Chapter 641 - 298: Peter’s Gamble

The third-floor waiting area of Pittsburgh City Hall.

Peter Hoffman sat on the slightly stiff sofa, repeatedly rubbing his hands on his knees.

His palms were slick with cold sweat. He wore a dark gray suit he’d bought specifically for this meeting, but the knot of his tie was slightly crooked. It made him look less like the owner of a construction company and more like an intern waiting for an interview.

Hoffman Construction. It was a name he had scraped and clawed for twenty years in Pittsburgh to build.

To the outside world, he was a success story.

But under the shadow of a behemoth like Morganfield Industrial Group, he knew he was just an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

For the past five years, he had been hovering on the fringes of major projects, only able to pick up the scraps left behind by the general contractors.

Repairing sidewalks, renovating neighborhood sewers, or reinforcing the foundation of some rich man’s villa.

The profits were meager, and the payment cycles were long.

Then, yesterday afternoon, he received the call.

A call from the Mayor’s Office.

The young chief of staff who called the shots in Pittsburgh, Ethan Hawke, had specifically asked to see him.

He hadn’t slept all night.

Excitement and fear coiled in his stomach like two snakes.

Excitement, because this could be his chance to finally make it big. Fear, because he had heard about the young Mayor’s methods.

"Mr. Hoffman."

A young secretary pushed open the door.

"Mr. Hawke is waiting for you inside."

Peter took a deep breath, stood up, straightened his collar, and walked into the office that would decide his fate.

Ethan Hawke sat behind his desk. On it lay a single blue folder.

"Sit, Peter." Ethan gestured to the chair opposite him.

Peter sat down cautiously, perching on just the edge of the seat.

Ethan pushed the folder across the desk to Peter.

"Open it. Take a look."

Peter’s hands trembled as he opened the cover.

Letter of Intent for General Contractor on the Pittsburgh South District Overpass Reconstruction Project

Peter’s eyes quickly scanned the complex clauses, finally landing on the number on the last page.

$20,000,000.00

Twenty million US Dollars.

Peter felt his heart skip a beat.

This sum was equivalent to his company’s total revenue for the past five years.

If he could land this project, he wouldn’t have to go around sucking up to Morganfield’s subcontractors anymore. He would have his own territory.

But reason quickly threw cold water on his excitement.

"Mr. Hawke..." Peter closed the file, his voice a little dry. "This... where is this money coming from? I’ve been following the city government’s budget proposal for this year, and I didn’t see any special appropriation for this."

For someone who did business with the government, this was the most critical question.

A government letter of intent is not a check.

Without budgetary support, this is just a worthless piece of paper.

He might have to front the capital to start, only to be dragged down in the end when the treasury ran dry.

Ethan smiled.

"Peter, your information is out of date."

Ethan leaned back and folded his hands.

"This money isn’t in the City Council’s budget."

"It’s in the Pennsylvania Comprehensive Infrastructure Act."

Ethan’s voice was full of temptation.

"That act will be passed in Harrisburg next month. The State Government will issue special bonds, and money will pour in like a flood. And we, Pittsburgh City Hall, have priority in allocating these funds."

"I’m giving you this ticket in advance because I see potential in you."

Ethan stared into Peter’s eyes.

"Do you want to get on board now, take this first-class ticket, and start preparing?"

"Or do you want to wait until next month, when the act is officially announced and every contractor in Pennsylvania comes swarming in like sharks, to fight the Morganfields for the leftover bones?"

Peter was stunned.

’Ten billion dollars.’

’What kind of act was this? How had he not heard a single whisper about it?’

As a contractor who dealt with the government year-round, he spent two hours every day browsing the official website of the Harrisburg State Assembly, keeping an eye on every legislative development that could bring a business opportunity.

The big news right now was the Transparency Act regarding pharmaceutical benefits—Mayor Wallace’s war with the pharmaceutical giants.

That had nothing to do with a construction guy like him.

As for this ten-billion-dollar infrastructure act, he hadn’t seen so much as a punctuation mark about it in the news.

’Could this be top-secret insider information?’

Peter’s heart began to race.

’Or... was Ethan Hawke lying to him?’

The thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

’Lie to him for what? This letter of intent on the desk was in black and white, stamped with the official seal of Pittsburgh City Hall.’

’Using the city government’s name to trick a local contractor? What would be the point?’

Peter felt a wave of confusion.

He couldn’t figure out the logic behind it, but he could smell the money.

He decided to play along and see where this was going.

"Mr. Hawke, of course I’m willing to trust in the Mayor’s foresight." Peter rubbed his hands together, his tone becoming humble. "But, as you know, the legislative process... it always has risks."

"If—and I’m just saying if—this act gets stuck in the assembly and fails to pass, what happens to contractors like us who’ve already committed? The bank loans need to be paid, the workers’ wages need to be paid..."

Peter didn’t finish, but his meaning was clear.

He was afraid of becoming cannon fodder in a political battle.

"There are no ’ifs’."

Ethan cut him off, his tone unequivocal.

"Mayor Leo has already handled everything. The Senate, the House of Representatives, even the Governor. The net has been cast. We’re just waiting to reel in the fish."