“When the time comes, we will come down on her, and hard. In her last few articles, you might have noticed that she has been careless with her use of words. Her sloppiness came about because we have intentionally been keeping quiet. Dr Liew Kim Keong has a file on her. If need be, we have enough to either shut down her blog or sue her for defamation against the prime minister.”

Sharon could not veil her look of astonishment. Dr Liew Kim Keong was the Minister of Information and the Arts. It was an open secret among parliamentarians that Elvis and Dr Liew did not get along. Their animosity had led to the formation of two factions in the Cabinet. Fortunately, the prime minister was able to helm the divided team.

“I know what’s on your mind,” Elvis chuckled. “Remember—the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Dr Liew and I are happy to collaborate if the matter benefits both of us. Besides, I myself have Omala Subramanium on a very special leash. If I choose to yank the leash, she will choke, in a very horrible manner.”

Sharon was immediately curious. She also noticed that Yu Chin did not look surprised.

“Are you going to share the secret or do I have to grill Yu Chin for the details tonight?”

Elvis laughed and turned to give Yu Chin a friendly cuff on the shoulder. “Go order our food. I will satisfy your wife’s curiosity and save you from the torture tonight.”

Sharon was once again amazed by the easy camaraderie between Elvis and her husband, like that of college fraternity buddies. As Sharon watched Yu Chin leave the room, a stray thought suddenly wormed its way into her mind. Did Elvis know about Yu Chin’s extramarital affair? If he did, would he cover it up for her husband? Sharon feared that in all likelihood, Elvis would.

“Back in 2009, Omala got herself into deep shit in Uganda,” Elvis began. “She was then working closely with Human Rights Watch and had flown over in response to a call for help from the Uganda LGBTQ community. Apparently, a young woman was jailed when she went to the police to report that she had been gang raped by a number of men in her village. Subsequent investigation uncovered the horrendous truth that the rape was sanctioned by both the village headman and the victim’s father when they discovered that the young woman was in a lesbian relationship with a friend from a town nearby. It was an attempt to turn her straight.”

Sharon gasped. She was on the cusp of deploring the barbarity when she remembered what Elvis had said before about speaking only if a purpose was served. So she kept quiet and continued to listen.