Chapter 419 - 415: Setting Up a Connection

"Sis!"

Ethan Sterling was surprised to see his sister. Across from him, Renee Reid and Jameson Stone turned around at the same time. Seeing Ethan’s sister arrive, they quickly stood up and greeted her. "Hello!"

Cecilia Sterling smiled and nodded. "Hello."

She had met her brother’s two friends before and had a good impression of them.

"Miss Sterling, is this your brother?"

President Sanders, standing to the side, asked casually. Cecilia Sterling nodded just as Ethan spoke up, "Sis, I used that card you gave me today. It was the first time."

"Use it however you want. I gave it to you so you could use it." Cecilia Sterling still had business to attend to, so she turned to Renee Reid and Jameson Stone. "Whatever you want to eat or do, just let Ethan arrange it for you. Don’t be shy."

"Thank you."

"Well, you all have fun," Cecilia Sterling said, then turned to President Sanders. "President Sanders, shall we go inside?"

Then, as Ethan and his friends watched, Cecilia Sterling and President Sanders were led by a staff member into the very private room they had just complained was too big.

"Ethan, your sister is so good to you," Jameson Stone said with a touch of envy as he snapped out of his daze.

Ethan immediately raised an eyebrow. "Of course! My sister spoils me the most!"

Inside the private room, the massive round table separated Cecilia Sterling and President Sanders on opposite sides. However, both were quite accustomed to such dining environments, so they didn’t find it awkward.

Cecilia Sterling took the initiative and said generously, "President Sanders, you must be a regular at Aetherium. Please, order whatever you like today. It’s on me."

"Oh, Miss Sterling, if you need help with something, of course I’d be more than willing. But inviting me to a private meal like this... it makes me a little uneasy," President Sanders said, voicing his concerns in a lighthearted, joking tone.

It was true that his business was quite successful, but the industries he was involved in were limited. He was afraid that whatever Cecilia Sterling asked, he wouldn’t be able to help.

Cecilia could naturally read between the lines. She smiled and said, "Don’t worry, President Sanders. I do have something to ask of you today, but it’s definitely not anything that will put you in a difficult position."

This reassurance put most of President Sanders’s worries to rest.

After they finished ordering, President Sanders couldn’t wait any longer. "Miss Sterling, please speak freely. Let’s put everything on the table now, so I can enjoy this meal with peace of mind."

"Alright!"

Cecilia didn’t beat around the bush. She immediately took out a file on The Crimson Hotel in the Sunstone District and placed it on the lazy Susan. It automatically spun to President Sanders. He picked it up curiously. "Miss Sterling, what’s this?"

Cecilia looked at him and said directly, "President Sanders, your group is a leader in the hotel industry, so you must know a lot about it. I’d like to ask if you’re familiar with The Crimson Hotel mentioned in this file."

As she spoke, President Sanders was already looking at the file. After a moment, his expression shifted slightly as he nodded. "I know this hotel. It’s a property of the Sullivan family. I guess you could say the current owner’s father and I were old friends. We were competitors back in the day, but old Sullivan passed away many years ago."

As he spoke, President Sanders looked puzzled. "Miss Sterling, why are you suddenly asking about this hotel? As far as I know, its current business operations are in a terrible state; it’s been losing money for a long time. Not too long ago, I even heard a friend of mine mention wanting to fund an acquisition."

"Or are you actually interested in the Sullivan family, Miss Sterling?"

"Not really. I’m not curious about the Sullivan family. It’s just that your friend and I have the same idea—I also want to acquire this hotel. I was looking for a direct way to get in touch with the owner, and that’s why I thought of troubling you, President Sanders. It seems I came to the right person."

Hearing this, President Sanders smiled, his heart instantly relaxing. If it was just this small favor, it would be no trouble at all for him.

However, that clearly wasn’t the main point he’d heard. He was still stunned, asking, "Acquire The Crimson Hotel?"

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and nodded.

President Sanders didn’t quite understand. He could see why his friend was interested—that friend was short on capital and could only afford to take on a mess like this. But even then, it was just an idea; they probably hadn’t even spoken to the owners yet.

But Cecilia was different. With the kind of capital she had, why would she even look at The Crimson Hotel?

"Miss Sterling, please don’t think I’m being nosy, but I definitely know a thing or two about the hotel industry." President Sanders hesitated for a moment before deciding to lay things out for Cecilia. "The Crimson Hotel was actually quite decent in the past, especially since there weren’t many star-rated hotels in the Sunstone District to begin with. The Crimson used to be a four-star hotel."

"But later, because of all sorts of issues within the Sullivan family, the hotel’s management and renovations fell behind. It lost its star rating a long time ago. Now, it’s a mid-range business hotel at best."

"Personally, I don’t think this project has much of a future. Even if you acquire it, Miss Sterling, and spend a fortune on renovations and re-rating—even if you get it up to five stars—the return on investment is a distant uncertainty. Especially in a relatively remote area like the Sunstone District, I’m afraid you’d have to sink more money into another renovation before you even break even."

The hotel industry is incredibly competitive right now, especially among star-rated hotels.

"If you’re interested in the hotel industry, Miss Sterling, my company is actually looking to offload two hotels in the Ashford district. If nothing else, those two were just renovated the year before last, their locations are much better, and they’d be a lot less trouble than the Sullivan family’s Crimson."

President Sanders wasn’t trying to steal the deal; he was being completely serious about this.

Cecilia listened with a smile until President Sanders had finished, then she spoke slowly. "Thank you for telling me so much, President Sanders. I can tell you’re looking out for my best interests. However, the points you’ve raised aren’t my primary concern."

"Uh..." President Sanders was taken aback, not quite understanding.

Cecilia said with a smile, "In any case, I came to you today, President Sanders, hoping you could help me get in touch with The Crimson’s current owner. If you can help facilitate my acquisition of The Crimson, I will certainly have to thank you properly."

President Sanders slowly came to his senses. He had to admit, though he’d only met Cecilia two or three times, her way of doing things and her unusual thought process always left him baffled.

But no matter what, this was a small favor he certainly had to grant. Besides, he would earn a favor from Miss Sterling for free—why wouldn’t he do it?

Meanwhile, Ethan and his friends were feasting in the main hall, having the time of their lives.

"So? Not bad, right?"

Seeing Renee Reid and Jameson Stone eating with such gusto, Ethan couldn’t help but ask, his eyes sparkling, looking for all the world like he was fishing for a compliment.

Jameson Stone nodded repeatedly, and Renee Reid didn’t hold back her praise. "It’s delicious. Better than any other restaurant I’ve ever eaten at."

"If you like it, I’ll bring you guys again."

"This one time is enough," Jameson Stone said. "Renee and I are just happy we got to experience a restaurant like this ahead of time. If there’s a next time, it’ll be because we earned our own way in. We can’t just be leeches, clinging to you forever!"

Renee Reid nodded in complete agreement, then looked at Ethan and said, "Next time, it’ll be our treat!"