جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 420

I was shocked by Professor Killiney's wealth, considering his interest in bidding on such an expensive 1800s antique landscape painting that had such a high starting price.Five minutes later, the bidding for the antique landscape painting began.Grandpa Shaw firmly held onto Professor Killiney's hand, signaling Luke to raise the paddle.Luke complied perfectly.Professor Killiney scowled, saying, "Let go!""Stop fussing! You're Jon's teacher now, and we haven't discussed your salary yet! When you sign the contract, you can lower your fee a bit to repay this favor," Grandpa said, holding onto Professor Killiney's arm. "One must be flexible, not too rigid. You'll paint yourself into a corner that way."Professor Killiney remained silent. After a half-minute standoff, his raised arm slowly lowered."That's more like it! How would you manage without me keeping an eye on you?" Grandpa beamed.I watched with a smile.Luke's strategy worked perfectly. As he predicted, the bidding we

Hearing this, I looked down and noticed that my fingers had intertwined without my noticing. I quickly released them, the sudden movement catching Luke's attention.As he looked over, I nervously avoided his gaze. "I... I need to use the restroom," I stammered, hastily standing up.Wendy followed me with a sigh.Meanwhile, Luke's eyes twinkled with amusement as he glanced at his watch.Wendy's expressive eyes held a hint of a smile. "Honey, can't we be more composed in front of Luke?""I wish I could, but I lack the necessary skills. I need more practice."Luke's eyes seemed to penetrate one's soul. Whenever he looked at me, I felt exposed, as if he could see right through me.Afraid that he would see through me, the more I tried to hide, the more flustered I became, revealing everything."Well, it's not all bad. It would be worse if you felt nothing when you saw him.""If I could face him with a calm heart, I would be a master!"The thought of honing myself to that level, be

At that moment, I felt a surge of carefree joy, reminiscent of my youthful days in school.In stark contrast to my mood, Joey was far from happy.By the time she reached the door, Wendy and I had already sprinted about 15-20 feet away.Joey attempted to chase us in her high heels but quickly stopped after a few steps, her feet in pain. She abruptly halted and angrily shouted, "Stop right there!""Only an idiot would stop!" Wendy turned back and stuck her tongue out at Joey. This childish act left Joey speechless, pointing at Wendy with her mouth agape.Back at the auction hall, Wendy was laughing triumphantly. "Joey's face was even darker than squid ink!""I've done the same thing twice in one day," I said. If I were in her shoes, I'd be angry too.I looked at Wendy expectantly."Honey, quickly, tell me what you overheard the first time," Wendy urged, her eyes sparkling."Joey confessed her feelings to Luke but was rejected. Even after the medicine incident, Luke was still cau

Seeing my confusion, Luke continued to explain, "The person who delivered the message was his assistant. I had bought off his assistant beforehand. Now, his assistant is on a plane heading overseas.""Mr. Walker, you're very thorough," I said.I knew Luke was meticulous and strategic, but I never imagined he was this detailed!Everything that happened at the auction was under his control, with careful arrangements made in advance. Even I, his assistant, had been kept in the dark.Fortunately, I wasn't on the opposing side. With my intellect, I'd have been utterly crushed."You have a lot of work. I assigned these tasks to Brian," Luke explained, clarifying why I didn't know about these matters.I hadn't handled such things before, so it made sense to give them to Brian. I gave a soft "mm" in response.Once, when I mentioned this to Wendy, she pointed out that it wasn't that Luke feared I'd handle things poorly, but that he didn't want to drag me into his affairs with the Walker

I sat down across from Professor Killiney with Luke.The professor brewed some tea and poured cups for Luke and me.Luke took a sip and said, "Please go ahead, Professor.""I've spoken with Joey. She doesn't agree to Jon living in Brookshire," the professor said."That's not unexpected," Luke replied, understanding Joey to some extent. "I'll try to persuade her. If she insists, we can attempt online lessons."The professor was elderly and had lived in Brookshire for a long time. He had his social circle there and was accustomed to the climate. Asking him to stay in Johnsonville would be too much.Luke was considerate and wouldn't make unreasonable requests."After the recent incident, I'm concerned about his personal safety," the professor said, already caring deeply for Jon despite knowing him for a short time. "He's naive and doesn't understand deception. He could easily get hurt.""The last incident was an accident. It won't happen again," Luke assured him."I hope Mr. Walk