Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
“He’s doing well, healthy enough to exercise every day,” Danika answered with a smile. “Regarding when he’ll come to Parrington, I have no idea.”
As Mr. Lawson and Danika chatted away, Morgan watched and listened silently. Although she couldn’t join the conversation, she wasn’t upset at all. Soon, the clerk returned to them with the item Mr. Lawson had asked for and handed it to Danika.
“This is the premium paintbrush that just arrived. Mr. Quincey likes this one the most,” Mr. Lawson said with a smile.
Danika nodded as she inspected it. Based on her understanding of Old Mr. Quincey, things pertaining to art, such as paintbrushes and canvas, had a special place in his heart.
In the past, whenever Danika visited the Old Mansion for dinner, she would visit Mr. Lawson’s store to buy something for Old Mr. Quincey, which brought him great joy each time.
Danika handed the item to Morgan, saying, “Give this to him. He’ll like it.”
“Okay.” Morgan had no doubts about Danika’s decision. “How much is it?”
Mr. Lawson smiled at her and jokingly said, “Money is not important.”
“What do you mean?” Morgan was confused.
“It’s 108 thousand dollars,” he replied.
Watching Morgan’s shocked expression, Danika burst into laughter before she chided, “Mr. Lawson, stop. teasing her.”
“I didn’t expect her to react so well,” Mr. Lawson said, trying to stifle his laughter.
Meanwhile, Morgan was still dumbfounded, wondering how much it cost.
As if she knew what she was thinking, Danika said, “Just take it, Morgan. I’ll pay for it. Please give me a discount, Mr. Lawson.”
“I don’t thi” Morgan was about to refuse.
“Well, I’m about to buy something else, so treat this as a complimentary gift,” Danika quickly interrupted. Looking at Mr. Lawson, he asked, “Isn’t that right, Mr. Lawson?”
“Well, that would depend on the price of the item you’re buying.” Mr. Lawson said, grinning. It happened to be the third anniversary of his shop.
“Morgan, wait for me here,” Danika said.
Morgan nodded without asking any questions. With that, Danika and Mr. Lawson headed into another room, leaving Morgan with the expensive-looking brush, feeling rather uneasy.
She hesitantly approached the clerk and asked softly. “Hey, is this brush very expensive?”
“Oh, it’s alright. It’s not considered too expensive,’ he replied nonchalantly.
“Oh, okay.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
“It’s only 680 thousand dollars,” he added.
Morgan’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she heard that. 680 thousand dollars for a brush? On top of that, Danika had claimed it was a complimentary gift!
Gulping, Morgan realized that her family wealth was insignificant before Danika.
Her father had allocated a budget of 200 thousand dollars for Old Mr. Quincey’s gifts. Although the Golding family had some money, they were not filthy rich. In addition, they had set a high budget for the gifts in hopes that it would help them get better acquainted with the Quincey family.
Unwilling to give up, she continued to ask, “How much would a person need to buy to get this as a complimentary gift?”
“I don’t know. Probably a hundred million dollars,” the clerk mused. “However, given that your friend knows my boss very well, perhaps ten million dollars would suffice.”
Morgan almost fell to the ground when she heard that.
Who exactly was Danika? Why did she have hundreds of millions of dollars at her expense? From the way she interacted with Mr. Lawson, Danika seemed to be a returning customer. How much money has she spent here?
Inside the room, Danika was unaware of the thoughts flying through Morgan’s head. She was standing in Mr. Lawson’s treasure collection, choosing a gift for Old Mr. Quincey.
She decided to bring him the gift if the old man invited her to the party. If she received no invitation, she would have it delivered through a courier service.
“These are all my precious collections. Let me know which one is to your liking, and I’ll give you a discount.”
Mr. Lawson scanned the collection he had made over the years, feeling proud and satisfied. If it were someone else instead of Danika, they would not be allowed into the room.
Surveying the room, Danika asked, “Mr. Lawson, I’m also looking for a gift for Mr. Quincey. What do you would be a good gift for him?”
“You know him too?” Mr. Lawson was surprised because he didn’t know about Danika’s past marriage. “Yes, I know him.” Danika nodded. “He’s pretty nice to me, so I want to give him a gift in return.”
think
“I heard he likes Mr. Birkett’s paintings the most,” Mr. Lawson said. “Wouldn’t it be better to ask Mr. Birkett for a painting?”
Danika was a little frustrated as she had auctioned off Mr. Birkett’s painting. Old Mr. Quincey’s birthday party hadn’t crossed her mind back then.
“Mr. Birkett has gone traveling to gain inspiration, and I don’t know where he is.”
The day after next was Old Mr. Quincey’s birthday. It would be too late if she tried to look for her mentor.
Mr. Lawson nodded, thinking the same way as Danika. After hesitating for a moment, he approached a cabinet on the right. As he handed a stone to Danika, he said, “I think this would be the perfect gift for him.” “Lapis lazuli,” Danika muttered in surprise.
“Yes, you’re right. This is a lapis lazuli stone from the Renaissance era.” Mr. Lawson smiled at her and nodded proudly.
Danika, however, felt a little bad. An ancient lapis lazuli stone of such refined quality was a precious treasure, and Mr. Lawson must have spent great effort to collect it.
“Don’t feel bad. I collected it so I could sell it for a good price. It doesn’t matter that I’m selling it to you now,” Mr. Lawson said. After a pause, he added, “Well, you know, Mr. Birkett has kept an azurite stone in his possession for a long time.”
“Don’t think about it. Mr. Birkett is so strict about it that he won’t even let me touch it,” Danika retorted, taking the lapis lazuli stone from him with a grin.
Treasures could only be put to the best value and used in the right hands.
If it remained with Mr. Lawson, it would only stay in the dark depths of his collections. However, in the hands of Old Mr. Quincey, it would be more valuable. With that, Mr. Lawson placed them in a gift box before they walked out of the room.
As soon as they returned to the store, they met Eustace and Yvonne. Danika frowned when she saw them.
“Morgan, let’s go,” Danika said.
Morgan nodded, glancing at Danika from the corner of her eye. She wondered if she had imagined Danika’s good mood turning sour the moment Eustace and Yvonne appeared before them.
“Don’t tell me you’re making your friend buy these things for Eustace’s grandfather, Miss Zellweger.”
Yvonne pointed at the paintbrush, not bothering to conceal her disdain.
Chuckling lightly, Danika replied calmly, “It’s the thought that counts.”
“Well, you have a point, but don’t forget his status. If you bring these unsightly things to the party, I’m afraid your friends will laugh at you,” she told Morgan kindly as if advising her to reconsider.
Unfortunately for her, Morgan was aware of the price of the brush, so she didn’t bother to consider. Yvonne’s words.
Danika didn’t want to interact with Yvonne. In the past, she didn’t like the Dickmans because of Steven. Now, however, she found Yvonne was no less annoying than her brother. Perhaps it was a trait that ran within the family.
“Don’t worry about us, Miss Dickman. I believe Mr. Quincey is not that vain.”
Danika left immediately after saying that. Thinking that she was leaving in embarrassment, Yvonne felt very proud of herself. Just as she was about to say something to Eustace, he approached Mr. Lawson.