Chapter 261 - 259: No More Waiting, To Lorcain

Timothy Rowe was somewhat nonplussed. "Shouldn’t we have been the ones to bring this up? For you to suggest it... you’re not a very convincing capitalist, you know!"

Cecilia Sterling shrugged. "It’s a reasonable proposal, so I proposed it. There’s nothing wrong with that."

She had never intended to exploit the team. The value created by the synergy of the eight of them had already far exceeded her expectations. The future was still uncertain; if they failed, the increased profit-sharing ratio would be meaningless. But if they succeeded, her returns would still far outweigh her investment.

So either way, she wasn’t at a disadvantage. And the team deserved a higher cut—they had earned it!

Unlike last time, Timothy Rowe didn’t refuse Cecilia’s goodwill. He nodded crisply. "We’ve actually discussed this among ourselves. We were hoping for another percentage point."

It wasn’t a difficult topic to broach. People always need a higher goal to strive for. Just as Cecilia had said, the success of their first project was a stepping stone toward that higher goal.

He smiled at Cecilia. "How about we go with the 70-30 split you first suggested?"

"You guys aren’t greedy, I’ll give you that."

That’s what Cecilia said, but ’I already knew they wouldn’t ask for too much.’

"We’re in this for the long haul."

Cecilia nodded without hesitation. "No problem. A 70-30 split for the second project it is. I wish you all a smooth development process."

The two of them clinked their glasses and drained them in one gulp.

Feeling happy, Cecilia indulged and had a few extra drinks that night. She slept like a log when she got home, only to be woken up the next day by the afternoon sun streaming through her window.

She groggily reached for her phone to check the time, but a second later, she shot up in bed.

Seeing several missed calls from her mother and over a dozen WhatsApp messages, Cecilia’s drowsiness vanished instantly. She didn’t even bother reading the messages, calling her mother back immediately.

Her mother had never called her so many times in a row before.

The phone rang twice before it was answered. The moment she heard her mother’s voice, Cecilia breathed a long sigh of relief and quickly asked, "Mom, why did you call me so many times? Did something happen?"

"Oh, Cecilia, why weren’t you answering your phone or replying to my messages? Mom was worried sick!"

"I was asleep with my phone on silent, so I didn’t hear it. What’s wrong, Mom?"

Jasmine Sterling sighed. "Cecilia, can you come home? The Fultons have been going to Ethan’s school to find him, over and over again recently. I’m a little worried... and a little scared."

"The Fultons? What do they want with Ethan?"

The moment she heard the name "Fulton," a fire of anger ignited in Cecilia’s chest.

"Ethan said they want him to go back and visit his grandparents. I suspect they want him to formally rejoin the family. I asked around not long ago, and it turns out none of the Fultons’ other grandsons have amounted to much academically. The best one only got into a second-tier university. Compared to them, Ethan is definitely the most promising."

"Besides, they never gave up on Ethan. They tried to take him when he was little, and didn’t Ethan mention that his uncle used to secretly give him pocket money? Now that he’s older and about to go to college, they probably can’t wait any longer."

"Oh, Cecilia, I’m not worried about anything else. I know Ethan will never acknowledge the Fultons. I’m just afraid that if they keep causing trouble like this, it will affect his college entrance exams. He’s at the final hurdle; we can’t let anything go wrong now."

Cecilia could hear the helplessness in her mother’s voice. The Fultons were playing dirty, and there wasn’t much a single woman like her mother could do, especially with Ethan in the final, crucial sprint for his exams. If this blew up, it would definitely affect him.

"Mom, don’t worry. My semester hasn’t started yet, so I have time to come back. Wait for me, I’ll handle it."

"Okay. I’ll feel so much better once you’re here."

Cecilia didn’t delay. She immediately booked a ticket for the next flight on her phone, sent a message to her friends’ group chat, and, of course, made sure to let Saul Thorne know as well.

Around seven in the evening, Cecilia arrived home in Veridia.

It happened to be Ethan’s only day off for the week. Knowing his sister was coming back, he waited obediently at home.

"Sis!"

Hearing the knock, Ethan rushed to open the door, calling out for his sister before he even saw her.

Seeing her brother, Cecilia reached out and squeezed his cheek. "Where’s Mom?"

"In the kitchen. She made a special trip to the market this afternoon because she knew you were coming back."

Hearing their voices, Jasmine Sterling poked her head out of the kitchen. "Cecilia, Mom’s making you crispy-skin duck!"

Cecilia took off her coat, put down her bag, and walked into the kitchen to her mother’s side. Before her mother could say a word, Cecilia said bluntly, "Mom, we’re not waiting anymore. I’m here to take you and Ethan to Lorcain with me."

"Huh?"

Jasmine Sterling was so startled that her hands froze in the middle of her cooking. "Go to Lorcain?"

Although she had been mentally preparing for this, she had expected it to happen after her son finished his college entrance exams. That had always been her daughter’s plan.

Moving to Lorcain right now was just too sudden!

"Yes. I thought about it the whole way here. Instead of leaving you and Ethan in Veridia to be constantly harassed and stressed out by the Fultons, it’s better to bring you to Lorcain." Cecilia’s tone was exceptionally serious, and Jasmine knew her daughter wasn’t joking.

’But...’

"Ethan’s college exams are just a few months away! If he transfers to a school in Lorcain for his senior year, we’ll have to find a new school. I’ve heard the schools in Lorcain are very difficult to get into, especially for a senior transfer. The new environment will affect him too."

Jasmine Sterling’s worries were not unfounded; they were very practical.

But Cecilia had already considered all of this.

"Mom, don’t worry about the school. I have my ways of getting Ethan into the best high school in Lorcain to prepare for his exams. The atmosphere in senior year is tense no matter which school you’re at. I know Ethan; he’s very adaptable and won’t be affected too much."

"Besides, if the Fultons are going to keep pestering us like this, this is the simplest and most effective solution."

She couldn’t use brute force to solve this problem. If it escalated, Ethan would be the one most affected. As long as she could make it so the Fultons could never find Ethan again, all their problems would be solved.

Just then, Ethan poked his head in. "Mom, listen to Sis. Let’s transfer to Lorcain. I don’t want to see the Fultons anymore. They’re so annoying!"

Jasmine looked at her son’s exasperated expression, then glanced hesitantly at her daughter. "Is... is this really going to work?" she asked uncertainly.

"Mom, rest assured, I will arrange everything. Tomorrow, you and Ethan go to his school and apply for a transfer. I’ll start contacting schools in Lorcain right away. I guarantee that Ethan will be able to start classes as soon as he arrives in Lorcain, without a single day’s delay!"

Hearing her daughter’s confident words, Jasmine Sterling’s resolve hardened. "Alright then," she said. "We’ll do as you say!"