I Ctrl+Alt+Deleted My Ex and Ctrl+C'd His Uncle novel Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A heavy silence hung in the air on the other end of the line, stretching out like a taut string ready to snap. Sophie could almost feel the heat radiating from her own excitement, knowing she was flirting with danger, yet her determination for her family’s future burned brighter than any caution.

“Come back when you actually have the money,” came the clipped response, a challenge wrapped in indifference.

Her heart raced, and a spark ignited in her eyes. “So… Mr. Morgan, you’re saying you’ll sell?” The words spilled out, laced with hope and disbelief.

“Bring me one billion within a month, and I’ll sell it to you at cost. Fail, and the deal’s off,” he stated flatly, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

With that, the call abruptly ended, leaving Sophie in a whirlwind of exhilaration. She leapt from her chair, her pulse racing as the reality of the situation flooded over her. He had agreed! The weight of despair that had been pressing on the Chandler family was suddenly lifted, replaced by the exhilarating rush of possibility.

In the conference room, a ripple of curiosity swept through the gathered team, each person exchanging glances, their minds racing to piece together the puzzle of who had just been on the line with Marcus.

Liam, seated closest to him, had caught the unmistakable mention of “Ms. Chandler.” There was only one person that title could refer to in all of Riverland—Sophie. His mind raced with questions. What on earth was she doing calling his uncle at such an ungodly hour?

“Done reporting?” Marcus’s voice sliced through the room, his cold gaze sweeping over the team like a winter chill.

Liam flinched at the icy tone, quickly redirecting his focus back to his update, his heart pounding in his chest.

As soon as the meeting wrapped up, Liam’s phone lit up with Sophie’s name flashing across the screen. He felt a rush of warmth as he answered, “Hey, Sophie! Still awake at this hour? Everything okay?”

“Do you have time tomorrow? I’d like to see you,” she replied, her voice steady yet hinting at urgency.

“Heh,” Liam managed, his smile faltering slightly under the weight of their playful banter.

But then, the atmosphere shifted abruptly, the room plunging into a heavy silence at the sound of Marcus’s cold, humorless laugh.

Marcus remained seated at the head of the table, a storm brewing behind his steely gaze as he mulled over the phrase “hope it’s a boy.” His expression darkened, growing colder with each passing moment, as if he were calculating the implications of those words.

“Tell the design department to redo the proposal. I want it on my desk by noon tomorrow,” he commanded, his voice devoid of emotion.

With that, he rose from his chair and strode out of the room, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.

Liam was left in disbelief, a knot of confusion tightening in his stomach. Hadn’t Marcus just approved the proposal? Why was it suddenly being rejected, and with such an unreasonable deadline? The questions swirled in his mind like a tempest, leaving him grappling with uncertainty as he processed the abrupt shift in the room’s energy.