Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3)(136)

       
         
       
        

Astrid Leong has stolen my life. She is a cheating, husband-stealing whore. Just look at her whoring herself in this video. She is nothing but a vapid rich girl, an heiress to an evil fortune that destroys our planet. I curse her! I curse Charlie Wu! I curse this house built on deceit and sin! For the rest of eternity, there will never ever be any peace in this house!



Isabel attached the video clip and hit "post," as the video streamed out to millions of WeChat users all over the world. Then she climbed up on the wooden Nakashima dining table as if it was a giant surfboard, took off her long velvet gown, rolled it into a tight long rope and threw one end around the Lindsey Adelman chandelier. She fastened the other end taut over the white, tender part of her neck and inched to the edge of the table slowly, step by step, gazing out the window at the moonlit sea. And then she jumped.





CHAPTER SIXTEEN


TYERSALL PARK, SINGAPORE

"It was an epic fail, a disaster of titanic proportions," Carlton sighed over the phone to his sister as he recounted his date with Scheherazade.

"I'm so sorry, Carlton-it sounds traumatic," Rachel said. "So what happened after Colette dropped her bombshell?"

"Well, it basically killed the dinner for everyone. Scheherazade didn't eat a thing after that, and I bolted right after dessert was served. It became apparent to me that Scheherazade's parents were going to file a restraining order against me if I stuck around one minute longer."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"No, actually, it probably got worse. Everyone went into the drawing room for drinks and coffee, and I just know Colette was itching to get into all the details of exactly what happened in London. I'm sure she went on a no-holds-barred campaign to tell the Shangs what a murderous monster I am. Scheherazade walked me down to my car, and I tried to tell her the whole story but it just all came out wrong. I was rushing and nervous, and I think she was too in shock to process anything."

"It's a lot of story for a first date, Carlton. Give her a little time to recover," Rachel said gently.

"She'll have all the time in the world-I heard she left for Paris first thing this morning. Game over."

"It's not game over. Maybe her leaving had nothing to do with you."

"Uh-uh, I don't think so. She hasn't responded to any of my texts in the past twenty-four hours."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you millennials! If you really want to win her back, fly to Paris, send her a thousand roses, take her to dinner at some romantic rooftop in the Marais, just do something other than text her!" 

"It's not so simple. She's surrounded by bodyguards 24/7. If she's not going to respond to my texts, I don't want to be some creepy stalker who shows up at her doorstep."

"Carlton, even if you tried, you would never come across as a creepy stalker. Scheherazade's obviously freaked out because she's been fed a line of bullshit from Colette. So you need to show her who you really are. She's waiting for you to do that, don't you see?"

"I think she's back in Paris living her life, probably dating some French count with three-week-old stubble by now."

Rachel sighed. "You know what it is, Carlton? You're just spoiled. You had the fortune, or maybe the misfortune, of being born good-looking, and girls have been throwing themselves at you all your life. You've never had to lift a finger. Scheherazade is the first girl who's challenging you, who's making you work for it. You've met your match. So are you gonna step up?"

Carlton was quiet for a moment. "So what's my next move, Rachel?"

"You need to figure that out. I'm not going to give you a cheat sheet! You need to win her back with a wildly romantic gesture. Look, I need to go. There's a potential buyer coming to tour Tyersall Park this morning, and you don't want to know who it is."

"Why not?" Carlton asked.

"Because it's Jack Bing."

"Bollocks! You're pulling my leg!"

"I wish I was. He's offering an insane amount of money for the house."

"Bloody hell, between Colette and her father, the Bings are clearly out for blood in Singapore. Don't sell it to him."

Rachel sighed. "I wish it were up to me. Nick and I are actually trying to avoid him, and I think I hear people arriving."

"Okay, call me later."

···

Jack Bing stood in the middle of the Andalusian Cloister, puffing away on his cigar as he stared at the ornately carved columns. "This is incredible. I've never seen a house like this in my whole life," he said in Mandarin.