Chapter 281: Sorry, I Cannot Help You!

For a moment, Zachary genuinely wondered whether William realized how ridiculous his request sounded.

Zachary remembered clearly that earlier, William had confidently assured their father that Riley was capable of securing the Norvayne military project. Now, he was asking him to provide information about Cresswell Tech’s weaknesses simply because he happened to be friends with Kevin.

"Brother, didn’t you just tell Dad that Riley would surely win the tender? You said it with great confidence, too," Zachary asked, sounding slightly bewildered.

He glanced toward Riley, who was sitting uncomfortably on the single sofa. His poor nephew seemed to have become increasingly uneasy as the conversation continued.

Zachary then looked back at William.

"You have to have confidence in Riley. He can definitely beat Cresswell. Right, Riley?"

Startled by the sudden question, Riley immediately straightened in his seat and nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I’m confident. Don’t worry, Dad!" Riley’s answer came quickly, almost as though he were afraid to hesitate.

William looked at his son without responding immediately. He took a deep breath, and the confidence he had shown earlier was no longer as convincing as it had been during the conversation with Kennedy. As he studied Riley, a clear look of doubt appeared in his eyes. This time, he made no effort to hide it.

Riley noticed his father’s expression and became even more uncomfortable, but he remained silent.

William finally looked away from his son and spoke in a low, serious voice.

"You have to prove it. Otherwise, my position as CEO of Sterling Group is in jeopardy."

The words settled heavily over the room.

Zachary remained quiet as he looked at his older brother. He could now understand why William was so desperate to secure the military project. This was no longer simply about Riley proving himself as the CEO of Sterling Tech. William’s own position was at risk if Riley failed.

Riley also seemed to understand the seriousness of his father’s words. The confidence he had shown moments earlier suddenly seemed much harder to maintain. Still, he said nothing, knowing that there was little he could say to change the situation.

Zachary leaned back slightly, his expression remaining calm as he looked between his brother and nephew. He had no intention of giving them information about Kevin or Cresswell Tech. If Riley truly had the ability William claimed he had, then he should be able to compete based on his own capabilities.

After all, William had already assured their father that his son could do it. Now, they simply had to prove it.

As Zachary had predicted, the conversation with William had not gone well. He wasn’t bothered by it. Sterling Tech was not his concern, and he had no intention of helping William or Riley win the military project.

Cresswell Group was his company too. He was the largest shareholder through several of his shell companies, and he had never appeared publicly as one of its owners, nor would it be easy to trace him as the owner.

Zachary had built the company together with his three best friends. The four of them had worked behind the scenes from the beginning. Eventually, they set up a structure in which Kevin Richardson took the lead role in the company and took the spotlight. Nevertheless, Zachary and the others continued supporting Kevin, but in secret.

It had worked well for them, and Zachary had no intention of changing that arrangement now.

More importantly, Cresswell Group had become his safety net in case William Sterling ever took complete control of Sterling Group. Zachary knew his older brother well enough to understand that William was not someone he could rely on if things went wrong. He had no desire to leave his future entirely in William’s hands.

After sitting in silence for a while, Zachary finally broke the tension.

"Brother," he said calmly, "I just need to let you know something. Even though I know Kevin, I would never betray him, not even for Sterling Group. I’m sorry, brother, but I can’t help you."

William said nothing.

Zachary waited for a while, but his older brother remained silent. Riley also stayed quiet on the other side of the room, seemingly unsure of what to say.

Since there was nothing more to discuss, Zachary finally stood up.

"Thank you for coming to my house." He gave them a polite smile before turning around and leaving the room, leaving William and Riley behind.

As soon as he stepped out of the library, Zachary couldn’t help laughing inwardly. He still found it ridiculous that William had actually asked him to betray Kevin and reveal information about Cresswell Group simply because they were competing for the same project.

’Will, you’re so shameless! How could you ask me to betray my own people?’

A small smile appeared on Zachary’s lips as he walked back toward the birthday hall. He wasn’t angry. Instead, he found his brother’s request amusing. William had clearly been desperate enough to ask for help without even considering where Zachary’s loyalty truly lay.

When Zachary returned to the party hall, he saw Kevin, Ethan, and Scott still sitting together. However, the room was much quieter than before. He didn’t see Sienna or her friends anywhere, and more importantly, Skylar was nowhere in sight.

Zachary walked over and returned to his seat.

"Sorry, guys, for keeping you waiting," he said before looking around. "Where’s Skylar?"

Ethan looked at him and smiled.

"He said he hadn’t eaten his birthday cake yet and wanted to eat it now."

Zachary chuckled when he heard that. It was exactly the kind of thing Skylar would do after spending most of the celebration surrounded by food.

However, his smile slowly faded when he remembered his conversation with William. His expression became more serious as he looked across at Kevin.

"Kevin, how confident are you about winning the Norvayne Military project?"

The sudden question immediately made Kevin, Ethan, and Scott look around the room. Their expressions became more cautious as they checked whether anyone from Zachary’s family was nearby and could overhear them.

Kevin leaned slightly closer and lowered his voice.

"Are you actually talking about this here?" he whispered. "You’ll be in trouble if they find out you’re the largest shareholder in Cresswell Group."