Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

get outta here and call you back.”
Astrid paced her bedroom, waiting for Charlie to call her back. She felt herself suddenly
becoming paranoid. Michael used to be a high-level security expert for the Ministry of
Defense. Had he somehow managed to plant a hidden camera in this bedroom too?
Grabbing her phone, she fled her bedroom and went downstairs into her courtyard sitting
room. Maybe being in a tranquil space would calm her down. As she sank into the sleek
white sofa, it occurred to her that the whole house could be bugged. She didn’t feel safe
here anymore. She slipped on her sandals and walked out of the house. It was midnight,
and a few of the nearby outdoor cafés on Emerald Hill Road were still buzzing with people
chatting away and having drinks. She began strolling up the street when Charlie called
again.
“Charlie! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m downstairs now, talking from my car. Sorry it took so long. I just needed
to get my security team on the case. They are doing a full sweep of the flat now.”
“Did you wake Chloe and Delphine?”
“They are both at a sleepover party tonight.”
“Thank God they’re out of the house.”
“What the fuck is Michael trying to pull? Does he realize how illegal this is?” Charlie
fumed.
“He’s been in a black mood all weekend, ever since the funeral when my father’s
bodyguards tried to stop him from sitting in the family row. He wants his full settlement
—$5 billion—or he’s threatening to leak this video. He’s sure I’ll lose custody of Cassian,
and he knows that’s the last thing I want.”
“I can’t believe the fucker is trying to use his own son as a bargaining chip!”
“What should we do, Charlie? I think my house is bugged now.”
“I’ll fly my security team down to Singapore tomorrow and they will take care of it.
We’ll get to the bottom of this. You should go home. You’ll be fine. Even if your house is
bugged, at least we know who’s watching. It’s not some gang of thieves trying to rob you
or anything.”
“It’s only one asshole trying to rob me of $5 billion,” Astrid sighed.
“You know what? I think we should assign a security detail to you. I’ll get the top team
in the world.”
“You sound like my father now. He’s always trying to do this to me. I don’t want to live
in a cage, Charlie. You know how invisible I try to be. If I can’t feel safe in my own house,
in my hometown, I don’t know what point there is in living here.”
“You’re right, you’re right. I’m just paranoid right now, I guess.”
“Well, I’m wandering the streets of Singapore in nothing but a little linen shift and
bedroom sandals, and no one’s even noticing me.”
“I bet you’re wrong. I bet every guy on the street is thinking, who is that half-naked
babe?”