving me,” Gean Choo said.

He grunted. “Close your window.”

She’d forgotten all about it, and dutifully wound up the glass before getting out, taking her bag from the back. It was a relief to stretch her legs after being cooped up for so long.

“Come, let’s find the boss,” Teck Beng said.

She followed him. There were more buildings towards the back of the estate in the same style—what must be an outhouse, with the servants’ quarters, and a smaller one for storage or perhaps even sheltering a generator. A covered jetty led into the ocean, and there was another small structure built above the water, against which two sampans were moored. Flowering bushes filled the gardens, lining a crushed gravel path. Where the paths converged stood a fountain with a statue of a naked woman pouring water into the receptacle below. The crease at her waist seemed so lifelike, Gean Choo almost longed to run her fingers over it.

They passed a stand of lilies, single-petalled, with deep black flowers. Unable to resist, she touched them, brushing the smooth, velvet skin of their petals. The plant drew away from her hand, the flowers furling tight as buds. Perplexed, she continued to stare at them until Teck Beng snapped his fingers and she moved on.