Chapter 99 Officially Becoming an Apprentice

Joshua gave a wry smile and said to Amelia, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

This time it was really goodbye, Joshua thought to himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan took her hand and led her towards the luxury car.

When they got in the car, the driver started the engine. Amelia sat quietly and pressed her lips without any emotion.

Ryan raised his hand to rub her head, observing her expression, and asked knowingly, "What's wrong? Why are you so unhappy?"

Amelia found him a bit amusing and retorted, "How else should I be happy?"

"Then give me a smile," Ryan leaned in.

Amelia pulled up the corners of her mouth and gave a somewhat perfunctory smile.

Seeing her smile, Ryan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then remembered Amelia's apprenticeship, so he said, "In front of Royce, don't mention that you're married and my name."

Amelia was very surprised, "Why?"

Ryan, who was eager to assert his dominance over every man around her, was avoiding Royce, which was indeed quite unusual.

Ryan said meaningfully, "You'll understand later."

Two or three months later, Amelia understood the reason and admired Ryan's cunning.

Amelia stayed at home for the next few days.

During this time, Christopher sent her the best-selling cartoon designs. Amelia studied the designs suitable for crafts, drew a few, and put them in the car's trunk, planning to deliver them to Christopher in a few days.

But not long after, Amelia received a call from Royce, saying that the apprenticeship ceremony was scheduled for tomorrow and asking her to come to Antique Charm, located in the antique market.

Antique Charm was an antique shop run by Royce, specializing in antique cameo glass, antique paintings, and more.

On the day of the apprenticeship ceremony, Royce sat in his office chair and Delbert announced loudly, "The apprenticeship ceremony begins."

Amelia solemnly bowed to Royce.

Royce happily accepted Amelia's bow and took out a gift from his pocket, handing it to her.

Amelia was slightly surprised and didn't expect Royce to give a gift for accepting her as an apprentice.

"Thank you, Mr. Greer," Amelia respectfully accepted it.

She felt the gift was large and solid and put it in her bag.

She then took out an envelope from her bag containing a bank card. The card had one million dollars that Ryan had prepared for her, with the password written on it. She respectfully presented it to Royce.

Royce stroked his beard, looked at the envelope, and did not take it. He said, "I accepted you as an apprentice purely because I thought you very pleasant. Passing on this craft to you is our destiny."

Amelia looked at Delbert for help, which indicated that he should find a way to give the envelope to Royce.

Delbert smiled, took the envelope, and forced it into Royce's hand. He said, "We know you don't need money, but this is a token of Amelia's appreciation. You should accept it. After all, Amelia will earn more money by learning this craft from you."

Royce couldn't refuse and had to accept it with a smile.

Then, Amelia began to learn from him.

Although she had a background in painting, restoration work required not only painting skills but also patience and perseverance. So Royce first had her do cleaning work, followed by restoration.

Amelia's patience was cultivated from a young age by Carl, so she was quite resilient.

The five years of marriage with Ryan had made her character to be extremely gentle.

Royce accepted her as an apprentice because he valued her painting talent and gentle nature and he was determined to teach her the basic steps of restoring antique cameo glass and paintings.

Amelia practiced the cleaning steps seriously with an old cameo glass.

Royce then went downstairs to chat with regular customers. After a while, a shop assistant came up to call her and said Royce wanted to see her.

Amelia put down her work, washed her hands, and went to the first floor.

Seeing her come down, Royce pointed to an antique painting in the customer's hand and said with a probing smile, "Take a look at this antique painting and see if it's genuine and from which year."

Amelia walked over and was about to examine the painting when she realized the man looked very familiar.

With short hair, deep-set features, a handsome face, and a tall, impressive figure, it was Christopher.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Martin, is that you?"

Seeing Amelia, a hint of joy flashed in Christopher's eyes, but he remained composed.

He smiled faintly and asked in confusion, "Why are you in Mr. Greer's shop? I remember you used to work in a studio."

Amelia smiled, "I just became Mr. Greer's apprentice today."

Christopher was a bit surprised, "Not long ago, I wanted to apprentice under Mr. Greer, but he refused. He actually accepted you as an apprentice, it seems you have the ability!"

Royce stroked his beard and said slowly, "Accepting an apprentice is all about mutual attraction. The first time I saw Amelia, I felt she was meant to be my apprentice."

Christopher smiled and complimented, "No matter what, you are always right."

Then he said to Amelia, "Amelia, take a look at this antique painting."

Amelia replied, "Okay."

Amelia put on the store's white gloves, carefully took the antique painting from Christopher, and placed it on the velvet counter.

Then she picked up a magnifying glass and began to examine it meticulously.

As she examined it, she said, "This antique painting depicts the tranquil scene of a valley at dawn, using soft colors and delicate brushstrokes to create a sense of peace and harmony."

Then she looked at the signature and said softly, "This painting is from 200 years ago, Alan Jones's work 'Morning in the Valley.' It's genuine."

She was good at painting, but she was just starting to learn about restoration and authentication. Fortunately, Carl's home had many books on cameo glass and oil paintings, so she could tell the general idea by looking at the painting technique, patterns, and signature.

Royce's eyes lit up. He gave a thumbs up and praised, "Look at my apprentice, it's her first day, and she can already graduate."

Amelia smiled and said, "Mr. Greer, please don't joke with me. I was just making a guess."

They sat down and had some tea.

Christopher stated his purpose, "I brought this antique painting today because the end of the painting is a bit dirty and damaged, so I brought it to Mr. Greer for restoration."

"Alright, I'll take the job," Royce said with a smile.

Christopher smiled, then stood up and said, "Thank you, Mr. Greer. I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Amelia stood up and said, "I'll see you out."

She remembered she had promised to give him the craft designs she had drawn, which were in the car's trunk. She thought she could take the opportunity to give them to him, otherwise, she would have to find another chance later.

Christopher's stern expression softened as he looked at her and said, "Alright."