Chapter 19
Penelope
I wasn’t nearly as nervous as I thought I’d be landing in Singapore. In fact, seeing it again—feeling the warm breeze, smelling
the occasional floral fragrance that wafted through the air, watching the broad palm leaves sway—felt like coming home. Right
after landing, our things were taken to the Four Seasons suite we were staying in and Xander and I went right to Marina Bay.
Despite the humidity that hung on the air, the metropolitan hub of the city pulsed with activity: honking cars; the chatter
of locals and tourists alike; and the rhythmic clinking of utensils at bustling food stalls that wafted the tantalizing scents
of Hainanese chicken, chili crab, and all manner of stir-fried favorites.
It was a perfect place to purchase a property. Since real estate moved fast in Singapore, I planned to make a purchase that
afternoon.
“That was easy,” Xander said, sounding carefree as he threw an arm around my shoulders, and we walked out of the lobby of
a new luxury condo tower. I held a stack of papers in my hand.
While touring the properties that both fit my budget and were still available, I was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.
I didn’t know if he could tell or not, but he left to make a call and five minutes later I was the owner of the entire building.
Worth a little over five hundred million US dollars, it was mine now.
“Thank you, Xander, but I didn’t need the entire tower to meet the terms.” I rolled my eyes.
“Okay. Take your time to pick the one you want,” Xander suggested. “You can sign the rest over to me when you’re done. This
way you can choose with the pressure off.”
I looked up at him, suddenly overwhelmed with feeling. He did it to give me time, knowing I was probably a bit overcome. While
I didn’t need things to be taken care of for me, it was nice for my worries to be handled with care. For someone to look out
for my well-being.
The humid air hit me the second we walked out of the lobby. I let it fill my lungs and smiled. My shoulders relaxed. The cacophony
of thoughts muted, the mental burden of it all suddenly off my mind.
Then, I saw a familiar face waiting for us outside.
My cousin Olivia.
Before I could say anything, Olivia was running toward us, linking my arm in hers, all while Xander’s remained along my shoulders.
“I’m so glad you called me.” Olivia beamed, her short hair brushing along her chin. “It’s so good to see you!”
Olivia Chen was a couple of years older than me, but she and I had a kinship in that we were both black sheep of sorts. Olivia,
who had come out years ago, was given what my family believed to be a generous offer.
As long as she never married or made her truth public, she was still a part of the family. A begrudgingly accepted one, but
still a part. Her decision often influenced my reluctance to fully pull away from the family. Even someone as independent
as Olivia knew that you only got one.
“I couldn’t visit without seeing you,” I told her, holding her arm a bit tighter, reveling in this feeling. One that felt like finding something I’d lost. Despite having avoided home for years, being around Olivia felt like I’d never left.
We spent the rest of the day having a decadent three-course lunch, then stopping at places along the waterfront that she and
I used to sneak off to when we were younger. Xander mostly followed along and took pictures obediently at Olivia’s instruction.
“See that building?” she said, pointing at a skyscraper at least fifty-stories high. “One of mine.”
While our family business was in the technology sphere, Olivia branched out into real estate. She went from boutique developer
to buying out one of the larger development firms in Singapore.
“That’s amazing,” I said. “I’ve missed so much of your life these past few years.”
“Same here. I wish I’d known about the wedding early enough to sneak off and attend.” She gave me a scolding look as we walked
along the path overlooking the bay.
The warm ocean air whipped along my face. “I should have told you sooner.”
“It’s my fault.” Xander leaned forward to give her an enchanting smile. The muggy breeze swept along his shirt and rustled
through his tawny blond hair. He’d been relatively quiet all day, allowing for Olivia and me to fill the air with everything
we’d missed in each other’s lives. “I couldn’t wait anymore.”
“This man,” Olivia cooed, smacking an exaggerated hand over her chest. “Now that you’ve purchased a building, do you plan
on moving back?”
I spent so long feeling rejected by this place that I forgot how good it felt, too. In protecting myself from the pain, I
missed out on the joy that was here.
I looked to Xander for help, but he looked just as interested in my answer as Liv. “I’m not entirely sure.”
“Oh.” Olivia’s shoulders fell. “Well, tell me you’re going to at least come to the Chen Charity Gala this weekend.”
“It’s an annual event at the family’s house,” I explained to Xander, seeing his quizzical look. “I wasn’t invited.” I also
didn’t have anything to wear and there was the glaring issue of being persona non grata now that I’d jilted Maddox.
“You’re a Chen, so you’re always invited.” She stopped and looked me squarely in the eye. “I don’t know if Silas will attend,
but he’s usually a no-show anyway. Your father and stepmother are hardly in Singapore anymore. They’re mostly in Hong Kong
now.”
“And Bella?”
Olivia’s face brightened. “She’s never really out at social events these days, but I believe she’s coming. It is at the old
Chen house after all.”
Arabella and I didn’t really have a relationship now, but that didn’t mean I didn’t want one. And in the last day, being here
and seeing Singapore with fresh eyes, I wanted to try.
Hope fluttered in my chest.
“It might be fun.” Xander’s arm moved from my shoulders to slowly run up and down my back reassuringly. Then he glanced over
to Liv. “But she’s not just a Chen. She’s also a Sutton now.”
“Ooh, I like him.” Olivia smirked.
“He’s a bit of a charmer.” I rolled my eyes.
Xander’s chuckle settled in my chest like an anchor; it kept me steady.