Chapter 85 Giving Up the Contract

The vibe in the room soon got really creepy.

Thomas was the big shot around here. How the heck did Fergus have the guts to hit him?

Everyone started giving each other looks and backed away from Fergus. No more sucking up to him—they all knew Thomas wasn't gonna let this slide. Nobody wanted to get caught in the crossfire when Thomas struck back.

"I wanna throw down, but not right now. There'll be a time for that!" Colin saw his chance, snorted, and quickly moved aside, scared Fergus might just smack him dead.

Aaron, trailing behind, did the same.

"Fergus," Violet called out as she walked over. She already knew Fergus had hit Thomas. Seeing Thomas with just a swollen face made her feel a bit better.

But Thomas showing up here gave Violet a bad vibe. She already had the contract with Red Pharmaceuticals, so why was Thomas even here? He didn't need to be at this event.

She whispered, "You got beef with Colin?"

Fergus gave her the lowdown on what went down at the construction site that afternoon, including Jessica's situation, not holding anything back.

Violet gave a small smile. "I believe you."

She glanced at Colin, then at Thomas, worry creeping into her eyes. She had a gut feeling something was gonna go down tonight.

Fergus tried to reassure her, "Don't stress. With me here, we'll definitely snag that contract."

Just then, a voice from the door announced, "Mr. Miller has arrived!"

Everyone turned to look.

The banquet hall doors swung open, and in walked Samuel, decked out in his military uniform. He looked way better than he did at Violet's last meeting, all thanks to Fergus!

Samuel strolled in, nodding and greeting everyone.

Finally, he made his way to the stage.

With a smile, he said, "First off, I wanna thank all the pharmaceutical companies for jumping into the drug bidding, ready to help out the Ironclad Defense Ministry. And a big thanks to all the social elites of Tarynville for being here to make sure everything's on the up and up! Alright, I'm from the Ironclad Defense Ministry, and I don't like to waste time. Let's get this selection started! The criteria are simple: effectiveness! And our expert Victor here, along with two other experts, will be judging the results!"

As Samuel wrapped up his speech, the room erupted in applause.

Thomas narrowed his eyes at Violet, a cold smile playing on his lips. If he snagged the order, there was no way Violet could hit billionaire status in a month.

By then, she'd be back in Capital City.

And Fergus? He'd be easy pickings.

Colin shot Fergus a nasty look. If he teamed up with the Ironclad Defense Ministry, taking Fergus out would be a breeze.

Violet's eyes showed a flicker of worry again.

"Bring the drugs!" Samuel's voice boomed.

All the companies vying for the contract brought their drugs up.

Violet personally handed over her samples.

A dozen drugs were lined up in front of the three experts.

They started their evaluations.

After about ten minutes, they began eliminating the drugs one by one until only two were left.

The three experts exchanged uneasy looks and turned to Samuel.

Samuel's heart skipped a beat. He'd given orders before coming that if the drug effects were the same, Violet's drug should get the nod. But now, what was with their expressions?

Two drugs were still in the running.

With so many eyes on him, he could only say seriously, "Experts, speak your minds!"

The three experts nodded.

Victor stepped up and said, "Mr. Miller, after evaluating all the drugs, the final two are the hemostatic drug from Gray Group and the tonic from InfiniCure Biotech. Honestly, their effects are pretty much the same. But there's a big price difference. InfiniCure Biotech's price is only two-thirds of Gray Group's."

Samuel was taken aback. Sure, effectiveness was the main thing, but you couldn't just ignore the price. A third less? That was bound to stir up some talk if he still let Violet win the bid.

People started murmuring. Everyone knew today's contract was supposed to go to Violet. No one saw this coming.

"A third less? How do you compete with that?"

"I thought Ms. Gray had it in the bag, but now it looks like she's gonna lose!"

"InfiniCure Biotech is a big player; they can afford to drop the price!"

Hearing the chatter around her, Violet got serious. She knew this put Samuel in a tough spot. But if she didn't get the contract, she'd have to go back to Capital City, leaving Fergus unprotected.

She quickly said, "Mr. Miller, the price is just an initial quote. We can negotiate. Gray Group can lower the price too!"

Samuel let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness Violet was quick on her feet. Otherwise, this would have been a mess. The whole point of tonight's selection was to give the contract to Violet. He didn't expect any hiccups.

Colin suddenly chimed in, "Mr. Miller, like Ms. Gray said, the price is just an initial quote. InfiniCure Biotech can also make concessions!"

They were all here for the contract, so dropping the price was fair game.

Violet shot him a sharp look, her face grim. She had considered all the pharmaceutical companies in the state, and Red Pharmaceuticals was the top dog. She didn't expect InfiniCure Biotech to jump in.

Colin felt her gaze, smirked, and said, "Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm set on getting this contract!"

He paused, then added sarcastically, "You and Fergus together won't scare me into backing off, will you? Oh, I'm so scared. But even if you kill me, I'm still going for this contract!"

Aaron sneered too.

Before anyone could respond, a voice from the crowd shouted, "Shut up!"

It was Logan, who angrily said, "You shameless outsider, do you even know who you're talking to? This is Ms. Gray!"

Tyler chimed in, mocking, "Daring to mess with Ms. Gray, you must have a death wish. Do you know Fergus can kill someone in public, and Ms. Gray can cover it up? Believe it or not, with one word from Ms. Gray, Fergus will take you out, and no one will dare to do anything about it!"

Everyone was stunned. Tyler and Logan were supposed to be Thomas' guys. Why were they backing Violet?

Samuel frowned. He'd heard rumors, but saying it out loud like this was a whole different level of bold.

"What?" Colin was scared out of his mind. He'd heard Violet Gray was in Tarynville but had never seen her and didn't realize the woman in front of him was her!

He finally got why Fergus could act so recklessly. He had Violet from Capital City backing him up!

In an instant, Colin broke out in a cold sweat.

He might look down on Fergus, but he didn't dare mess with Violet. She was the real deal.

Panicked, he said, "Ms. Gray, I didn't mean it. I'm willing to give up the contract!"