Chapter 347 - 332: Two Red Lines?

As Justin Sullivan stood up, Erin Irving rose as well. "We may have lost our go-between, but Mr. Sullivan... regarding this partnership, shouldn’t we...?"

"I need to think it over!"

"Then I suggest you consider it carefully, Mr. Sullivan. After all, time waits for no one. Who knows what tomorrow morning will bring!" Erin Irving gave him a meaningful look, leaning in close to his ear. "A long night is full of dreams. I’m sure you know what that means."

Justin Sullivan’s expression grew even colder. He hated being threatened, and he especially loathed it when people used Georgia Thorne to do so.

Without another word, Justin Sullivan strode away.

A smile spread across Erin Irving’s face. He walked back to his seat, humming a pleasant tune.

Georgia Thorne had no idea what kind of sordid deal Erin Irving and Justin Sullivan had just made. She kept her eyes lowered demurely, sipping her tea.

The next day, a news story broke: Justin Sullivan had publicly announced that morning that he was withdrawing from a government construction project that had recently opened for public bidding.

The project was massive, with profits estimated in the tens of billions. It had attracted not only companies from Portmire, but even large international corporations were competing fiercely for it.

This was also the first contract that Quincy Rhodes had approved and signed after taking office.

The project had previously been put to public tender twice, and the two strongest competitors had been Justin Sullivan and Erin Irving.

But this morning, Justin Sullivan had unexpectedly announced that he would no longer participate in the bidding, sending shockwaves through the community.

The project had been considered a two-horse race between them, but with Justin Sullivan’s withdrawal, it was now undoubtedly Erin Irving’s for the taking.

When Georgia Thorne saw the news, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

Everyone who saw the news was lamenting Justin Sullivan’s withdrawal, feeling it was a waste for him to give up such an opportunity.

Georgia Thorne thought back to the meeting yesterday afternoon. ’This has to be Erin Irving’s doing.’

After that, Erin Irving once again became the man the media outlets were all scrambling to interview.

During the interviews, Erin Irving’s statements were very diplomatic. He acted as though nothing was certain while also expressing his regret over Justin Sullivan’s withdrawal.

But anyone could see the triumphant smile on his face; he was absolutely determined to win this project.

Meanwhile, in a prison visitation room, Dylan Heston relayed the full story to Elliot Sheridan.

This project had been in the planning stages for a long time, but it couldn’t be formally implemented without a new Secretary in place.

Erin Irving was the one who had engineered Quincy Rhodes’s appointment as Secretary, and who knew how many shady deals had been made in the process. Of course, Erin Irving wouldn’t have helped Quincy Rhodes for nothing.

Just as one might expect, Quincy Rhodes was preparing to hand the project over to Erin Irving.

No matter who else participated in the bidding, the biggest winner was always going to be Erin Irving.

Elliot Sheridan had predicted this outcome long ago, so he wasn’t the least bit surprised by what Dylan Heston was telling him.

It was only a matter of time.

Dylan Heston leaned back leisurely in his chair, unable to stand Elliot Sheridan’s calm and composed demeanor. "By the way, do you know how Erin Irving got Justin Sullivan to fold?"

Erin Irving was a man of many schemes, but Dylan really couldn’t guess what specific method he had used this time.

Elliot Sheridan remained silent, waiting for Dylan Heston to continue.

"TSK, TSK. I give you a chance to guess, and you’re no fun at all!" Dylan Heston waited a moment, but when Elliot didn’t speak, he went on, "The day before yesterday, your precious little wife was attacked on the road to Homeward. Luckily, Sam Yates is a decent driver, so the two of them managed to get away."

"Who did it!" As expected, the mention of Georgia Thorne sent Elliot Sheridan into a fury.

Dylan Heston folded his arms and rolled his eyes at him. "Who do you think!"

Elliot Sheridan’s face turned livid. Dylan Heston snuck a glance at him, finding the sight rather amusing.

"Speaking of which, when are you getting out? You can’t seriously plan on staying in here for thirty years. Even if you’re willing, I’m not willing to keep trekking all the way out here to see you!" Dylan Heston said with mock complaint.

"It’s not time yet."

"So what’s the plan? Wait until after your son is born to get out?"

"What did you say!"

"You don’t know? Your precious little wife hasn’t told you?" Dylan Heston looked at him, feigning surprise.

Erin Irving’s people were always watching him in the prison. To avoid getting his family involved, Elliot Sheridan had only been meeting with his lawyer.

He wanted to see Georgia Thorne, too, but he knew that once he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Besides, Erin Irving would surely assume he was leaking information to her.

However, for all his meticulous planning, Elliot Sheridan had never once factored this into his calculations.