Chapter 612 - 608: This Is an Investment

Cecilia Sterling looked at Gideon Kent and Owen Lawson again, asking with mock seriousness, "From today on, my brother is the owner of this unit in Solara Tower. Any more questions?"

Questions?

Gideon Kent and Owen Lawson had more than just questions; they were starting to have an existential crisis.

Ethan Sterling was forming a school team.

And his sister bought a training facility for him—over two hundred square meters—right here in Solara Tower?

Seeing their flabbergasted expressions, Cecilia Sterling let out a disdainful smirk before leading her brother away to sign the contract with property management.

"Captain, did Ethan Sterling’s sister really just buy this place?" Owen Lawson murmured, still unable to process what had just happened.

It wasn’t just the astronomical price of the property, but the sheer shock of Cecilia’s words and actions.

She bought it because her brother wanted to start a team.

And she’d announced it with the same casual tone someone would use to buy a hot dog.

It was just...

So unbelievably casual!

It happened so fast, they were completely caught off guard!

No one was ready for it—except for Ethan’s sister.

And just like that, it was done. She’d bought it!

Meanwhile, they had to agonize over buying a single skin in a video game!

Gideon Kent was calmer than Owen Lawson. Though he was just as shocked internally, he knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

"We have more important things to consider right now," Gideon said in a low voice.

Owen Lawson turned to him, confused. "Like what?"

Gideon’s expression was grim, his thin lips pressed together in thought before he spoke. "Ethan Sterling is forming a second campus team for Lorcain U. You’ve seen his skills firsthand. If he gets a team together, do you think there’ll be any place left for us?"

There wasn’t a rule against a university having more than one esports team. Two strong teams could naturally coexist.

But if the skill gap between them was too wide, would there be any point for the weaker team to even exist?

"I don’t know about that," Owen Lawson retorted, trying to sound tougher than he felt. "Just because he’s good doesn’t mean his team will be better than ours. Besides, you know the talent pool in our school’s Esports Club. He’ll have a hard time finding other players good enough to compete in the league."

"We can’t get complacent. I want everyone to reach out to their friends in the Esports Club. Spread the word. We can’t let Ethan Sterling get a team together."

Owen Lawson nodded. "Got it. I’ll do as you say."

In the property management office, Ethan Sterling’s heart leaped into his throat when he saw the price on the contract. He tugged on his sister’s arm, hesitating. "Sis, this is too expensive. Maybe we should just forget it?"

"Expensive? What’s expensive about it? I have more than this in loose change rattling in my pocket when I sneeze!" Cecilia Sterling forcefully shoved the pen into her brother’s hand. "Sign it!"

Ethan held the pen and looked at his sister, his heart and eyes overflowing with gratitude.

Cecilia smiled gently at her brother. "Don’t feel bad about the money. My biggest problem right now is having too much of it!"

That one sentence was enough to make Ethan Sterling laugh.

He signed his name on the contract, and the property management staff would take care of all the remaining paperwork.

As they left the office, Ethan turned to his sister and said sincerely, "Sis, thank you."

He truly hadn’t expected his sister to buy the place for him.

"Don’t thank me. I’m making an investment," Cecilia said, looking back at her brother. "Didn’t you ask me to be your team’s investor?"

Ethan nodded eagerly.

"Well, there you go," Cecilia said with a gentle smile, casually draping an arm over his shoulder. "I might not know anything about esports, but I believe in you. So, you need to give it your all. Since you love this and you want to do it, then work to be the best. Once you make a name for yourself, I’ll get my return on investment, won’t I?"

Those few simple words not only put Ethan’s mind at ease but also ignited his fighting spirit.

"Don’t worry, Sis. I won’t let you down!"

"Of course you won’t," Cecilia said, her gaze soft as she looked at her brother. "Because I could never be disappointed in you. Never."

"Sis..." Ethan was so moved he couldn’t help but pull her into a tight hug. "I’m so lucky to have you."

A gentle expression on her face, Cecilia softly patted her brother’s back.

’When I first came back, I was always thinking about how to change my family’s fate. But in the end, my sister still went into showbiz and became an actress, Mom is still working, and my brother still ended up on the path of pro-gaming.’

’But it’s all within my control. While I haven’t built some major corporation and paraded my success in front of the world, I much prefer this feeling of pulling the strings from behind the scenes.’

’I can even date a little on the side and live my own life.’

’Everything is just perfect.’

The siblings sat down under a parasol at a sidewalk café. Cecilia’s phone lit up with a new WhatsApp message.

She glanced at it, and the corners of her lips immediately curled into a smile.

It was from Emeric Grant.

"Cecilia, are you free next Tuesday? I want to take you on a date!"

’I want to take you on a date.’ Reading those words, Cecilia automatically pictured Emeric Grant’s face, and her mood instantly lifted.

’How cute.’

’It’s that earnest sort of sex appeal. I’m totally into it!’

Seeing the dreamy smile that suddenly appeared on his sister’s face, Ethan couldn’t help but ask, "Sis, are you not in touch with Wyatt Sherman anymore?"

Cecilia met her brother’s serious gaze, pursed her lips, and nodded.

"Did the novelty wear off?"

Cecilia paused for a beat, then waved her phone, half-joking. "It’s not that the novelty wore off. It’s that someone more handsome showed up!"

"Huh?" Ethan was stunned. "But..."

He was speechless. His sister’s answer was just too shocking.

Cecilia was, of course, only kidding. Seeing his reaction, she quickly explained, "Silly goose, I’m just teasing you. There was a reason, of course!"

Given that Wyatt Sherman was Ethan’s senior at Lorcain U and they were bound to run into each other, Cecilia decided she should explain the whole situation. She recounted the events to her brother as if telling a story.

"And that’s what happened. If his mother hadn’t suddenly interfered, he and I would probably be together by now," Cecilia said calmly.

’And I probably would have already experienced that ’talent’ Wyatt was always so confident about.’

’Grad school applications and parental disapproval.’

Ethan felt he understood his sister a little better now. "Okay, I get it, Sis. You’re so carefree. It seems like matters of the heart never get to you, not even when you broke up with Saul Thorne..."

Cecilia smiled. "When it comes to romance, if it’s not working, move on to the next one. Don’t waste time."

"When it comes to romance, I can be invested, but I never get attached. That’s why it doesn’t affect me."

Those words were a bit too profound for Ethan—and far too ahead of his time.

He’d never even been in a relationship, so of course he couldn’t grasp the wisdom behind his sister’s words.

But a moment later, his sister looked at him tenderly and said, "But you’re different from me. I believe you’ll meet a good girl who will truly love you. When that happens, you have to cherish her."