Chapter 73

Santos said, "How can this be happening? Forget about the other banks for a second. Pinnacle Bank and our company have a long-standing relationship.Calvin Morley, the president of the bank, has always been on friendly terms with us. He-"

"Mrs. Morrison, Pinnacle Bank was the very first bank | applied for a loan, but they turned us down right away," Clayton said.

As soon as Laura heard that, she got worried. She hurriedly asked, "Didn't you make it clear to them that this project is in partnership with the Stewart Group?"

"| brought that up, but Pinnacle Bank still wouldn't budge."

After a pause, Clayton added, "Pinnacle Bank wasn't the only one. Every major bank refused our loan application."

Although Laura's nerves were on edge, she tried to keep her voice steady as she turned to Santos. "You know Calvin well. Why don't you call him and ask him what's going on?" Without wasting a second, Santos pulled out his phone and tried reaching Calvin. The call rang and rang,but nobody answered.

The only sound filling the living room was the phone's automated disconnect tone. After a few minutes,Santos gave it another try, but there was still no reply.

Something felt off. This sort of silence was a first,and Santos' face darkened.

Laura, determined not to give up, said, "Maybe he just missed your call, or he's caught up with something.Try ringing his office number."

This time, someone picked up the landline, but it wasn't Calvin; it was his assistant.

Santos was told by the assistant that Calvin was away on business.

Santos' brow furrowed when he heard that. He often used the same excuse to avoid meeting clients he didn't want to see.

After a moment of silence, Santos quietly asked, "Can you tell me when Mr. Morley will be back in Kretol?"

After glancing at Calvin, the assistant responded in a polite tone, "Mr. Morrison, I'm afraid I can't give you a specific time. Rest assured, the moment he returns, I'll make sure that he gets your message and calls you back immediately."

If Santos could see inside Calvin's office right now,he would find Calvin lounging on the sofa.

The assistant, puzzled, ended the call and turned to Calvin. "The Morrison Group has always been a steady client. Why don't you want to approve their loan this time?"

"I wish I could help, especially since I know Santos,"said Calvin. "But they managed to anger the wrong person. Lending to them isn't an option. Not just for me. There isn't a single bank in Kretol willing to do that now."

The assistant's surprise flickered across his face,but he kept silent, aware that it wasn't his place to pry.

Once the call disconnected, Laura wasted no time.Her eyes sought out Santos. "So,what did Calvin say?"

A heavy tone carried Santos' reply as he relayed the assistant's message. Laura's face turned dark. She knew the business trip was merely an excuse.

Shifting his attention, Santos fixed his gaze on Jaxton,who sat silent. An exasperated sigh escaped him. "A project of this size, and you just put your name on it without a second thought? Have you considered what happens if the company takes a hit because of this? Do you think you can take responsibility?"

Although Jaxton bristled with the urge to protest,he caught sight of Santos' stern glare. Words died on his lips. He dug his nails into his palms, frustration swirling in his eyes.

Laura shook herself from her daze after Santos 'outburst. She instantly said, "Every Stewart Group project has run smoothly. There was no way for Jaxton to predict anything would go wrong this time."

Laura's defense of Jaxton only made Santos' mood worse. "You are still defending him? Jaxton might not have been able to see the problem with the project,but you should have!"

Tempers threatened to boil over. Clayton, his nerves stretched thin, quickly spoke up. "Mrs. Morrison,there's actually no flaw with this project. The real problem is funding. Our funding just can't keep up with something of this scale. That's the only reason we're in trouble."

Before Jaxton had signed the contract, Clayton had urged him to think carefully about the matter, but Jaxton had refused to listen to him.

Clayton continued, "Mr. Morrison, we're running out of time. If you can't get money into our accounts soon,the company's stock prices will take a hit." No one understood the gravity of such a financial crisis better than Santos, yet right now, he didn't knOw how to fix this. While he struggled to think, Laura broke the silence. "I can get us the money."

Heads turned in unison as every person in the room fixed their attention on her.

Knowing what Laura was thinking, Santos scoffed,"You expect Ricky to help us now?"

"There's every reason he should. Amelia is engaged to Jaxton, and our families are tied together. What's more, Dayna is at fault for all of this. So, Ricky should step up to help us."

Her words only made Santos more agitated. "Don't pin the blame on someone else. Jaxton signed that contract of his own accord."

"If Dayna hadn't stolen those files,Jaxton never would have won the bid. Without that win, he wouldn't have rushed to sign the contract. Dayna is the cause of this disaster. She always brings trouble," Laura said.

Seeing Laura still unwilling to blame Jaxton for this left Santos fuming. "You're impossible!"

With that, Santos left the house with cold eyes, and Clayton hurriedly followed.