Chapter 324: Stole Our Idea

Riley’s words immediately caused another wave of surprised whispers throughout the room.

Several participants turned toward the Cresswell Tech team, while others looked at Riley with obvious curiosity.

A few people even leaned forward in their seats, waiting to see how Kevin would respond to the accusation.

Kevin, however, did not look triggered or angry. He simply looked relaxed; a couple of times he took a slow breath while giving Riley a faint, almost pitying smile.

That expression made Riley even more uncomfortable.

’What the heck!? Why is he smiling like that?’

Before Riley could think further, the official cleared his throat, signaling everyone to be quiet.

The whispers gradually faded until the room became silent again.

The official looked directly at Riley. "Mr. Sterling, you need to watch and listen to the entire recording before you embarrass yourself."

Riley’s expression immediately changed.

"What are—"

He could not finish his sentence because William suddenly reached over and gripped his arm firmly, silently warning him to stop.

Riley looked at his father.

He could clearly see how serious he was, and his message was clear: stay quiet.

Riley swallowed the rest of his words. He let out a deep sigh and slowly sat back down, his face tense as he stared straight ahead at the screen.

The video resumed.

Cresswell Tech’s IT director continued explaining the presentation.

"What I just described was our initial idea for this project, but after testing it, we discovered numerous flaws and loopholes. We realized those ideas wouldn’t work for the nation’s military cyber defense."

Riley’s expression slowly tightened.

The Cresswell director continued without hesitation.

"So, here is our brand-new idea, one we are confident will strengthen the existing military cyber defense."

The next slide appeared on the screen.

Riley stared at it, unable to hide the confusion spreading across his face. The presentation he had been so certain proved Cresswell Tech’s wrongdoing was apparently not their overall and final proposal.

The realization slowly sank in. His confidence disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

He had been so certain that he could attack Kevin for stealing their idea. Yet, the Cresswell director had just explained that the concept they shared was only their initial proposal. They had tested it, found its flaws, and developed an entirely new solution afterward.

Riley remained completely still as he stared at the screen. His mind struggled to process what he had just heard.

’What the hell?’

His jaw tightened as another thought followed.

’Did my people steal Cresswell’s trash idea?’

The confidence he had carried when he raised his hand was gone, replaced by an uncomfortable realization that the situation might be far worse than he had expected.

Riley barely noticed what was happening around him. His mind churned as he struggled to accept that Sterling Tech had lost to Cresswell.

Not only had they lost, but they had lost badly. He had made things even worse by publicly claiming that Cresswell’s proposal was identical to theirs, only to discover that the idea he had accused them of copying had actually been Cresswell’s initial concept.

The embarrassment was already difficult enough to swallow, but something else bothered Riley even more. What if Cresswell had proof that Sterling Tech had stolen their idea? If that happened, this would no longer be about losing a tender. It could become a serious legal problem for the company.

’No. No, there’s no way they can trace it back to us, right?’ Riley tried to reassure himself. ’My people already made sure there was no trace leading back to Sterling Tech. Everything was handled carefully. I’ll be fine.’

He repeated the thought in his mind, hoping it would settle his nerves, but it had the opposite effect. The more he tried to convince himself that everything was under control, the more agitated he became. He could not stop thinking about what might happen next, especially with his father sitting nearby.

Before Riley could sink any deeper into his thoughts, the military official’s voice echoed through the room.

"Is there anyone else who wishes to object to or question the results of this tender?"

The question instantly silenced everyone. No one moved or spoke, and Riley remained in his seat, staring ahead while trying to keep his expression under control.

The official waited briefly before nodding. "Very well. With that, we will conclude this event."

He turned toward the Cresswell Technology team with a polite smile.

"Please stay. We will proceed to the next step with your company."

"Yes, sir," Kevin Richardson replied formally.

However, before the official could fully close the proceedings, Kevin raised his voice.

"Sir, there is something I would like to add."

The official looked at him. "Sure. You can say it now."

Kevin smiled warmly before glancing toward Riley and then William Sterling. His expression remained calm as he spoke.

"I just wanted to address the claim that our proposal was identical to theirs. That is completely untrue. In fact, their presentation was based on our work. Unfortunately for them, they only based it on the incomplete work. That is why our proposal, which was the complete work and application of our ideas, is better than theirs. So, if I may say it bluntly, they are the ones who stole our ideas."

The entire room was stunned.

For a few seconds, no one seemed to know how to react. Then the whispers began.

"What? So Sterling Tech stole Cresswell’s idea?"

"Oh, wow, I can’t believe it..."

"I had a feeling something was going on. Look at how calm the Cresswell team was the whole time."

"Right. I agree with you."

The murmurs quickly spread across the room, throwing the Sterling camp into confusion.

Some members immediately began denying the accusation among themselves, while others remained silent, unsure of what they could possibly say.

Riley was completely shocked. His face flushed as he stared sharply at Kevin, his anger rising with every second, but no words came out. He had never expected Kevin to turn the situation around so easily.

Riley’s mind raced as he tried to find a way to respond.

’He’s bluffing. He’s got to be bluffing.’ Riley wonders. But Kevin did not look worried; he looked almost too comfortable. This worries him so much.