Chapter 675 - 671: He Can’t, but I Can

Cecilia Sterling and Henry Bailey saw the two of them off at the security checkpoint.

"Sis, you can head back. I’ll message you on WhatsApp when I land."

Helen White also waved goodbye to her father, then was the first to walk through the security gate.

"What a coincidence, my dad actually knows your sister!" Helen White couldn’t help but exclaim, then looked at Ethan Sterling and asked, "Is your English good?"

"It’s okay. What about you?"

"Mine’s not bad either. But I’m really looking forward to this. The last time I went to Occidenta was years ago. This is my first time going without my parents—just thinking about it is exciting!"

As Ethan Sterling watched her, he could vaguely sense the rebellious energy bubbling up inside her.

’She... she’s not still going through puberty, is she?’

Outside the airport, after Cecilia Sterling and Henry Bailey parted ways, she drove straight to the Go-Kart Club. It was rare for everyone to be free on the same day.

At the entrance to the club, Cecilia saw a familiar figure pacing around outside from a distance.

"Ronald!"

Cecilia called out. Hearing his name, Ronald turned around. "Sis!"

"Why aren’t you going in?"

"I couldn’t find the door..." Ronald scratched his head sheepishly, his nose red from the cold. "I thought I’d come to the wrong place."

Cecilia looped her arm through his and led him toward the main entrance. "Remember this entrance. If you’re interested, I’ll get you a membership card later. You can come hang out whenever you want. It’s a great way to de-stress."

"Thanks, Sis."

The temperature instantly warmed up as they went inside.

"Darling!"

Estelle Goodman, who had arrived first, threw herself at Cecilia the moment she saw her. "I thought Blair would be the first one here."

"They aren’t here yet?"

Estelle pointed upstairs. "Julian’s up there. Seems like he’s discussing something important. The others haven’t arrived."

As she spoke, she looked curiously at Ronald, who was standing beside Cecilia. Since it was her first time meeting him, her curiosity was piqued. "This handsome guy is tall. Who is he?"

At six-foot-three, Ronald stood there like a telephone pole.

"My younger brother—well, my cousin from my aunt’s side."

Cecilia made the introductions, then glanced at the stairs. "Should we head up to the second floor?"

Estelle shook her head with a sweet smile. "You go on up. I’m waiting for someone!"

Cecilia rolled her eyes. Estelle was obviously waiting for that young, hotshot coach of hers. The two of them had been stringing each other along for half a year with no real progress.

She had no idea what Estelle was up to.

Without asking any more questions, Cecilia took Ronald up to the second floor.

Ronald looked around curiously. The club’s glass structure allowed a clear view of the racetrack outside, and Ronald found it all new and fascinating.

"Sis, is this hard to do?"

"Not at all. In a bit, I’ll find a coach to teach you. You’ll pick it up in no time."

Ronald was getting a little excited and nodded eagerly.

In the spacious second-floor lounge, Cecilia came face-to-face with Secretary Grant, who was just walking out.

"Miss Sterling!" Secretary Grant smiled and greeted her. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year to you too, Secretary Grant. Where’s Mr. Sullivan?"

"He’s inside talking business with the club’s owner. I was just going to get them some water. Would you like anything to drink, Miss Sterling?"

Cecilia glanced at Ronald and said, "A Coke for my cousin, please. Can I go in?"

"Of course. Please, go ahead."

So, Cecilia led Ronald into the lounge. In the distance, she saw Julian Summers and another middle-aged man sitting and chatting in a corner.

"Ronald, have a seat here for a moment. I’m going to go say hi to a friend."

Before Cecilia could even get close, Julian Summers spotted her. A smile immediately spread across his face. "Cecilia!"

His voice made the middle-aged man turn to look as well.

"Secretary Grant said you were in a meeting. I just came over to say hi!"

But Julian Summers grabbed her by the arm. "Don’t go yet. You should hear this too. Mr. Warner, let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Cecilia, a hidden giant in Lorcain’s investment scene."

"This is Mr. Warner, the owner of the club. You haven’t met him before, have you?"

Cecilia shook her head and politely extended her hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Warner. I’m Cecilia Sterling."

Julian Summers excitedly pulled Cecilia down to sit, which couldn’t help but make her curious. "What are you guys talking about?"

Julian gave a mysterious smile and lowered his voice. "Mr. Warner doesn’t want to run this club anymore. He’s moving on to other business ventures, so he wants to sell it."

"And you want to take it over?" Cecilia asked subconsciously.

Her question hit the nail on the head. His eyes widened as he nodded. "Exactly! I want to take it over!"

Cecilia’s brow furrowed. She instinctively wanted to blurt out her opposition, but she held her tongue.

"So what’s the status on that?" Cecilia asked tentatively.

Julian and Mr. Warner exchanged a look, and then Julian said, "We’re just getting started. I’ve expressed my intent to acquire it."

Cecilia subconsciously glanced out the window at the racetrack.

Although the Go-Kart Club’s location was relatively remote, its grounds were enormous. The various levels of tracks alone took up a huge plot of land. Buying it outright would cost an astronomical sum.

And Cecilia was certain that Julian hadn’t done any due diligence or looked into the situation at all. He wanted to take it over purely because he liked it himself!

"Mr. Warner, why sell it when it’s doing so well? From what I understand, this is one of the top go-kart clubs in the country. Its annual revenue is in the millions of dollars!"

Mr. Warner glanced at Cecilia, then at Julian. Noticing that Julian was also looking at him, he turned his gaze back to Cecilia before speaking. "Because a new investment trend is emerging, and I want to get into a different business. This club is stable, but it’s ultimately ’dead.’ No matter how much you put into it, there’s a ceiling."

Businessmen are all greedy. Everyone wants to make money with money.

And with a new trend on the horizon, anyone with a sharp sense wouldn’t want to miss out.

Mr. Warner didn’t spell it out, partly to keep his cards close to his chest with Julian and Cecilia. But Cecilia understood his meaning instantly.

"You’re planning to invest in the Sunstone District, aren’t you, Mr. Warner?"

Mr. Warner was taken aback. His initial, slightly dismissive attitude toward Cecilia instantly corrected itself. "It seems everyone knows about it."

’If everyone knows, it must be the right move!’

"I’ve invested a bit there myself. To be honest, Mr. Warner, it’s a little late to be getting in now," Cecilia said bluntly.

"You don’t have to worry about that. I have a partner who got in early. I’m just tagging along to get a piece of the action."

Cecilia raised an eyebrow and nodded. Julian couldn’t wait to ask, "Cecilia, what do you think about me acquiring this club? Didn’t you just say its revenue is stable?"

Cecilia shot him a look and scoffed. "I think it’s a terrible idea!"

"Why not?"

"How much money do you have? How much can you cough up to acquire a go-kart club this big? Where’s your cash flow coming from? Doesn’t your family’s hotel business need a stable line of capital? If even one tiny thing goes wrong, the entire Sullivans’ group will be implicated. Are you trying to bankrupt your family?"

Cecilia’s soul-crushing interrogation left Julian completely stunned.

And just as Julian was reeling, Cecilia turned to Mr. Warner with a charming smile. "Mr. Warner, he can’t do it. But I can. Sell it to me!"

Julian: ?