Chapter 305 - 303: Meeting with Daniels

After Fabian Griffin left, Estelle Goodman, empathetic as she was, was still fuming.

"That man is absolutely rotten! He has a family and a child, yet he’s keeping other women on the side!"

"What do these girls even see in him? Money? But two of them didn’t even get much money from him. Love? Does a scumbag like him even deserve love?"

"And that senior, Daniels, was so set on that scumbag sending her to study abroad, but she ended up getting duped too, didn’t she?"

"I feel so bad for them! It’s such a waste!"

Seeing Estelle’s pretty face flush with anger, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but give a helpless smile. "There’s no ’worth it’ or ’not worth it.’ To be blunt, these things are a two-way street. Who can ever make sense of messy relationships?"

’Even if Eugene Jacobs is a total hypocrite who’s a smooth-talker and good at hiding his true self, did those girls really not know he had a family?’

’After all these years, no matter how carefully he hid the truth, Cecilia didn’t believe they were completely oblivious. Perhaps they just didn’t want to expose him.’

’Since they knew he was taken and got involved anyway, they must have done so willingly.’

But Cecilia also knew that, at the end of the day, Eugene Jacobs was the root of all the trouble. ’Two of those girls were minors when they got with him. Their minds weren’t fully mature—how could they possibly resist the manipulations of a slick old dog like him?’

"Cecilia, what do you want to do? Do you have a plan?" Estelle asked suddenly.

Cecilia held the photos of the three women, but her gaze was fixed on Daniels.

’Several excellent plans had already formed in her mind, but she had to choose the one that would lead to Eugene Jacobs’s utter ruin.’

"I want to find a chance to meet with Daniels," Cecilia said, her voice faint.

*

「The meeting with Daniels took place at noon the next day.」 Cecilia took a taxi to Lakeshore Heights and chose a location near the other woman’s luxury apartment.

She had deliberately chosen the spot: a quiet Italian restaurant with dim lighting.

Cecilia arrived on time, but the other woman was already seated.

From a distance, Daniels was strikingly beautiful. Her shoulder-length, wavy black hair and fiery red lips made her skin appear even fairer. Just by sitting there quietly, she drew frequent glances from the male patrons in the restaurant.

Even the foreigners stared at her openly.

When Cecilia approached, the scene became even more stunning. The beauty of the two gorgeous women didn’t clash at all; one was radiant and vibrant, the other cool and ethereal. It was truly a feast for the eyes!

"Hello, Daniels."

Cecilia stopped by the seat and greeted her in a soft voice.

Daniels, who had been gazing out the window, turned at the sound of her voice. A flash of surprise crossed her face when she saw Cecilia, as if she hadn’t expected the person who asked to meet her to be such a beautiful girl.

’And she called me senior?’

"You’re the one who asked to meet me?" Daniels asked.

Cecilia nodded and gracefully took a seat under Daniels’s confused gaze before looking up. "Let me introduce myself. I’m a sophomore at Lorcain Institute of Technology. My name is Cecilia Sterling, and I’m your junior."

’Cecilia Sterling?’

A flicker of recognition went through Daniels’s mind; she felt like she had heard the name at school before.

But she was clearly more curious about the purpose of today’s meeting.

So she looked at Cecilia and asked, "I don’t think we know each other. Is there a reason you asked me out to such an expensive restaurant?"

"Of course. But I’m a bit hungry. Why don’t we eat while we talk?"

Cecilia raised her hand to call a waiter, opened the menu, and ordered a few dishes she liked. Then she passed it to a bewildered Daniels. "Order whatever you’d like, senior. It’s my treat today, so don’t be polite."

Sensing no malice in Cecilia’s attitude, Daniels didn’t seem resistant. She ordered a few dishes with practiced ease, looking like a regular at the restaurant.

Before Daniels could ask, Cecilia took the initiative. "Senior, before we talk, I want to say that our conversation today might be a bit forward. But I assure you, I mean you no harm. If anything I say makes you uncomfortable, please bear with me. I apologize in advance."

To Daniels, Cecilia’s gesture seemed rather inexplicable.

She frowned slightly. "Courtesy before combat?"

Cecilia chuckled and shook her head. "There will be no ’combat,’ I assure you. I just hope you can understand that my intention is not to hurt you."

Despite the brief exchange, Daniels seemed to have a premonition.

’Is this about Eugene Jacobs?!’

She knew Eugene Jacobs had a family and a child, and she also knew he had other women besides her.

Looking at Cecilia, whose looks were in no way inferior to her own, Daniels grew wary. ’Could she be one of them too...?’

As if reading her mind, Cecilia shook her head gently. "It’s not what you’re thinking, senior."

Daniels paused, her expression faltering, and lowered her gaze in slight embarrassment.

Cecilia didn’t mind Daniels’s speculation. Instead, she slowly took out a folder of organized documents and placed it in front of her.

"What’s this?" Daniels asked, confused.

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and said bluntly, "I know you’ve always wanted to study abroad at ETH Zurich and Delft University of Technology. Their architecture programs are top-tier in Occidenta. Your undergraduate GPA isn’t low, and you’ve met the score requirements for language tests like the IELTS and TOEFL. Aren’t you curious why you haven’t received an offer after all this time?"

"Why?"

Cecilia gestured toward the stack of documents with her chin. "This is a detailed list of study abroad applications to top architecture schools for the last three years. It’s not just ETH Zurich and Delft University of Technology; it also includes other renowned architecture programs like MIT, Cornell University, and Cambridge University. It has application information from students all over the world, but not a single one is from you, senior."

Cecilia spoke nonchalantly, but her words struck Daniels like a bolt of lightning.

"How is that possible? Impossible!" Daniels shook her head, clearly not believing Cecilia. "I’ve applied every year! The only reason I haven’t heard back is because my grades weren’t good enough. He said he would help me figure something out! He said he had a way!"

"I don’t know if he has a way or not, but the proof that he never applied to a single school for you is right in front of you," Cecilia said, staring into Daniels’s eyes and enunciating every word.

Daniels froze, her heart starting to race. The emotional turmoil was so intense that she felt a sense of numbness creeping over her body.

After a long moment, she slowly lowered her head to look at the thick stack of "proof" beside her hand, but for the longest time, she couldn’t summon the courage to pick it up and open it.