Chapter 280 - 278: It Is Cecilia Sterling

"You never looked into it? Then how could you possibly know anything about her family background?" Walter Lane’s eyes blazed as he questioned her through gritted teeth.

This tone only made Mrs. Lane even more confused. "Does that really require a special investigation? You can find that out just by asking around. What’s wrong with you today? Why do you keep bringing up Cecilia Sterling?"

"You’re worse than useless! All you do is make things worse!" Walter Lane scolded her viciously.

Mrs. Lane’s temper flared instantly. With a SLAM, she slapped her chopsticks down on the table. "Walter Lane! What is this all about? What did I do to you now?"

Her life had been miserable enough lately. Her son was on the other side of the ocean, far from her, and her heart ached every time she thought of him.

Ever since her son left, her world had gone dark. She felt like life had lost its purpose.

But Walter Lane didn’t see it that way. His son had gone abroad to study and had changed his major—exactly what Walter had wanted. He was therefore incredibly supportive, giving his son the best financial and material backing overseas.

"That industrial park the Group failed to acquire last year—do you know who snatched it away?" Walter Lane asked, staring into his wife’s eyes.

Mrs. Lane was completely bewildered. She retorted, "Since when have you ever allowed me to meddle in the Group’s business? How should I know who bought it? It’s not like *I* was the one who bought it!"

"Cecilia Sterling!"

Walter Lane roared, his voice so deep and powerful that it reverberated through the dining room, threatening to tear the roof off.

Mrs. Lane flinched in fright, an expression of utter disbelief spreading across her face. "Who... who? Cecilia Sterling?"

"That’s right. Cecilia Sterling. The same Cecilia Sterling you said wasn’t good enough for our son. She snatched the land that should have been ours with a final bid twenty thousand higher than the Group’s maximum budget!"

"How is that possible!" Mrs. Lane shook her head in disbelief. "Absolutely not. She’s just an ordinary girl from Veridia. She relies on scholarships at school."

"Ignorant! Foolish!" Walter Lane slapped the table. "Over two hundred thousand! Even a company with a market value of a million might not have that much liquid cash. She was able to produce it, and you still say she’s from an ordinary family?"

Even with the facts laid out before her, Mrs. Lane still couldn’t believe it.

"Something must be wrong. This is absolutely impossible. Could she have been bidding on someone else’s behalf? Don’t you often encounter low-profile investors who use proxies?"

Walter Lane said, "The new owner of the industrial park has been publicly announced. When I first saw the name Cecilia Sterling, I thought it was just a coincidence. But the investigator I just sent has confirmed it with me. The current owner of that industrial park is Cecilia Sterling—the same Cecilia Sterling we know!"

Mrs. Lane was speechless.

Her expression was one of shock, and her heart refused to accept it.

After his outburst, Walter Lane quickly calmed down. He knew that blaming anyone at this point was useless and wouldn’t change a thing.

But that industrial park’s land was crucial to the Lane Group. He had been determined to win the auction for that land because the Group already had a new development project lined up.

And that industrial park was the perfect site for the project.

"The Group wants that land?" Mrs. Lane finally recovered, discerning Walter Lane’s intentions.

Walter Lane glanced at her and said gravely, "If Cecilia Sterling hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, the Lane Group would have easily secured the land last year with our funding cap."

"However, even though we failed, the Group had a large influx of capital at the end of the year. We can afford to offer a higher price than our original bid. If Cecilia Sterling is willing to sell, she stands to make a good profit."

Clearly, Walter Lane was treating Cecilia Sterling as a middleman who was flipping the land for profit.

For an individual to hold such a large industrial park, flipping it was the most likely scenario.

The industrial park itself was no longer sustainable. If she took it over to continue operations, it would take a hundred years to break even.

Besides, Cecilia Sterling didn’t have a registered company, meaning she had no development projects waiting. So, if he offered a tempting price, she could easily make a profit just by reselling the land. ’She’d have no reason to refuse!’

"The Lane Group is going to negotiate with Cecilia Sterling? What gives her the right!" Mrs. Lane said indignantly.

"The right comes from the fact that the land is hers and the Lane Group needs it!" Walter Lane glared at her. "Get a grip, will you? What a shortsighted view!"

"I..."

Walter Lane raised his hand in irritation. "From now on, don’t you dare interfere in anything related to Cecilia Sterling. This matter requires careful planning. Our previous... unpleasantness will definitely affect things. I can’t let Cecilia know it’s the Lane Group that wants the land. I have to arrange for someone she doesn’t know at all to negotiate with her!"

As he spoke, a suitable candidate had already come to mind.

He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed. The call was answered after a single ring. "Chairman?"

"Eugene, I have something I need you to do..."

The next day, Cecilia Sterling woke up early and went downstairs.

Her mother had already made breakfast, and Ethan was already sitting at the dining table.

"Morning, Sis!"

Unlike the first day, when he was too excited to sleep, Ethan seemed particularly energetic today.

She smiled and patted her brother’s head, then went into the kitchen. "Mom, did you sleep well?"

Jasmine Sterling was frying eggs. She replied, "Very well. Do you want some sugar in your soy milk?"

"No sugar," Cecilia Sterling said. "Mom, Ethan and I are both heading to school in a bit. I usually come back on weekends. If anything comes up while you’re home alone during the day, remember to call me. There’s everything you need around the neighborhood, so feel free to walk around. Just be careful."

"I know, Mom knows. You don’t have to worry about me. Hurry up and eat so you can get to school."

At seven o’clock, Mr. Jennings’s car honked outside right on time.

Cecilia Sterling quickly went out, pulling her packed suitcase behind her. Jasmine Sterling saw her off at the door, waving from a distance.

"Have a great start to the semester!"

As soon as she got in the car, Estelle Goodman suddenly shouted out. Luckily, Cecilia Sterling was used to her dramatic antics and just gave her a weary glance before greeting Mr. Jennings and Charles Jennings.

"Are your mom and brother all settled in? When are you going to invite us over for dinner? I miss your mom’s cooking!" Estelle Goodman asked, affectionately linking arms with Cecilia Sterling and resting her head on her shoulder while batting her eyes.

"Maybe next week. My mom was even asking about Blair last night. When she heard Blair’s adoptive mother passed away, she couldn’t help but cry."

Perhaps because she’s a mother of three herself, my mom always finds it easy to empathize with a child losing their mother.

And it wasn’t the first time Blair had experienced such a loss.

At the mention of Blair, Estelle sat up straight and sighed. "I don’t know if she’s really okay. I’ve taken the initiative to ask her out twice since she went back, but I don’t think she’s fully moved on."

"You can’t get over something like that so easily. Just give her more time," Cecilia said.