Marvel's Ink

"Sir!" Leon said as he quickly gave a simple courtesy bow before stepping aside to give space for the daughter and father to interact.

"Father?" Grace called out, her eyes shining as she looked at the man.

"I see you have taken an interest in painting," the man said as he looked through her current painting.

"How about you tutor her from now on? Since she has taken an interest, she may as well become the best at it," the man said as he set the painting down and turned to Leon.

"Do you think you can do that?" her father, Winston Frost, asked.

"I will do my best, sir," Leon replied with a bow.

"Is this my painting?" Winston asked as he glanced at the painting sitting on the floor at one end of the garden.

"Yes, sir. Sorry for the poor handling," Leon apologized genuinely.

Such poor service reflected badly on him, and he didn't want to be held responsible for it.

"Oh please, as though such a small thing is enough to ruin such a magnificent painting… Oh, and yes, I bragged about your painting skills to a friend of mine, and he would like you to paint him as well. I don't know if you are willing to do so?" Winston said as he admired the painting.

"I would love to, sir," Leon replied with a bright smile.

Here he was, thinking it would be difficult to get the man to connect him with his art enthusiast friends.

"That's great. I'll come pick you up tomorrow—dress your best. He owns an art gallery, you know," Winston said before leaving the garden.

Hearing this, the smile on Leon's face froze. He had expected a slow introduction, but this was sending him straight to the top.

"Sir, if we are visiting an art gallery, wouldn't it be wise to take her along since she is also interested in art?" Leon spoke up boldly.

This immediately drew the attention of both Grace and Winston as they turned to him.

"Don't get me wrong, but if there's anything I know about art, it's that inspiration and art style can evolve just by seeing other artworks," Leon explained.

"That makes sense," Winston agreed after giving it some thought.

Turning to Grace, Leon saw the girl staring and smiling from ear to ear. Even a dog could tell she was happy about the situation.

She was probably the only 14-year-old he had seen who was so happy to spend time with a father she had mixed feelings for.

"Well then, I will be seeing you tomorrow," Leon said as he gathered his things and stood up to leave.

He had already missed half a day of portrait painting—he couldn't stay here any longer.

"Wait, where are you going?" Grace asked as she quickly caught up to him.

"Back to the church. I haven't set up shop for today. Only God knows how much I have lost already," Leon replied, realizing his mistake in staying here so long.

"Hey, he just hired you—you can't run away now," Grace argued.

"True, but I already spent two hours tutoring you, so technically, you guys owe me," Leon replied with a smile.

"Ah, I should have expected that. Money is truly your first and last."

"Hey, I don't want to be homeless," Leon replied before waving goodbye.

Quickly returning to the church, Leon set up his booth and was immediately surprised to find that clients were already waiting.

Many requested in-person paintings later, and Leon gladly agreed—though he increased the payment.