[Chapter 22]
It was over. The oil painting was completely ruined.
One hundred and fifty thousand dollars!
Everyone could not help but swallow their saliva at this time.
Only Quinton and Harold were laughing in their hearts at this time. They could not help but wonder how Gerald would ever be able to pay for the oil painting that was worth a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Even if the manager of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment owed him a favor, he would never be able to explain himself with regards to the oil painting.
Hehehe!
"Gerald, why don't we leave now? Anyway, we're almost done with the food," Naomi said in a cautious manner at this time.
If they continued staying here for another second, Gerald would never be able to pay for the oil painting!
"Oh! Things don't look good. It seems as though someone is coming up now!"
Jacelyn pointed at the staircase at this time and Gerald also looked in the same direction. At this time, Zack was walking towards them with a few waitresses and a bottle of good wine in their hands.
He was coming to give them a toast.
Gerald felt very helpless. He had already told Zack that he did not want to reveal his identity for the time being. Why was he still coming here to give him a toast?
Zack arrived a short while later.
Quinton also naturally knew who Zack was.
"Lyle…Mr. Lyle!"
Quinton quickly greeted him.
Unexpectedly, the manager whom Gerald was talking about was in fact one of the richest men in Mayberry City, Zack Lyle!
Alice was very surprised at this time and she did not dare to speak at all.
Good luck to Gerald!
As soon as he arrived, Zack nodded slightly towards the crowd of people.
After that, he looked at Gerald before he greeted him respectfully, "Mr. Ger…"
As he was about to greet him, Zack suddenly recalled that Gerald had already told him that he did not want his identity to be revealed.
Zack said: "Brother Gerald, are you satisfied with the arrangements I've made for you today?"
Gerald smiled as he nodded.
At this time, Quinton suddenly spoke up and said, "But Mr. Lyle, Gerald just ruined your oil painting by dropping it into the water!"
"Yes, Mr. Lyle! Even though we told him not to do it, Gerald took the oil painting down and he dropped it into the water!" Jacelyn quickly hurriedly chimed in as she did not want to bear the responsibility for the oil painting.
Meanwhile, Naomi quickly spoke up for Gerald. "Mr. Lyle, Gerald didn't mean to do it!"
At this time, Harper also defended Gerald and he asked Zack what they could do in order to repay Zack for the oil painting.
Zack immediately understood the situation that was unfolding before him.
It seemed as though not everyone here were Gerald's true friends and Zack knew that Gerald had not revealed his identity to anyone yet.
He also knew that Gerald was a very low-key and introverted person. It seemed as though he did not want to brag about the fact that he was actually very wealthy and powerful.
Moreover, Zack was not stupid and he clearly remember Gerald's reminder to him. Therefore, he would not do anything to cause the crowd of people to have any suspicions about Gerald's identity.
Zack had a shocked expression on his face as he exclaimed, "What? The oil painting was dropped into the water?" Zack started trembling with a frightened expression on his face. It seemed as though he really cared about the oil painting!
The atmosphere suddenly became very tense and Naomi asked anxiously, "Mr. Lyle, we're really sorry about the oil painting!"
"Brother Gerald, do you know that the oil painting costs over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars? Moreover, my boss really likes this oil painting very much. Tell me, what should I do if my boss asks me about this painting?" Zack asked as he stared at Gerald.
Gerald knew that Zack wanted to give him a way out of this matter without revealing his identity or the fact that he was indeed the real owner of Wayfair Mountain Entertainment. That was the reason why he could only react this way,
Hehehe…Zack was a rather interesting person.
Gerald had a very regretful look on his face as he said, "Mr. Lyle, I really didn't expect this to happen but I can tell you that this isn't entirely my fault."
"Not your fault?" Zack asked as he frowned.
Jacelyn, who was standing aside, thought that Gerald had wanted to push the blame to her. Therefore, she hurriedly said, "Gerald, it's your fault! The oil painting dropped into the water because it flew out of your hands! You shouldn't try and blame anyone else for your own mistake!"
"Exactly! If you've done something wrong, you should have the courage to step up and admit your mistake. Otherwise, how can you call yourself a man?"
The girls were all very contemptuous at this time.
"I guess Gerald is just afraid he'd have to pay the one hundred thousand dollars out of his own pocket. That must be the reason he's trying to push the blame away from himself," Harold quickly said as he was still jealous of Gerald.
Gerald did not only prove that he was better than Quinton or Harold, but he also made them very envious and jealous of him.
Gerald smiled before he said, "Mr. Lyle, I admit that I was the one who had taken the oil painting down in the first place. The reason why I said it isn't entirely my fault or responsibility, however, is because there was a gust of wind when I was trying to put the oil painting back in place and it blew the oil painting away."
"Hahaha. Gerald, you're really ridiculous!"
The crowd of people could not help but feel contempt at this time.
Quinton said, "Gerald, are you seriously trying to put the blame on the gust of wind? Don't you think you're trying too hard?"
Zack looked as though he was thinking hard about what Gerald had just said.
After a short while, he finally patted his forehead and said, "Brother Gerald, thank you for explaining the situation to me. So was that actually what happened? I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. I guess we can only blame the gust of wind for blowing the oil painting away and causing it to fall into the water. I suppose it really isn't your fault at all!"
"Yes, you shouldn't hang the oil painting here. It's very dangerous when the wind is strong," Gerald replied in a hurry.
"Yes, yes, Brother Gerald. Thank you for the reminder. I'll ask my staff to deal with this matter. I guess it's our fault for putting this oil painting here in the first place."
What?
Everyone was shocked at Zack's reaction. Was Zack convinced just because of a few words by Gerald?
Quinton felt a lump in his throat at this time. He felt very uncomfortable, while Alice and the rest of the girls felt even more uneasy.
"Well, in that case, I would like to thank you for your hospitality today, Mr. Lyle. If it's fine with you, we'd like to go home now."
Gerald smiled. He thought that the way that Zack cooperated with him with regards to this situation was indeed very funny.
After leaving the Wayfair Mountain Entertainment, all of them could not help but look at Gerald in a daze. This was especially so for Alice, who felt that everything was too unreal and she couldn't understand Gerald at all.
"Gerald, you are really amazing! I can't believe that you actually managed to persuade Mr. Lyle with just a few words when he seemed to care so much about that oil painting!"
Naomi couldn't help but admire Gerald after leaving the manor.
Alice was also listening in at this time.
She felt very doubtful about the whole situation. Were things really as simple as they seemed?