Chapter 325: Legal Action

William Sterling was the only person on the Sterling side who remained outwardly calm and composed.

He sat in his chair with a controlled expression, but his gaze couldn’t lie. His eyes were filled with anger. Anyone who knew him well would have known his silence didn’t mean he was unaffected. He was furious.

And then, William finally looked directly at Kevin. "Mr. Richardson, on what grounds do you make that statement? Do you have proof?"

Kevin slowly nodded. A friendly and respectful smile remained on his face, which somehow made his next words even more shocking for Riley and William.

"Yes, sir, we do. We will discuss this matter further in court, as we intend to pursue legal action."

The words seemed to drain whatever hope remained in the Sterling camp.

Riley’s face became even more tense as the reality of Kevin’s statement sank in. Court. Legal action. Those words were far more serious than a simple accusation made inside a tender meeting.

If Cresswell truly had proof, then Sterling Tech could have a much bigger problem than losing the contract.

Riley looked toward William, silently waiting for his father to say something, but he remained silent. For once, Riley had no clever response, no confident argument, and no explanation that could improve the situation.

The room was still filled with quiet murmurs as people discussed what had just happened. Some looked at Riley with curiosity, while others openly stared at William, clearly interested in seeing how the CEO of Sterling Group would respond to such a serious accusation.

Neither Riley nor William said another word.

With the tender lost and the accusation now hanging over Sterling Tech, they finally left the room with their heads lowered in shame.

Riley could still feel the other participants’ eyes on them as they walked away.

...

The Secret Garden Cafe and Resto.

When Sienna entered the office, she immediately sensed the tense atmosphere. Ava looked impatient, while Mia seemed annoyed as she stared at her cell phone.

Sienna paused in the doorway for a moment, waiting for them to notice her, but neither woman seemed to care. They were both too focused on their phones, apparently waiting for something that had not happened yet.

Shaking her head with a small smile, Sienna walked toward her desk. She placed her bag down, looked at the two women again, and finally cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Sienna..." Mia was the first to turn toward her. "When did you arrive?"

"Just now..."

Ava also looked up, and a relieved smile immediately appeared on her face. "You’re finally here, Sienna. Come here. We have a problem."

Sienna raised her eyebrows slightly as she walked over and sat opposite them. Judging by their expressions, she assumed something serious had happened.

"What problem?" she asked.

Mia took a deep breath and slowly let it out before answering. "Riley can’t be reached."

Sienna frowned slightly. That answer only confused her more. Riley was supposedly in his office, so why were Ava and Mia so concerned about reaching him? She glanced between them, trying to understand what was going on.

She did not respond immediately. Instead, she checked the time on her watch. She remembered hearing that the major tender announcement for Riley’s company was scheduled for that day. If the announcement was happening now, Riley was likely attending the event rather than sitting in his office.

"Riley might be busy," Sienna said calmly. "By the way, why do you need to speak with him? It’s related to his booking?"

"Yeah... I want to change the menu," Ava replied. Her impatient expression returned as she explained. "And I wanted to discuss it with him first, but I’ve been sending him messages since this morning, and he hasn’t answered. I tried calling him this afternoon, but his cell phone was already off. He’s been completely unreachable ever since."

"It’s so unlike Riley to ignore our messages or calls," Mia added. "He usually answers pretty quickly, or at least he would send a short message telling us he would call back when he’s free."

Sienna nodded in agreement. That was true. Riley was not the type to leave important messages unanswered. Even when he was busy, he usually found a moment to respond, however briefly.

Mia looked at Sienna hopefully. "Sienna, why don’t you try calling him? He might give up whatever he was doing and pick up your call."

"Yes, please," Ava added. "We need to decide now because dinner is approaching. I need to finalize everything soon, and I can’t keep waiting for him all afternoon."

Sienna looked at both women, then gave in. "Okay, I’ll call him."

She took out her cell phone and dialed Riley’s number. The call did not connect, just as Mia and Ava had said. His phone was not active.

Sienna pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen with a small frown. For a moment, she wondered if something had happened, but she quickly reminded herself that Riley was probably busy with the tender announcement.

"He’s not picking up..." she muttered. "I’ll text him instead."

Sienna opened their conversation and typed a short message.

"Riley, can you contact Ava when you have a chance? She needs to discuss the menu with you."

She sent the message and waited briefly, but there was no immediate response.

Sienna then turned toward Ava. "If he doesn’t reply, just decide it on your own, Ava. There’s no need to wait for him if you need the menu to be finalized now."

"Alright, I’ll do as you said," Ava replied with a slightly relieved tone. At least she finally had permission to decide for herself. She stood up, picked up what she needed, and left the office. "I’ll go upstairs. There are so many things we need to prepare for the dinner booking."

"Good luck, chef," Sienna said, raising her hand to cheer her on.

Ava smiled and shook her head before leaving the room.

Once Ava was gone, Sienna turned her attention fully toward Mia. She noticed that Mia’s earlier worried expression had not completely disappeared, so she decided to check on the rest of the business.

"Everything is under control today, Mia?"