Sex and the City Contract

As Gabriel poured himself a third shot of espresso, Lawrence grabbed Gabriel's hand and pulled the moka pot away from him.

"You're already nervous enough, you don't need caffeine to pick you up." Instead, he brought him cereal and milk. "You need to use your brain. What you need is sugar and carbohydrates."

"It's a baby's breakfast!" Gabriel protested disapprovingly.

"That's right, kid." Lawrence took it for granted, "You do look like a toddler."

Gabriel stared at Lawrence and was about to reply, but Lawrence leisurely opened the newspaper and said slowly, "Don't worry, this will be a successful auction."

In the office, Gabriel kept taking deep breaths to calm himself down.He repeatedly checked that all the procedures were correct before going to the preview site. "I hope everything goes well..." Gabriel subconsciously touched the bamboo bracelet on his wrist, praying inwardly.

The whole morning passed, and there were not many people visiting the preview, and Gabriel couldn't help but start to worry.

Even if there are not many people in the preview, it does not mean that the auction will not be a success, Gabriel comforted himself; however, when he turned his head and saw the expression of the reception staff, his mood still sank—too badly, it was a bad start.

"Gabriel Gusman."

As Gabriel began to sink into depression, a voice stopped him.Turning his head, he was a little surprised, "Dr. Campbell?"

"I wish the auction a success." Jesse Campbell greeted him with a smile on his face. "Lawrence told me about his entrusted auction. I was just wondering why you didn't send me an invitation letter?"

"I'm really sorry." Gabriel was a little embarrassed, "Because... I always feel that these things don't match you."

Jessie glanced at the resplendent auction items, "Indeed. But I know a few friends who should like this style."

"You know, not every doctor has the same taste," he half-jokingly said.

Jie Xi's words gave Gabriel a flash of inspiration.After exchanging pleasantries, Gabriel accompanied Jie Xi to casually visit the auction items in the exhibition hall.

"Gabriel!"

Just as Gabriel followed Jesse to a plush carpet, he heard someone shouting hello to him again.Looking back, it was Ren wearing a flight jacket.

"Doctor Ryan, you're here!"

"I heard from Lawyer Mel..." Ryan's smiling face suddenly changed, "...Jesse? What are you doing here?"

Hearing Ryan's voice, Jesse immediately turned his head, and the smile on his face instantly sank; Ryan looked at him provocatively.

"George."

The sudden tit-for-tat confrontation between the two made Gabriel confused. "You know each other?"

"I don't know!" Ryan shouted, "Call me Ryan!"

"George." Jesse deliberately said to Gabriel, "Gabriel, please let me introduce you: my brother George Campbell."

Gabriel stared at Jesse, then at Ren in a daze.

"I don't have such a snobbish family." Ryan glared at Jesse bitterly.

"Doctors are not gods, and they can't perform miracles." Jie Xi said, "No matter how good a doctor's skills are, he must have advanced equipment to save lives. Be sober, George!"

Ren shook his head disapprovingly, and when he turned to leave, he heard mixed footsteps, noise, and a series of shutter-clicking sounds coming from the door.

It was so peaceful before, how did it become so lively in the blink of an eye?Gabriel was stunned, and looked towards the door, only to see the receptionist at the entrance with incredible surprise on his face, secretly pointing at a man who was walking in.

The man was tall, thin and handsome, with a deliberately designed shape and sunglasses on his face. Behind him was a young man in a neat suit, negotiating with a group of reporters following them in a smooth manner.

Seeing this, Antik's reception director immediately came out to laugh with him, "It's a great honor for Antik to come here. However, I'm sorry that the preview cannot be opened for photography. Please, Haihan, at the door..."

"Isn't that the popular male model Archie Owen? He also endorses brand A cologne..."

Gabriel heard a girl next to her whispering to her companion.Thinking back carefully, I have indeed often seen this person's advertisements recently.

After the paparazzi and reporters gradually dispersed, Archer and his manager bowed their heads and chatted for a few words, then walked straight towards Gabriel and the others.

Ren, who was supposed to turn around and leave, also froze in place, staring at Archer motionlessly.

"Doctor Campbell, long time no see." Archer pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, first reached out to greet Jesse, then looked around for a while, and asked, "Why...isn't Mr. Broadys here yet?"

"Lawrence said he won't be free in the afternoon and can't come."

"Oh." Archer looked a little disappointed, and then he noticed Gabriel standing next to Jesse. After carefully looking up and down for a while, he said curiously: "This... must be Mr. Broadis's. new lover?"

spouse?Gabriel was stunned for a moment, and then immediately denied, "No, no, no, I'm Antique's appraisal manager, and I'm handling this auction for Lawrence." He felt ashamed and hot on his face.

"Gabriel Gusman." Jessie introduced the two of them, "Archer Owen, Lawrence's friend..."

"I'm one of Mr. Brodys's bed partners." Archer said with a generous smile, "I thought Mr. Broadys had changed and suddenly wanted to develop a stable relationship seriously... Just kidding, please don't mind .”

Gabriel didn't know how to react for a moment, so he laughed several times awkwardly.Gabriel peeked at Archer. He was about the same size as him, a little older than him, handsome, and quite sophisticated.It turns out that Lawrence likes people like this...

It turned out that Lawrence liked such people, who were mature, sophisticated, and steady.Gabriel thought, very different from him.

After chatting casually for a few more words, Archer shrugged and said with a smile, "I've completed the task assigned by Mr. Brodys... I'll go first." Turning his head, he suddenly found that Ryan was there. "Ha, the little doctor in the emergency room also has the leisure to participate in the auction?"

"Archer, your knee... just had the stitches removed, so take good care of it." Ryan reminded him softly, his attitude was not as tough as before.

"Don't worry about it." Archer said coldly, and deliberately kicked his legs twice, "Even if there is something wrong, there are top-notch surgeons here—" he pointed at Jesse, "definitely more trustworthy than you." Then he explained to Jesse, "Dr. Campbell, I injured my knee ligament not long ago—"

"I know. Lawrence mentioned it to me."

"I'm worried that the skills of doctors in the emergency room of public hospitals will not heal the wound well..." Archer pointed to himself, "I'm a model and I have to make a living with this body."

"Don't worry, I guarantee with "surname" that your wound will definitely heal beautifully, and there will be no scar." Jesse looked at Ryan and said sarcastically, "Because my father always said, 'George has a perfect pair of scars. hand’, don’t you, George?”

"George?" Archer asked suspiciously, "Who is George?"

"Let me introduce my brother: George Cancellor. George, don't you ever tell your patients your real name? What a good doctor!"

"What?" Archer looked very surprised. "You and Dr. Campbell are brothers?"

"I'm 'Ren'. The name George has nothing to do with me." Ryan seemed to be furious, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Jesse, go to hell!"

Leaving this sentence behind, Ren left without looking back.

"Sorry, excuse me." Seeing Leisi leaving angrily, Gabriel immediately chased him out without thinking. "Ren, wait..." He stopped Ren, but didn't know what to say, "Anyway, thank you for coming..."

Ren stopped and looked back at Gabriel, "I'm sorry, I should help you..." Ren smiled wryly, "Listen, Jesse and Lawrence are very attractive people on the surface, but, please don't worry. Don't trust them. You're so innocent that you'll be tricked badly."

Oxon poured two glasses of brandy, put one in front of Gabriel, took the other glass himself, sat down with a smile on his face, knocked the other glass with the glass in his hand, and took a big sip by himself , I don't mind at all whether the other party intends to drink.

Gabriel had never seen Oxon so happy. In a cartoonish way, the corners of his mouth almost reached his ears.

"Heh... how should I put it, please take this position, which proves that my vision is correct..." I don't know if it was because of alcohol or emotion, Oxon's face turned red, "In just one month, To be able to have such a transaction volume... Even the most senior managers may not be able to do it, hehehe..."

Pointing to the auction settlement report on the table, Oxon restrained his smile slightly, "As for the total transaction price...Of course, I never hoped to earn a year's revenue from this auction from the very beginning. However, two Free national advertising...for you, Gussman!"

Gabriel took a deep breath.After Archer’s visit brought paparazzi reporters, on the second day of the preview, EU Economic Advisor Zhuo Qi also came to visit and brought a large number of financial reporters.

Seeing Zhuo Qi coming, Hoshes' face turned greener than mustard.After inquiring, Gabriel learned that Zhuo Qi was also an investment collector of modern art works.

"In short...a good start is half the battle." Oxon flicked his fingers, "You have such a performance at such a young age, and the future is even more exciting.

Gabriel raised his eyebrows. Didn't he mean that his age gave people a feeling of inexperience?Why is it so exciting now?Inconsistency.

"I will continue to work hard." Gabriel said politely, and took the opportunity to ask, "At the same time, I hope that in the future in the scope of my work, I can have more 'initiative rights'."

He hoped that he would no longer need to look at the faces of those so-called "senior personnel".

Oxon opened his hands, "No problem, I will try my best to coordinate. Hahaha..."

Gabriel thought to himself, Oxon is a very strange person. Is it really okay to have too much fun?

Gabriel wrote down a number on the check, then took a deep breath, and carefully wrote down the words "Lawrence Brodys" in the payable field.

This is the first time he has written a check in this period of time, and he has already imagined countless situations in his mind, how to use this little paper to regain his dignity, or throw the check to the other party dismissively, saying "reward you ", or hand it to the other party arrogantly, and say "upstart" at the same time.

Or follow Lawrence's method, put the check in an envelope, ask Nelson to put it on his desk, and say nothing.

However, Gabriel didn't want to give up this opportunity to hurt others, and vented his grievances.

Lawrence didn't set foot in the house until early afternoon on Sunday.Although it was a holiday, he looked more tired than at work.

Gabriel wandered around trying to find the most suitable time, but Lawrence's expression made him feel that it was not a good day.

"Just tell me if you have anything to say." Lawrence sat on the easy chair by the window in the living room on the second floor, and suddenly said to Gabriel who was looking into his head.

Gabriel walked in with his head held high.He had rehearsed the next steps hundreds of times in his mind.He took out a check from his pocket, handed it to Lawrence, and said coldly, "From the auction." Then he waited for Lawrence to make a fuss or sneer at him, and then sneered back.

Unexpectedly, after Lawrence took the check, he just said lightly: "Thank you." He put the check in his wallet without even looking at it.It was completely different from what Gabriel expected.

"Don't you want to see the amount?"

"I believe in you," Lawrence said. "Congratulations."

"..." Gabriel thought about what to say to sarcasm or satirize the other party, but suddenly, he felt that he was not willing to do that.He felt very childish.

"Anything else?" Lawrence asked him again a moment later.

Gabriel shook his head, "It's okay." He shrugged, a little at a loss, "Then, I'll go first..."

"If you have nothing to do, why don't you stay here, read a book, listen to music... In short, sit down?"

Gabriel didn't expect this development, "Stay here?"

"There are chairs there." Lawrence pointed to the sofa opposite, "I don't know how to bite."

Gabriel sat down obediently, and after a while, Lawrence said again: "Why don't you speak? Are you Moses? You have to wait for the oracle to speak?"

"what?"

"Aren't you very good at talking to yourself?"

"Hey!" Gabriel gave him a blank look, "You are good at talking nonsense."

Lawrence smiled. "Like this, I want to hear 'people.' Anything."

Gabriel wasn't quite sure what Lawrence was implying. "Anything? Can I ask you a question?"

Lawrence shrugged, "Please."

"That... Archer Owen is yours..."

"One of my bedmates. What, you're interested in him? Want me to hook you up?" Lawrence replied with a smile.

"No." Gabriel hastily argued, "Why is it just a 'bedmate'?"

"I slept with him, but he wasn't my lover," Lorenstein admitted, "if what you really want to ask is 'Do I love him?'"

"Oh." Gabriel thought for a while, "Isn't this very tiring?"

"Tired? Please don't insult Archer, he doesn't do this for a living." Lawrence's expression became serious. "Just because he and I get along well in bed doesn't mean we have to be emotionally involved."

"No, no, that's not what I meant." Gabriel immediately explained, "I read in a magazine introduction that Mr. Owen is a very dedicated model, I mean—" He paused, "it was 'You ’ Don’t you feel tired?”

Lawrence froze, staring at Gabriel, speechless for a long time.After a while, he smiled slightly, "Do you have the right to say that about me?"

"..." Gabriel frowned, recalling what happened in his apartment in his mind, and his whole body sank.

Indeed, his negative case of extreme failure is not very instructive... Gabriel fell into the mire of obscure memories, subconsciously began to bite his nails.

Seeing that Gabriel was in a daze, after a while, Lawrence moved forward and grabbed Gabriel's hand, "It's okay, you are at home now." Then he deliberately changed the subject, "By the way. About the auction... What do you do with Jin Jie's masterpiece?"

"Masterpiece... the oil painting of her and my father?" Gabriel paused for a moment, then said with a wicked smile, "I sold the painting to my family's former personal doctor, James Leary."

"Jing Jie has..."contact" with your family's personal doctor?" Lawrence asked in surprise.

Gabriel nodded, and said with a wry smile like mockery: "The family will 'just happen' to have the same little Cupid statue as decoration, and the relationship should not be unfamiliar."

"I see."

After they continued their nonsense for a while, Gabriel wanted to listen to some music, so he stood up.

"Talking to you relaxes me," Lawrence said suddenly, looking out the window.

"What?" Lawrence's voice was covered by the melody leaking from the speaker, and Gabriel couldn't hear him clearly. "How about talking to me?"

Lawrence didn't respond.Gabriel walked over to take a look, only to find that he had fallen asleep.

After the auction, Gabriel noticed a slight change in the way his colleagues looked at him: more kindness, more hostility, very polarized.Not to be jealous is a mediocrity, Gabriel is so self-encouraging, the difficulties at the beginning have passed, and then, I hope to get better.

"Dr. Gusman, I will send over the additional season auction materials in the afternoon, please take a look."

Before the lunch break, Ti Weita's secretary poked into Gabriel's office to tell him so.Gabriel frowned, but nodded.

The quarterly auction has always been regarded as the highlight of the auction. According to the usual practice, it is also a competition field for various departments: comparing auction prices, transaction volume, and so on.Gabriel is not interested in this kind of competition, but he is also indirectly affected. Many senior personnel will deliberately keep some "trump auction items" until the end. Gabriel, who is in charge of the general inspection, is forced to disrupt his working hours. He has made an exception to work overtime for a few days.

Originally going to take the elevator downstairs, but found that there was already a group of people waiting at the elevator entrance, Gabriel decided to take the stairs.

"Dr. Gusman."

In the stairwell, Gabriel suddenly heard someone greet him. Gabriel turned around and saw Antique's porters moving a painting to the ninth floor.

"Hey, from the twelfth floor, we meet again."

A man wearing rimless glasses stood at a glass door marked "TQ Technology Studio", and said to him with a smile: "We always meet in the elevator, and we have never had the opportunity to 'formally' introduce ourselves." The man signed for the receipt Sign the slip, "Thomas Whedon. Just call me Tommy."

"Gabriel Gusman."

After watching the porters leave, Tommy said again: "They called you Doctor... I always thought you were just a work-study student."

Gabriel spread his hands, "It doesn't matter."

"How about it, PhD student, I'll treat you to lunch." Tommy said bluntly, "It took me so long to learn your name, I don't want to spend as much time learning your personality. "

Gabriel hesitated for a moment, Tommy's aggressive attitude taught him subconscious repulsion, and even a little fear.

"You don't answer, is it because you are withdrawn—" Tommy continued to ask, "or is it because you are shy?"

"Maybe I just simply don't want to accept your invitation." Gabriel said coldly.

Gabriel's answer seemed to humiliate Tommy. He froze for a moment, then laughed out loud, "I don't accept rejection. Big deal, we each pay our own."

Gabriel ignored Tommy and went downstairs on his own; Tommy followed him all the way to RiveGauche.

When Gabriel returned to the office, there was a small stack of additional seasonal auction materials piled up on the table as usual.

The previous lunch had been very boring, Tommy might not be a bad guy, but he was very self-centered, constantly bragging that they had discovered a new technological energy source that would replace oil, and urging Gabriel to invest in it.

"Now that the price of oil is so high, whoever can master the new alternative energy sources will have the greatest source of income. Investing in us is very profitable, really." Then Tommy turned his head and snapped his fingers at the bar and shouted, "Hey, Hey, waiter! Is this decaf? I want decaf coffee!"

Andre exchanged glances with Gabriel from a distance, and asked suspiciously, "Is he your friend?"

Gabriel shook his head immediately.

"The service in this coffee shop is not very good." Tommy continued to complain, "You may not know what good coffee is. Really good coffee should be..."

Gabriel sighed helplessly, and brought his attention back to the season auction materials in front of him.

He twirled the pencil, a little absent-mindedly, reading one by one.Finally, he almost finished reading the day's weight, looked at his watch, and felt a little happy that he didn't have to work overtime.Stretching and flipping through the last document, Gabriel froze all of a sudden.

"What's going on here?" A few seconds later, Gabriel rushed to Ti Vita's office.

Tivita was putting on his coat and getting ready to leave work, "Dr. Gussman, what's the matter?" He glanced at the things in Gabriel's hands, and grinned maliciously, "It's great! I dare say 'it' It will definitely be the king of this season’s auction. In fact, several highly interested buyers have approached me privately, including the Victoria and Albert Museum...”

"What I want to ask is how did 'it' come about?"

"You doubt the source of things? Of course I won't joke about something so important. I have relevant supporting documents, etc..." Tivita dug out a document from the drawer, "...Yes, " It's been in France until 22 years ago from Burgundy..."

"A winery on the night slopes of Burgundy has been released." Gabriel said, "I know that."

Tijuta looked at Gabriel with a sneer on his lips. "Of course, you know very well."

"I just want to know, this Canovo's 'Gabriel Angel'..." Gabriel's tone became more and more indignant, "How did Jin Jie get it, and why did she give it to you for auction?"