Chapter 89

89

Simone Casani.

The man in his early thirties, an American of Italian descent, who owned nothing but the building his parents had run, stared blankly ahead.

To be precise, he was staring at the chin of the person with a high nose and soft lips.

(…How much are you willing to pay?)

This place was a street by the beach in Miami.

Though it wouldn't be as expensive as the western or northeastern areas where housing prices were high, it was a tourist area with a beach and mansions that top stars bought.

Moreover, Florida had no state income tax or inheritance tax. There was a reason why traditional American tycoons bought mansions in Florida for a high price.

Given these merits, even the end of the wealthy street, where this place was located, couldn't be sold at a cheap price.

Casani swallowed and waited for the answer.

At that moment, the man's lips moved.

(Aren't you the owner? You should be the one to name the price. Come on, give it a try.)

The man slowly spoke and laughed lowly.

At the same time, the backlight that had been obscuring the man's face was blocked by a cloud, and under the cloudy sky, his face was revealed.

The luster in his hair, which had been tinged red by the sunlight, disappeared, leaving only pitch-black, completely dark.

Casani's eyes widened as he looked up at the man's face. It was quite young after the backlight disappeared.

...Huh?

When he only heard the voice and the Italian accent, he thought it was a very dignified old gentleman... but it was a child.

Thinking about it, the hand he could see was also unusually wrinkle-free.

(Give it a try.)

Still, the grandfatherly tone and words didn't feel awkward at all. It was as if he was wearing a perfectly fitting suit.

‘Still, how can a kid who looks so young speak Italian so well in America? Did he come to America from Italy for a visit?’

It felt as if he wasn't from the same era, like he was seeing a ghost.

Whatever it was, meeting such a peculiar person after a long time, Casani tightly closed his mouth.

If it were the usual Casani, he would have charged in like a bull, angry that a brat was making fun of him, but for some reason, he couldn't do that in front of this kid.

He was small, still growing, but he looked like a giant.

It was a strange feeling, even to himself.

Casani laughed self-deprecatingly as he thought this.

This year was the 52nd.

Every week, someone would come to see this building, but they would always leave the negotiation table after refusing to meet one of the two conditions Casani presented.

One was to maintain the building's exterior.

The other was to pay the full price for the building.

– ‘Maintain the exterior? Hey, look. Do you know what Miami people call this building? A temple at the end of the beach. A temple. These white stone pillars look just like the pillars of the Temple of Poseidon. And is this place the Colosseum or the Round Table? What kind of stone pillars are surrounding the mansion like this? If the front yard is taken up like this, how can the people who actually live here manage? Asking someone to buy this building and maintain the exterior is a bit...’

– ‘This was originally a surf shop! Who would buy it for residential use?!’

– ‘You have a bad temper. Okay, okay, I'll give in a hundred times and find a friend with a special taste who likes the exterior of this house. But in return, you have to lower the price.’

– ‘I said I can't lower the price!’

– ‘Do one of them! Either allow changes to the exterior or lower the price! You're not a volunteer who will do everything as you wish!’

But it wasn't easy.

There might be someone who agreed to one of the conditions, but no one agreed to both.

Would this kid in front of him accept the conditions?

Casani opened his mouth with a tense expression.

In a corner of his heart, for some reason, he wanted this kid to buy the building.

Casani felt his shoulders relax naturally because the kid in front of him looked much younger than himself. With a slightly more relaxed face and tone, Casani opened his mouth.

(Alright. I'll tell you the price. But there's a condition. This building is... )

“Mr. Author!”

At that moment, a voice interrupted.

It was a loud voice, but he couldn't understand what was being shouted. What is he saying? Casani perked up his ears to hear the voice coming from a distance.

“Mr. Gang Author! Where are you! Mr. Author!”

It wasn't English or Italian. What language is it? As Casani strained to hear and took a step forward.

“Mr. Gang Authorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr