Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

Eddie stared at her in disbelief. His Davos badge was folded and placed in a special
pouch along with his prized Roger W. Smith *6 watch and his precious sapphire-andplatinum
cuff links. He couldn’t wait to get it framed the minute he returned to Hong
Kong. He was quiet for a few moments before turning his attention to Adam. “So what are
you up to these days? Do you work or do you just live a life of leisure?”
Adam felt like grimacing, but he was too well brought up to show any reaction. Why did
so many people assume that just because he had a royal title, he didn’t have to work for a
living? “I’m in F&B. *7 I have a restaurant at Central Embassy, which is the newest mall in
town, and I also have a few gourmet food trucks that serve authentic Austrian
Würstelstand snacks like bratwurst, currywurst, and Käsekrainer. You know, those
Austrian sausages filled with cheese?”
“A sausage truck! You actually make a profit from that?” Eddie asked.
“We do quite well. We park the trucks in all the nightlife spots around the city. People
love to get a snack late at night after they leave the bars and clubs.”
“The sausages help to soak up the alcohol,” Piya added.
“Hmm. Drunk-people snacks. How lucrative,” Eddie said with a not-so-subtle hint of
condescension. He sat waiting for Adam or Piya to ask him what he did for a living when
his aunt and uncle came out of the bedroom. “She’s asleep, but you can go in,” Catherine
said to her son.
Catherine sank down on the settee next to Eddie, suddenly looking totally deflated.
“How is she today?” Eddie asked.
“Hard to tell. Francis said that with the morphine drip, she wasn’t in any pain. I’ve just
never seen her look so…so frail,” Catherine said, her voice cracking a little. Taksin placed
a comforting hand on her shoulder as she continued to talk. “I should have come down in
November like I meant to. And the boys. Why didn’t we make them come down more
often?”
“Auntie Cat, you should go to your room and rest for a little while,” Eddie suggested in
a gentle tone. He became uncomfortable whenever women got emotional around him.
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea,” Catherine said, getting up from the settee.
“I’m going to call Jimmy and Mattie. We’ll get them to fly over immediately. There’s
not a moment to waste,” Taksin said to her as they walked off.
Not a moment to waste, Eddie thought to himself. But Auntie Cat had done nothing but
waste her time. She had spent so many decades away, and his cousins hardly knew their
grandmother. And now that Ah Ma was dying, they were finally going to show their faces?
It was too little, too late! Or could there be another motive behind all this? Were the
Aakaras tight on money these days? Was this why they came down on a commercial
flight? He couldn’t imagine the humiliation. A Thai prince, flying in economy class! And
they only brought five maids with them this time. And Adam had to run these pathetic
little hot-dog trucks. It was all beginning to make sense. Was Uncle Taksin urgently
summoning all his sons to Singapore so they get their hands on Tyersall Park? Everyone
knew that Nicky had been disinherited, and that Ah Ma would never leave any of the