Chapter 629 - 625: Bearing One’s Own Fate

Julian Summers was so angry he could feel smoke coming out of his ears. His chest tightened with a sharp, stabbing pain every time he thought about how Cecilia Sterling had snagged The Crimson Hotel from him for a low price.

"Boss, you need to calm down," Grant soothed in a low voice from the side.

"Not a chance in hell." Fuming, Julian Summers grabbed the glass of ice water from the table and chugged the whole thing.

Estelle’s eyes went wide with shock. ’That was my water!’

But Cecilia Sterling showed no reaction to Julian Summers’s fury. A faint smile played on her lips, but inwardly, she was perfectly calm, feeling not a shred of guilt.

"You certainly found out fast."

Julian Summers looked up and glared at her. "Cecilia Sterling, I thought we were good friends! How could you screw me over like this?"

"We are now, but we weren’t then," Cecilia Sterling stated matter-of-factly.

Julian Summers was at a loss for words. He rallied, saying, "But that’s not right! There’s a saying, ’a gentleman acquires wealth through proper means...’"

"And a woman loves money, so she doesn’t have to be polite about it!" Cecilia Sterling cut him off. "Stop your whining. You’re lucky we’re good friends now. If it were anyone else who’d bought your hotel, would you dare run over to their place and cause a scene?"

"It’s your own fault for not having the foresight or market sense for this kind of thing. When I bought your hotel, who knew Sunstone District was going to be redeveloped? Isn’t that what investing is all about? Besides, that rundown hotel of yours had already dropped from a five-star to a four-star rating while your dad was still alive. Not even a year after he passed and it was in your hands, you lost the four-star rating too. It was just sitting there rotting, and you were too cheap to even pay for renovations. The price I gave you was more than fair."

"You sold me a barren plot of land. You can’t get jealous now that I’ve managed to grow fruit on it. That’s not how things work!"

Cecilia Sterling’s tirade completely silenced Julian Summers.

From the side, Jane Sterling scoffed and glanced at the dejected Julian Summers. "You’re this bent out of shape over losing one hotel? My grandfather sold Cecilia a whole mountain and I haven’t said a word. All I can do is admire Cecilia’s sharp eye."

At Jane Sterling’s words, the previously dazed Julian Summers’s eyes suddenly lit up. "That’s right, Cecilia! The Mount Lyra that Jane’s grandpa sold you is in Sunstone District too!"

"Oh, please. That’s way out in the suburbs of Sunstone District," Cecilia Sterling said with a helpless laugh.

"It’s still Sunstone District! Once the area is redeveloped and thriving, your cemetery is going to be incredible! It’ll be a ’Royal Mausoleum’ where every inch of land is worth gold!" Julian Summers was suddenly full of energy again. He leaned in, his expression urgent. "I’ll forget about the hotel. Just let me in on your cemetery project. Let me make some money."

Seeing him like this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh. Cecilia Sterling also shook her head and kindly advised, "Listen to me. I’ve told you before, your family is in the hotel industry. Getting into the cemetery business isn’t a good fit. You don’t want to end up running your family’s legacy into the ground over this."

In truth, Cecilia Sterling had no intention of letting anyone else get involved in this project.

A cemetery... a place where the deceased are laid to rest.

’In her previous life, she was a true atheist and didn’t believe in any of this. But she had been reborn. Now, she had no choice but to believe.’

That was why she had to handle the cemetery project herself, bearing all the risks and rewards alone, without implicating anyone else.

Even when Mr. Young had begged her to let him invest, she had refused.

Julian Summers was about to say more, but Cecilia Sterling cut him off with a raised hand. "I know. Ever since you took over your family’s group, the quarterly reports have been showing losses. You’re anxious to get a win and prove yourself. But this isn’t something that can be rushed. It’s definitely too late for you to make a move in Sunstone District now. The public announcement means everyone knows about it."

"But I promise you, next time..." Cecilia Sterling said seriously, "Next time a good, high-potential business opportunity comes along, I will definitely bring you in. But you have to trust me!"

Blair grinned smugly. "I trusted her, and I profited!"

Julian Summers nodded eagerly. "Okay, but you have to keep your word."

"We’re friends now. I don’t screw over my friends."

With that, Julian Summers was finally satisfied.

But the very next day, someone with an agenda had already gotten ahold of Cecilia Sterling’s phone number. She was still fast asleep in bed the next morning when her phone started ringing insistently.

She answered it groggily, only to hear an enthusiastic voice on the other end. "Excuse me, is this Ms. Cecilia Sterling? I was wondering if you had any plans to sell your hardware factory on Corvan Avenue in Sunstone District?"

"Not for sale," Cecilia Sterling mumbled before hanging up.

But as soon as she hung up, another call came in. "Excuse me, is this Ms. Cecilia Sterling? Regarding your closed-down property at 779 Beacon South Road in Sunstone District..."

"Not for sale," Cecilia Sterling cut them off and hung up without letting them finish.

Immediately, the phone rang again.

Finally, Cecilia Sterling sat up, thoroughly grumpy from being woken up. She immediately enabled the "Block Spam Calls" feature on her phone, and at last, the device fell silent.

’It was only the first day, and her phone number had already been completely exposed. So many people already had their eyes on the properties she owned.’

’But of course, she wouldn’t sell now. To ensure the development project could proceed smoothly, the authorities would need to acquire a large amount of her land. When that time came, the price they offered would certainly not be low.’

’So, Cecilia Sterling already had a plan. She would first wait for the Sunstone District’s Bureau of Urban Development to contact her. Then, whatever land they needed, she would sell it all to them in one package deal. She’d figure out what to do with the rest later.’

’It would save time and effort. No need to sell them one by one. What a hassle!’

All sleepiness gone, Cecilia Sterling got up and went downstairs. Her mother was sitting in the dining room, eating noodles and reading a newspaper.

Seeing her daughter come down, Jasmine Sterling was taken aback. "Oh? Why are you up so early? Isn’t it your day off today?"

"The phone calls gave me a headache," Cecilia Sterling said. Glancing at the newspaper in her mother’s hands, she couldn’t help but smile. "Mom, since when did you start reading the morning business report?"

Jasmine Sterling smiled a little sheepishly but explained honestly, "Your Mr. Jennings told me that since I’m doing business in Lorcain, I need to stay up-to-date on the city’s commercial trends. He subscribed to this paper for me. I’ve been reading it for a few days and feel like I’ve actually learned a lot. I just read it while I have breakfast, so it doesn’t take up any extra time."

Cecilia Sterling nodded. Reading the newspaper was a good way to learn new things and broaden one’s horizons. She thought Mr. Jennings was right.

"Mr. Jennings hasn’t been by for a few days, has he?" Cecilia Sterling asked casually.

Ever since Randall Jennings had gotten sick and Jasmine Sterling had taken care of him that one time, their relationship had grown closer. Randall Jennings had been coming over for dinner frequently for a while; Cecilia had run into him twice just on the occasions she was home. Since she was out most of the time, Mr. Jennings had surely visited even more often when she wasn’t around.

Jasmine Sterling nodded, her expression natural. "It’s been four or five days since he last came."

’Randall Jennings had been visiting so frequently that she’d actually gotten used to it. They were like old friends now.’

"His girlfriend is back," Jasmine Sterling said, looking at her daughter. "You’ve met her, at the Jandon Group’s charity gala. That very beautiful young woman."