Читать книгу Five Star Billionaire - Tash Aw - Страница 22

7

Calmly Negotiate Difficult Situations

It seems that Gary has a history of misconduct which is impressive for someone so young. Readers of tabloid newspapers will not fail to be astounded by the unexpectedly long catalogue that is beginning to emerge. How the record company has managed to keep these incidents hushed up for so long is anyone’s guess – public relations people are so powerful these days.

Among the revelations on the front pages of the papers these days are:

The wrecked luxury suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Singapore after his much-lauded concert there last year (no comment was made by the hotel, which prides itself on its discretion, but everyone supposes that it was paid off by Gary’s record company).

A hotel chambermaid in Hangzhou who claims Gary exposed himself inappropriately to her last week. She says that he came out of the bathroom and let his towel fall to the ground before making an obscene suggestion to her. She did not report the incident because she felt no one would believe her.

An unpaid bill of US$12,000 in an upscale Kuala Lumpur restaurant, which included five bottles of Krug champagne.

And an altercation in a trendy drinking spot in the Soho area of Hong Kong, when Gary allegedly grabbed a barman by the throat and threatened to kill him.

Yes, it is clear that Gary has a drinking problem, no one can deny it. Like many young people, he certainly does not react well to alcohol. But is it right for a superstar with so many privileges to behave in this way in public, especially when his actions hurt other people? This is a tragic affair, and no matter how many innocent, ordinary people are harmed by his alcohol-fuelled madness, the ultimate victim is Gary himself: the Fallen Angel.