Chapter 308 - 306: The Storm Will Only Grow Fiercer

Cecilia Sterling feigned shock, but inwardly, she was ecstatic.

With everything stirred into a chaotic mess, she had to take advantage of the situation.

Just then, Yves Quincy, the lawyer Cecilia Sterling had called for assistance, stepped out of the hotel elevator. He wasn’t clear on the specifics; Miss Sterling had simply said she needed his help, so he had come.

Upon seeing Yves Quincy, Cecilia Sterling deliberately raised her voice and called out, "Lawyer Quincy!"

"Miss Sterling!"

Yves Quincy walked over, looking completely bewildered by the inexplicable drama unfolding before him. "What’s going on here? Do you need my help?"

With a troubled expression, Cecilia Sterling gently shook her head. "I’m not sure myself. It looks like things have gotten a bit complicated."

When Eugene Jacobs saw the lawyer had arrived, he couldn’t be bothered with anything else. He roared at the two women chattering incessantly beside him, "That’s enough! I really came here to discuss business today! Can you two stop making a scene?!"

His shout actually stunned the two boisterous women into a momentary silence. Seizing the opportunity, Eugene Jacobs rushed over to Cecilia Sterling. "Miss Sterling, I’m so sorry. This is all a misunderstanding. Why don’t we go to the lounge area to talk?"

Cecilia Sterling raised a hand in a resigned gesture, cutting him off. "Mr. Jacobs, I think it’s best if you handle your personal affairs first. As for our collaboration, I believe we’ll need to re-evaluate the matter entirely."

Before Eugene Jacobs could respond, Cecilia Sterling turned directly to Yves Quincy. "My apologies for making you come all this way for nothing, Lawyer Quincy. Let’s go."

Yves Quincy had no idea what was happening, but he nodded anyway.

Eugene Jacobs grew frantic. "Miss Sterling! Miss Sterling, please don’t let my personal issues get in the way of such an important partnership! Look, you even brought your lawyer. Signing the contract won’t take long at all!"

His expression was desperate, sweat beading on his forehead.

A man as refined as him had never looked so pathetic.

Her path blocked, Cecilia Sterling had no choice but to stop. She stared at Eugene Jacobs for a long moment before saying softly, "But I now believe there are issues with your personal conduct, Mr. Jacobs. Your moral character appears to be flawed. I will need to give our potential partnership much more careful consideration."

"I had intended to sign the contract with your company today. It’s a shame it’s come to this."

Her words were the final blow. Eugene Jacobs felt his world come crashing down.

"Excuse me." After uttering those two final words with a frosty expression, Cecilia Sterling sidestepped the stunned Eugene Jacobs and strode quickly out of the hotel.

As Yves Quincy brushed past him, he shot the man a disdainful look.

It was only then that Sienna Bowman and Yvette Sawyer belatedly realized they had truly sabotaged something important for Eugene Jacobs.

But it was also true that he was a cheating, deceitful bastard.

For a moment, the two women were torn by complex emotions—one second, they were filled with resentment and anger toward Eugene Jacobs; the next, a sliver of guilt would surface.

"A contract worth over two hundred thousand..."

Eugene Jacobs slowly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot with fury as he glared at them. "A contract worth over two hundred thousand!" he seethed through clenched teeth. "Are you two out of your minds?!"

"Get out!"

"Get out of my sight right now! And don’t ever let me see either of you again!"

Sienna Bowman had a fiery personality, and any shred of guilt she felt vanished at Eugene Jacobs’s final words. With a look that said she’d seen his true colors, she nodded. "Fine. I’ll just consider the last three years of my life completely fucking wasted."

With that, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.

Yvette Sawyer, who loved him more deeply and had a gentler nature, still foolishly hoped to salvage the situation. She stepped forward, reaching for his hand. "Eugene..."

"Get out!"

Eugene Jacobs bellowed, the veins on his temples bulging with rage. The sudden outburst made Yvette Sawyer flinch and stumble two steps back.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she ran out, sobbing from the humiliation.

Cecilia Sterling was immensely satisfied with how everything had unfolded today. Every step and every bit of timing had been perfectly, exquisitely planned.

And today’s events were merely an appetizer. The coming storm would be far more tempestuous.

Walter Lane had been waiting for good news from Eugene Jacobs all day. When ten o’clock at night rolled around and he still hadn’t received a call, he couldn’t resist calling to ask what was going on.

"What? You didn’t get the signature? You failed again?"

Furious at the result, Walter Lane raged, "Didn’t you swear to me this time was a sure thing? Is this the result you give me? And to think I had such high hopes for you!"

"Chairman, please calm down. There was... an unexpected incident. Everything had been going smoothly until then."

"I don’t want to hear excuses! I only want to see results. If you can’t handle this, then get out of my way, and I’ll give the job to someone else!"

"I understand, Chairman. But even though we didn’t get her signature, none of the other groups have made a move either. We still have a chance! Today was truly just an accident!"

Walter Lane grew wary. "She hasn’t found out you’re with the Lane Group, has she?"

"Impossible. She’s never met me before and never showed any suspicion about my identity."

"So, the incident today was caused by your own mistake?"

Eugene Jacobs paused, his chest tightening with frustration. In the end, he had no choice but to admit it. "Yes, Chairman. It was my fault. I’m sorry."

Walter Lane took a long breath, trying to calm his emotions.

He truly valued Eugene Jacobs, whose competence had always been reliable. This was the first time he’d made so many mistakes.

But it was a major project, and some setbacks were to be expected.

While Walter Lane tried to console himself, he gave Eugene Jacobs an ultimatum. "I’ll let it slide once, maybe twice, but not a third time. This is your last chance. If you can’t get this contract signed, you know the consequences. Even if I don’t fire you, you can forget about ever getting a seat on the board!"

Hearing he had one more chance, Eugene Jacobs felt a wave of relief and repeatedly promised he would not let the Chairman down again.

When Cecilia Sterling returned to campus, she passed the small athletic field on the west side and saw Blair live-streaming from a distance. A crowd of students was sitting on the surrounding stone steps, watching her.

Estelle was among them.

"Why is she still broadcasting? It’s already ten!"

Cecilia Sterling walked over and sat down, startling Estelle.

"Why are you back so late?" Estelle asked reflexively.

"I had dinner with a friend."

’After making Lawyer Quincy come all this way for nothing, the least I could do was buy him dinner, especially since I might need his help again in the future.’

Estelle nodded and looked toward Blair in the distance. Many students at Lorcain Tech did part-time live-streaming; some broadcast from their dorms, others from the athletic fields. There were singers and dancers, and every night, the fields were still bustling with activity.

"Blair said her agency adjusted her streaming schedule. The peak viewership is higher at night than during the day, so she doesn’t stream in the morning anymore. She’s consolidated her hours to stream at night until eleven, right before the dorms lock up."

The mention of the agency made Cecilia Sterling suddenly remember. "Weren’t they supposed to assign her a professional team? Did they?"

Estelle shook her head. "Not yet. I guess it’s not something that happens overnight."