Chapter 3795
“Thank you, Miss. I can stand,” Tatum said politely, aware of his current position. Although he was not inherently shy, he understood that his standing with the Ormond family was still uncertain. Until Elora’s feelings for him became clearer, he preferred not to come across as overly assertive, as he did not want to jeopardize the positive impression he was trying to create with her.
“Please, take a seat. If you stand, I’ll have to keep turning my head to talk to you, and my neck will get sore,” Elora insisted.
Tatum quickly found a chair and sat down, maintaining a straight and formal posture.
Elora studied him for a moment before smiling. “You sit like a soldier.”
He resembled a schoolboy in class, sitting properly to avoid reprimands from the teacher.
Tatum stayed silent.
“I really like the clothes and gifts that Alonzo and Angelo selected for me. You must be exhausted after spending the whole afternoon with them. I’ll reimburse you for everything you spent,” Elora said.
Tatum responded, “The two young masters are quite the expert shoppers. Honestly, they weren’t tired, but I was. Still, I enjoyed taking them out. Seeing them happy made me happy too. I hardly ever used to go shopping.”
When Tatum needed anything, he would simply inform the butler, who would handle the arrangements. He only ventured out to choose a special gift personally. Shopping was generally something his mother and aunts did. As a child, he sometimes accompanied them, but as he grew older, even his mother could not persuade him to join.
“I guess I’m more into cooking these days,” Tatum said with a smile. “If I hear about a delicious dish at a restaurant, I’ll go and…”
“Try it. But most of the time, I think my cooking tastes better,” Tatum said with a grin. Elora chuckled softly, replying, “You’re a natural chef. It’s impressive to see someone so young with such talent in the kitchen. At least for now, I’m not tired of your food.”
Tatum responded warmly, “Miss, I hope to be your chef for life and never be outdone by my colleagues.”
Elora maintained her smile, though her eyes flickered slightly. She gazed at Tatum for a long moment before asking, “You still haven’t told me how much you spent.”
Tatum pulled out his phone. “I’m not sure about the exact total. Let me check the records.”
After a quick review, he said, “Young Master Alonzo borrowed $200,000, and Young Master Angelo borrowed $150,000. Together, they borrowed a total of $350,000 from me.” This was a rough estimate; he didn’t bother calculating the precise amounts.
The new outfits the brothers bought for their seven sisters were all branded, costing about $10,000 each. Alonzo had also purchased two sets of gold jewelry, which increased his total spending to $200,000. Tatum simplified things by not counting the small change.
“I don’t have your account number memorized, but I’ll ask Uncle Joly to transfer the amount to your bank account tomorrow,” Elora said.
“That’s fine,” Tatum replied. He didn’t mind when Elora would repay the money; what mattered most was that she liked what he had chosen. The clothes and jewelry were all picked out by him, and Alonzo had liked them.
He decided to purchase the items based on Tatum’s selections. Tatum then asked, “Miss, do you like the jewelry that Young Master Alonzo chose for you?” The two sets of gold jewelry were likely the least expensive pieces in Elora’s collection. Alonzo, still just a young boy, had simply thought the gold looked nice and bought the two sets. Elora’s expression softened as she smiled. “Alonzo is so thoughtful. Even while shopping, he considered us. I like both the clothes and the jewelry. It’s sweet that he remembered my size—the clothes he picked fit perfectly.”