The Playboy's Misfortune

38: Trust

She promptly did while looking unimpressed at her own work.

"You took classes before?" I asked.

"Not really..." Chelsea blushed, "I was randomly watching Lara work in the kitchen, and this picture just came to me, you know. I did get an A for art in school though."

"I may not be an expert at this but..." I handed the book to her, "Without classes and experience, you have drawn quite well. Why not make it a career?"

She stared at me like I had grown two heads.

"That kind of thing, coming from you... Has the workload made you go crazy?"

I scowled at her, "I realize how difficult it is for artists to make money out of their talents. There are millions of them out there. But you're not part of that crowd, Chelsea. If you want to start a career out of this, maybe own a studio one day, then you'll always have enough assets for promotion. It's not like you ever ask permission before using my money. Why not use it for something resourceful?"

She didn't reply. Chelsea continued staring at the picture she had drawn.

"There are a lot of resources that teach you art online and through books. You could stay at home and learn them while taking care of Lucy. If you turn out to be really good, I might as well give you 5% of my company's shares."

"R-really...?" She gasped.

"Yes. It's not only about your art. Jeffrey told me that having more trustworthy partners after the incident with Mr.Choi could be extremely useful... If something like the freeze ever happens in the future—I assure you that it won't, but it's still wise to be cautious—I would prefer if you owned a part of my shares more than anyone else. Even if it's just a little, it would be a big help."

Chelsea's eyes immediately turned teary.

"Why are you crying?" I raised a brow.

"I- I never thought that y-you trusted me so much..." She sniffed.

If anything, I didn't want Lucy to inherit my wife's brains. She was fucking stupid if she couldn't see that I preferred her over most people.

"Don't act dumb." I got up with Lucy, "You're the person I trust the most in this world."

Chelsea groaned as a tear escaped her eyes, "Stop! That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!"

***

"Leo, honey, wake up. Jeffrey's downstairs to meet you."

It was around midnight when Chelsea shook me awake. With the current workload, I was always dead tired at night. Whenever I fell asleep, my exhaustion would kick in so harshly that I barely heard anything at all.

"What...? Ugh..." I muttered while burying myself into the pillow.

"You need to wear some clothes, Jeffrey's waiting... And it's already raining outside... He has to go home after talking to you," she insisted.

Groggily, I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes awake. "This is not a dream," she chuckled while picking my pants from the floor. "He looks really excited to tell you something. He said that it's very urgent."

Chelsea was right. Jeffrey appearing at my home in the dead of night didn't seem like a joke. There were lights outside our room, and my wife had already wrapped herself in a robe and pajamas.

I pulled on my pants and wore the robe that she handed me. It was terribly cold outside, and the rain wasn't helping. When I got downstairs, I found Jeffrey drying his hair with a towel that Lara handed him.