Women of Good Fortune by Sophie Wan

Author:Sophie Wan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Graydon House Books
Published: 2024-01-03T19:12:24+00:00

24

1 month to the wedding

LULU

WITH A MONTH to go until the wedding, and a one-way ticket to Thailand booked, Lulu feels like she should be spending her time saying goodbye to family and friends, to the city she’s called home, all the nooks and alleys she’s discovered over the years. The other day, she finally got together with her Scarlet Beauty coworkers for dinner.

But now, she’s at Cartier.

She and Harv have managed to carve out two hours after their jewelry appointment to meet with the VIP heirs, and she’s nervous. She can hardly concentrate as she sits upon a plush sofa in one of Cartier’s private rooms, watching the sales associate set various kumquat-sized jewels in front of them.

“Gorgeous,” Peng Ayi says, holding a thin chain that drips with diamonds to Lulu’s neck. She looks over at Harv for his reaction and frowns. “Erzi, why are you fidgeting so much?”

Peng Ayi had been delighted when Harv said he would attend the ring fitting. Ever since he heard his mom berate her, Harv has made a concerted effort to join Lulu at wedding planning activities, a blockade between her and Peng Ayi. Little do they know that by the end of the wedding, Peng Ayi will dislike Lulu so completely that Harv will have no way to protect her.

“Too much coffee.” Harv drums his fingers on the rectangular velvet box housing rows of men’s wedding bands. The past few weeks, they’ve been busy strategizing this meeting, and she can read the nervousness running through his body.

If this meeting goes as intended, it’ll prove him worthy of handling the Zhus’ business. He’ll be able to tell his dad he’s created outsize demand for his properties before they even hit the market. He’ll inch one step closer to being the perfect son.

She knows his dad won’t react well when the wedding gifts go missing, but she hopes these two things cancel each other out.

Peng Ayi clicks her tongue. “I told you coffee’s bad for your qì.”

“These were on loan to Dilraba when she accepted her Best Actress award.” The sales associate swoops in with a new necklace.

Peng Ayi smiles at her. “Ah, these are all wonderful! So hard to choose.”

“You can always layer them.”

“You’re trying to upsell me, aren’t you?” Peng Ayi says sternly. Then she laughs. It’s a laugh flushed with the giddiness of dropping millions on something that will likely never leave its box more than a few times. “It’s working!”

Lulu’s mom would’ve loved this. Being able to touch and wear all these sparkly baubles. She’s been texting Lulu daily, bugging her to send pictures of the preparations so she can forward them to her friends. It’s a constant reminder of how upset her mom will be to learn the wedding is a sham.

“Ma, are we almost done?” Harv asks impatiently. He glances at Lulu. “Did you find a necklace you liked? Ma, let Lulu choose something. You’re the only one who’s been saying anything about these necklaces.”

Lulu gives him an appreciative smile.

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