Chapter 279 - 277: The Family Can Be Together Again

"Cecilia, honey, the butter chicken soup is ready. Why isn’t Ethan back yet?"

Jasmine Sterling asked, poking her head out of the kitchen while wearing an apron.

Cecilia glanced at the time. "He should be back soon. Sometimes he has two evening study sessions, and sometimes three, so the timing isn’t fixed. But he’ll definitely be home before ten, which is about the same as when we were in Veridia."

"He doesn’t know you arrived in Lorcain today. He’ll definitely be surprised to see you when he gets back."

Jasmine Sterling couldn’t help but smile at that. "It’s only been a few days. What’s there to be so surprised about?"

"But it’s not the same!" Cecilia stood up, walked to the kitchen doorway, and leaned against the wall. "Your coming here means our family is finally reunited in Lorcain. That’s meaningful."

The thought of her family finally living together again filled her with a joy she couldn’t contain.

’A house might be big, but it only becomes a home when family is in it. From now on, it won’t be so quiet and empty every time I come back.’

The mention of a reunion made Jasmine Sterling think of Lily. She couldn’t help but look at Cecilia and say, "It’d be perfect if Lily were here too. She only got a few days off for the New Year."

"I wonder if she’s having a hard time, filming in the middle of nowhere. Whenever I message her, she always says everything is fine. She only reports the good news and hides the bad."

Cecilia could hear the worry in her mother’s voice and tried to comfort her. "Don’t worry, Mom. Filming in the mountains is bound to be a bit tough, but Lily isn’t afraid of a little hardship. Besides, she chose this script herself. She won’t regret a decision she made on her own."

"Plus, the filming schedule for this project is especially short. It’ll probably be over in two or three months at most. She’ll definitely take a break after filming wraps up."

Jasmine Sterling nodded. "Lily’s grown up now. She might seem soft-natured, but she’s actually very strong-willed. She knows what she wants to do, and I support her."

Jasmine Sterling said this with confidence. Lily’s grades had always been excellent. Most other parents would likely never allow such an outstanding student to take the art school entrance exams. But after Lily expressed her dream and her determination, Jasmine agreed after thinking it over for just one night.

Cecilia stepped forward and gently hugged her mother from behind, speaking like a little girl. "No matter how old we get, we’ll always be children in your eyes."

"You’re always just focused on what we want to do and quietly supporting us. But I want to ask, is there anything *you* want to do?"

"Ask me?" Jasmine Sterling tilted her head to look at her daughter, her eyes smiling. "Didn’t you disagree with me going back to work?"

"Getting a job is out of the question," Cecilia said firmly, offering a reasonable explanation. "Even with your years of experience in star-rated hotels, your age, education, and even your gender put you at a disadvantage in today’s job market. And in a completely new environment like Lorcain, you’d never find a suitable position."

"As for those exhausting, back-breaking jobs... never mind me, Lily and Ethan would never agree to you doing that either."

Cecilia was very insistent on this matter. Her mother could have her own things to do, but working for someone else was absolutely not an option.

"Then why did you ask me?" Jasmine said.

"You could think about starting something for yourself! I can invest. Wouldn’t you like to open a small shop or something?"

"A flower shop, a vintage store, or maybe a coffee shop or a book cafe. Things like that have a good market in Lorcain. If you’re interested, you could give it a try," Cecilia suggested.

But Jasmine Sterling just shook her head as she listened. "I don’t have the skills to open a shop and run a business. Forget it."

’If it lost money, she would feel the sting even if her daughter didn’t. The cost of opening a shop in Lorcain would surely be no small sum.’

"I just got to Lorcain. Let me get used to this place first. For the next few months, I’m going to focus on taking care of you two, especially with Ethan’s college entrance exams coming up. I have to put all my energy into him. We can talk about everything else after his exams are over!"

Hearing her mother say this, Cecilia temporarily set the idea aside. But she knew her mother’s personality; she was still young and wouldn’t be able to stay idle for long.

’I’ll have to think carefully and plan something for Mom that she can do without getting too tired.’

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the entryway. The mother and daughter exchanged a look. "He’s back!"

Jasmine Sterling hurried out of the kitchen to greet him. Just as Ethan was changing his shoes and coming inside, the first person he saw was his mother. Ethan Sterling’s expression went from shock to delight. "Mom!"

Jasmine smiled, wiped her hands on her apron, and habitually stepped forward to take her son’s backpack. "Dinner is ready. Go wash your hands and eat."

Ethan was thrilled. He pulled his mother close and asked, "Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? No wonder the smell when I walked in was so familiar. Is it butter chicken soup?"

"You and your sharp nose! You could even tell what it was just by smelling!"

Cecilia walked over and said to her younger brother, "My classes start tomorrow. How could Mom feel at ease leaving you here all by yourself?"

Hearing this, Ethan threw his arms around his mother in a tight hug, nuzzling against her cheek affectionately. "Mom’s the best! Our family is finally all together again!"

*

「Meanwhile, at the Lane residence.」

"What?"

It was also dinnertime there, and Walter Lane’s sharp bark suddenly echoed through the dining room. "Are you sure? You didn’t make a mistake?"

The person on the other end of the line replied earnestly, "Director Lane, how could I possibly make a mistake about something like this? I’ve cross-referenced several pieces of information, and they all confirm it: the new owner of Genesis Park, Cecilia Sterling, is without a doubt the same Cecilia Sterling who is a sophomore at Lorcain University of Science and Technology."

Listening to the words, Walter Lane felt as if he were hearing something from a fantasy novel.

He had been clinging to a sliver of hope, or rather, a firm conviction that the identical names were just a coincidence. Compared to that, the alternative—that the Cecilia Sterling who bought the park for an astronomical price was his son’s ex-girlfriend—was simply unbelievable.

The same ordinary young woman his wife had once looked down on.

’How could this be?’

Mrs. Lane, sitting beside him, had no idea what had happened. Seeing Walter Lane’s grim expression, she couldn’t help but ask with concern, "What’s wrong? Is there a problem at the company?"

Walter Lane frowned, looking at her. After a long moment, he suddenly asked, "Did you ever look into Cecilia Sterling’s background?"

Mrs. Lane blinked in confusion, then said with a half-amused tone, "Why would I look into her background? Besides, isn’t that business with her and Shawn already over? Why are you bringing her up?"

Just thinking of Cecilia Sterling made Mrs. Lane grind her teeth in resentment. ’If it weren’t for that Cecilia, my son would have never gone abroad!’