Crazy Rich Asians Read Online Free Page A

hundred million
each
,” Lorena said from her chaise lounge.
    “Is that all? I thought Lena had at least a billion.” Nadine sniffed. “Hey, so strange
     Elle, how come there’s no picture of your pretty niece Astrid? I remember all the
     photographers swarming around her that day.”
    “Those photographers were wasting their time. Astrid’s pictures are never published
     anywhere. Her mother made a deal with all the magazine editors back when she was a
     teenager,” Eleanor explained.
    “Why on earth would she do that?”
    “Don’t you know my husband’s family by now? They would rather die than appear in print,”
     Eleanor said.
    “What, have they become too grand to be seen mingling with other Singaporeans?” Nadine
     said indignantly.
    “Aiyah, Nadine, there’s a difference between being grand and being discreet,” Daisy
     commented, knowing full well that families like the Leongs and the Youngs guarded
     their privacy to the point of obsession.
    “Grand or not, I think Astrid is wonderful,” Carol chimed in. “You know, I’m not supposed
     to say, but Astrid wrote the biggest check at the fund-raiser. And she insisted that
     I keep it anonymous. But her donation was what made this year’s gala a record-breaking
     success.”
    Eleanor eyed the pretty new Mainland Chinese maid entering the room, wondering if
     this was another one of the girls that the
dato’
had handpicked from that “employment agency” he frequented in Suzhou, the city reputed
     to have the most beautiful women in China. “What do we have today?” she asked Carol,
     as the maid placed a familiar bulky mother-of-pearl chest beside the bed.
    “Oh, I wanted to show you what I bought on my Burma trip.”
    Eleanor flipped open the lid of the chest eagerly and began methodically taking out
     the stacked black velvet trays. One of her favorite parts of Thursday Bible study
     was looking at Carol’s latest acquisitions. Soon the bed was lined with trays containing
     a blinding array of jewels. “What intricate crosses—I didn’t realize they did such
     good setting work in Burma!”
    “No, no, those crosses are Harry Winston,” Carol corrected. “The rubies are from Burma.”
    Lorena got up from her lunch and headed straight for the bed, holding up one of the
     lychee-size rubies to the light. “Aiyah, you have to be careful in Burma because so
     many of their rubies are synthetically treated to boost the redness.” Being the wife
     of Lawrence Lim (of the L’Orient Jewelry Lims), Lorena could speak on this topic with
     authority.
    “I thought rubies from Burma were supposed to be the best,” Eleanor remarked.
    “Ladies, you need to stop calling it Burma. It’s been called
Myanmar
for more than twenty years now,” Daisy corrected.
    “
Alamak!
You sound just like Nicky, always correcting me!” Eleanor said.
    “Hey, speaking of Nick, when does he arrive from New York? Isn’t he the best man at
     Colin Khoo’s wedding?” Daisy asked.
    “Yes, yes. But you know my son—I’m always the last to know anything!” Eleanor complained.
    “Isn’t he staying with you?”
    “Of course. He always stays with us first, before heading to Old Lady’s,” Eleanor
     said, using her nickname for her mother-in-law.
    “Well,” Daisy continued, lowering her voice a bit, “what do you think Old Lady will
     do about his guest?”
    “What do you mean? What
guest
?” Eleanor asked.
    “The one … he’s bringing … to the wedding,” Daisy replied slowly, her eyes darting
     around at the other ladies mischievously, knowing they all knew to whom she was referring.
    “What are you talking about? Who is he bringing?” Eleanor said, a little confused.
    “His latest girlfriend,
lah
!” Lorena revealed.
    “No such thing! No way Nicky has a girlfriend,” Eleanor insisted.
    “Why is it so hard for you to believe that your son has a girlfriend?” Lorena asked.
     She had always found Nick to be
the
most dashing young man of