?Chapter 374:


    Shaun replied to Ste’s message with a voice note almost instantly. “I’ll handle it. From now on, Smith Group won’t do business with Nixon again.”


    It was a clean-cut decision. Ste agreed, but she wasn’t done yet. “Mr. Smith, that batch of raw materials has serious issues. I’m pretty sure they contain harmful chemicals. We can’t let them end up in another project.”


    She wasn’t stupid. Nixon wasn’t the kind of guy who’d stop just because he got caught once. He’d y along, pretend to behave, and then go right back to cutting corners.


    Shaun sounded mildly surprised. “You want to track them down?”


    “Yes,” she said firmly. “They need to be destroyed. I already found where he stores his inventory, but it’s a bit much for me to handle alone.” She wasn’t under any illusion. This was dangerous work.


    Shaun said, “Send me the location. I’ll check it out first.”


    She dropped the location—it was some unnamed hill near the docks.


    There was a pause, and then Shaun messaged again, this time more serious. “Syl, this is too risky. Honestly… just let it go. As long as we’re not using those materials, that should be enough.” He was concerned about her safety.


    But Ste wasn’t backing down.


    Shaun let out a long sigh. “Alright then. Tomorrow, I’ll bring security from the Smith Group. We’ll scope the ce out. If it looks shady, we fall back and regroup. No reckless moves.”


    “Deal.”


    After ending the call, Shaun leaned back in his chair, fiddling with his phone. He stared out the floor-to-ceiling window, an amused smirk tugging at his lips.


    Sylvia… definitely not boring.


    He’d known about Nixon’s little scams for a while—but he hadn’t bothered doing anything.


    But now that Sylvia was digging her heels in, he figured he could y along. Shaun stared at his phone screen, eyes fixed on Ste’s chat thread, a trace of amusement ying on his lips.


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    That batch of materials from Achury—he’d warned Nixon about it from day one. Nixon could switch the materials if he must, but shouldn’t let it affect Shaun’s own interests.


    Nixon was smart, sneaky even—always fiddling with contract loopholes to get his way. But Sylvia? She was the first person to catch the scent of something wrong. Sharp eyes. Steady mind. Exactly the kind of woman who didn’t disappoint.


    His phone buzzed again. Shaun’s gaze darkened a touch as he answered the call.


    “Mr. Smith, what should I do about that batch of raw materials?” It was Nixon. After today’s confrontation, he clearly couldn’t tell what Shaun was thinking and had started to panic.


    “Don’t worry about it,” Shaun said coolly. “I’ll send a team over tomorrow.”


    There was a beat of silence, then Nixon’s voice rushed through the line, thick with desperation. “That wasn’t our deal, Mr. Smith. I spent a lot getting those materials in from Achury. If they’re seized, I’m finished! And you know the Smith family will start asking questions—”


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