"Twenty thousand."
Florence Sherman raised her hand again, not even letting Hayley finish speaking this time.
Hayley looked exasperated. "Ms. Sherman, you've already bought one. How about letting someone else have this one?"
"No. I love this design, and I want it. Twenty thousand. If they like it, they can outbid me. Doesn't it go to the highest bidder? I won it fair and square, so why should I give it up?" Florence Sherman's refusal was blunt.
Hayley was helpless.
'This woman is absolutely impossible,' she thought. 'Can't she see how furious everyone else looks?'
"How about this, Ms. Sherman," Hayley said, thinking quickly. "According to our rules, if you win this auction, you won't be able to participate in the subsequent ones. After all, if you buy up all the designs, no one else will get a chance."
"Each person is limited to purchasing a maximum of two design sketches per year."
Thinking on her feet, Hayley quickly devised a solution.
