Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

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.
“I love this inner courtyard! We can take out this reflecting pool and put in a real
swimming pool,” Kitty suggested in English.
Felicity, Victoria, and Alix winced but said nothing.
Oliver stepped in diplomatically. “Kitty, this reflecting pool was brought over tile by tile
from Córdoba, Spain. Do you see these blue-and-coral Moorish tiles lining the pool?
They’re extraordinarily rare, from the thirteenth century.”
“Oh, I had no idea. Of course we must keep them, then,” Kitty said.
Jack stared at the lotus-shaped rose quartz in the middle of the fountain that was
bubbling a slow, hypnotic trickle of water. “No, we mustn’t change a thing. This house
may not be as grand as our place in Shanghai, but it has amazing feng shui. I can feel the
chi flowing through everywhere. No wonder your family prospered here,” Jack told the
assembled ladies.