"Thank you, Miss. I can stand," Tatum said politely, mindful of his current position. Despite not being shy, he knew his status in the Ormond family had not yet solidified. Until Elora''s feelings for him were clear, he didn''t want to appear too forward, so as not to risk damaging the impression he was building with her. "Please, have 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.


    With that, Tatum promptly found a chair and sat down, his posture straight and formal.


    Elora observed him for a moment and then smiled. "You sit like a soldier."


    He looked a bit like a schoolboy in ss, sitting properly to avoid getting scolded by the teacher.


    Tatum remained silent. "I really like the clothes and gifts that Alonzo and Angelo picked out for me. You must be exhausted after spending the whole afternoon with them. I''ll reimburse you for everything you spent," Elora said. Tatum replied, "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 take care of the arrangements. Only when he needed a special gift did he personally go out to choose it. Shopping was usually something his mother and aunts did. As a child, he sometimes tagged along, but as he got older, even his mother couldn''t convince him to join them.


    "I guess I''m more into cooking these days," Tatum said with a smile. "If I hear about some delicious dish at a restaurant, I''ll go and try it. But most of the time, I end up thinking that my cooking tastes better."


    Eloraughed lightly. "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 any of my colleagues."


    Elora''s smile remained, though her eyes seemed to flicker slightly. She looked at Tatum for a long moment and asked, "You still haven''t told me how much you spent."


    Tatum took out his phone. "I''m not sure about the exact total. Let me check the records."Original from N?velDrama.Org.


    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 with the precise amounts.


    The new outfits the brothers bought for their seven sisters were all branded items, costing about $10,000 each. Alonzo had also bought two sets of gold jewelry, which made his spending higher, rounding it off to $200,000. Tatum didn''t count the small change to simplify things.


    "I don''t have your ount number memorized, but I''ll ask Uncle Joly to transfer the amount to your bank ount 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.


    Alonzo had liked the items, so he decided to purchase them based on Tatum''s choices.


    Tatum then asked, "Miss, do you like the jewelry that Young Master Alonzo chose for you?"


    The two sets of gold jewelry were probably the least expensive pieces in Elora''s collection.


    Alonzo, still a young boy, had simply thought the gold looked nice and bought the two sets.


    Elora''s expression softened, and she smiled. "Alonzo is so considerate. Even while shopping, he thought of us. I like both the clothes and the jewelry. It''s sweet that he remembered my size the clothes he picked fit perfectly."