Chapter 1299 - 577: Side Business
"Good shot!"
A crisp voice echoed from the golf course of the Baggies Club.
The issue of the stolen enamel ware had been resolved.
In the afternoon, Luke invited Lilith to play golf, more precisely, he found himself a fair-skinned, beautiful, and gentle golf coach.
Luke had never played golf before; he didn't understand the techniques, nor the rules. He only knew he had to get the ball into the hole.
Lilith watched the small white ball soar high and land in a parabolic arc. She patted Luke's shoulder, "Your swing is already quite standard, but your muscles are a bit tense. Relax your body a bit more for better hitting results."
The two walked in the direction where the ball landed, chatting as they went.
This was a par-three hole. Luke did well on his first shot, landing near the hole, but being his first time, his accuracy was lacking, and it took him four more shots to get it in.
"Pat, pat..."
Lilith came over in a blue sporty short skirt, revealing two long, snow-white legs. She clapped her hands lightly and smiled, "Doing this well on your first try is quite impressive.
How do you feel?"
"Not bad, it's a good way to pass the time." In the past, Luke would have scoffed at this sport, thinking it was for the elderly.
But now he has a different perspective.
"Pass the time," these four words, if said before, Luke would consider negative, but now he has a different view.
Leisurely passing time is the ultimate enjoyment in life.
All afternoon, Luke and Lilith stayed on the golf course. When they were tired, they even had afternoon tea on the course.
Luke's golfing skills improved a bit, though still far from expert level, he had grasped the basics of golf. All that was left was to practice slowly.
Overall, the sport has three benefits: first, it can cultivate one's mind and relax the mood.
Second, it's good physical exercise; both walking and swinging are great activities.
Third, it provides an opportunity to chat and socialize, expanding one's network.
Lilith had been his companion and practice partner all day, so to show his gratitude, Luke treated her to a French dinner that evening.
After dinner, Luke took Lilith back to his villa to practice couples yoga together...
The next morning.
Luke woke up from his slumber, feeling a tickle on his cheek. He looked down to see Lilith lying by his side, her golden hair brushing against his face.
Luke ran his hand over her smooth back. Lilith wriggled a little revealing a large expanse of fair skin. She slowly opened her large blue eyes and lazily yawned,
"What time is it?"
Luke picked up his phone and glanced at it, "It's almost ten o'clock, time to get up."
"I went to bed too late last night. I need to sleep a bit more. Wake me up before lunch."
Luke brushed her golden hair, "What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever you choose is fine."
"Do you have plans this afternoon?"
"Yes, I have a beauty treatment booked at the spa. Do you want to come along?"
"I'll pass on the beauty treatment, but I am thinking of getting a massage to relax a bit."
"I can recommend a great masseuse; her technique is excellent."
Luke nodded. He didn't have high demands for massage techniques, as long as it wasn't a male masseur.
It wasn't that he had any thoughts about female masseuses; he simply disliked male masseurs.
In the following days, Luke continued staying at the Baggies Club, waking up naturally each day without any special plans, renting a yacht for fishing when he felt like it, arranging a round of golf to relax, or booking a spa for a massage, enjoying food and entertainment purely based on his mood.
Time flows swiftly amidst such beautiful moments, and he couldn't quite recall how many days he had spent at the club.
In the afternoon, Luke took a nap, and upon waking, headed to the seaside with his sketchpad.
He was skilled at sketching forensic portraits and had a high drawing proficiency.
Previously, he painted to catch criminals; now it was to relax his mind.
During this time, Luke lived life at a slow pace, occasionally finding a scenic place to sketch, spending half a day there.
He discovered that painting could bring tranquility to the mind, and once completed, it provided a sense of accomplishment.
With just a pencil in hand, Luke could convey depth and dimension in his drawings, sketching the rolling waves of the seascape with a few strokes, capturing coconut trees, beaches, and yachts vividly and poetically.
This was the club's private beach, with only a few guests sunbathing.
A woman with long brown hair noticed Luke sketching and curiosity led her over. She wore a floral bikini with a scarf around her waist, her tall, curvy figure captivating.
Luke sensed someone approaching, glanced over to examine her, then resumed his painting.
The woman didn't disturb him, choosing to recline on a nearby chair, sunbathing while observing his work.
Undeterred by her presence, Luke continued sketching.
About half an hour later, Luke finished the seaside landscape sketch and laid down his pencil, admiring his work.
"Bravo…" The nearby white woman clapped her hands, "This landscape sketch is beautiful. Are you a professional artist?"
"No, just a personal hobby." Luke looked at the white woman; she was quite beautiful, seemingly around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, exuding the charm of a mature woman, "Do you also like to paint?"
"Yes, I used to learn painting when I was young, but my talent was mediocre.
Many classmates were better than me. I was disheartened and gave up.
Now I kind of regret it. If I had continued learning, maybe I could've held a personal exhibition now.
Sometimes talent isn't the most important thing."
Luke glanced at her briefly, well, ran into a rich one again.
The woman seemed intrigued and moved closer to Luke, carefully admiring the landscape sketch, "I really like your drawing, the only pity is that it lacks the embellishment of figures, it loses a bit of life.
Could you draw a seaside sketch for me?"
Luke smiled, he had drawn quite a few sketches, but it was the first time someone actively invited him to draw.
Seeing Luke not respond, the woman continued, "I can pay you for your work."
Luke shrugged, "Getting me to draw is quite expensive."
"How much?"
Luke casually replied, "A painting of similar size, fifty thousand US dollars each."
"Aren't you an amateur?"
"Precisely because I'm amateur, it's expensive."
The woman tilted her head slightly, "Deal, make me look pretty."
Now it's Luke's turn to be a bit surprised, fifty thousand dollars for an amateur hobbyist to draw, is this girl attracted to him?
Whatever, he's not losing out anyway.
Luke really hadn't expected his drawing could sell for such a high price, he was quite excited inside.
Although he doesn't lack that fifty thousand dollars now, the feeling is different.
"Miss, what's your name?"
"My friends all call me Penny."
"Luke."
"Nice to meet you, Artist Luke, can we start now?"
Luke took down the previous landscape sketch and replaced it with a new sheet of paper, "What style of drawing would you like?"
"Your previous composition was good, the sea, the beach, the coconut trees, plus a beautiful lady, it'd be perfect.
How about I stand next to the coconut tree?"
"As long as you can hold a pose long enough."
"How long does holding a pose require?"
"Twenty minutes, I'll draw your part first, then the background."
Penny walked to the coconut tree and held it with her right hand, "Is this okay?"
"More natural would be better."
Penny changed position, leaning directly against the coconut tree, adding a touch of languor, "How about this?"
"Perfect."
Luke picked up a pencil and began sketching.
Though only one figure was added to the drawing, the entire composition had to be adjusted, the portrait of the figure was also quite detailed.
Luckily, Luke's specialty was drawing people, and he finished the portrait in about ten minutes, then began on the background.
Another half hour later, Luke completed the seaside drawing with the added figure.
Seeing Luke put down the pencil, Penny walked over to admire the painting, praising, "This picture is great."
Luke placed the sketch in a portfolio and handed it to Penny, "Hope you like it."
Penny took the portfolio, "Thank you, I'll treasure it well."
"And thank you for giving me a new side job, it's the first time someone has wanted to buy my artwork.
To show my gratitude, I'd like to invite you to dinner."
Penny smiled, "It's my pleasure."
The two exchanged contact numbers, and Luke returned to his place, put down the easel, did a quick wash, and headed to the restaurant.
Luke, led by the waiter, found an empty seat and started browsing the menu.
Soon, Penny also arrived.
She was wearing a khaki long dress, holding a blue handbag, her elegant demeanor gave Luke a sense of familiarity.
Luke pulled out a chair for her, "Ms. Penny, you look beautiful tonight."
"Thank you."
Luke handed over the menu, "The steak here is good, you might want to try it."
Penny graciously ordered a steak and a few lighter dishes.
At that moment, a group of young men and women walked into the restaurant, chatting and laughing, Lilith was among them, she saw Luke and approached with a smile, but halfway there, her smile slowly faded, "Luke, Penny, how are you together?"
Penny looked up and glanced at Lilith, "Isn't this my dear sister? I thought of inviting you for dinner, but you had plans with friends.
So, I accepted Luke's invitation."
Lilith turned to Luke, "Why did you invite her to dinner?"
Luke laughed, "It's quite an interesting story, since everyone knows each other, why don't you sit down and join us.
We can chat as we eat."
Lilith looked at her young friends, "I have plans with my friends today, I just came over to say hi.
You go ahead and eat."
Lilith bent down, whispered, "We'll talk later."