Chapter 363 - 347: Mommy’s Angry, How Should Daddy Coax Her? 1

"If you won’t talk to me, then I’ll talk to our baby." Elliot tightened his arms, pulling Georgia into his embrace. He placed a hand on her lower abdomen and said softly, "Baby, Mommy’s angry. What do you think Daddy should do to cheer her up?"

She wasn’t angry anymore after hearing that; instead, she found it rather amusing.

’The baby is still inside me, it can’t talk. It’s such a childish thing to do, but he’s asking so seriously.’

Seeing his dashing profile, Georgia couldn’t help but think of the picture she had saved on her phone.

The warmth from his palm slowly seeped into Georgia’s belly. Pretending to be angry, she pushed his hand away. "Go away. The baby doesn’t want to talk to you either!"

Elliot let out a laugh. Georgia’s playful pout was so adorable it melted his heart.

Georgia had only taken a small sip of wine, worried that drinking too much would be harmful to the baby.

She licked her dry lips and looked at him. "Has the company been busy lately?"

"It’s manageable. My father and older brother are taking care of it."

Georgia just murmured an "oh." She didn’t know much about the company’s affairs. She wrapped her arms around Elliot’s waist and took a deep breath, enjoying his pleasant scent.

By the time they got home, Georgia was already asleep, and Elliot carried her out of the car.

Georgia felt someone carrying her and mumbled something. When she heard a steady male voice from above, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Sharon Ennis was still awake. Hearing a commotion in the courtyard, she quickly threw on some clothes and came out.

"You’re back? Should I get you something to eat?"

"There’s no need. She’s already asleep," Elliot said as he carried Georgia upstairs.

"There’s some food in the kitchen. If Georgia gets hungry later tonight, you can fix it for her."

"Okay, got it."

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, Georgia was woken by hunger.

She tossed and turned, unable to get back to sleep. Her stomach was rumbling, and the discomfort was so unbearable that she finally climbed out of bed.

Elliot had already been roused by Georgia’s tossing and turning. When she got out of bed, he woke up completely.

"What’s wrong?"

"I’m hungry. I want something to eat."

’In the early stages of my pregnancy, I was afraid to eat, worried I’d throw up as soon as I did. Now, I have to eat a lot; I feel awful if I skip even one meal.’

Elliot turned on the light and told Georgia to wait in bed while he went downstairs to get her something to eat.

’Logically, since Elliot just returned to the company, he should have a lot to do.’

’But not only did he seem to have nothing to do, he was incredibly relaxed every day. He personally drove me to and from work, and he’d even text me to chat while I was swamped.’

Georgia had been following the news lately. After Erin Irving’s suspended project was cleared of any issues, construction had resumed.

On the surface, it looked like Erin Irving had extricated himself completely; Quincy Rhodes’s corruption case had nothing to do with him.

And his marriage to Joanne Donovan showed no signs of trouble.

Every time Georgia tried to ask Elliot about it, he would change the subject and put her off.

Until one day, she overheard Carter Sheridan arguing with Elliot about the company.

The commotion was so loud that Georgia, standing outside the door, could hear every word of their conversation clearly.

’Things weren’t nearly as relaxed as Elliot had made them out to be. On the contrary, the situation was very serious.’

’The company’s stock price was in a slump, cash flow was tight, and then there was Erin Irving’s hostile takeover... this...’

Carter Sheridan stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He froze for a second when he saw Georgia, then continued on his way out.

"Elliot, is what’s happening with the company really that serious?"

"It’s manageable."

"Uh..."

Elliot told Georgia to relax, assuring her that the company’s problems had nothing to do with her.

But Georgia couldn’t sleep. She sat up in the middle of the night, turned on the light, and confronted him from the bed. "Tell me the truth. How bad is the company’s situation?"

"Everything is under my control. It’ll be fine."

"And what about you?"

"Of course I’ll be fine, too. I still have to wait for our baby to call me ’Daddy’!" Elliot said, stroking Georgia’s hair.

Georgia still felt a sense of unease. Sure enough, a few days later, she saw the news.

The company’s stock price had plummeted, and news broke that its cash flow was failing. Within two days, nearly half of the staff had been laid off.

Meanwhile, Erin Irving was continuously buying up the low-priced stock. He now held a 7% stake, making him a shareholder in the Sheridan Group.

While it wasn’t a controlling stake, that 7% was enough to get him a foot in the door at Elliot’s company.

As a shareholder, Erin Irving brought his own people into Elliot’s company and called a shareholders’ meeting.

After the meeting, Carter and Elliot had a huge fight at the office.

But when Elliot came home that night, he acted as if nothing was wrong.

Georgia asked worriedly, "Are you really okay? I saw the news!"

Elliot already had a complete plan in mind. This was just one necessary step.

Afraid that Georgia was too worried, Elliot explained the plan to her.

"Is that really true?" Georgia asked, unconvinced.

"That project is problematic. It requires land reclamation, and even though Quincy Rhodes signed off on it, Erin will never be able to get the official reclamation permit."

Erin Irving is impatient for a quick profit. He’s so focused on swallowing this juicy prize that he completely overlooked some critical factors.

That area happens to be a protected zone. The project is destined to be shut down, and when it is, Erin Irving won’t be able to pull out a single cent he’s invested.

A while ago, when Quincy Rhodes was under investigation, the project was forced to halt for over a week. In just those few days, Erin lost over ten million.

Compared to his potential profits, ten million is just a small sum. Now that the project has restarted, Erin Irving will definitely push his people to speed up the work.

"I suspect he’s probably discovered the problem by now."

"So, you’re saying Erin Irving is going to lose money?"

"Yes. He’s poured more than half his capital into that project, and he probably spent the rest buying up my company’s stock. His ambition is huge, but he doesn’t have the skill to back it up. Hmph."

’I’m going to let him eat his fill, and then he’ll have to spit it all back out himself.’

Once the project is shut down, Erin Irving will need a huge amount of cash to grease the wheels. At that point, his only option will be to sell off the shares he bought.

After hearing Elliot’s explanation, Georgia felt mentally drained. "The saying ’sly old fox’ really is the perfect way to describe you business types."

’It’s so treacherous, one scheme layered on top of another.’

This scheme had been planned for a very long time. And while there had been some minor deviations, it would still achieve his objective.

"*This* is what you call being a sly old fox?" Elliot said, pulling her into a hug. Georgia pinched his cheek. "Don’t you get tired thinking like this all day?"

’If it were me, my head would’ve exploded from all the overthinking.’

"I’m used to it."

The business world was just like that, filled with deception, intrigue, and backstabbing.

One wrong move, and you could lose everything.

All these years of growing the company bit by bit hadn’t just been about luck; you also had to be quick on your feet.

"So, does this mean you’re going to go bald someday?" Georgia suddenly blurted out, shattering the mood.

Elliot, "Uh..."

"I had this physics teacher in high school, and once he hit a certain age, his hair started falling out like crazy. It felt like he went bald overnight. You use your brain so much, do you think you’ll go bald too?"

"Uh..." Elliot’s face darkened. ’Is she trying to call me old?’

Unfortunately for him, they were having one of their late-night talks, and with the lights off, the room was pitch-black. Georgia couldn’t see his expression.

"It’s true! If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you his picture some time..."

"Go to sleep!"

Elliot cut her off, pulling her into his arms.

Initially, Elliot had also involved Ethan Fletcher in Quincy Rhodes’s project, but he’d had Ethan pull out after discovering something was amiss.

As for the company’s stock price, he had deliberately suppressed it. Erin Irving had bought a considerable number of shares, and Elliot planned to make him lose every penny.

「Meanwhile」 As Elliot had predicted, Erin Irving was in over his head with the project.

Just a few days after construction resumed, the project manager called to report a problem.

This was the biggest project on Erin Irving’s plate, and the fate of his entire company depended on it. There was no room for error.

Erin Irving rushed to the site himself, only to find the problem was a major one.

The blueprints included a section of the sea, but that area was a nationally protected zone. Without a government reclamation permit, it was off-limits.

Erin Irving made countless trips to government offices, wining and dining an unknown number of officials, all for that reclamation permit.

The issue hadn’t been made public yet; he was trying to handle it quietly.

Without Quincy Rhodes to pull strings for him, things were tricky. This was especially true with the man who had replaced Rhodes, Cedric Lynch, who was rigid and unapproachable.

Cedric Lynch had been transferred in from out of town. Rumor had it he was known for his decisive, no-nonsense methods. He was a stern man who rarely associated with anyone in private.

Erin Irving tried to meet with him three times, but each time, he was turned away with an excuse.

On the fourth attempt, Cedric Lynch grudgingly agreed to a meeting.

"President Irving, I understand your position completely. However, I didn’t personally sign off on this project of yours, so my hands are tied. I suggest you find someone else to help you."

"Secretary Lynch, please don’t say that. If this project is completed, it would reflect well on you, too!"

"President Irving, those are some strong words. I’m afraid I’m not destined for such good fortune."

"Uh..."

Erin Irving left in a fury. He angrily slammed his fist against his car.

No matter how much he flattered him, Cedric Lynch was completely impervious. ’What a stubborn old fossil.’