?Chapter 602:


    She was right. If this had already blown up, the only way forward was to deal with it together.


    Ste couldn’t solve this alone, but with William, maybe they had a shot.


    There had to be a way.


    Taking a deep breath, Ste dialed his number. The call rang a few times, and then his voice came through, low and maic as always.


    “Hello?”


    Her heart skipped, and she bit her lip before speaking.


    “Mr. Briggs… we’ve got a problem with the project. It’s about your uncle.”


    She took her time exining everything—Marc, the materials, and the fine print in the contract. Every detail.


    He didn’t say anything right away, and she had no idea what he was thinking on the other end.<fn6fe5> For more chapters visit FindN0vel</fn6fe5>


    “I know I messed this up,” she said quietly. “But I’ll fix it, whatever it takes. And when it’s over, if you think I should be punished, I’ll take it. However you see fit.”


    Before she could say more, her doorbell rang.


    “I’m outside,” William said. “Let me in.”


    Ste stared at the phone, stunned, then turned to Sharon, who looked just as surprised.


    When she opened the door, there he was—William, just back from his trip, the chill from outside still clinging to him like part of his aura.


    “Why do you look so upset?” he asked quietly. “I never said I med you.”


    Ste straightened her spine, trying to sound sure of herself. “Mr. Briggs, I signed the contract without reviewing the specs properly. I made a careless decision.”


    But William’s tone didn’t shift. He was still calm, still steady, as though none of this bothered him.


    “They hid the spec difference from you and showed you a different model altogether. Don’t be so hard on yourself—you were set up. And even if you’d been more cautious, there’s no guarantee you’d have caught that.”


    From the moment he’d heard the story in the car, William knew Alonzo was behind it.


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    He had trusted Ste to manage this, and she had until the trap was sprung. But truthfully, even if he had been the one to handle things, he might’ve missed it too.


    However, the part he hadn’t seening was Marc and Alonzo teaming up. That was one heck of a curveball.


    “Where’s the contract you signed?” William asked, rolling up his sleeves, ready to dissect the mess himself.


    Ste passed William the stack of papers across the table.


    He flipped through them, pausing when he spotted the barely noticeable use. “They’re not just after the penalty,” he said, eyes narrowing. “They’re after your patent too.”


    William figured the money was just bait. The patent was the real prize. Seated beside him, a spark lit up in Ste’s mind, and she clung to it like a lifeline.


    “Mr. Briggs,” she said, leaning forward, “what if I argue they hid the specs on purpose? Used different fonts to mislead me? Could that count as evidence if we go to court?”


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