Chapter 688 - 684: How Much Would That Cost?

Kylie Churchill returned to Shawn Lane’s side, her face red with indignant anger.

Shawn Lane was surprised by her expression. "Kylie, what’s wrong? Who upset you?"

"That old classmate of yours is nothing but a vulgar country bumpkin!" Kylie Churchill stomped her foot, but her anger still had a delicate, pouty air about it.

As soon as he heard that, the color drained from Shawn Lane’s face. "What happened?" he pressed, his voice tight with anxiety. "You... you saw her?"

"I ran into her in the restroom. She... she actually called me a dumb... dumb..."

Her high-society upbringing prevented her from uttering the full curse word, and the effort of holding it back made her face flush bright red.

But Shawn Lane couldn’t have cared less what Cecilia Sterling had called Kylie Churchill. He was terrified his lie would be exposed. "What else did she say to you?"

Kylie Churchill shook her head. "Nothing else. I wouldn’t waste my breath talking to someone like that!"

She squeezed Shawn Lane’s hand and said emotionally, "Shawn, I’m so glad you weren’t deceived by that pretty face of hers. You were right—that classmate of yours is so trashy and has no class. She’s completely beneath you."

Shawn Lane breathed a small, internal sigh of relief. He squeezed her hand in return, his voice softening. "I’m not that shallow. I don’t just like someone because they’re good-looking."

Kylie Churchill blushed. She poked Shawn Lane’s palm with her finger and averted her gaze, asking shyly, "Then what about me?"

"You, of course, are different. You’re more than just beautiful."

That one simple sentence was enough to send Kylie Churchill over the moon, and she instantly forgot all about what had just upset her.

Just then, Chase Churchill walked over. He looked at Shawn Lane and said, "Shawn, take Kylie home in a little while. I have some business to discuss, so I can’t keep an eye on you two."

"Dad," Kylie Churchill said, looking at her father. "Are you really going to buy this place?"

"We’re going to negotiate first, but it’s very likely."

Kylie Churchill pouted, clearly displeased. "This place can’t compare to Aetherium. With that kind of money, you’d be better off buying Aetherium. All my friends, and even my mom and her circle of rich friends, always pick Aetherium first for their get-togethers. They only consider this place as a second choice when they can’t get a reservation there."

Chase Churchill chuckled and explained patiently, "Even if that’s true, this place is never short on patrons. The two clubs only have so much capacity, but think about how many potential clients there are."

"Besides, even if I wanted to buy Aetherium, the owners would have to be willing to sell, right?"

"All right, have fun for a little while longer, then you two can head home." Chase Churchill turned to Shawn Lane. "Shawn, look after Kylie."

Shawn Lane nodded and replied respectfully, "Don’t worry, Mr. Churchill. I’ll take her home shortly."

After heading downstairs, Cecilia Sterling didn’t leave right away. Instead, she and Julian Summers sat down in the first-floor café.

The weather was cold, so they each ordered a hot latte.

"Do you come to this place often?" Cecilia Sterling asked Julian Summers.

Julian Summers shook his head. "I used to come occasionally, but I haven’t been back since I met you. I mean, why would I come here when I can go to Aetherium?"

"Do you know the owner here, then?"

"No." Julian Summers frowned, sensing Cecilia was up to something. "What are you planning to do?"

Cecilia Sterling leaned back into the sofa and let out a soft sigh, then shook her head. "It’s nothing."

"You’re definitely up to something."

Cecilia sat up straight again, picked up her phone, and called Mr. Young.

"Mr. Young."

"Cecilia, what’s wrong?"

"I wanted to ask you something. Do you know much about Cirrus Palace?"

"Cirrus Palace? Isn’t that Aetherium’s main competitor?"

"Do you know their owners?"

Mr. Young drew in a breath. "Cirrus Palace..." he said slowly. "That’s a joint venture too, with even more partners than us. There are several owners. I know them by name if we meet, but we’re certainly not what I’d call close."

Sensing that Cecilia was about to make another move, Mr. Young casually asked, "What is it, Cecilia? What are you up to this time?"

"I happened to overhear today that someone is looking to acquire Cirrus Palace." Cecilia wasn’t being coy; she had no reason to hide things from Mr. Young.

"You’re interested?"

"Mhm." Cecilia smiled and admitted freely, "Clubs are easy, especially a high-end one with an established business model. I wouldn’t have to micromanage it, and you know how much I hate hassles."

There was a moment of silence on Mr. Young’s end before he answered honestly, "I’m afraid I won’t be much help with this one. I really don’t have a relationship with any of their owners. I can try to sound them out for you, though."

"In that case, never mind. Don’t go to all that trouble for me, Mr. Young. I’ll think of another way. I’ll only trouble you again if I hit a dead end."

"Are you really being so formal with me? All right, well, I’ll be waiting to hear from you whenever."

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up.

Julian Summers had been listening intently the entire time, and he finally understood. Cecilia wanted to acquire the club!

"Cecilia, are you serious about this, or is it just a whim?" Julian Summers was floored. She already owned Aetherium, and now she wanted to acquire Cirrus Palace as well?

’How much would that even cost?’

Cecilia Sterling glanced at his stunned expression and smiled. "Don’t make such a fuss. I’m an investor. It’s my basic professional duty to go after any profitable opportunity I see. Otherwise, how would I make any money?"

"But what about the club?" Julian Summers asked urgently.

"Oh, so that’s what you’re worried about! Relax, it won’t affect it."

Julian Summers let out a sigh of relief, but as both her friend and a fellow businessperson, he felt compelled to remind her, "Cecilia, if you’re really going to acquire this place, you need to do your due diligence. For a club that’s been operating this well to suddenly be on the market... you have to make sure there isn’t some hidden problem."

Cecilia Sterling nodded. "I know."

That evening, Shawn Lane drove Kylie Churchill home.

"Shawn, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow..." Shawn Lane thought for a moment. "I probably have to work on a project for my study group at home."

"Oh, okay." Kylie Churchill nodded, looking a little disappointed.

"What is it, Kylie? Did you have something you wanted to do?"

Kylie Churchill pursed her lips and shook her head. "It’s nothing. Just get in touch when you have some free time."

With that, she opened the car door and got out. She looked back, gave Shawn Lane a wave, and said goodbye.

The car door shut, and Shawn Lane watched her trot up to the gate of the villa.

He let out a soft sigh. Shawn Lane’s expression was placid, betraying no hint of his feelings, but a trace of exhaustion creased his brow.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, then pulled out his phone to make a voice call.

"Vincent, where are you? Wanna grab dinner tonight?"

"Sure. I’ll send you the location in a minute."

After hanging up, he quickly found a Michelin-starred restaurant on a review app, sent the location over, and then started the car and drove off.

On the second floor of the villa, Kylie Churchill stood by a window, watching as Shawn Lane’s car slowly pulled away. The sweet, girlish adoration in her eyes was impossible to conceal.