Hastings Patrick

Everyone woke up late the next day.

It was close to noon, and Maria didn't want to get out of bed until her stomach growled.

As soon as Maria and Charles got dressed, the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?"

Maria, still jet-lagged, could barely tell whether it was morning or noon.

She put on her slippers and went to open the door. Before she could even see who it was, her wrist was grabbed.

"Maria, my teacher is here. Come on. I'll take you there."

"What?!"

Caught off guard, Maria was dragged away by Linda.

"Linda, slow down. I'm... I'm wearing slippers..."

"It's fine. My teacher is in my room..."

Their rooms were not far apart. As they spoke, Linda had already dragged Maria to the door of her room.

They went inside, and Linda excitedly called out, "Mr. Hastings, I brought my good friend..."

Maria stopped as she saw a man in his fifties standing in the room.

Although he was middle-aged, he took excellent care of himself. The unique artist's temperament made him look radiant. His deep brown ey