❝all that is gold does not glitter,
not all those who wander are lost;
the old that is strong does not wither,
deep roots are not reached by the frost❞
- j.r. tolkien
in which she has problems money could never fix.
[crazy rich asians 2018]
[nov 30...
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──── ❝ chapter xiii ❞ ────
❝ great expectations ❞
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THE MARINA BAY SANDS IS Singapore's most luxurious, most expensive and sought-after hotel. Several socialite families have invested in it since its grand opening in 2011, my own in included. It came with the land, most of which we owned as well. Still, despite all the times I'd come here for one of Avaline's parties or to just book a room for myself to get away for a day or two, I was always so impressed by just how glamorous the Sands really was.
Everything about it just screamed "lavish!" The architecture was curved unlike most buildings which were straight, imposing lines in the sky. At night, the lights would practically illuminate half of Singapore and if you were promenading on the rooftop, you could see an unintentional light show against the dark waters of the titular Marina Bay below. From fine dining and the shopping centers and the infinity pools and just everything that was straight out of a dream, it was no wonder the starting prices for a standard room was $300 a night.
This hotel happened to be where my brother was staying for the remainder of his trip. He originally was here with Rachel but... well, it seems Mummy Dearest had done what she did best: ruin other people's lives. Apparently Mother hired someone to look into Rachel's past and found some things out that even Rachel herself was unsure of. She told Ah Ma, of course, and Ah Ma did what she does best: attempt to preserve the good family name from being ruined, as if I hadn't already done just that.
I didn't know the full details, just what Astrid had gleaned from Nick which she pasted onto me when I asked her which room Nick was in. She was all to happy to give me this information, by the way.
Even a simple room number didn't keep me from getting lost a few times. When I say this place is big, I exaggerate the word "big." In the few times I've booked rooms here to get drunk, I'd take a good twenty minutes to get back to my room from getting ice. Thankfully, I found Nick's room with more luck than the past version of me did that one night in April a few years ago. Now, that was a story to tell.
After having knocked with my good hand, Nick swung open the door eagerly. He seemed shocked that I was here, but the hint of disappointment hadn't gotten by me.
"Diana?"
"Can I come in?" I asked gently.
Nick opened the door wider for me to enter through. He had the nicer suits, but not the Deluxe which I thought mum would book for him without a second thought. Still, the modern feel was the same in every room and every room came with a view that could combat that of any other hotel in any other country in the world. I slipped into an arm chair that looked over the Marina Bay, the comfort of the pillows and fur easing a bit of my worries.
