Chapter 286 - 284: I’ll Help You Strip Him Bare

Eugene Jacobs had expected Cecilia Sterling to demand an exorbitant price, so when she ended up only adding two thousand to his offer, he felt a wave of relief.

But he immediately put on a troubled expression. "Miss Sterling, your price is actually within a reasonable range, but an extra two thousand is certainly not a small sum for our company."

"However, I can see your sincerity, Miss Sterling. The fact that I was able to find you before anyone else must be fate. For that reason alone, I’ll accept your offer."

In Eugene Jacobs’s mind, girls were all creatures of emotion. As long as you said the right sweet words, they were always easily moved.

And Cecilia Sterling’s next words seemed to confirm his theory.

Cecilia Sterling nodded and said unexpectedly, "I feel like there’s something very familiar about you, Mr. Jacobs. Perhaps we knew each other in a past life. Our fated connection might have started back then."

Her words made Eugene Jacobs chuckle. "Is that so? Well, the honor is all mine. I hope we’ll have the chance to get to know each other on a deeper level in the future, Miss Sterling."

Cecilia Sterling smiled without a word and took a sip of her coffee.

She quickly put it down again. She had gotten so into her role that she’d forgotten the cup in front of her was a hot Americano.

"Since we’ve reached a preliminary agreement, shall I go back and start preparing the contract?" Eugene Jacobs asked eagerly.

Cecilia Sterling smiled and nodded. "No problem. I’ll wait to hear from you, Mr. Jacobs."

With that, she stood up, grabbing her coat and bag from the back of her chair. "I have a class this afternoon, so I’ll get going. Thank you for the coffee, Mr. Jacobs."

Eugene Jacobs stood and nodded, said goodbye to Cecilia Sterling, and then watched her elegant figure as she walked out of the coffee shop.

The next second, the look in his eyes changed completely. The corners of his mouth twisted into a cunning smirk, and his entire demeanor shifted.

His gaze fell on the coffee cup Cecilia Sterling had just been drinking from. He reached out, picked it up, and brought the rim to his nose, sniffing the spot where her lips had been. The smile on his face turned lecherous.

Then, he extended the tip of his tongue and licked that same spot before taking a shallow sip of the coffee inside.

"Ugh..."

His brow furrowed, and he quickly put the cup down. "This tastes awful!"

Once outside the coffee shop, Cecilia Sterling felt the air was much fresher. She crossed the street back to campus, then took out her phone to send Estelle a message.

"Hey sweetie, can I borrow your paparazzi resources?"

On the other end, Estelle Goodman keenly sensed something was up with Cecilia Sterling and replied excitedly, "What’s going on? Who are we investigating?"

Cecilia: "A guy named Eugene Jacobs. I’ll send you what I have in a bit, but I don’t know much."

Estelle: "That’s why we investigate! So, is this about you or someone else?"

Cecilia: "It’s about me."

The moment Estelle Goodman saw it was about Cecilia, her fighting spirit flared. "Leave it to me! I guarantee I’ll dig up everything on this guy, right down to the color of his underwear!"

Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but laugh at the message. But when she put her phone away and looked up, she saw Charles Jennings in the distance, standing alone with a girl under a tree.

He was still wearing the same jacket as yesterday, so Cecilia recognized him instantly. She didn’t go over to interrupt them, but she was a little surprised.

She had never seen Charles Jennings initiate a conversation with any other girls before.

But then she realized it made sense. After his vision correction surgery, his whole image had changed, and his vibe was completely different. It was only natural that some girls would start to like him.

’But this is way too fast! It’s only the second day of the semester!’

"This is for you!"

The girl had a shy expression, as if she had mustered all her courage. "I wrote it myself. You have to wait until you’re alone to read it. Don’t show anyone else!"

Charles Jennings looked completely at a loss. He was terrible at handling these situations and felt a strong internal resistance.

"Eliza, this isn’t appropriate. I can’t accept this," Charles Jennings hesitated before trying to hand the exquisite envelope back to her.

The girl was taken aback, a flash of disappointment in her eyes, but she didn’t give up and pushed the letter back into Charles Jennings’s hand. "It’s not a gift, it’s a letter. If you’re willing after you read it, write me back. If not, just tear it up and throw it away. I’ll understand."

After saying that, the girl turned and ran off.

Charles Jennings was left standing there, stunned, holding the envelope and not knowing what to do.

"How classic. I can’t believe people still write love letters by hand these days."

Cecilia Sterling waited for the girl to leave before walking over to Charles Jennings’s side.

Her sudden voice startled Charles Jennings, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was Cecilia Sterling. "Cecilia."

Cecilia Sterling smiled slightly and glanced at the envelope in his hand. "Only the second day and someone’s already confessing to you?"

"I... I don’t think so..."

"You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Liking you is her prerogative; you can’t control it. But she wrote it by hand, so she must have put her heart into it. you should read it."

Charles Jennings pressed his lips together and finally nodded.

"Can you not tell Estelle?" Charles Jennings asked suddenly.

Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling looked at him and blinked.

’Does he think Estelle would care about something like this?’

Cecilia didn’t know, but she suspected Estelle wouldn’t. All signs had always indicated that Estelle had no romantic feelings for Charles Jennings, only friendship—regardless of whether he wore glasses or not.

But she couldn’t bring herself to hurt Charles Jennings’s sincere feelings, so she smiled and nodded. "Okay, I won’t say a word!"

"Thank you."

For once, Ethan Sterling got out of school early. He burst through the door, shouting before he even had his shoes off, "Mom, I’m home!"

The aroma of food filled his nostrils. Following the scent, Ethan Sterling went to the dining table and saw that his mother had already prepared a huge spread with more than ten different dishes.

"Mom, is it a holiday today?"

Jasmine Sterling emerged from the kitchen carrying a clay pot. Seeing this, Ethan Sterling rushed over to take it from her. "Even though I’m studying hard, Mom, you don’t have to reward me this much."

"Get out of here." Jasmine Sterling playfully tapped her son on the head and explained with a smile, "Your sister is bringing her roommates home for dinner today. Did you really think all this was just for you?"

"Roommates? Do you know them?"

"I met them the last time they came over. They’re all very pretty."

Just as she finished speaking, Cecilia Sterling, Estelle Goodman, and Blair walked in through the front door, chatting and laughing.

Ethan Sterling’s eyes lit up, and he rushed to the entrance to greet them!

"Sis!"

The three girls were startled by Ethan Sterling’s sudden appearance. Estelle Goodman was the first to react. "Cecilia, is this your little brother?"

Cecilia Sterling smiled, nodded, and made the introduction. "My little brother, Ethan Sterling."

"Hello, everyone!" Ethan Sterling greeted them confidently, then stepped aside politely. "Please, come in!"