Chapter 40: I Carry You Down
Seeing Henry trust me so much, I immediately became more serious and said, "Okay."
Henry nodded and said, "First, go apologize to Mr. Lancaster, explain the situation, and emphasize that no matter what, we will definitely deliver on time."
"Second, find a production facility that can replace ours. I have several target companies here that you need to visit personally."
Seeing that Henry already had a plan in mind, I also felt relieved.
"Dad, don't worry. I'll handle this perfectly."
After saying that, I couldn't help but voice my suspicions.
"I just feel like it's too much of a coincidence. Why did this major incident happen right after we exposed Caleb? What do you think, Dad?"
After hearing my words, Dad nodded with a serious expression, "I understand. I'll send someone to investigate thoroughly. You don't need to worry about this—just focus on your own tasks."
"Okay."
After getting the list of companies from Henry, the first thing I thought of was contacting Atlas.
Come to think of it, Atlas and I hadn't seen each other for several days since that dinner at the hotel.
If it weren't absolutely necessary, I really didn't want to have any contact with Atlas.
But this time there was a problem with Atlas's order, so I had to contact him.
I took a deep breath and made the call.
The phone was answered quickly, and a deep voice came from the other end.
"How rare, Ms. Lockwood. What made you think of calling me? Could it be that you miss me?"
I ignored Atlas's words and said directly, "Mr. Lancaster, there's been a small problem with your shipment, but don't worry, we've already made a contingency plan and will definitely deliver on time."
After hearing my words, Atlas dropped his playful tone, and his voice became serious, "What exactly happened?"
I quickly explained the situation to him. After hearing me out, Atlas said directly, "Are you at the office?"
I nodded, "Yes."
"Wait for me. See you in ten minutes."
After hanging up, I breathed a sigh of relief, but thinking about how I'd have to see Atlas frequently because of this matter gave me a headache again.
In less than ten minutes, Atlas appeared before me.
He was wearing a gray collarless shirt and black slacks that emphasized his athletic build.
His hair was neatly combed back, and his deep eyes looked straight at me. With just a few strides, he walked up to me.
"I want to see the warehouse."
I nodded, "Okay."
I took him to the warehouse. After seeing the opened equipment, Atlas's brow remained furrowed.
He checked the items in the boxes one by one until finally accepting the reality.
"Has this kind of thing ever happened in your warehouse before?"
I shook my head, "Never."
After I finished speaking, he walked out of the warehouse and looked around.
"Did you find anything?"
He sneered, "It has been raining these past few days, but the rainfall was nowhere near enough to leak into the warehouse. Yet somehow, water still got in."
"Are you sure there's no problem with your people?"
I pressed my lips together and looked at him, "There is a problem. Dad will get to the bottom of it."
Atlas nodded and looked at me, "If you need help, just ask."
"I will."
"So what's your plan now?"
I gripped my phone tightly, "Find a contract manufacturer and deliver on schedule."
"Okay, let's go then."
With that, he took the lead and strode forward. The moment I saw him leaving, I froze.
Seeing I wasn't following, Atlas turned back, "What are you standing there for? Let's go!"
"Okay."
That's when I understood he planned to come along.
I quickly followed. Atlas opened the car door, and I got in. After the car started, I realized something was off.
"Mr. Lancaster, I can actually go by myself. This was our company's oversight, and we'll definitely make up for your loss."
Atlas glanced at me, "Sure, there's half a month until delivery. I'm not doing this to keep you company—I'm doing it for my shipment."
"These items are for our ships. If they don't arrive on time and affect our delivery, the loss won't be just a hundred million dollars."
I knew he was telling the truth, which made me feel even more pressure.
The car went directly to the first contract manufacturer on Henry's list, but unfortunately, their machinery was too old to handle production, so I left disappointed.
Soon we arrived at the second factory. After explaining the situation, the factory owner demanded an outrageous price.
"Jared, I'm sure you know the reputation of the Lockwood Group. This won't be our last collaboration. If we work well together, we'll think of you first for future orders."
Factory manager Jared said dismissively, "Ms. Lockwood, let me be straight with you. In all of Starwave City, I'm the only factory you can work with. So yes, my price is high, but I can produce."
"If you don't believe me, you can check elsewhere."
Seeing his smug attitude, I suddenly had a bad feeling.
Everything today seemed suspicious, as if Jared knew we were coming.
Since we couldn't reach an agreement, I turned to leave.
Seeing me go, Jared waved casually, "Ms. Lockwood, I've got coffee ready. I'll be waiting for you to come back."
After getting in the car, seeing my expression, Atlas asked, "So, do you want to check other places?"
I nodded, "Yes."
But after hearing Jared's words, I had little hope for the remaining factories.
Sure enough, after making the rounds, just as Jared had said, no one could take our order.
I was secretly anxious. This whole thing was full of oddities, as if someone had planned it all in advance.
Soon, night fell. Atlas glanced at me and quietly stopped the car in front of a hotel.
I frowned, "I need to go back and discuss a strategy with Dad."
"What you need now is a good meal and then go home and sleep, not keep pushing yourself."
With that, Atlas opened the car door and tried to take my hand. I frowned and stepped back.
Seeing I wouldn't cooperate, Atlas raised an eyebrow, "Helena, do you want me to carry you out?"
Hearing this, I looked up unhappily, "Atlas, this isn't the time. I'm not in the mood for jokes."
"I'm not joking either. If you don't get out, I really will come up and carry you."