Chapter 53: Playing a Royal Flush

"My luck has consistently been rather poor. Are you certain?"

If she pulled the first lot, she would be standing under the absolute maximum amount of pressure. If it turned out to be the last, after so many companies had finished their pitches, it would be even more unfavorable.

"I believe in you. You are the Goddess of Fortune after all." Silas Vance granted her validation with his gaze.

The Goddess of Fortune? This man truly could utter absolutely any kind of words.

Vivian Hale shifted her line of vision away and pulled a lot. It was unknown whether Silas's words had actually taken effect, but her luck this time was truly quite excellent. She drew the number four slot—neither too early nor too late, presenting the optimal timing.

A low laugh from the man drifted by her ear: "See? What I stated was entirely correct, so there is zero requirement for you to harbor self-deprecation."

The corners of Vivian's mouth curved up involuntarily, and her eyes suddenly illuminated. "Thank you."

Following the simultaneous passing of her parents, she had later suffered breast cancer and undergone surgery. She had lost count of how many times she had heard others call her pitiful, plagued with bad luck, or possessed terrible fortune, even cursing her as a bringer of misfortune. This had consistently been a hidden scar in the absolute recesses of her heart. Right now, the wound appeared to possess signs of a gradual healing process, and a massive wave of shadows dissipated entirely.

Not far away, Adrian Cross took in the interaction between the two, his fists involuntarily clenching tightly as the fire of jealousy burned fiercely within his chest.

...

After the drawing of lots concluded, the personnel of the other companies stepped onto the stage one after another to begin presenting the solutions in their hands. Vivian and Silas sat below listening to the proceedings.

Having finished listening to the solutions of the first two companies, Vivian felt they could only be considered strictly conventional, even lacking a bit of genuine strength. One could tell simply by looking upon the reactions of the experts on the review panel.

To her surprise, when the third round arrived, it actually turned out to be Cross Group's turn. Furthermore, this time, Gabriel Cross actually ascended the stage personally as the chief executive. He had, after all, rolled and crawled through the business world for several decades, so his holistic aura was far from ordinary.

Moreover, his solution was balanced and completely stable. Having finished speaking, he even placed heavy emphasis: "Given the strength of our Cross Group alongside our successful cases from the past, handing the project over to us is the absolute most suitable choice. After all, we inherently possess an excellent history of cooperating with the government previously; I hope the review panel will consider this meticulously."

The experts on the panel were glaringly swayed by the words, beginning to give serious consideration based on the solution. Gabriel slowly stepped down with his hands clasped behind his back. When his line of vision crossed with Silas's beneath the stage, his gaze carried unmitigated coldness and absolute majesty.

No matter what, Silas's actions had deeply challenged his authority as a father. Therefore, he absolutely must deliver a fierce, heavy lesson to this unfilial son this time.

Silas, however, remained entirely unmoved. The exact millisecond Director Xu announced the fourth round, he strode onto the stage with total composure using his long legs.

"The solution of my firm possesses the absolute strongest technical advantage..." He delivered zero redundant nonsense, articulating the relevant technical aspects in a concise and straight-to-the-point manner.

Hearing this, the experts present couldn't restrain themselves from sitting up straight, their eyes illuminating slightly, appearing exceptionally satisfied with the presentation.

Witnessing that he was actually capable of turning the tide of the situation, Adrian grew somewhat unable to keep his seat. Proceeding like this wouldn't be favorable. He subconsciously cast a glance toward his father, only to see that his expression was similarly brooding, yet he didn't appear to be in a frantic hurry. As though he had prepared a hidden fallback maneuver.

Sure enough, the exact millisecond Silas finished his presentation, before the experts could even voice their opinions, Gabriel opened his mouth first from beneath the stage.

"Mr. Vance's solution is indeed decent, but as a senior colleague in the industry, I must offer you a sharp reminder—this is inside the country, far from the suite of methods you played with overseas. The state-tendered projects inside our country place heavy demands onto absolute strength and credibility. W.E. Group might be remarkably powerful overseas, but its foundations inside the country are far from stable. Unlike our Cross team which possesses the absolute most veteran experience, relying on your capability, I'm afraid you won't be able to achieve the requirements!"

He was deliberately utilizing his seniority and interpersonal networks to suppress the person, simultaneously reminding the experts on the panel that Silas lacked foundations and was unreliable. Hearing this, the government personnel looked at one another, cascading into a flurry of private whispers. In truth, they had been the absolute most satisfied with W.E.'s solution. But what Gabriel stated was far from incorrect either. For a critical project of this magnitude, the ultimate key factor aside from raw strength was stability and continuity. Within a single moment, they all began to lean heavily toward Cross Group's side.

Gabriel was exceptionally satisfied with this outcome, merely awaiting the moment the project landed in his hands.

But right at this critical millisecond, Silas opened his mouth with a thoroughly tranquil expression: "Regarding this specific point, I believe the 'Star Shield' project I am currently executing can offer an absolute demonstration on my behalf."

The exact moment these words were uttered, a massive wave of shock blanketed the entire venue. Including Vivian Hale, everyone was exceptionally surprised.

"Wait a moment. The 'Star Shield' you speak of—could it actually refer to the absolute hottest and most powerful system that has surfaced across the network platforms in recent years?" Within mere months of its initial emergence, that project had set off a massive uproar across the network. Personnel both inside the country and overseas were thoroughly familiar with that program, desperately wanting to establish a cooperation with the individual behind it. Yet the company that created it maintained a highly mysterious identity, never once showing its face in a public setting. Who would have thought this person actually turned out to be Silas Vance?

"You actually happen to be that mysterious architect?" Director Xu inquired with absolute disbelief.

"Correct. If you harbor zero belief, I can pull out the project documentation for your inspection later."

No wonder he had remained this tranquil all along; so it turned out he was hiding a royal flush! The arrogance across Gabriel’s face froze in a single split second, his eyelids twitching violently. "Excellent, remarkably excellent!"

With "Star Shield" serving as the absolute foundation, Director Xu already possessed a heavy inclination in his heart, yet he cautiously inquired further out of prudence. "President Vance's solution is exceptionally excellent, but the thing we care about the absolute most remains the specific architecture of the firewall within the solution, alongside how exactly you intend to handle counter-measures. I desire to hear your concrete measures!"

Regarding this point, Silas failed to deliver an answer himself, instead shifting his gaze entirely onto Vivian sitting beneath the stage. "Regarding this point, I can permit my Chief Technology Officer, Vivian Hale, to offer the answer."

As the words fell, the lines of vision across the entire venue converged onto her form, filled to the brim with intense curiosity and probing inspection.

Vivian was startled. She had reviewed the documentation ahead of schedule and possessed a fair amount of mental preparation, yet having to abruptly stand out to answer questions, her heart still plunged into an involuntary flutter for some inexplicable reason. After all, she hadn't experienced a grand occasion of this magnitude for a good number of years. Particularly, that specific matter from many years ago remained deeply buried in the absolute recesses of her heart, serving as an indelible shadow within her mind. Ever since then, she had rarely spoken eloquently before a massive crowd.

Witnessing her rising to her feet without uttering a single word, the crowd present couldn't restrain themselves from cascading into low whispers. "What on earth is going on? Could it be that she is completely unable to answer?" "I've never once seen her in the business circle previously, she likely truly lacks any genuine capability." "This Vivian Hale—how come that name sounds somewhat familiar to my ears? Have I potentially spotted her somewhere before?"

Skeptical voices continuously drifted into her ears. The palms of Vivian's hands began to break out into sweat, her heartbeat accelerating involuntarily. Yet right at the exact millisecond she lifted her head, her eyes collided straight into the man's profoundly deep and tranquil gaze.

Clearly, he had failed to utter a single word, yet a look of this type conversely granted her an absolute sensation as though he had entrusted the entirety of his confidence onto her form. Right at this exact moment, her heart suddenly leveled into total stability.

Vivian opened her mouth. "Our measures are principally divided into three separate sections. The first section constitutes external defense—"

She began to articulate the relevant details in a detailed, meticulously precise manner without appearing a single fraction inferior or overbearing. Facing a continuous succession of several questions, she failed to display a single shred of stage fright, conducting herself in a remarkably graceful and grand manner.

"Therefore, what we provide is far more than a simple wall, but rather the absolute most ironclad foundation capable of withholding any type of impact!"

The exact millisecond she finished speaking, after the venue fell into absolute quiet for several seconds, a wave of intense, roaring applause echoed across the area. The technical experts, conversely, had a powerful gleam rippling within their eyes, nodding their heads frequently as they whispered among themselves to articulate their total validation toward her form.