Not wanting to delay their meeting any longer, Amelia decided to come up with an offer that would certainly appeal to Zach.

She had done a background check on him and she knew about how he lived with his sisters in the mansion and their current financial situation as well.

"How about this?" She began, drawing Zach's attention once again.

"I want every single one of your paintings."

"All of them?" Zach asked, feigning a surprised look.

"Yes." She replied, then added.

"I'll pay five million to buy all sixteen of your paintings, but I will pay five hundred million for the n.u.d.e portraits and also make sure that you have your very own mansion with the latest car. How does that sound?"

Zach remained silent for a while as he mulled over the offer.

This was even more than he had hoped to get from her.

If he decided to drag this negotiation on for much longer, there was a slight chance Amelia would become pissed and decide to take a legal approach regarding her n.u.d.e portrait.

"Very well, you've got yourself a deal," He replied and Amelia's lips widened into a smile.

Amelia couldn't wait to discover how much she could earn by putting his paintings up for auction.

Her mind drifted off as she imagined countless profitable possibilities. However, Zach's question brought her back to reality.

"How much do you intend on starting the auction with?"

"Ten million, why do you ask?"

"How about making it fifty?"

"Fifty million?"

"Yes."

"And why is that?" Amelia asked, leaning closer to hear what Zach had to say.

Although, now that they had come to an agreement, the artworks belonged exclusively to Amelia. However, the fact that the art was made by a rookie still had to be considered when thinking about how she wanted it to be sold.

This was why Amelia didn't want to start the auction with a high price. But she was willing to change her mind if Zach could give her a convincing reason as to why she should do it.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"The artworks are rare and are also in low demand at the moment, however, things will certainly change once you announce that these paintings belong to you," He explained and Amelia thought about it.

"So you want me to take advantage of my reputation in the art world by telling them that the art belongs to me rather than informing the buyers that it belongs to my apprentice?"

"Exactly."

"I see. Setting a high price would surely signal the value of each painting, thereby allowing potential buyers to see how valuable the paintings are to me."

"Indeed. Also, it would definitely attract more serious bidders," Zach added.

"I see your point, but a lower starting price can attract more interest and encourage bidding from a wider range of potential buyers, don't you think?"

"That's true but it could also imply that the artwork is not that valuable and even result in a lower final sale price."

Amelia nodded in understanding. She admitted that the fifty million might actually be a good starting price because if it were too high, it might deter potential buyers who were hesitant to enter the bidding.

"Very well. I'll think about it but as for how the profit will be divided in the future. I believe a 60-40% share should be more than enough."

"Indeed," Zach replied, knowing that most apprentices only got twenty percent of the profit derived from the artwork which initially belonged to them, but he would be gaining a forty percent profit so his situation was a lot better than theirs.

Amelia decided to treat him differently due to the things she had seen from him so far.

Zach had continuously impressed her beyond her imagination within the short period of time they had been together.

She also wanted to create a friendly and trustworthy relationship between them. She believed that Zach would make a wonderful apprentice and she couldn't wait to see what the future had in store for the both of them.

With that out of the way, Amelia stood up from her seat. "Very well. The auction will commence in five days and I'll give you an update on the outcome of the auction. Here's to a prosperous partnership," she said, stretching her hand forward for a handshake.

Zach stood up as well and shook her hand, but his smile slowly froze as he stared at Amelia in a daze which made her brows crease.

"You might be cute but that doesn't stop me from calling you a creep if the situation calls for it."

Noticing what he was doing, Zach instantly retracted his hand and apologized. "Oh, sorry about that"

"You're forgiven," Amelia chose to overlook the weird look on his face and decided to think of it as him being overjoyed by the agreement they recently made.

However, the cause of his smile was of something else entirely, different from what she had in mind.

"Please, give my secretary the details of your bank account and she'll give you the documents that needs to be signed before handling over the keys to your new car and house."

Zach nodded in understanding and excused himself from Amelia's bedroom.

However, as he approached her bedroom door, he heard Amelia's words from behind.

"Zach,"

"Yeah?" He turned around, wondering why she suddenly called his name.

"Have you ever considered enrolling in the world academy?"

"No."

Amelia had noticed the blank space in his application form asking if he was a student or not and this made her conclude that Zach wasn't a student.

However, to be highly recognized in any guild, one had to have a diploma from the world academy.

This was why she wanted to know if Zach was interested in enrolling in the academy.

"You should seriously consider enrolling in the academy."

"And why is that?"

"No matter how hard you try to conceal the tattoos on your body, I can clearly see them and I know what they mean. Although I do not know how long you have left until the runes completely spreads all over your body, I would suggest you enroll in the academy so that I can easily introduce you to someone who might be able to decipher the runes on your body."