Кевин Кван - China Rich Girlfriend

“Rachel’s in the hospital?” Gaoliang interrupted.

“You haven’t heard? They had to airlift her from Hangzhou to Hong Kong.”

“What happened?” Gaoliang stared at Carlton in alarm.

“She was poisoned by someone. She was in the ICU for three days and almost died.”

Gaoliang’s jaw dropped. “Who would poison her?”

“I dunno…why don’t you ask Mother ?”

Shaoyen bolted upright on the sofa. “ Ni zai jiang shen me pi hua? * Did you stop taking your medication, Carlton? Is this some hallucination of yours?”

“I know you were just trying to send her a warning, but you almost killed her! I don’t understand you, Mother. How could you do something like that ?” Carlton said, his eyes brimming with tears.

Shaoyen turned to her husband in astonishment. “Can you believe this? Our son is accusing me of being a murderer. How on earth do you think I had any part in this, Carlton?”

“I know precisely how you did it. Not you, of course, but one of your lackeys. Rachel was poisoned with Tarquinomid — which we so conveniently just started manufacturing for Opal Pharmaceuticals of Tel Aviv!”

“Oh my God,” Shaoyen said in a whisper, while Gaoliang looked stunned.

“You don’t think I keep up with what’s happening at the company? Well surprise, surprise, I do. I know all about that secret deal you made with Opal.”

“We have so many secret deals with companies all over the world. Yes, Opal outsourced Tarquinomid to us, but do you actually think I would poison Rachel? Why would I do that?”

Carlton looked at his mother accusingly. “Oh come on! You have been so hell-bent against Rachel since day one! Do I need to spell it out for you?”

Gaoliang spoke up, finally fed up with his son’s accusations. “Don’t be ridiculous, Carlton. SHE DID NOT POISON RACHEL! How dare you say such a thing about your own mother?”

“Dad, you don’t know half the things Mother has been telling me. If you could only hear what she’s said about Rachel!”

“Your mother may have issues with Rachel, but she would never do anything to harm her.”

Carlton started to laugh bitterly. “Oh, that’s what you think? You don’t have a clue what Mother is capable of, do you? Of course you don’t — you have no idea what she did in—”

“CARLTON,” Shaoyen said as a warning.

“What Mother did in London !”

“What are you talking about?” Gaoliang asked.

“The big cover-up in London…all to protect you.”

Shaoyen rushed up to her son and grabbed his shoulders in a panic. “SHUT UP, CARLTON!”

“NO! I WON’T SHUT UP! I’m sick of shutting up and not talking about it!” Carlton exploded.

“Then talk! What happened in London?” Gaoliang demanded.

“Please, Carlton, if you know what’s best for you, please don’t say any more,” Shaoyen pleaded frantically.

“A girl died in my car wreck!” Carlton spat out.

“DON’T LISTEN TO HIM! He’s drunk! He’s sick in the head!” Shaoyen screamed as she struggled to put her hands over Carlton’s mouth.

“What on earth are you talking about? I thought the girl was paralyzed,” Gaoliang said.

Carlton shook his mother off and ran to the other side of the room. “There were two girls in the Ferrari with me, Dad! One girl survived, but the other girl died. And Mother had it all covered up. She got Mr. Tin and your banker in Hong Kong to pay everyone off. She wanted you to remain blissfully ignorant about what happened — all to protect your precious position! She’s never allowed me to talk about it. She’s never wanted you to know what a fuckup I am. But I’m admitting it now, Dad — I killed a girl!”

Gaoliang stared at both of them in horror, as Shaoyen sank to the floor sobbing.

Carlton continued, “I will never forgive myself, and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. But I’m trying to take responsibility for what I’ve done, Dad. I can’t change the past, but I’m trying to change myself. Rachel helped me realize all this when we were in Paris. But Mother found out that Rachel knows this secret about my accident, and that’s the real reason she wanted her killed!”

“No, no! That’s not true!” Shaoyen cried.

“How do you feel now, Mother? The big secret is out, and your worst nightmare is coming true. Our family name will be ruined just like you thought it would — not by Rachel or by me, but when the police come and haul you off to jail!”

Carlton stormed out of the house, leaving his mother on the floor of the library and his father seated next to her with his head buried in his hands.

* Mandarin for “What the fuck are you saying?”

11BUKIT BROWN CEMETERY

SINGAPORE

Every year, on the anniversary of their father’s death, Shang Su Yi and her brother, Alfred, would visit the grave where their parents were buried. Su Yi’s immediate family and a few close relatives would traditionally gather at Tyersall Park for breakfast before heading to the cemetery, but this year everyone met at Bukit Brown first. Astrid arrived early, coming straight from dropping Cassian off at Far Eastern Kindergarten, and hardly anyone was around as she strolled through Singapore’s oldest cemetery.

Since the cemetery had stopped accepting burials in 1970, the forest had grown unchecked around it, making this final resting place of Singapore’s founding fathers a lush, Edenic nature preserve for some of the rarest plants and wildlife on the island. Astrid loved meandering and admiring the ornate graves that were unlike anywhere else in the world. The larger, more ostentatious Chinese-style tombs were built into the sides of gentle sloping mounds, and some were as big as palace gatehouses, boasting their own tiled courtyards where mourners could gather, while others were decorated with colorful Peranakan tiles and life-size statues depicting Sikh guards, Quanyin, or other Chinese deities. Astrid began reading the gravestones, and every now and then, she recognized the name of a pioneer Singaporean: Tan Kheam Hock, Ong Sam Leong, Lee Choo Neo, Tan Ean Kiam, Chew Boon Lay. They were all here.

At precisely ten o’clock, a small convoy of cars invaded the quiet of the cemetery. At the front was the 1990s-era Jaguar Vanden Plas ferrying Astrid’s mother, Felicity Leong — Su Yi’s eldest child — and her husband, Harry, followed by the small Kia Picanto driven by Astrid’s brother Henry Leong Jr.* Then came the vintage black-and-burgundy Daimler with Su Yi’s younger daughter, Victoria, who rode with Rosemary T’sien, Lillian May Tan, and the Bishop of Singapore. A few minutes later, a black Mercedes 600 Pullman with tinted windows pulled up, and before the humongous limousine had come to a full stop, the middle doors flung open and two Gurkha guards jumped out.

Alfred Shang, a short, portly man in his late seventies with a careful comb-over of gray hair, emerged from the car, squinting in the bright morning light even with his rimless sunglasses on. He helped his older sister, Su Yi, out of the car, followed by her two lady’s maids in elegant iridescent peacock-blue silk dresses. Su Yi was dressed in a cream-colored blouse, a thin saffron-colored cardigan, and light brown trousers. With her round tortoiseshell sunglasses, straw cloche hat, and brown suede gloves, she looked like she was ready for a day of gardening. Su Yi caught sight of Bishop See Bei Sien and muttered angrily to Alfred, “Victoria invited that busybody bishop again when I specifically told her not to! Father is going to spin in his grave!”

After a flurry of quick greetings, the family made their way along one of the more manicured paths, forming a rather stately procession as Su Yi led the way, walking under an embroidered yellow silk umbrella held by one of the Gurkha guards. The tomb of Shang Loong Ma was on the highest hill, a secluded spot completely encircled by a thicket of trees. The tombstone itself was not particularly monumental compared to some of the others, but the large circular plaza of glazed tiles and the exquisite bas-reliefs depicting a scene from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms on the tomb made it uniquely beautiful. Awaiting them at the grave were several Buddhist monks in dark brown robes, and in front of the plaza, a marquee had been set up with a long banquet table that gleamed with silver and the pale yellow nineteenth-century Wedgwood service that Su Yi always used for al fresco entertaining.