“Okay, okay! I'll do this, alright?"

Maria conceded.

It wasn't like she was moved by Curt's sincere words; she just had to do this since the old man had put this on his bucket list.

Oh gosh!

She just realized that this had been the whole purpose of the meal. Well, they had managed to persuade her.

“So, do you agree to be my apprentice?" Curt asked carefully, worried she would change her mind.

Maria sighed heavily.

“Well, I already have a master teaching me jade-carving. I might as well have another master in the Writers’ Association. I agree, just as long as you two are okay with the arrangement."

“You mean Vincent? Don't worry. We'll work this out." Curt, having accomplished his goal for the evening, behaved graciously.

Their dynamic confused Greta.

Maria was the apprentice, and yet Curt Listened to her so obediently. A thought then crossed Curt's mind.

“Coincidentally, a director of the Sheffield Writers’ Association is having dinner at this restaurant as well. I will go and ask him to prepare the paperwork to help you with the association's application procedure.”

Kash waited a long time before finally getting a call from Curt. Upon answering the phone, Kash was shocked.

“I didn't expect it to be such a big event!" he said, clearly caught off guard. Kash sighed dramatically.

“Mr. Debenham, what happened?" asked Vivian, concerned.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

Kash shook his head and smiled. "No," he replied.

“It's a good thing, actually. Mr. Willows has accepted another apprentice, and the identity of the apprentice is most unusual. He told me to take his new apprentice through all the formalities of joining the Writers’ Association. He obviously wanted to apply for a five-star writer rating for his apprentice.”

"Five..." spluttered Vivian. "Five- star?”

Everyone present was shocked, including Lara and Jacqueline.

Lara looked around in disbelief.

“I may have lived abroad for many years, but even I know that the rules of the Writers' Association are very strict," she said. "Every star-rated writer should start out with just one star, then accumulate experiences and works. It's very hard for them to get a star. How can Mr. Willows’ apprentice start out as a five-star writer?"

The others were also confused. Everyone looked at Kash, hoping for answers.

Kash responded in a low voice. "It means that although Mr. Willows’ apprentice isn't a member of the Writers’ Association, they have already been successful as a writer. Actually, there are many well-known writers who haven't joined the National Writers' Association or any of its local branch. The fact that Mr. Willows’ new apprentice is suddenly joining our Sheffield Writers’ Association is of great significance."