Chapter 320: The Day

Monday finally arrived.

During the Norvayne Military tender presentation, Riley and his team had presented their proposal directly to military officials without the other four participating companies being present.

Today, however, all the tender participants would gather in the same room for the final announcement.

Five companies were competing, but only one would be awarded, and now they would wait together to hear which company had won the contract.

Riley was excited as he sat in the back seat of a luxury car speeding through the heart of Silver City toward the Military Defense Building.

His fingers moved quickly across his cell phone as he typed a short message to his team, giving them a few final instructions before they arrived at the Norvayne Military Defense Building.

The city passed by outside the window, but Riley barely paid attention to it. His mind was already focused on what was waiting for him at the other end of the road.

Riley was already anticipating today’s result. Although he was confident about the outcome, he still felt tense because this was the first time he had handled a project of this size, and the pressure had been building for weeks.

His grandfather and father had both made it clear that they expected him to win the tender, which only made the result more important to him.

He couldn’t afford to disappoint them, especially after everything he had done to give Sterling Tech the advantage.

As the vehicle drew closer to the Military Defense Building, his personal cell phone in his suit pocket suddenly vibrated, breaking the silence inside the car.

Riley quickly took out the phone. His expression changed when he saw the caller’s name on the screen.

’Dad...!? Why did he call me?’

He straightened slightly before answering the call.

"Good morning, Dad," he greeted politely, lowering his head a little as if William Sterling were sitting right in front of him.

"Where are you, Riley?"

William’s cold voice immediately made Riley’s smile disappear. There was no greeting or small talk, and the question sounded more like a demand than a casual inquiry.

"I’m heading to the Military Defense Building—"

"I see," William interrupted him before he could finish. "I’ll be attending the announcement with you. I’ll arrive there in five minutes."

Riley blinked in surprise to hear that. His father was the CEO of Sterling Group, and his schedule was usually packed with meetings, negotiations, and other important matters. Riley could not understand why he had suddenly decided to make time for this particular event.

"D-Dad, y-you will be attending, too?" Riley asked, confused. He didn’t remember his father mentioning anything about coming to the announcement.

"You heard me clearly," William replied, completely ignoring the question.

And then—

The call ended before Riley could say anything else.

For a few seconds, Riley remained silent, staring at his phone screen as it went dark.

His eyebrows drew together as his mind quickly began working through the possibilities. His father’s sudden decision to attend the tender announcement could not be meaningless... Because his father rarely involved himself directly in his projects unless something important was behind it.

’Did Father hear directly from high-ranking military officials about Sterling Tech’s win on this project!? Is that why he decided to show up? Maybe he wants to make a connection with the project’s key contact.’

The thought initially made Riley feel relieved, but another possibility suddenly crossed his mind, and his expression became tense.

’What if we failed?’

His stomach tightened at the thought. He immediately shook his head and pushed it away.

’No. No, that’s impossible.’

Riley refused to lose on this project; he had already spent so much money bribing military staff to help Sterling Tech. One of the military contacts involved had personally told him Sterling Tech had a strong chance of securing the project.

’Yes! There was no reason for us to lose...we will win this project!’

He continued to calm himself.

However, even though Riley tried to dismiss the negative thoughts, the possibility still bothered him. His father’s unexpected appearance only made him more aware of what was at stake. If his father was coming personally, then he knew he would have to face him if anything went wrong.

A heavy breath escaped his lips as he leaned back against the seat. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm his thoughts before they became more distracting.

"Stop overthinking, Riley! Everything will go as planned," he muttered to himself.

He then glanced outside the window and noticed that they were getting closer to the building. Riley straightened his suit and checked his phone one last time before putting it away.

Soon, the car finally stopped in front of the Norvayne Military Defense Building.

Erica, his secretary, sat in the passenger seat and turned slightly toward him. "Sir, we have arrived."

Riley glanced at his watch to make sure they had arrived on time. Satisfied, he opened the door and stepped out of the car. Erica followed him closely as they made their way toward the building.

Still, they had barely walked a short distance when another familiar car pulled up in front of the entrance. Riley immediately recognized it as his father’s car.

For a moment, a wave of excitement and curiosity washed over him; since his father, the CEO of Sterling Group, was busy, he didn’t expect him to be there in person for the tender announcement.

Whatever had convinced his father to spare his time to attend this event, Riley couldn’t help but feel that his father’s presence was a good sign.

The car stopped, and William Sterling stepped out.

Riley could not read his father’s mood; his face remained calm and serious, giving away almost nothing about what he was thinking. Still, Riley immediately walked toward him and greeted him with polite formality.

"Good morning, Sir." Riley greeted him formally.

William gave him a slow nod.

"Lead the way to the meeting room."

"Yes, Sir."

Riley immediately turned and continued walking, with William following beside him. Although Riley wanted to ask why his father had suddenly decided to attend, he held back.