“Sienna, why are you pushing him away?” She was getting a little agitated while my patience was running thin. “I don’t love him anymore.”
Before she could say anything, I quickly end the conversation. “Nora, I have some matters to attend to now. Rest well, and I’ll visit you tomorrow.”
With that, I hung up. Sensing a gaze on me, I raised my head and saw that Armond was staring at me.
I knitted my brows in response. “Mr. Murphy, you’re still driving.” Eyes on the road, Mister.
He withdrew his gaze and said indifferently, “I’m curious too. Why are you hiding from Anthony?”
I pursed my lips. “When did Mr. Murphy become someone who enjoys digging into other people’s private business?”
He shrugged and smiled faintly. “I’m just curious. Right! We have to go to K City after this project. Don’t you forget about our promise in Venria.”
Listening to him mentioning the promise, I was stunned for a moment. “Got it!” He wanted the sandalwood box that Grandma has.
When we arrived at the Oasis Hotel, Armond parked the car at the entrance and took me to a restaurant nearby for dinner.
Then we went to the bidding hall. The wide hall was crowded with people, and some business partners came to greet Armond.
Armond asked me to find a quiet place and make some changes to the proposal, at least to the point of not bringing shame to the Murphy Corporation.
There was a lounge in the hotel. Sitting on the couch, I went through the proposal and my head started hurting. Apart from not understanding the overall situation, the proposal was way too rushed.
“You’re… Ms. Stanhope?” A voice called out to me and I was stunned.
Raising my head, I saw a chubby middle-aged man standing in front of me with a file.
I was slow to react and blurted out, “Hello. You are?”
The man burst into laughter. “Ms. Stanhope, you’re so forgetful. We just met last night.”
Last night? Hmm…
After pondering for a moment, I looked at him and finally realized who he was. “You’re Mr. Watson?”
He wore a wide grin and said, “Ms. Stanhope, please remember me this time. It’s rather embarrassing.”
Feeling awkward, I forced a smile and immediately stood up to shake hands with him as an apology, but he stopped me midway.
Sitting at the side, he looked at my proposal and smiled. “Ms. Stanhope, are you taking part in the bidding?”
I nodded and smiled. “Are you too?”
Seeing how he had a stack of documents in his hand, I guessed he wasn’t here just to watch the show. Plus, he didn’t get to a conclusion with Anthony last night.
So he must be here for the bidding.
“Ms. Stanhope, may I know where you are working at?” Wearing a smile, he saw me shutting my laptop.
I replied, “Murphy Corporation. Mr. Watson, I’ve heard that you and other members are not allowed to take part in third-party business cooperation. So, are you here for…”
He was stunned for a moment, but his smile never left. “That’s right. We can’t take part. I gave my wife a job in the company as she was bored at home. And today, I’m just here to look around and accompany her.”
It seemed he was a husband who loved his wife truly.
I smiled. Noticing that it was almost time, I got up and excused myself. “Mr. Watson, the bidding’s about to begin, so I have to go make some preparations. I shall not disturb you any longer.”
He smiled and got up to block my path. “Ms. Stanhope, how about we talk for a bit? It won’t take long. Just a few minutes.”
I froze, as I knew what he was getting at. So that’s what he had in mind after beating around the bush for so long.
“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. Stanhope.”
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. Stanhope.”
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. Featherstone 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. Featherstone?” Was I hearing things correctly?
“That’s right. How I enjoy working with smart people such as yourself. Mr. Featherstone 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. Anthony 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. Stanhope?” 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 Anthony, 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 Anthony away with venomous words that afternoon. I couldn’t start chasing after him again after that.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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