Lies and Weddings(27)
“Five million dollars? For a building made out of ice?” Eden was incredulous.
“They flew in the ice blocks from New Zealand. Think of the manpower it took to build everything up here—it’s basically a giant set of ice Legos. Pretty cool, yeah?”
“Actually, it’s rather appalling.”
“Really?” Freddy couldn’t tell if she was being serious.
“Think of what that money could do to help people in need, people on this very island. We’re sitting here watching five million dollars literally melt away before our eyes, just to amuse the most privileged people on the planet. People who, by the way, already live in their own palaces!”
“Uh-oh…I’m guessing you’re not a fan of royalty.”
“I don’t spend much time thinking about them, to be honest. Most Brits my age aren’t all that interested in the royal family in the way that Americans seem to be.”
“But you’re good friends with the Greshams. Aren’t they sorta royal?”
“The Greshams are part of the landed aristocracy—it’s different from the royal family, who are figureheads with little actual power. Lord Greshamsbury’s family has owned the land around the estate for centuries, and they have been the stewards of the land for generations. The earl is devoted to his village and improving the lives of everyone in the community. Everyone in the whole county, really.”
“That’s pretty cool. I had no idea. I don’t really follow this royalty stuff much either. My mom was obsessed with Princess Diana and the Iranian royals, but the way I see it, it’s just dumb luck that all these people were born into the right families.”
Eden was surprised to hear him say that. “Wouldn’t you consider yourself a recipient of dumb luck too?”
“Hell yeah, I’m pretty friggin’ lucky! My dad, he left Iran with the shoes on his feet and a backpack with one rolled-up rug. He traded the rug in Paris for a plane ticket to Los Angeles and some cash, where he built a fortune with his own ingenuity and hard work. And now he’s passed down that same work ethic to me.”
“So you work for your dad?”
“No, actually I compete with him.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. My goal is to make more money than he has by the time I’m forty.”
“How are you doing on that score?”
“Not bad, actually. My dad wanted me to go to med school, but I dropped out after my first semester and got my real estate license instead. Last year I sold over three hundred fifty million dollars’ worth of properties, residential and commercial, and I’ve expanded into private jet and yacht brokering. I know where my passions lie, and I didn’t want to spend my life treating people with conjunctivitis.”
Eden studied him with interest. She had presumed Freddy was just another boring rich kid, but there was clearly more to him than met the eye.
“So what do you do?” Freddy asked.
“I treat people with conjunctivitis.”
“Ha! You’re a doctor? You look way too young to be a doctor!”
Before Eden could respond, Bea came up behind Freddy and tapped him on the shoulder. “Freddy, I don’t recall you being assigned to this table.”
“Um—I think the place cards might have magically been switched.”
Bea glowered at Freddy. “Why would such a thing happen?”
“Because our sick friend here needs some special attention.”
“The last thing Eden needs is more attention from you.”
“It’s actually worked out great, Bea. Freddy and I are having a fabulous time,” Eden interjected.
Bea bent down and whispered furiously in Eden’s ear. “Freddy was supposed to be next to Solène tonight! You were supposed to be chaperoning Rufus so he could spend the whole night staring at Freddy flirting with Solène! Remember, the hounds need to give chase…”
Eden gazed across at the neighboring table, where Rufus and Solène were huddled side by side, deep in conversation. “I think it’s fine. The fox and the hound are well beyond the point of chasing.”
* * *
?
At the central banquet table, Solène, in a puffy silver quilted Moncler ball gown that unfortunately made her look a bit like the Michelin man, was trying to lift her dinner partner’s foul mood. “Cheer up, Rufus! This soufflé is wonderful, the Sancerre even better, and this palace is magical. I feel like I am in the middle of a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale.”
Rufus sighed. “A fairy tale? Everything about this is wrong. This ice palace was supposed to be half the size and built at the resort, not up here. Its presence here is an insult to Hawaiians and to all the activists who have been fighting so hard to block the construction of a new telescope on the mountain.”
“Won’t this palace melt in a few days’ time? It’s not permanent.”
“That’s beside the point. We’re being very disrespectful, and we shouldn’t be up here at all.”
“But Jacqueline, the event director, told me that they made a big donation to the Hawaii Land Trust,” Solène offered.
Rufus scoffed. “That’s just like my mum. She thinks any problem can be solved by throwing money at it.”