Chapter 125

At the Sterling Group, a document was delivered to Julia's office. "Ms. Sterling, this is the collaboration file for the billion-dollar project. The project preparations are underway, and we've already stockpiled materials worth a billion. However, the partner company hasn't transferred the payment yet. Should we follow up on this?" suggested the secretary. "They haven't paid yet?" Julia frowned, casting a sharp glance at her secretary. In a corporate partnership of this scale, such delays should never happen. This wasn't some small-time deal. A lack of financial risk control was simply unacceptable. Picking up the file, Julia reviewed it thoroughly. A faint sense of unease crept over her. Something was off. Julia had sharp business instincts, which helped her avoid numerous risks in the past. In this case, the collaboration file felt wrong. She knew that there was something she hadn't yet identified. "Follow up with them. If they still refuse to pay, cancel the collaboration. T