There were nineteen companies in total. There were even some companies that had gotten eliminated near the beginning. All the remaining companies were quite prevalent in A City.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that most of the proposals were rather similar to one another.
I was nodding off when Armond suddenly said, “Take a look at this. When you go on later, do what you usually do.”
I looked down to see another proposal in my hands. Taken aback, I noticed that it was a bidding document. I glanced sideways at Armond and asked in surprise, “Did you do this beforehand?”
He nodded. “Take a closer look. Don’t embarrass me.”
I felt a little lost for words. “That was dangerous, Mr. Murphy. If you already had a proposal ready, then why did you ask me to make my own? I’m about to go on stage, but now I have to memorize a different proposal. You must have more confidence in my skills than I do because I don’t think I can memorize everything in just a few minutes.”
“If you never try, you’ll never know,” he said lightly.
What the hell?
I glared at him and decided that I didn’t want to speak to him anymore. After that, I continued reading the proposal and was rather surprised.
Looking at him in shock, I asked, “Did you make this, or did Linda write it?”
He glanced at me and evaded my question. “You’re next.”
I pressed my lips together in a tight line before continuing to read the proposal closely. Ultimately, I had to grab the chance to memorize as much as I could.
“Next, we have the Murphy Corporation. Please get ready,” the announcer called out.
I started to panic. Despite the shiny new proposal, I was still nervous since I was preparing everything so last-minute.
Cold sweat started running down my back, and my hands started to shake.
Suddenly, a large hand wrapped around my own, and I looked up only to see Armond’s dark gaze staring at me.
His brow was relaxed, and his tone was light and breezy as he assured me, “Don’t worry. Even if this bidding doesn’t work out, you can still stay in Murphy Corporation.”
I glared at him and removed my hand from his. “Don’t act all kind and smiley with me. Next time, can you please at least let me know in advance?”
“Of course I will.” His smile became more of a slight smirk.
If it wasn’t for our situation, I would have loved to punch that smug look off his face.
All of a sudden, I felt a cold gaze on me, so I turned my head in that direction.
A man dressed in all black, who I had failed to notice, was standing not too far away. His cold gaze was practically piercing through Armond and me.
He had clearly mistaken Armond’s previous action as a sign of our flirting.
“Looks like he’s seen everything,” Armond said in a particularly smug voice. “Do you think he would kick the Murphy Corporation out just for that?”
I sighed and tried to control my anger. “Don’t worry. Ashton isn’t as petty as you.”
It seemed like Armond had purposely held my hand just now so that Ashton would see us.
After the person onstage finished presenting, a round of applause sounded up as usual.
It’s my turn now.
I got up and walked onstage. Meanwhile, Ashton was standing right next to the table set up beside the stage, staring at me with his coal-black eyes.
He must be incredibly furious right now. I sighed and passed the presentation that Armond made to the workers.
Next, I started presenting. “Greetings. I’m the project manager for Murphy Corporation, Scarlett Stovall. I would like to thank Mr. Fuller for giving us this opportunity to present the Murphy Corporation’s ideals as well as our proposal.”
I didn’t want to drag on my introduction for too long. After a brief introduction, I went through the proposal that Armond had given me. Thankfully, I managed to remember most of it.
After the proposal, I let out a sigh of relief. I was prepared to end it when Ashton suddenly cut me off. “Ms. Stovall, was it? That was quite the interesting proposal you just presented. It’s quite unique, so I would like to ask you about some details if that’s alright.”
Just looking at his handsome face wasn’t enough for me to guess what he was about to say next. I just nodded and smiled lightly. “Please, be my guest.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “As everyone knows, the Murphy Corporation has been leading in the petrol and jade business. This public tender is based on AI technology. Your proposal is very well-planned, but that doesn’t mean it’s useable. Do you think we could work together well despite your company’s lack of experience in the AI field?”
Thankfully, I had already thought about that question beforehand. After a pause, I answered, “We’ve already thought about that question just like you have, Mr. Fuller. We already have a proposal ready to answer that question. Please take a look.”
He didn’t reach out to take it. Instead, he glanced at Joseph, who reached out for it instead. After that, he looked at me as if he wanted to say something.
