Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

why I came here. I had no intention of being anywhere near Asia—I was on my way to
Morocco, to a place I know in the Atlas Mountains. But Grégoire really encouraged me to
see his friend.”
“Who is this person?”
“Her name is Simone-Christine de Ayala.”
“Is she related to Pedro Paulo and Evangeline in Hong Kong?”
“Turns out they are cousins—it’s a big family. Anyway, I’m not quite sure how to
describe her. Some people call her an energy worker or a healer. To me she’s just a very
wise soul, and she has a beautiful home on a neighboring island. We’ve met up almost
every day since I got here and had these amazing talks. She’s led me through these guided
meditations that have led to some incredible breakthroughs.”
“Like what?” Charlie asked, suddenly getting worried that Astrid was under the
influence of some quack guru.
“Well, the biggest one is realizing that I’ve lived my entire life trying to anticipate the
fears of my parents—trying to be that perfect daughter at all costs, never putting a wrong
foot forward, never speaking to the press. And look where that’s gotten me? By trying to
hide behind that façade of perfection, by trying to always keep my personal life and my
relationships so goddamn private, I’ve actually done far more damage than if I’d just lived
my life the way I wanted to in the first place!”
Charlie nodded, a little relieved. “I couldn’t agree more, actually. To me, it’s always
seemed like you’ve lived your whole life in the shadows. You’re so much smarter and
more talented than anyone’s ever given you credit for, and I’ve always thought you were
in the perfect position to be doing so much more.”
“Do you know how many things I’ve wanted to do that have been shot down by my
parents? When I graduated from college and got that great job offer from Yves Saint
Laurent in Paris, they told me to come home. Then they wouldn’t let me start my own
fashion business—it was just too common for them. Then when I wanted to work for
certain very unfashionable causes, like the horrific problem of human trafficking and
child prostitution in Southeast Asia, they wouldn’t hear of it. The only acceptable thing
for Astrid Leong to do is serve on the board of certain well-vetted institutions, and even
those had to be on one of the super-private committees, nothing that would put me in the
public eye. It’s like my family has lived for generations so frightened of their own wealth,
of the fact that someone might accuse us of being rich, of being vulgar and showy. To me,
it’s our wealth that puts us in the fortunate position of being able to do an enormous
amount of good in the world, not hide from the world!”
Charlie clapped his hands excitedly. “So come back, Astrid. Come back with me and we
can do this together. I know you were in a completely different head space when you
wrote me that letter, so I’m going to forget you ever wrote it. I want us to be together. I
want you to be my wife, to live your life and be exactly the woman you want to be.”
Astrid looked away for a moment, staring up at the beautiful white villa gleaming in the
sun. “It’s not that simple…I don’t know if I’m ready to return yet. I think I need to repair