She could take a luxury private jet in the early morning to feed the pigeons in the square in London,
And take the same plane to the romantic Aegean Sea in the evening.
When she woke up, she could choose to go shopping in New York or the luxury mall in Tokyo.
If she was not in a hurry, she could take Gerard’s private cruise
And go from Hong Kong to the Maldives in the Indian Ocean or Tahiti in the South Pacific.
In short, at that time, what she wanted was at her fingertips.
But even so, after Hogan returned to Hong Kong,
Her old relationship with him was on the verge of breaking out.
At that time, she realized that even though she had all the material things,
There was still a vacuum in her heart that could never be filled, and that vacuum was Hogan.
So, when she and Hogan eloped to the United States,
The whole of Hong Kong couldn’t understand why she left so decisively.
But after she arrived in the United States, she gradually realized…
That although the vacuum in her heart was filled, almost all the other things were missing too.
She could no longer find an impromptu destination on the world map,
After sleeping until she woke up naturally,
And she couldn’t enjoy the world’s most expensive and top goods and services like before.
At that moment, she realized what she had given up.
What she gave up was not Gerard, but all the extremes accumulated in all walks of life,
After the development of human civilization and society for thousands of years.
The private jet that she used to fly on had condensed for her,
The world’s most cutting-edge civil aviation technology and the best interior decoration materials,
And the same was true of the cruise ship she used to take.
The clothes she wore were almost all the most expensive ready-to-wear in the commodity world,
And they are all carefully crafted by top designers;
And the jewelry she wore might have been also the rarest and scarcest part of the world.
Just even the mattress she once slept on was a work of art,
Made by a group of Swedish craftsmen, hand-picked from horsetails and goats.
Her basic necessities, food, and drink expenses were all the best in the world.
However, after she eloped with Hogan, she realized that even though they were both on a plane,
Sitting in a cramped economy class for more than ten hours turned out to be so painful.
As for cruise ships, it was a completely different world, all products, were out of reach for common people.
But now, her clothes were no longer luxury products tailored for her by top French,
British and Italian designers, but by the women workers in third world countries,
Stepping on the sewing machine that smelled of engine oil in a huge chaotic assembly line,
All the same cheap clothing made for millions of people.
FAQ Novel
Q: What sparked Gerard’s intense anger towards Bella in this chapter?
A: Gerard became instantly furious upon discovering Bella’s continued visits to Hogan’s ‘dead old woman’ and her perceived ingratitude, suspecting she still wished to run away with Hogan.
Q: How did Bella’s relationship with Hogan compare to her life with Gerard?
A: Bella had immense material wealth and luxury with Gerard, but felt an emotional ‘vacuum’ that only Hogan could fill. Her elopement with Hogan, however, meant sacrificing those material comforts.
What are your thoughts on Bella’s difficult choices and the complex interplay of love, loyalty, and luxury depicted in this chapter?