Matthe glanced quickly at Saimon and Leo, both of whom looked equally dumbfounded. He adjusted his headset slightly, trying to process what he had just heard.
"Excuse me?" Matthew said, cautiously. "You're agreeing to three hundred million dollars—just like that?"
Harrington's tone was calm but assertive. "Yes. We've analyzed the risks and potential benefits on our end. This partnership could revolutionize our entire cyber defense infrastructure. With the stakes as high as they are—nation-state threats, cyberterrorism, and espionage—we can't afford to drag our feet. The President has authorized this budget increase to secure Sentinel Systems' cooperation."
Mathis added, "To put things into perspective, the amount we spend annually on classified cybersecurity operations runs in the billions. Three hundred million dollars, while substantial, is within reach for this kind of initiative."