Chapter 457
Chapter 457
"It's fine. It wasn't expensive, so I thought I'd get it for you while I'm at it," Samuel added, worried that Sophia would be unwilling to accept the gift.
Sophia gave Samuel a look. "Apologizing once is enough for one mistake. You have already purchased one bag for me, so that's sufficient. I will get the next one myself."
Following that, she let out a snort and added, "Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have trouble explaining yourself to Alexander."
The sudden public display of affection silenced Samuel.
He dared not insist on getting her anything and looked toward the stage, planning to bid a handsome price immediately after the bag was up for auction.
The bag's reserve price was one million and eight hundred thousand, and he planned on offering two million and five hundred thousand. Increasing the price by seven hundred thousand would deter others from competing with him.
Alas, Samuel had underestimated the allure of bags to women. After he offered two million and five hundred thousand, someone else increased the price to two million and six hundred thousand.
Samuel frowned and declared, "Three million."
Sophia moved and glanced at Samuel's competitor.
By coincidence, the woman Samuel was competing with happened to be the same woman who had
been overheard speaking ill of Sophia at the hotel earlier that day.
The auctioneer had already called the sale twice. He was about to call the price for the third time when suddenly the woman raised her paddle once again.
The auctioneer came to an abrupt stop and announced, "Three million and one hundred thousand. The lady has offered three million and one hundred thousand."
Impatient, Samuel was about to raise his paddle to offer three million and five hundred thousand when Sophia pressed his hand down.
Taken aback, Samuel asked, "What's wrong? I can afford to buy the bag. It's only around three million."
Sophia tutted. "Mr. Schild, you are both rich and generous, but this bag only cost one point five million when it was sold on the market. Since it's now discontinued, its reserve price in the auction is one point eight million, and two point five million is already a high price to pay. If you increase the price beyond three million, you'll be losing more than one million instead. It's not worth it."
In her opinion, the bag wasn't worth three point five million.
"Never mind. We're having fun, aren't we? I promised to get it for you, so even if I have to fork out thirty million, I must get it done."
Sophia was amused by his response. "Mr. Schild, you don't mind acting foolishly, but I do!"
If he successfully bids for the bag at three point five million, I'm not even sure if I could sell it for two million later on.
Sophia was used to having a business-oriented mindset. Despite her intention to purchase the bag as a surprise for Katherine, she was not willing to pay an exorbitant price for it.
"Don't you like it?" Samuel was baffled.
"I like money better," came Sophia's reply.
As they spoke, the auctioneer had already closed the bid. The bag now belonged to the lady.
It was too late for Samuel to increase the price.
"Someone else managed to bid it."
Sophia pointed at another bag. "You can get this for me, Mr. Schild."
"Sure! Don't worry. I promise I'll get this one for you no matter how expensive it is."
Samuel knew handbags were the solution to everything for women. He was sincere in his apology and didn't mind how much it cost.
Sophia shot him an amused look. "Mr. Schild, is this how you discuss business collaborations with others?"
Midway Media would most probably go bankrupt if he was this generous.
"This is different. We come to auctions to bid on stuff we like. We earn money to spend it, right? Don't
worry. I'm not as rich as Alex, but I can afford to buy a bag that costs a few million," he assured her.
Samuel thought Sophia had misconceptions about his wealth. Have I appeared to be too frugal all this time?
After pondering for a while, he whipped out his phone and tapped furiously on the screen. A while later, he handed his phone to Sophia. "This is the credit limit of the card I normally use."
His actions caught Sophia by surprise.
It took her a while to regain her composure. "Mr. Schild, what's the meaning of this?"
"Don't worry. I'm not short of money."
Finally, Sophia understood why Alexander loved spending time with Samuel. The latter could be adorably foolish at times.
"You're the CEO of Midway Media. Why would you be short of money?" Sophia responded.
Samuel reassured her, "Exactly. So don't worry, the amount I spent buying a car can easily buy several of these bags."
Sophia burst out laughing. "Samuel, has Alexander ever told you that it is easy to swindle money out of you?"
Samuel froze for a bit. After registering the meaning of her words, he asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"Let's see how it goes."
The bag Sophia wanted was already up for auction at that moment.
Its reserve price was one point five million, and someone already raised their paddle immediately. However, the person didn't increase the price.
As the bag's price didn't rise right off the bat like the previous one, a few people started lifting their paddles one after another, offering a higher price.
When the price reached one point eight million, there weren't that many competitors anymore.
Sophia thought about it and told him, "The price should be around two to two point two million. If it exceeds that price, don't bid for it."
Samuel was afraid that Sophia would call him a fool again, so he didn't raise his paddle as swiftly as before and did as told.
When the price reached two million, his only competitor was another lady.
In the end, Samuel got the bag for two point three million. When the sale was finalized, he glanced at Sophia instinctively. "This price isn't too expensive right?"
A smile nudged Sophia's lips. "Even if the price is too expensive, I'm not the one paying for it."
Samuel rubbed his nose sheepishly. Why does it sound like she's criticizing me for being a nouveau riche without any taste?
As the duo had already gotten the bag they had set their sights on, they stopped paying attention to the following auction items. NôvelDrama.Org content.
Samuel inquired about Alexander's situation abroad, and Sophia readily informed him of all the details.
"If he lost his memory, how did you both get to know each other?"
What he said caught Sophia off guard, for she had not expected him to ask such a good question.
Sophia couldn't help but recall how Alexander whispered into her ear. The words "sex dream" made her feel uncharacteristically embarrassed.
She stole an awkward glance at Samuel and replied, "I introduced myself to him."
"Oh, I see." Samuel nodded. "It looks like Alex's character has changed after he lost his memory."
Sophia nearly choked on her water when she heard that.
Samuel turned to her. "Why? Did I say anything wrong?"
"Oh. He actually didn't change much."
"Then why did he even bother talking to you?"
This was the first time Sophia realized that Samuel was actually quite clever. "I just introduced myself, that's all. I didn't pester him," she replied.
Samuel stared at her for a while before commenting, "Looks like you're indeed his type."
Sophia raised her eyebrows. "So I should consider myself lucky to look like this, right?"
Samuel remembered something from the past and clicked his tongue. "You know, one day after Alex married you back then, I asked him if he was ever interested in you. Do you know what he said?"
Sophia never had the opportunity to understand Alexander's situation or his thoughts during their marriage that lasted for three years. She never got to know him back then.
Samuel and Alexander are close friends, so they must've talked about me.
Sophia's interest was piqued. She blinked and asked, "What did he say?"
"He said you're pretty but too arrogant."
Sophia knew that wasn't a compliment.
Taking note of her silence, Samuel was concerned that he might have unintentionally caused a rift between her and Alexander. He hurriedly added, "Don't get mad. Alex is a proud man, and he can be stubborn at times. From what I observed, he had a pretty good impression of you when you were married. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let you stay in the Xenos family for so long. He's just stubborn. If you hadn't asked for a divorce, he would have kept up the act for ten years or so."
Intrigued by his words, Sophia arched an eyebrow and asked, "How do you know that?"