Tam said he now lived on a family trust and rental income after his father Tam Chuk-kwan sold the restaurant business and invested in rental properties.

“I met her when we were still nobodies. I am a very simple person and an introvert, and our conversations were mostly about our family and children,” he added of his late partner. “I am not someone who is good at expressing myself … But I will always love her and she is always on my mind.”

Choi also owned a property under her name in Manhattan Hill in Lai Chi Kok worth about HK$45 million.

Choi is survived by four children aged three, six, eight and 10, with the younger pair fathered by Tam and the older ones by her former husband Alex Kwong, 28.

“As Choi had not registered her marriage with Chris, her four children will inherit her estate, estimated at about HK$300 million. But it will take four to five years before the court can settle this,” the insider said.

“Her heirs will need to wait for the conclusion of the murder case which may take years if the involved parties seek an appeal. Then there will be an inquest to conclude Choi’s cause of death, after which her death certificate will be issued. The whole process will be lengthy and complex.”

“Since Choi’s children are under the age of 18, under the probate law her children’s next of kin can apply to be appointed as the estate’s trustees and hold the children’s share in a trust, meaning they must keep the relevant assets properly on behalf of the children,” he said.

Poon said after all the children reached the age of 18, under a joint agreement, they could apply to the court to dissolve the trust and formally receive their share.

Under the city’s legal doctrine, one cannot benefit from his or her own wrongdoing.

Choi’s former spouse, Alex Kwong, 28, his father, Kwong Kau, 65, and elder brother Anthony Kwong Kong-kit, 32, are behind bars on a joint murder charge for allegedly killing the model in the Tai Po village house.

Separately in an interview with the Post, Wong and Cheng, who became close friends with Choi and Tam at an animal event in 2018 as both she and Choi were avid animal-lovers, said the model was a smart investor who profited from investing in parking spaces, luxury watches and designer handbags.

“I never questioned Abby’s source of wealth as we are good friends. After all, her partner is the son of the wealthy founder of TamJai Yunnan Mixian. She also liked to invest in a lot of things,” said Wong, who has given many media interviews on behalf of the Tam family following Choi’s death.

“Abby was a smart investor who made a lot of money trading luxury and limited edition watches worth millions of dollars each. She sold them whenever their prices went up,” Cheng added.

Asked why Choi still kept a close relationship with the Kwong family even after her official divorce in 2019, Cheng said that to his understanding it was for the best interests of her two children with Alex Kwong. Before the grisly murder, Anthony Kwong also worked as Choi’s chauffeur.

Wong disclosed Choi had plans to register her marriage with Tam after having a grand wedding ceremony in 2016, but claimed they had been too busy to file the papers.