Rich People Problems (Crazy Rich Asians #3)(37)

Catching sight of him, Catherine exclaimed, "My goodness, Eddie, I hardly recognized you. You look like you've lost a bit of weight!"

"Thank you for noticing, Auntie Cat! Yes, I've lost about twenty pounds in the past year."

"Good for you! And your mother tells me you flew the whole family down yesterday?"

"Well, I was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos as an official delegate and my client Mikhail Kordochevsky-you know, one of Russia's richest men-insisted that I borrow his Boeing Business Jet when he heard about Ah Ma's heart attack. And you know, it's such a huge plane, I thought it was a pity that I was the only passenger. So instead of flying straight to Singapore, we made a detour to Hong Kong so I could pick up the whole family."



       
         
       
        

Catherine turned to her sister. "You see, Alix, I don't know what you keep complaining about-your son is so thoughtful!"

"Yes, very thoughtful," Alix added, trying to block out the memory of Eddie screaming at her over the phone yesterday: You have two hours to get everyone to Hong Kong airport or I'm leaving without you! My special friend is doing us a very special favor by lending us his very special plane, you know! And for God's sake please pack some decent clothes and jewelry this time! I don't want you to be mistaken for a Mainland tourist when I'm with you in Singapore! Last time we got such bad service at Crystal Jade Palace because of the way you looked!

"How did you all fly down?" Eddie asked, wondering what kind of private jet the Aakaras had these days.

"Well, Thai Airways was running a special just for today. If you buy three economy tickets, the fourth person flies for free. So it was quite a savings for our whole lot. But then when we got to the airport and they realized it was your uncle Taksin, they upgraded us to first class."

Eddie couldn't believe his ears. The Aakaras never flew commercial-not since Uncle Taksin had become a special attaché to the Thai Air Force back in the 1970s. Just then, Eddie spied his uncle entering the drawing room alongside his father. It had been years since he had last seen his uncle, but he appeared not to have aged one bit-he was older than his father but looked about a decade younger. His perpetually tan face was wrinkle-free, and he still had that ramrod-straight posture and robust gait of a man accustomed to seeing and being seen. If only his dad wasn't getting so stooped, and if only he dressed more like Uncle Taksin!

Eddie had always admired his uncle's dapper style, and on visits to Bangkok during his teens, he made a point of sneaking into his uncle's closet and checking out all the labels on his clothes-no small feat when there were so many pesky servants lurking everywhere. Today Uncle Taksin was decked out in an impeccably tailored pale orange dress shirt-judging from the Sea Island cotton it was most likely Ede & Ravenscroft-worn with a pair of navy blue chinos and a highly polished pair of monk strap loafers. Were they Gaziano & Girling or Edward Green? He would have to ask him later. And most important, what watch was Uncle Taksin sporting today? He glanced at his sleeve cuff, expecting to see a Patek, Vacheron, or Breguet, but was horrified to see an Apple Watch strapped to his wrist. Dear God, how the mighty had fallen!

Behind Taksin came his son Adam, whom Eddie didn't know all that well because he was more than a decade younger. The baby of the family, Adam was slightly built and had delicately chiseled, almost feline features. He looked like one of those Thai pop idols, and seemed to dress the part in his skinny jeans and a vintage Hawaiian shirt. Eddie was not impressed. But wait a minute, who was this sexy thing that he would definitely swipe right for? Sauntering up the stairs was a girl with alabaster skin and waist-length black hair. Here at last was someone with style-the girl was wearing a sleeveless ice-blue Emilia Wickstead jumpsuit, blue suede ankle boots, and casually slung on her shoulder was the sort of handbag that Eddie was sure had a three-year waiting list. This must be Adam's new wife, Princess Piya, whom his mother couldn't stop gushing about after she attended their wedding last year.*4 

"Uncle Taksin! So good to see you! And Adam-long time no see!" Eddie patted his cousin on the back enthusiastically. Adam turned to his wife and said, "This is Auntie Alix's eldest son, Eddie, who also lives in Hong Kong."

"Princess Piya, it is an honor to meet you!" Bending forward, Eddie grasped her hand and bowed to give it a kiss.

Adam snorted almost imperceptibly, while Piya burst into giggles at Eddie's ridiculously overblown gesture. "Please, it's just Piya. Only the children and grandchildren of the king use any sort of formal titles. I'm just a distant relation."