Chapter 204


    Chapter 204 Charlie Joins the Scene


    Mid–sentence, the private room’s door swung open, and in walked an older guy who looked like he was


    pushing fifty. I recognized him–it was us Lowry, the big shot in charge of Lake City’s economic game


    n.


    He came in with a grin. “No drinks today? Idris, you call me out for a meal and expect me to stay


    sober? I braved an earful from your aunt for this. If we’re not clinking sses, I’m outta here.”


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    Then he spotted me, paused for a beat, then said, “You must be Yvette.”


    I popped up to say hi. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Lowry.” I knew us was tight with the Youngs, though


    we had never actually crossed paths before.


    us gave a nod and a smile, waved me back to my seat, and settled in himself. Turning to Idris, he


    teased, “You didn’t drag me here just to keep me from drinking, did you?”


    Idris, usually all business, cracked a rare smile. “We’ll drink, sure, but let’s get down to business first.


    Then, it’s cheers all around.”


    The ‘we‘ was clearly me and us.


    us gave me a look and chuckled. “Yvette, can you believe it? I haven’t gotten this guy to share a


    drink in years, and the one time he does, it’s all for you. You must have him wrapped around your little


    finger.


    })


    I did not quite know what to say to that, so I just offered him a small smile and yed it off.” You’re too


    kind, Mr. Lowry.”


    us cracked a smile and said, “Looks like we’ve got to talk shop before I can even think about having


    a drink tonight.” He leaned in, getting down to business. “I’ve chatted with Idris about Scott Corporation


    before, but you know, Lake City’s got a ton of big yers, and there’s a whole lineup vying for those


    Avaloria projects. Have you got a bid or a game n ready? Fill me in, so I know what we’re dealing


    with. We’re talking mega–bucks here, projects that’ll shape the future of Lake City. Personally, with the


    rapport I’ve got with the Youngs, I’d sign off on this in a heartbeat for you. But this is big league stuff, so


    it’s not just up to me. You’ve got to show me what you’ve got, so I can back you up.”


    I got the message loud and clear. Every major yer in Lake City, and even some from out of town and


    abroad, was eyeing these projects. If snagging them was a cakewalk, Maxwell would not have been


    burning the midnight oil tweaking our bid.


    I gave us the rundown on Scott Corporation’s edge and the bid strategy Maxwell had whipped up.


    He listened, nodding thoughtfully, then paused to exchange a nce with Idris.” Here’s the deal.” he


    said. “The Avaloria projects are massive. Handing them all to Scott Corporation? With where you stand


    right now, especially financially, it’s a stretch. Yvette, if you’re aiming to bag all these projects, I’m


    worried it might be too much to handle in the end.”


    The Scott Corporation was facing a behemoth of a deal, tens of billions big, and there was no way they


    could tackle it alone. I nodded in agreement and said to Mr. Lowry, “You’re right. We only aimed to snag


    a couple of projects in Avaloria. What if we let Scott Corporation take the lead on the municipal and


    cultural sports park developments?”


    Mr. Lowry let out a weary sigh, the dilemma clear in his eyes. “Yvette, if we could bid on these


    Chapter 204 Charlie Joins the Scene


    projects one by one, we would not be in this bind. But it’s the web of connections between them that’s


    got us looking for a singlepany to handle the whole shebang.”


    His words hung in the air, heavy with implication: if we could not handle it all, we were out of the


    running.


    I fell silent, mulling over the predicament. Scott Corporation just did not have the capacity to take on


    everything, but…


    Idris broke the silence, his voice tinged with urgency. “Isn’t there any other way?”


    us hesitated for a beat before revealing, “Well, there is one option, but it’s something you’d need to


    work out behind the scenes. We’ve talked it over, and if twopanies could team up for these


    projects, that could work.”


    Twopanies teaming up?


    I paused, uncertain, and looked over at Idris. He seemed to freeze for a second before dropping a


    bombshell. “Young Corporation is out. Grandma’s pulled our stakes in construction investments. We’re


    not getting involved in any urban development anymore.”


    His news hit me like a ton of bricks, and I was speechless.


    Time ticked by until us chimed in again, “There’s a buzz that some international yers at Silvana


    are eyeing this project too. Yvette, why not reach out to their head honcho? With the stakes so high


    and the risks through the roof, they might be on the lookout for a partner. A little chat could go a long


    way.”


    “Silvana?”


    I could not help but wonder, and who could me me? Charlie’s reputation wasrger than life, and it


    was impossible not to be curious. I turned to us and asked, “Are we talking about Yates Group


    here?”


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