Chapter 99: Chapter 99 Irina & Elena
"Then how much do the paintings you have here generally cost?"
"The paintings displayed here are by artists who are somewhat known in the art circle, with prices ranging from three thousand to twenty thousand dollars," Taylor replied.
Hardy sighed inwardly, that\'s not cheap, either.
He wondered if the work of these artists would become famous in the future. If they didn\'t, investing in their work would be a waste.
The money for one painting here is a significant sum of money, Although Hardy needed a way to white wash the Red Bill gang money he couldn\'t be this extravagant. Especially not at this juncture where he was investing everywhere and was in lack of funds.
...
The next day, Hardy drove into town.
Hollywood studio. Besides filming movies, it was also open to the public, and many people visiting Hollywood treated it as one of the attractions.
Two girls got off the bus.
"Wow~ Elena, look, it\'s a poster for Gone with the Wind." A pretty girl with brown hair pointed at a huge poster about ten meters high and exclaimed.
The girl named Elena had a British face, exquisite and beautiful features, fair and delicate skin, and a pair of big eyes that sparkled with spirit. She wore a white dress, naturally exuding the unique charm of a young beauty.
"Yes, I really like Scarlet" the girl named Elena nodded.
"I prefer Alicia Rhett," the brown haired girl said with a smile.
They spent two dollars to enter the set, where a crew was filming, and many tourists were gathered in the distance. It was the weekend, so there were more people than usual.
Allowing tourists to watch filming on set was the biggest feature of the studios, especially for big companies like Universal, MGM, and Warner Bros. Hollywood companies wouldn\'t miss any opportunity to make money they even dared to steal money from wall street wolves.
"Unfortunately, this crew doesn\'t have any stars. I can\'t get the autograph of a star I like," the brown haired girl said regretfully.
"Just treat it as a fun outing," the girl named Elena said.
They watched the filming for a while and then went to another set. Finally, on the third set, the brown haired girl saw a male star, a handsome young C-tier actor, and excitedly ran to get an autograph.
As noon approached,
The two girls ate at a small restaurant on the street.
"I accompanied you this morning, so it\'s your turn to accompany me this afternoon," the girl named Elena said.
"Oh, you want to visit those Oil painting shops again? What\'s so interesting about those things?" The brown haired girl pouted.
"But I like them. We agreed before we came, half a day each. Don\'t go back on your word, Irina."
Irina pouted, "Alright, I\'ll go with you this afternoon."
After lunch, they walked down the shopping street. It was bustling with people. As they walked forward, a man followed them.
This man was dressed in a wrinkled suit, had a short stubble on his chin, and looked somewhat disheveled. He followed behind the brown haired girl, gradually matching her pace, and reached a hand toward Irina\'s bag.
Irina seemed to sense something and turned around to find a scruffy man with his hand in her bag.
"Ah~!"
Irina screamed in fright.
Seeing that he had been discovered, the man made no further pretense and tried to snatch Irina\'s handbag. Instinctively, Irina held on tightly, and the two began to struggle on the street.
"You bitch, let go, or I\'ll stab you!"
The man\'s eyes flashed with menace as he pulled a knife from his coat and lunged at Irina.
"Ahhh~"
Irina screamed and couldn\'t let go, frozen with fear.
Just as the knife was about to strike the girl, a leg in a white dress shot out from beside her.
A high kick.
The toe of the shoe accurately hit the thief\'s wrist.
Whoosh~!
The thief\'s wrist went numb, and the knife flew out of his hand.
The thief was momentarily stunned, then angry and embarrassed. He let go of the handbag, clenched his fist, and swung at the girl in the dress.
A determined look flashed in the girl\'s eyes.
She leaned back slightly, and sent another kick.
This kick could be described as precise and ruthless, with her heel striking the thief\'s chin, sending him flying and crashing to the ground.
The onlookers were shocked then started to applaud.
They couldn\'t believe that a girl who seemed so gentle could unleash such powerful combat skills, kicking a grown man to the ground with one move.
They didn\'t understand the concept of attacking the weak spots in the human body, but that didn\'t stop them from admiring the skills she has shown.
The thief got up from the ground, clutching his aching jaw, glared at the girl with hatred, and quickly ran into an alley, disappearing from sight.
With the thief gone, Irina turned to her friend in amazement.
"Elena, you\'re so incredible. We\'ve lived in the same dormitory for two years, and I didn\'t know anything about this."
The girl adjusted her dress, regained her gentle demeanor, and smiled at Irina. "You\'ve never provoked me, so why would I show off my skills?"
"Would you use this move on me if I did provoke you? Kick me away with one blow? Wow, that\'s terrifying!"
Irina put on a fearful expression.
"You always look so quiet and demure, but there\'s a fierce wolf inside you. I\'m so shocked. Looking at you, you were so fierce just a moment ago, and now you\'re back to your usual quite self. Which one is the real you?"
As she spoke, Irina circled her roommate, trying to see through her.
"Okay, stop messing around. Let\'s go to the art work shop." Elena grabbed the still circling Irina.
Young people forget quickly. The two soon forgot about the unpleasant incident and continued their previous plans.