Cornelia scanned the room, but couldn't spot the bidder.
Not until Marcus took a seat beside her, did she realize it was him who'd been lifting the paddle. "President Hartley, are you interested in this manuscript too?"
Before Marcus could even answer, the auctioneer cried out, "One million and one thousand for the first time."
Marcus raised his paddle again, bidding ten million, causing the auctioneer to do a double-take, "Ten million for the first time, we have a bid of ten million, any further offers?"
Cornelia knew Marcus was loaded, but him raising the bid to ten million in one go was a bit of a shocker.
She swallowed nervously and asked again, "President Hartley, are you really interested in this manuscript?"
"Nah." Marcus was looking at her, his heart aching at the sight of her hesitation.
She obviously wanted the manuscript, but the price was way beyond her budget, each bid left her wrestling with indecision.
Cornelia just couldn't get rich folks sometimes, "Not interested, but still bidding that high?"
Was he out of his mind?
Money didn't grow on trees, ya knew.
Did he have any idea how hard it was for ordinary folks to earn their dough?
For him, ten million might be chump change, but for many others, it's a fortune they could never hope to earn in a lifetime.
Marcus’s deep voice echoed again, "My staff shouldn’t lose face over such petty matters."
"Sorry! I've caused you trouble again." Only then did Cornelia realize how rash she'd been. As his assistant, her actions reflected on him.
She thought it was no big deal, no point sweating over money, but Marcus didn't see it that way. His first concern was the interests of the Hartley Group.
Marcus said softly, "No need to apologize. Just remember, don’t be afraid of anyone when this happens again, no matter the price, I can handle it."
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