“That’s too kind of you, Mr. Watson. I’m just a common staff member here. What would you like to know?”
He sat back on the chair and smiled at me, indicating for me to do the same.
Then, I sat down in front of him and made sure to keep my manners in check.
“How much will you profit from this project?” He asked without beating around the bush.
I smiled and placed my drink down. “Are you perhaps concerned about my wellbeing, Mr. Watson?”
He chuckled casually and replied, “You’re quite the jokester, Ms. Stovall.”
I maintained my smile, staying silent.
After a while, he stopped chuckling and said, “If things go well, what do you think about becoming business partners for life?”
“Why don’t you let me know why you’re concerned about my share of the earnings first, Mr. Watson? That would make our discussion go much more smoothly.”
He pressed his lips together tightly. His smile was starting to become so deep it was almost fake. “I like your style, Ms. Stovall.”
As he spoke, he pushed a bank card toward me with a smile glinting in his eyes. “There’s two hundred thousand in here. Of course, this must seem like a small sum to you. This two hundred thousand is just to treat you to tea, but if you’re willing to sweet talk Mr. Fuller into working together with me, I’ll top up another five hundred thousand. Of course, you’re welcome to name your own price.”
I was taken aback as my gaze fell upon the card on the table. With narrowed eyes, I leaned my elbow on the tabletop and cupped my chin in one hand. “So, Mr. Watson, you want me to give up on this bid and also put in a good word for you with Mr. Fuller?” Was I hearing things correctly?
“That’s right. How I enjoy working with smart people such as yourself. Mr. Fuller has good taste.” Derek’s grin widened in pride.
His chubby face stretched wide with his sleazy smile as he continued pushing the card toward me, clearly wanting me to keep it.
But of course, I wasn’t blinded by the money. On the contrary, I simply glanced at the card and said lightly, “Two hundred thousand. That’s quite a sum. I could put a down payment on a place in A City if I include the other five hundred thousand.”
For some reason, it felt like I had to return his smile, so I did. “That’s not exactly how things work around here, though. You probably don’t understand how the Murphy Corporation settles profits. I’d say they’re especially generous as the project manager will always receive twenty percent of all earnings made. Ashton invested about ten million into this project, and twenty percent of that will already be far more than just a down payment. Dare I say – it would be enough for me to buy a whole house.”
His sleazy grin froze on his face, and he narrowed his eyes. “Asking for two million right off the bat? Do you know what happens to greedy women, Mr. Stovall?” he asked in a cold voice.
I chuckled lightly. “How could you say that Mr. Watson? I wouldn’t call myself greedy at all. Based on my relationship with Ashton, I would say that I’ll do well with any projects given. Not only will I do well at the Murphy Corporation, but I will also get to earn more money. If I do take your two hundred thousand, I would be giving myself the short end of the stick. If word gets out that I betrayed my own company for a couple hundred thousand, how am I going to continue working in this field?”
With that, I pushed the card back with the same smile on my face. “Next time you try and bribe someone, please do your research. This is rather embarrassing on your part.”
It was getting late, so I stood up and walked into the bidding room without another glance at Derek.
Armond’s lean figure stood out among the other people in the room. I walked toward him and asked mildly, “How confident are you in this project?”
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
I pressed my lips together before replying, “You’ve probably been preparing this project for about two weeks or so. Before this, Linda was put in charge. You’re just trying to use me, aren’t you? Why else would you only tell me today?”
He glanced at me and indicated for me to sit down next to him. After a short silence, he said, “That’s going to be difficult to say.”
“I agree.” After all, I had just chased Ashton away with venomous words that afternoon. I couldn’t start chasing after him again after that.
The room started filling up. Five minutes before the auction began, the room was already completely full, and everyone settled into silence as they waited for the announcer to show up.
I looked around but failed to see Linda. Curiously, I approached Armond and asked quietly, “Are you really planning on using my proposal?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I?”
I nodded and kept quiet.
Five minutes later, Joseph got on stage and started briefly explaining the Fuller Corporation’s public tender. After going through their goals and the general plan, he started calling each bidder up to present their proposals.
