Chapter: 390

The gathered crowd harbored varied thoughts, leading to only a smattering of applause.

Shawn, however, was indifferent to the subdued reaction. He turned to gauge Alan's response, a sneer forming as he noted Alan's aloofness.

"Mr. Hewitt, there's no need for anger. It's merely a single project,"

Shawn said, his voice dripping with smugness and a hint of taunting.

With that, he rose from his seat, unconcerned with any reply from Alan.

“Mr. Murphy, please, come up to the stage. Let's give him another round of applause and congratulate him on securing the Royal Garden Road project," Cade said.

Shawn ascended to the stage with ease, grabbed the microphone, and delivered a few customary words of gratitude.

As he spoke, the audience regained their composure, scrutinizing Shawn with calculating eyes, pondering how best to associate with him going forward.

These calculating looks only inflated Shawn's self-satisfaction.

In his closing remarks, he made it a point to mention Alan once more.

"Mr. Hewitt, this must have caught you off guard, didn't it? Life is always full of unexpected twists. Nobody remains at the top forever, do they?" Shawn taunted Alan publicly.

A renowned company in Osewood was losing to a competitor from abroad.

Wasn't this a direct blow to Alan's pride?

Alan remained silent, his expression unreadable as he continued to sit calmly in his chair.

After a tense pause, Shawn set down the microphone, ready to leave the stage.

Just then, two voices, eerily familiar, blared from the screen.

Shawn stopped in his tracks and spun around.

The secret conversation he had with Cade in the private room of the restaurant was now broadcasting for all to hear on the giant screen.

Though their voices had been hushed, every word was crystal clear.

Cade was thrown into turmoil. Securing this opportunity hadn't been easy, and if his superiors discovered that he had taken bribes, it would spell disaster for him.

The repercussions would not only destroy his career but also nullify any promises of benefit that Shawn had made. Cade stood to gain nothing but trouble.

Shawn clenched his teeth and shot Cade a pointed look, silently urging him to be quick-witted enough to turn off the screen.

But Cade was frozen, caught up in thoughts of what lay ahead.

By the time he snapped back to reality, the damage had been done.