Chapter 50
Charlotte found this utterly ridiculous.
Was Alexander really that popular? Why did women throw themselves at him everywhere he went?
The thing was, she couldn't see what was so great about Alexander that made these women lose their minds over him.
Charlotte said calmly, "Do I need to explain my social connections to Ms. White? This is my personal time, isn't it?"
Bella was taken aback and felt embarrassed.
She forced a smile, "I was just asking casually. If you don't want to say, then forget it."
After saying that, she waited for Charlotte's response.
Charlotte glanced at her coolly, not giving her any face. "Yes, I really don't want to say."
Bella's mouth twitched, and her face darkened.
Charlotte acted as if she didn't notice and asked Alexander in a low voice, "What number is the keyboard in the auction?"
Alexander said, "Number three."
Charlotte nodded slightly.
Bella clearly heard their conversation.
Keyboard? What keyboard?
She gave her assistant a questioning look.
The assistant pulled out today's auction catalog, looked at it, and leaned close to her ear.
"It seems to be a keyboard that a famous hacker used before he died."
Hearing this, Bella pursed her lips.
At the company, Charlotte had easily pointed out problematic code.
She seemed to be particularly good at hacking too.
So she likes this keyboard, huh?
Bella's eyes darkened.
Soon, the auction officially began.
The first few items were paintings that Charlotte wasn't interested in.
When the keyboard came up, Charlotte immediately sat up straight.
When that worn, plain white keyboard appeared, Charlotte's eyes began to show emotion.
She remembered her mentor Logan traveling to the countryside, carrying this keyboard and a black laptop on his back.
Back then, little Charlotte didn't even know what a computer was and asked Logan what those two things he was carrying were for.
Logan told her he was a hacker.
For people who learn this, whether they do good or bad is just a matter of choice.
They could use hacking skills to help everyone solve malicious attacks and problems, or they could use it to become demons who maliciously attack networks and steal money.
Charlotte said she wanted to learn.
Logan asked her what her purpose was for wanting to learn this.
Charlotte answered that she wanted to see whether she was a god or a demon, and she wanted to make that choice herself.
After hearing this, Logan didn't speak for a long time, then burst out laughing and stayed in the countryside.
She learned hacking from Logan for a year and received much of his true knowledge.
When Logan was about to leave, he said he had never taken anyone as a student in his life.
During their time together, rather than saying he had taken on such a lovely student, it was more like he had met someone as close as a daughter.
He taught Charlotte all the hacking techniques he thought were suitable for her, telling her to be a good person and grow up well.
As memories flooded back, Charlotte's eyes began to redden.
She never liked showing emotions in front of others. Just as she was about to lower her head, the man beside her suddenly moved, blocking everyone's view.
"If you want to cry, cry."
Alexander's voice was very soft and low. "You can lean on my shoulder."
The tears that Charlotte was about to shed were suppressed by his words.
She pushed away Alexander's shoulder that he had turned toward her and looked calmly at the stage. "Which eye of yours saw me about to cry?"
Alexander chuckled softly.
"Stubborn."
Charlotte's ears grew hot. With a straight face, still looking cool and distant, she ignored him.
People around them started complaining.
"What is this? Just a used keyboard, and they're auctioning it off? It doesn't look like it's made of any precious material."
The host immediately introduced it: "This is a keyboard left behind by Logan, a hacking master from our country who was the first to compete in international competitions. It's said he only used this one keyboard his entire life."
"He won international championships with this keyboard and helped solve cross-border criminal cases. It's a beloved item left by a great hacker."
Everyone listened in confusion, vaguely understanding the general idea.
"Alright, if there are no more questions, let's start the bidding. Starting price is fifty thousand."
Charlotte immediately raised her paddle. "Sixty thousand."
"Five hundred thousand." A clear voice suddenly came from beside her.
Charlotte looked over.
Bella sat elegantly, raising her paddle, and smiled gently at Charlotte across Alexander.
"Ms. Johnson, you don't mind me competing with you, do you? I like this keyboard too."
She smiled warmly, as if she just happened to want the same thing as Charlotte.
"After hearing about Logan's life story, I think he was a great person. It would be my honor to collect his keyboard."
Charlotte's face turned cold.
She would never let the keyboard fall into this woman's hands.
She said coolly, "Don't talk as if you're definitely going to get this keyboard."
She directly raised her paddle. "One million."
"One million five hundred thousand."
"Two million."
"Two million five hundred thousand."
A keyboard with a starting price of fifty thousand had been driven close to three million after a round of bidding between them.
Everyone was stunned, not knowing what they were really competing over.
This wasn't some antique treasure—was it worth spending so much money?
"Five million."
Bella raised her paddle again, pushing the price to five million.
She looked at Charlotte, her eyes carrying a hint of mockery.
"Ms. Johnson, this is your first day as a consultant at the White Group. You probably just signed the contract, and you won't even get paid until next month. I'd advise you not to compete with me—you can't win!"
Charlotte looked at her expressionlessly, her red lips parting slightly.
"Ten million."
Bella's face changed. She hadn't expected Charlotte to come up with ten million just like that.
Getting worked up, her face turned ashen as she raised her paddle again.
"I'll add five million—fifteen million!"
Even the host was shocked and excitedly tapped the table.
"It seems Logan still holds great significance in everyone's hearts! The keyboard is now at fifteen million! Ms. Johnson, will you bid again? Fifteen million once, fifteen million twice..."
"Twenty million. Will you keep going?" Charlotte looked directly at Bella, watching her shocked expression, and pulled out a black card from her pocket. "No matter how much you bid, I'll match it."
Bella snapped back to reality and scoffed. "You think you're the only one with a black card?"
She also pulled out the black card Daniel had given her for purchasing goods and slapped it on the table beside her.
"Today I'll keep going too—let's see who can outspend whom!"
Charlotte could tell at a glance that it wasn't Bella's own black card.
She narrowed her eyes, about to speak, when Alexander spoke leisurely.
"It doesn't matter how high you two bid, does it? If both of your financial resources are evenly matched, then only the current owner of this keyboard can decide who gets it."
Bella immediately said, "Then who is the keyboard's owner? Staff, go contact the original owner of this keyboard! Ask what conditions they need to give me the keyboard—I can agree to anything, and I can afford any benefits!"
She smiled provocatively at Charlotte.
In front of Alexander, she absolutely couldn't lose face.