The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 503

"Josiah, I'm not trying to scold you," Hackett said, "but you need to keep your composure. The company's situation isn't as dire as you think, and you shouldn't be so paranoid. Have some conscience and think about it—how much has Mr. Sherwood helped the Sloans since your sister married Milford? How can you suspect him like this?"

Josiah maintained calm eye contact with his father. "Dad, I know Mr. Sherwood has helped us a lot. But I'm not just saying this out of nowhere. I looked into it. The partners for these projects had already agreed to our terms, but at the last minute, they were poached by that mystery firm offering exorbitant prices. Furthermore..." He paused. "The terms they offered mean they are clearly taking a loss. If there wasn't someone pulling the strings behind the scenes, I wouldn't believe it."

In the business world, acting without a profit motive was the most terrifying thing of all—it meant the other party was after something far more important than money.

Hackett narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "What do you mean?"

"It means they aren't trying to make money," Josiah stated, staring straight at his father. "They are trying to bankrupt the Sloan Group. Dad, do you still not see it? Mr. Sherwood never planned on letting us off the hook. He might just be waiting for the Sloans to collapse so he can play the long game and scoop up everything. The Sherwoods are obviously the ones waiting to pick our bones clean."

The office fell dead silent.

Hackett suddenly slammed his hand on the desk, cigar ash scattering everywhere.

"Bullshit! The Sherwoods have no grudge against us; why would they target us?" he roared, pointing a furious finger at Josiah's face. "You lack the capability yourself, lost the projects, and now you're making wild guesses and fear-mongering! If you end up offending Mr. Sherwood, let's see how you clean up the mess!"

Josiah's expression remained unchanged, his voice steady. "Dad, I'm just stating facts. If this continues, our capital chain for the next quarter will break. We won't even need to worry about offending Mr. Sherwood because we won't survive it."

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