Supreme Mars

Chapter 11 You're Not Helping

The venue had already been set up, even though the bidding had yet to commence. A podium and a

huge screen sat in the center with rows of seats arranged in front of them. The seats were grouped and

labelled according to the attendees on behalf of their respective companies.

While most of the participants had already arrived and were making final preparations, a crowd had

gathered around Caroline and Rebecca.

A harsh noise instantly drew the attention of many attendees. A clamor of chatter and whispers washed

over the venue a moment later.

"Hey, look at them. Aren't they representing the company owned by the Fords? What on earth are they

coming here for?"

"The main focus of the bidding will be the contract of the latest product line from Atlas Beauty, and

Atlas has absolute domination of the event. It's extremely difficult to stand out and win. I even heard

that some top advertising agencies couldn't manage to secure it."

"Well, I guess they are to be the Fords' ceremonial cannon fodder..."

"Isn't that Martin Bailey, the general manager of Vesper Corporation?"

That last comment brought everyone's attention to the man in question, leaving him somewhat startled.

"Mrs. Ford and Caroline, I don't mean to offend you both, but if you were the Ford family of the past,

you might have had a chance today. But now, you don't even have a professional team, let alone a

company with any asset's worth tens of millions of dollars. And for crying out loud, you've even got the

guts to compete against me!""

Rebecca's face turned livid.

"Shut up, you traitor!" Caroline glared at him. "You're just the Lawson family's lapdog, nothing more!"

Martin's eyes clouded with anger for a fleeting moment. He soon adopted an unnerving grin, "Yes, I

betrayed you, but so what? A fine fowl would only perch on a fine tree. Your family has almost been

completely swallowed up by the Lawsons, and yet you still expected me to stay loyal?" he scoffed

arrogantly.

"It's only a matter of time before your family is totally screwed. Why don't we give you a quick death?"

Martin continued in a domineering manner.

His words reminded many of the local business owners in attendance that the Vesper Corporation was

once owned by the Fords before Kate Lawson's hostile takeover. Some wondered, "It looks like Martin

did something behind the scenes to aid her in that endeavor."

"So, you just contacted the Lawson family on the sly and leaked Vesper Corporation's business secrets

and financial data?" Rebecca questioned him angrily. She was the one who promoted Martin, so his

betrayal stung her the most. Even though it had occurred a long time ago, she still had difficulty

accepting it.

"Mrs. Ford, you can't make accusations like such without solid evidence first." Martin glanced at

Caroline and Rebecca and grinned, his eyes alight with wicked thoughts. "You see, I can easily sue you

for defamation!" "How dare you...." Caroline was about to refute him, but Rebecca stopped her. "Calm

down. We're here to bid, not to argue with him."

When Martin saw his former boss swallow her anger, he felt indescribably happy. He continued with a

smile, "With all due respect, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell. Vesper Corporation will win the

bid!" Martin was full of confidence.

He added, "As for the two of you, get ready to end up on the street!"

Rebecca's face was aflame with fury and soon she turned pale and drawn, her eyes filled with

frustration.

Martin's words were harsh but they were also cold, hard facts.

She thought, "We need to win this bid to gain some ground, but that's easier said than done. In terms

of team expertise, our company is nowhere near Vesper Corporation's level. What's even more

infuriating is that Vesper was my company! It's humiliating to be mocked by the very people who used

to work for me."

"They will not end up stone broke today," Someone abruptly spoke up in this calm yet stern voice.

"Neither will the rest of the Fords. I don't see their family ever falling apart. You, however, might want to

make each day count, because there won't be too many left for you."

Immediately after that, a man strode over to Caroline.

"Leo!" Caroline gasped. She was stunned, her eyes wide open.

"I thought the guards kicked you out," Rebecca said in a tone of disbelief.

The last scene they recalled was Leo being driven away by Phillip, the head of security.

Leo smiled. "I ran into a friend who got me back in."

"You have friends here?" Rebecca asked suspiciously. She instantly recalled the young man she saw

walking with Justin Cox in the corridor earlier, but was too surprised by that to enquire further.

But soon, she shook her head and dismissed the silly idea.

"That's not important." Leo cast a quick glance at Martin and asked, "So, you're the general manager of

Vesper Corporation?"

"Who are you?" Martin asked, squinting at Leo. He did not recognize Leo, but could tell that his outfit

was worth no more than a paltry 200 dollars.

"Mr. Bailey, he is..." An assistant-like man leaned close to Martin and whispered something in his ear.

Martin laughed at once and said, "I was wondering why he looked so plain. It turns out that he's that

loser who married into the Lawson family five years back. He ran away on the wedding night, but

ruined the Ford family in the process too. Wow, you sure know how to leave an impression."

As he spoke, he even gave a sarcastic thumbs up motion to Leo.

Caroline and Rebecca's faces darkened immediately.

This was not just a slap in the face, but adding insult to injury!

However, Martin did not seem to care at all. He continued, his face full of ridicule, "Why? You've been

on the run for five years. What, so you've suddenly grown some balls and decided to return?"

"Mrs. Ford, how could you let such an ungrateful good-for-nothing return to the family? Not to mention

the ramifications; do you know what will happen to the Ford family if Miss Kate Lawson finds out?"

"But don't worry. I'll keep this secret for old time's sake..." He laughed sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Rebecca screamed, wishing that she could sink her nails into his smug face.

"Are you done?" Leo remained calm though. He even smiled and said, "Mr. Bailey, has it ever crossed

your mind that if your cover is blown one day, not only will you lose the bid, but you'll also end up in jail

for corporate espionage?"

"Is that so?" Martin replied impassively and looked like that he did not believe it at all. He then shot a

sympathetic glance at Leo, Caroline, and Rebecca.

He thought, "It seems that they still know nothing... The excellent team at Vesper Corporation aside, I'll

win this for sure, especially with my connection to Jesse Watson. He's the head of the advertising

department there, and also responsible for the bidding."

"Just remember this, you guys have no hope of winning at all." With that, he swaggered away and even

bumped against Leo's shoulder provocatively.

Caroline and Rebecca turned scarlet and then white due to anger.

Caroline even stomped her feet and said, "He's nothing but a stooge of the Lawson family. What's there

to be proud of?"

Leo comforted her. "There's no point getting upset about it..."

"Did I ask you for your opinion?" Before Leo could finish, Caroline interrupted him impatiently. "I don't

know how you got in here, but please, will you just keep your damn mouth shut?"

Leo paused slightly and asked, "What do you mean?"

Caroline's tone was indifferent. "You make me sick, you know that? Anyone who sees you will instantly

remember that scandal five years ago. Will you just please stay away from our family? Dad said that

this auction is crucial for our survival. If it gets screwed up because of you, I will never forgive you, not

for the rest of my life!"

Leo fell into a long silence.

After a long while, he looked up at Caroline as he said calmly, "What if I can help you all to win the bid

today?"