Chapter 454 - 450: Could It Be... She Has People in High Places?

Upon hearing that, Cecilia Sterling put down her phone and reminded her brother, "No matter what, if you run into something like this at school again, remember that your top priority is to make sure you don’t get hurt, especially when you’re outnumbered."

Young people these days could be reckless when they got into fights. Her biggest worry was that her brother would be the one to get hurt.

"I know that, Sis. Discretion is the better part of valor, right?"

Cecilia nodded. "But if you do get bullied, you have to tell me. If I find out you’ve been hiding it from me, I’ll deal with you too!"

Ethan Sterling pouted at that. "Wyatt Sherman is your spy now. What could I possibly hide from you?"

"Good, as long as you know!"

Just then, Cecilia’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and froze, quickly making a hushing gesture at her brother. Ethan Sterling saw it and nodded.

Cecilia quickly answered the call, her tone becoming respectful. "Mr. Jennings."

"Cecilia," Randall Jennings’s voice on the other end was warm and friendly. "Are you in Lorcain these days?"

"I am. I’ve been in Lorcain this whole time," Cecilia answered honestly, then asked, "Mr. Jennings, was there something you needed?"

Randall Jennings chuckled. "It’s nothing too important. I just wanted to ask if you’d be interested in attending a charity event for the Jandon Charity Fund."

’An event for the Jandon Charity Fund?’

’Isn’t that Mr. Jennings’s Jandon Group?’

Cecilia’s heart skipped a beat as she quickly understood his kind intentions. The people invited to an event hosted by the Jandon Group were the crème de la crème of high society.

"It’s an honor that you’d ask me, Mr. Jennings. Of course I’m interested," Cecilia said quickly.

Seeing how readily Cecilia agreed, Randall Jennings said directly, "Great. I’ll have someone send you two invitation cards later. You can bring your mother with you. Isn’t she starting a business in Lorcain, too? An event like this will be very helpful for her."

"I’ll thank you on my mother’s behalf, Mr. Jennings."

After hanging up, Ethan Sterling couldn’t help but lean in curiously. "Sis, who was that? Why did it sound like it involved our mom?"

While searching for information on the Jandon Charity Foundation on her phone to learn more, Cecilia explained to her brother, "Mr. Jennings. Do you remember him?"

"You mean that really impressive Mr. Jennings who came to our house last year and walked in on Grandma setting Mom up on a blind date?"

Cecilia smiled and nodded.

Ethan Sterling said in surprise, "I didn’t realize you were still in touch."

"We always have been. Every time our aunt sends us things from Veridia, I send a portion to Mr. Jennings. They’re not expensive gifts, but it’s the thought that counts. After all, for someone of his status, nothing is really considered valuable."

"Besides, Mom’s cleaning company has been flooded with orders lately, and its performance has skyrocketed. Mr. Jennings helped a lot with that. He’s always remembered the kindness Mom showed him when she saved him, so he helps us whenever he can, without any hesitation."

Take this event, for example. Given the size of her mother’s company, she probably would have never had the chance to attend such a high-class event.

The same went for her. Even though she was making waves in Lorcain’s investment circles and had substantial personal assets, this wasn’t the kind of event you could get into just by having money.

Of course, if she really wanted to go, she could have found a way. The connections she’d built up in Lorcain over the past year were more than enough. But a personal invitation from Mr. Jennings was something else entirely.

Very few people probably had the privilege of being personally invited by Randall Jennings.

The search page displayed information about the Jandon Charity Fund.

The charity event was held annually, raising funds through auctions and benefit performances. The Jandon Group’s foundation would then take the lead in ensuring the funds were put to good use the following year.

Last year’s event raised over twelve thousand dollars, but in the year that followed, the Jandon Charity Fund spent a total of over fifty thousand dollars on charitable causes. In other words, the rest of the funds came from the Jandon Group itself.

Furthermore, the foundation’s website had detailed records of how all previous donations were used. The foundation had been established after Randall Jennings took over the Jandon Group, and given his character, Cecilia was certain this charity was the real deal.

"A charity event?"

After receiving the invitation, Jasmine Sterling stared in surprise at her name, which was clearly engraved on it.

Wendy Duncan reached for it and took a closer look. "It is. My husband gets one every year, and we donate every year. This is a good thing, Jasmine. And since it’s a personal invitation from Chairman Jennings, you really should go."

Jasmine Sterling was still a bit bewildered. "But I’ve never been to an event like this before."

"What does that matter? Attending a Jandon Group event is one thing for charity, but it’s another for expanding your network. The reason the rich get richer is that they all stick together. This kind of occasion is an opportunity for you to integrate into a new social class. That’s clearly Chairman Jennings’s intention," Wendy Duncan explained.

Cecilia, sitting to the side, nodded. "Mrs. Duncan is right. Mr. Jennings really is doing this for our own good. Mom, you don’t have to be nervous. I’ll be there too, I’ll be with you."

With her daughter there, Jasmine Sterling naturally felt a lot more at ease, but she couldn’t help but still feel the pressure.

"This means we’ll owe Mr. Jennings another favor."

Wendy Duncan laughed at that. "You, you just overthink things. In the business world, owing favors is the last thing you should be afraid of. There are plenty of opportunities to pay them back. Relationships deepen through this kind of give-and-take."

Cecilia added, "Besides, it’s a charity event. We can make a generous donation, which would be our way of supporting Mr. Jennings’s event. Just think of it as doing a good deed."

Reassured by this, Jasmine Sterling instantly felt much more relaxed. "Right. I can do charity. That’s a good thing."

Meanwhile, the people Walter Lane had sent to investigate the recent situation in the Sunstone District quickly gave him their feedback.

"What?"

He couldn’t help but exclaim as he listened to the report on the phone, shooting up from the sofa.

Seeing this, Mrs. Lane, who was beside him, quickly reminded him with concern, "Oh, be careful. You just recovered from your illness."

Walter Lane ignored her, walking over to the French windows with the phone still in hand and continuing his question, "You said, Cecilia Sterling?"

The person on the other end of the line gave an affirmative reply. "From what we know so far, ninety percent of the newly traded factories, large properties, and land parcels in the Sunstone District over the past few months have ended up in the hands of someone named Cecilia Sterling. According to incomplete statistics, it’s approximately fifty properties!"

Fifty properties!

’How much cash flow would that take?’

And to act so quickly and decisively... Walter Lane didn’t even have to think hard to know that this Cecilia Sterling must have gotten wind of something in advance.

’Could it be... she has someone on the inside?’

’Connections even more complex and deep than his?’