"Leon, help me! Let's get the couch. Someone wants the family premium," Richard announced as a customer left the booth with their painting in hand.
"That's $200? Who's that rich?" Leon asked, his eyes lighting up.
"The Frost Family. I heard they're new to the church, but they've been donating left and right," Richard explained as they began setting up the booth for the new guests.
"So it's a big money bag. Why don't you ask them if they're looking for a piano tutor as well? They're rich—imagine how much they'll pay you per hour," Leon said.
"Oh… why didn't I think of that? Later, let's go visit the cyber café at the end of the street. I'll make a flyer," Richard said as they laid the last bit of decoration.
"Okay, that's everything, right?" Leon asked.
"You're the artist. Why are you asking me?" Richard replied, prompting Leon to roll his eyes at his friend's stupidity.
"Just invite them in," Leon said as he took his seat.
Soon, Leon saw a family of six enter the booth. It was the parents, two daughters, a son, and a baby they were carrying.
From their dressing, Leon could tell that the family was well-off. However, with the sunken eyes of the mother and the children, Leon could already tell that this wasn't a well-functioning family.
But again, it wasn't any of his business. He just needed that $200 to reach his goal for the day.
"Isn't $200 a bit too much to charge for just a painting?" the young boy, who seemed to be around the same age as Leon, asked.
"Yes, but you aren't just paying for a painting. You're paying for my time, effort, and a memory that will last you a lifetime," Leon replied with a smile.
"Excellent!" the man said, giving a hearty laugh.
"This is the difference between you and him. He understands business, while you remain here, wasting my food and money," the man said, causing Leon's smile to slowly fade.
Looking at the other family members, Leon noticed a slight look of disdain and hate appearing on their faces.
'A stupid father and a mother who can't think about her children,' Leon thought.
In his opinion, this was the typical dysfunctional rich family: an extremely traditional father who didn't know how to control himself and passed on his aggression to his family.
A mother who was probably either an arranged wife or someone who had snuck her way into that position for the power it guaranteed; and the children—the grass that suffered when the elephants fought.
The son seemed rebellious, but Leon had seen him flinch when his father spoke.
A situation that a truly thoughtful mother would have solved long ago. A divorce would also work in her favor, as many in this time got married without prenuptial agreements.
But what was it to him? He just needed his money, so he focused on his painting. Such a large family would take about 30 minutes to complete a hyper-realistic image, as they had paid for.
'They don't have one. Can she still divorce him?' a female voice asked out of nowhere.
"Of course," Leon replied absentmindedly.
"Huh?" the mother asked.
Immediately, he stopped what he was doing and turned to the family, who were all looking at him for an explanation.
"Oh, sorry. Just thinking out loud," Leon said, laughing it off but wondering what that was about.
Getting them to relax again, he resumed his painting, but he couldn't forget the voice in his mind just now.
He was sure he had heard another voice, and he was sure it wasn't his. He knew he had an active imagination, but not to the extent of thinking in a female voice.