Chapter 293 - 291: So That’s It?

Seeing this, Ethan Sterling walked quickly toward the classroom door. Renee Reid blinked, puzzled, as her deskmate commented, "Class President, doesn’t Jameson Stone from Class 3 usually come looking for you? It’s the first time I’ve seen him ask for someone else. Are he and Ethan Sterling good friends?"

Renee Reid pursed her lips. She wasn’t interested in boys’ affairs and simply replied, "Who knows."

At the classroom door, Ethan Sterling gave Jameson Stone a quizzical look. "What’s up?"

Jameson Stone pulled him over to a nearby window and said with a grin, "There’s no evening study session today because of the general exam. How about you come play some pool with me after school?"

"Play pool?"

Ethan Sterling hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "I don’t know how to play."

"You can learn! And if you can’t, you can just watch me."

Hearing that, Ethan Sterling’s face scrunched up. "Watch you play? I’d rather just go home and read!"

"We rarely get out early for an exam. What’s the rush to get home? Since you moved to Lorcain, have you even been anywhere other than school and your house?" Jameson Stone asked.

To which Ethan Sterling blurted out, "I’ve been to the police station."

Jameson Stone: "..."

"I’ll take you out to have some fun. I know you’ve been down lately because of your bike. Come out with me, relax, and get your mind off it."

Seeing the earnest look on Jameson Stone’s face, Ethan Sterling finally nodded but made sure to add, "Alright, but we can’t stay out too late."

"No problem! Good luck on the exam. I’m heading back now!"

With that, Jameson Stone turned and ran off. Ethan Sterling watched his tall figure go, a resigned smile on his face.

Exams were never a problem for Ethan Sterling. Moreover, this was his first general placement exam since transferring, and he was determined to do his very best.

He didn’t know if he could rank first in his grade, but he was confident in his abilities.

Meanwhile, Jasmine Sterling was at home cleaning the kitchen. Cecilia Sterling arranged for the property management’s cleaning crew to come every week, so the only time Jasmine was really busy was in the kitchen before and after meals. There wasn’t much else for her to do.

Just as she finished, the phone rang.

It was her younger sister, Yvonne Sterling.

"Sis, are you up?"

"Look at the time. Ethan finished breakfast and left for school ages ago."

The two sisters video-chatted almost daily. Jasmine Sterling assumed this was just another casual call like any other, but then her sister’s tone grew serious.

"Sis, I had Brendan Harris’s third sister ask around about the Fulton family. Guess why they’re looking for Ethan."

The moment she heard that, Jasmine Sterling tensed up. "Why? What is it?"

"Hmph," Yvonne Sterling snorted. "The district where the Fultons live is slated for demolition!"

"Demolition?" Jasmine Sterling was confused. "What does that have to do with Ethan?"

"Originally, nothing. The demolition policy hadn’t been finalized. But it was announced after the New Year, and it turns out the compensation is calculated per head. You get a share of money for every person listed on your household registry!"

Jasmine Sterling was even more astonished. "By headcount? Isn’t compensation usually based on the area of the property? Since when do they calculate it per person?"

"They do, Sis. Have you forgotten? Our third uncle’s demolition compensation was calculated by headcount. The policies for demolition and development vary from place to place; some compensate by property area, others by the number of people."

"So they’re looking for Ethan just to add one more person to their registry for an extra share of the money? But Cecilia is their biological granddaughter, too! I haven’t seen them go looking for her!"

"Cecilia’s in Lorcain, where would they even go to find her? Besides, they can’t even get to Ethan, so what makes you think they have the energy to go after Cecilia?" Yvonne Sterling sneered. "And mark my words, even if they convinced Ethan to move his registration back to the Fulton household, they’d never give him a cent of that money. They’d just split it among themselves. No wonder the whole clan came out in force this time. It was all about the money!"

Hearing this, Jasmine Sterling was momentarily at a loss for words.

’She’d thought it was some huge, terrible affair. But it was just about this?’

’What on earth were the Fultons thinking, not even discussing it openly? Were they really that afraid I’d want a cut of the money?’

"Sis, one person’s share is a lot of money. Brendan Harris’s third sister said that whole area is being turned into a development zone, a major future economic hub for Norden. A single share is worth more than 200,000."

Demolition payouts in Veridia had always been high, so Jasmine Sterling wasn’t surprised.

Still, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. To be frank, if Connor Fulton had come to her and discussed the matter in a reasonable way, she might very well have agreed.

But they clearly had no intention of telling her about it. When it came down to it, wasn’t it simply because they were afraid she’d get ideas about the money?

That’s why they kept trying to get close to Ethan, hoping to coax him into secretly transferring his household registration back.

"Anyway, Sis, you’re in Lorcain now," Yvonne Sterling said. "They won’t be able to try anything else for the time being."

Jasmine Sterling sighed. "But you’re still there, aren’t you? If they can’t find us, I’m afraid they’ll go cause trouble for you."

"Let them try! I’ve got freshly boiled water every day. It’s not for scalding ducks and geese—I’ll scald their hides first!"

"But won’t that affect your business?"

"I’m not worried about that. The neighbors all know what kind of person I am. If they dare show up, I’ll broadcast all the disgusting things the Fulton family has ever done for the whole street to hear."

Her sister never let anyone get the better of her, but Jasmine Sterling had a feeling the other party wouldn’t give up so easily.

It wasn’t a complicated issue to begin with, but they had raised such a ruckus, even storming her home just to find Ethan. It had scared her so much that she’d made him go through the hassle of transferring schools right before his college entrance exams.

The Fulton family was just as selfish as ever. It truly left one speechless.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Jasmine Sterling looked toward the front door, surprised. ’Neither of the kids are home,’ she thought. ’Who would be stopping by at this time?’

’Could it be Saul Thorne?’

"Someone’s at the door. I have to go."

"Alright. I’ll let you know if anything new happens over here."

After hanging up, Jasmine Sterling hurried to the entryway. When she opened the door, she found a well-dressed woman with a gentle, elegant demeanor standing outside.

Jasmine Sterling was slightly taken aback and asked softly, "May I ask who you’re looking for?"

"Hello, you must be Mrs. Sterling, correct?"

The title "Mrs. Sterling" made Jasmine Sterling feel awkward, but it confirmed the woman was here to see her. She nodded quickly. "Yes, I’m Jasmine Sterling."

"Hello. My name is Wendy Duncan. I’m Estelle’s mother."

Jasmine Sterling’s eyes widened in surprise. A welcoming smile quickly spread across her face. "Oh, you’re Estelle’s mother! Hello, please, come in!"