Chapter 301 - 299: He Underestimated Cecilia Sterling

Cecilia Sterling glanced at the time on her wrist, then looked up at Eugene Jacobs with a smile playing on her lips. "Mr. Jacobs, time is running out!"

Upon hearing this, Eugene Jacobs immediately sat up straight, pushing the matter of the "coffee" to the back of his mind. He quickly retrieved the prepared contract and presented it to Cecilia Sterling with both hands.

Cecilia took the contract, leaned back against the sofa, and began to casually flip through it with a languid air.

She was supposedly reading it, but in reality, she was just going through the motions.

The terms of a land acquisition contract this massive couldn’t possibly be detailed in just two or three pages.

To Eugene Jacobs, however, it didn’t matter if Miss Sterling read it, or if she could even understand it. All that mattered was that she signed on the dotted line. If she did, his mission for the day would be accomplished.

As he waited, his eyes couldn’t help but wander over the two stunning women before him, Cecilia Sterling and Blair.

The two had entirely different looks and auras, but both were goddesses in their own right. They were on par with, if not superior to, the mistresses he had so carefully selected and kept.

Blair nonchalantly glanced his way, and their eyes met.

An old pro like Eugene Jacobs showed no sign of guilt or panic. Instead, he simply offered a gentlemanly smile, looking perfectly composed.

After a moment, Cecilia Sterling slowly closed the contract and looked up. Seeing this, Eugene Jacobs immediately leaned forward with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation. "Miss Sterling, you can rest assured. There are absolutely no issues with this contract."

Cecilia Sterling raised an eyebrow. ’Whether or not there’s a problem with the contract remains to be seen,’ she thought, ’but you are definitely a problem.’

She gave a calm, unreadable nod. "I’m a layman, so I’m just looking at the broad strokes. I’ll take the contract with me for now. I’ll give you an answer, Mr. Jacobs, after my lawyer has had a chance to review it."

The moment Eugene Jacobs heard her words, the smile on his face froze.

"Miss Sterling, didn’t we agree to sign the contract today?"

’The Chairman only gave me two days, and today is already the second one!’

Cecilia, however, adopted a look of unhurried suspicion. "Did we? I don’t recall ever guaranteeing you that I would sign the contract today, Mr. Jacobs. Besides, isn’t having my lawyer review it part of the standard procedure? Or did you really expect an astronomy student to understand a land acquisition contract?"

Eugene Jacobs: "..."

He could no longer hide his anxiety, which only made the situation more amusing to Cecilia.

’So when the tables are turned, even someone as perpetually composed as Eugene Jacobs can be at a loss.’

Cecilia’s smile vanished. "Mr. Jacobs, your rush to have me sign this contract only makes me more suspicious of it. I’m afraid I’ll have to reconsider our partnership."

"Miss Sterling, you’ve truly misunderstood me!" Eugene Jacobs scrambled to explain. "I admit I was a bit hasty, but only because I’m worried about competitors emerging. After all, I’ve told you more than once how crucial this land is to our company."

"The more important it is, the more cautious we must be, no?" Cecilia said softly, looking at him. "This isn’t some three- or five-dollar deal."

Faced with Cecilia’s elegant composure, Eugene Jacobs’s desperate rush for results was utterly futile.

’He remembered meeting her here for the first time not long ago. Back then, he’d thought this young woman was just a naive greenhorn, someone he could coax into selling him the land with just a few words.’

’But last time, he’d had a nagging feeling that she was different.’

’Today, that feeling was even stronger. No matter what he said, she casually brushed it aside. She was no longer following his lead, allowing him to guide the conversation step-by-step and control the situation.’

’It was only now, with the benefit of hindsight, that Eugene Jacobs realized he had gravely underestimated her.’

Quickly composing himself, Eugene Jacobs looked at Cecilia and asked earnestly, "What you’re saying makes sense, Miss Sterling. In that case, could you give me a firm timeline?"

Cecilia pretended to think for a moment before nodding. "Within a week."

"That..."

Eugene Jacobs’s mouth fell open, speechless. He felt like he could cry.

’A week is too long. The Chairman will be furious if he finds out.’

Then, Cecilia suddenly broke into a smile. Seeing the look on his face, she teased, "I’m just kidding. Two days. I’ll be in touch."

’Two days isn’t so bad,’ he thought, sighing in relief. ’Even if the Chairman is impatient, he should be able to accept a two-day delay for the contract review.’

Before he could nod, Cecilia had already stood up. "Time’s up. I have to go to class."

"Okay. In that case, Miss Sterling, I’ll wait to hear from you. Please, don’t forget."

Seeing his earnest and pitiful expression, the smile on Cecilia’s face grew wider. She turned, linked arms with Blair, and they walked out.

The moment Cecilia left, Eugene Jacobs’s expression turned grim. He was seething. According to his original plan, that plot of land should have belonged to the Lane Group by now. Yet here he was, unable to even get the contract finalized.

Moreover, he had completely lost the upper hand.

The thought that this mission could earn him a seat on the board of directors made his desire for success burn hotter than ever. He had to land this project!

Meanwhile, Walter Lane soon received Eugene’s progress report. Though displeased with the two-day extension, he knew that haste makes waste. The other party’s decision to have a lawyer review the contract was a professional and reasonable move, one they had no grounds to prevent.

So in the end, his instructions were the same: he told Eugene to ensure everything went off without a hitch this time. Eugene, of course, readily agreed!

「Noon, in the cafeteria of No. 2 High School.」

"Drop the case?"

Renee Reid was surprised to hear that Ethan Sterling was planning to go to the police station after school to drop the case he had filed. "Why?" she asked. "Did the police call you? They couldn’t find the guys?"

Ethan was trying to figure out how to explain it to Renee when Jameson, who was beside him, jumped in. "It’s already been handled privately. They found the guys."

"Y-You found them?" Renee asked, startled. She looked skeptically between Ethan and Jameson, her eyes finally landing on Ethan. "Ethan, you tell me. What’s going on?"

’It wasn’t that she insisted on meddling in other people’s affairs, but they had already involved the police. Deep down, she didn’t want to see Ethan just give in and bow his head to bullies.’

"It’s like this, Class Monitor. My sister knows their boss, so she took care of it," Ethan explained, summarizing the whole affair in one brief sentence.

Jameson jumped in again, his face full of awe. "Renee, you have no idea! Ethan’s sister is incredible! That gang leader, when he saw her, he had to lower his head just to speak to her. He didn’t even dare to look her in the eye! And he kept calling her ’Cecilia’ so respectfully. My heart was pounding just watching from the sidelines yesterday. I’ve never seen a woman with such a powerful presence. The moment she stood there, everyone else in the room looked like small fry in comparison!"