Read Eternal Love (Bend to My Will #11) for Free Online Page B

smiled. “We’ll have to go a different place every year.”
    “Not a bad idea.” Jacob seemed to consider it. “There’s New Orleans with the fireworks show on the Mississippi, followed by music and parties on Bourbon Street.” He looked thoughtful. “Or what about the harbor event in Sydney, with rooftop parties?”
    Vivienne saw the gleam in Jacob’s eyes. “You’ve given this some thought, I can tell,” she said. “So what will it be? I bet you’ve picked the spot.”
    “Hong Kong.”
    “Really?”
    “Sure, why not?” Jacob grinned. “It has one of the most dramatic skylines.”
    Vivienne knew him too well. “But there’s a reason you chose it, isn’t there?”
    “Yes…I want to see the pyrotechnic dragon dancing across the sky as the finale to the fireworks on Victoria Harbor.”
    Vivienne giggled over his boyish joy at the prospect of seeing the fiery dragon. “That’s one of the best reasons I can think of.”
    Jacob had already made plans, and had arranged for them to leave right after they returned from Decatur. He’d already told his parents but had asked them to keep it a secret. Trace knew, so Lana did too. Vivienne called her parents to let them know she’d be away for a while, and they were very excited for her.
    Hong Kong was over eight thousand miles from New York, so it was a long flight. Fortunately, the jet was as comfortable as flying got, and Vivienne was able to sleep on the trip. As they landed, she had a view of the city around the harbor.
    It was like any city in some ways, only it wasn’t. The high rises looked narrow, and from the air they appeared to be built close together for space economy. The hills in the background and the clouds in the sky reminded Vivienne that the island still had some of its natural environment.
    During the flight, Vivienne had read about Hong Kong and looked at pictures. She hadn’t been to Asia before. More than seven million city dwellers squeezed into a little over four hundred square miles. Hong Kong was a region of China, an autonomous territory on the southern coast at the Pearl River Estuary and the South China Sea.
    The city was composed of New Territories, Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and over two hundred other islands. The most well-known locations of the region were by Victoria Harbor. The international airport was on Lantau, the largest outlying island, with a road connection to central Hong Kong.
    They took the limo to the Four Seasons Hotel in the heart of the Central district, with spectacular views of the harbor, and the rolling hills of the island as a backdrop. There was also an infinity pool that seemed to blend with the aqua-blue water of the harbor. The city skyline looked so close Vivienne imagined that she could touch it.
    It was winter there too, and the temperatures were below freezing. It was about ten degrees warmer than New York, but not a difference that Vivienne really noticed. Although English was one of the official languages, Jacob hired a guide who spoke Cantonese. The guide gave them an introduction to the city with some highlights of the culture and suggestions of sights to see during their stay.
    They were in Central, so the first afternoon they went on the world’s longest escalator, called Mid-Levels. When Vivienne heard about it, she thought it was one massive escalator, but actually it had lots of landings where people could get off.
    The guide said, “Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world.” He escorted them onto the escalator. “Each morning tens of thousands of residents avoid the bumper-to-bumper traffic by commuting on this escalator, which snakes down from the island’s Mid-Level apartments to the offices in Central.”
    “This is amazing,” Vivienne said, holding Jacob’s hand. The covered escalator was so long that she couldn’t see the end, with a choice of stairs or a moving walkway. The hilly journey had restaurants and shops on both sides. It was