Chapter 306 - 304: Alliance

"Do you know he has a family?"

Cecilia Sterling changed the subject, deciding not to provoke Daniels with the truth about the study abroad situation for now.

Daniels slowly raised her head and looked at Cecilia Sterling for a moment before nodding.

Cecilia Sterling asked again, "And you also know that he has other people besides you, right?"

Daniels nodded again.

She knew everything, and she didn’t care about any of it!

"I’m not with him for love, and I never thought about marrying him."

The rims of Daniels’s eyes were slightly red and her voice was choked with emotion. Although she was extremely upset, she didn’t cry, instead forcing herself to appear strong.

She took a deep breath, then turned to Cecilia Sterling and let out a cold laugh. "You know so much. It’s like I’m running naked in front of you. There’s no need for me to hide anything, is there?"

Cecilia Sterling sighed and said sincerely, "I had no intention of prying into your affairs, and I can also promise I won’t reveal anything about you. In fact, if you look at it from another perspective, finding out the truth sooner rather than later might not be a bad thing."

"To put it bluntly, we each just get what we want. It’s not that complicated."

"’Each getting what they want’ is just what you thought. You gave him what he needed, but has he delivered on his promises to you? Or is just giving you enough money considered fulfilling your needs?"

"Money is part of my needs," Daniels stated frankly. "And he gives me more than enough! Money is very important to me!"

Her directness was somewhat surprising to Cecilia Sterling.

What was even more surprising was when Daniels looked at her and suddenly said, "If you give me enough money, I can help you take him down too!"

"You think I want to take him down?"

"It’s not hard to guess. I understood the moment you brought out that file."

Upon hearing this, Cecilia Sterling’s lips curved into a smile. This had been her goal in approaching Daniels first. Because Daniels felt no love for Eugene Jacobs, only a financial dependence, she would be easier to turn to her side.

Because she had more money than Eugene Jacobs.

"If you’re willing to help me, I can try to sort out your study abroad situation," Cecilia Sterling said with a serious expression. "The money will be a separate matter. I’ll definitely give you more than he does."

"Really?"

Cecilia Sterling nodded readily. "You should choose to believe me. You’ll see my money right away, and I’ll do my best regarding your studies abroad. It’s more sincere than the years of lies Eugene Jacobs has been feeding you, isn’t it?"

At that moment, Daniels was genuinely tempted.

In truth, she had long been fed up with Eugene Jacobs, fed up with catering to him, fed up with his filthy body, and especially fed up with playing his "games."

If it weren’t for the money and the faint hope of studying at a prestigious university, she would have left him long ago.

"I want five million. If you agree, transfer sixty percent today to show me you’re serious. The rest after the job is done."

She had always been a very goal-oriented person. To leave Eugene Jacobs, she had to ensure she had enough wealth to fund her studies abroad herself. So, a flat "five million" was the ideal price in her mind.

She had expected Cecilia Sterling to consider it, or at least try to haggle.

She never expected Cecilia Sterling to immediately pull out her phone. "Add me on WhatsApp, then send me your account details."

Daniels was stunned for a moment. "You agree?"

"Of course. Do I have any reason to refuse?" Cecilia Sterling chuckled. "If I don’t agree, and you go back to Eugene Jacobs tonight and tell him about this, I’ll be completely exposed. All my previous efforts will have been for nothing."

"Besides, I came here today with the specific goal of getting you to work with me. So no matter what conditions you name, I won’t hesitate. I just want him utterly ruined and disgraced!"

After scanning Cecilia Sterling’s WhatsApp QR code, Daniels murmured, "Looks like I asked for too little. I should have asked for more."

"No rush. As long as you and I cooperate well, money isn’t an issue. Even if you run out of money while studying abroad later, you can always ask me for more. You’re willing to abandon Eugene Jacobs for me, so I’m willing to sponsor you."

Daniels shook her head, correcting Cecilia Sterling. "I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for the money, and even more so, for myself."

Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling shrugged. "It’s all the same to me."

As long as Daniels helped her, it was for her sake. Cecilia Sterling didn’t dwell on what Daniels truly thought.

Cecilia Sterling left first after the meal. Large bank transfers take some time to process. Daniels remained in the restaurant alone. She never opened the file, but she already knew that what Cecilia Sterling had said was true.

The surging hatred in her heart was slow to arrive, but it was here now. Daniels stared at the file and secretly clenched her fists. ’You damn dog,’ she thought, ’since you love being abused so much, this time I’ll make sure it really hurts!’

*

That afternoon, Cecilia Sterling’s phone rang constantly. Eugene Jacobs called her nonstop, but Cecilia intentionally didn’t answer. He then switched to sending text messages, asking if her lawyer had finished reviewing the contract and stressing that they absolutely had to sign it today to finalize their partnership.

But Cecilia Sterling continued to pretend she hadn’t seen them, giving no reply to his calls or texts.

Eugene Jacobs was like an ant on a hot pan. He was afraid Walter Lane would get angry and blame him, afraid Cecilia Sterling would back out, and even more afraid that another corporation would swoop in and snatch the deal.

And the more anxious he got, the more Cecilia Sterling seemed to have vanished into thin air.

It wasn’t until almost seven in the evening that his frantic, non-stop calls finally got a response.

"Hello? Miss Sterling? Why haven’t you been answering my calls? You’re not replying to my texts either? Didn’t we agree to sign the contract today?"

The moment the call connected, Eugene Jacobs’s voice came through, a question laced with barely suppressed anger.

Even if he didn’t dare offend Cecilia Sterling, it was impossible to completely hide the resentment from having made hundreds of calls and sent dozens of texts all afternoon.

But from the other end of the line came Cecilia Sterling’s drowsy voice. "Mr. Jacobs? Yes, we did agree on today, didn’t we? It’s only seven P.M. now. There are still five hours until the day is over. What’s the rush?"

Hearing her voice, Eugene Jacobs was taken aback for a moment. "Miss Sterling, you weren’t sleeping, were you?"

"Mhm, I was out all night with friends. I just woke up."

Eugene Jacobs felt a surge of rage and nearly choked on it.

But in the end, he suppressed his emotions and asked in a pleasant tone, "Well, Miss Sterling, shall we set a place to meet? You must be hungry after sleeping all day. I can treat you to dinner."

"Dinner won’t be necessary. Let me ask my lawyer where he is, and I’ll send you an address in a bit."

The moment he heard Cecilia Sterling agree to meet so readily instead of brushing him off, the knot of anxiety in Eugene Jacobs’s chest instantly dissolved. He nodded hastily and agreed, "Great, great, no problem. I’ll wait for your message, Miss Sterling."

Soon, Eugene Jacobs’s phone received a message from Cecilia Sterling: "Atheria Platinum Hotel, Room 2607."

Eugene Jacobs was very familiar with this hotel, as he often met his lovers here for trysts.

But right now, he didn’t think much of it. After receiving the message, he immediately got up and headed out, focused only on getting the contract signed as quickly as possible.