Chapter 676 - 672: Cecilia Sterling, Be a Decent Person

"Cecilia, seriously? Get real!" Julian Summers said with a look of utter disbelief. "I’m standing right here!"

"But you don’t have any money!"

Julian Summers: "..."

"Mr. Warner," Cecilia Sterling said, turning to him with a serious expression. "You want to sell this club. That won’t be a small sum, will it?"

Mr. Warner nodded lightly and glanced subconsciously at Julian Summers.

The Sullivan Group’s hotel business spanned the entire country, so they should be quite powerful. If Julian Summers wanted to make the acquisition, he felt it was a credible offer.

’But this Miss Sterling said he has no money?’

Noticing Mr. Warner’s glance, Cecilia Sterling knew what he was thinking. She let out a soft chuckle and said, "Mr. Warner, you don’t need to look at him. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to bite the bullet and acquire your club, but what happens after the acquisition?"

Cecilia Sterling looked at Julian Summers. "Hm?"

That one casual "Hm?" left Julian Summers momentarily stunned.

"But you can’t just swoop in and steal my deal like this! I haven’t even had a serious talk with Mr. Warner yet!" Julian Summers whined, looking aggrieved.

Cecilia Sterling’s expression turned serious. She patted Julian Summers on the shoulder. "I’m doing this for your own good. Calm down and think it over carefully."

Across from them, Mr. Warner blinked as he watched the two. He then glanced down at the time and said calmly, "How about this? Since you two are friends, you should discuss this properly. It makes no difference to me who I sell the club to. Whoever wants to buy it is welcome."

With that, he took out a business card and placed it on the table. "Call me when you’ve reached an agreement. But don’t make me wait too long."

Cecilia Sterling nodded and was about to reach for it, but Julian Summers snatched the card away first.

Seeing this, Cecilia Sterling gave a helpless smile. Only after Mr. Warner had left did she say, "I’m not trying to compete with you. I’m just advising you to act within your means. Don’t let an impulsive decision drag down the foundation of the group. The Sullivans’ annual report just barely started showing some improvement last year."

"Were you serious just now?" Julian Summers asked, looking at Cecilia Sterling suspiciously.

"Serious about what?"

"I mean, were you serious about acquiring this place?"

Cecilia Sterling raised an eyebrow. "Mm-hm. Unlike you, I have money."

Julian Summers: "..."

He got up, walked over to a nearby window, and started taking deep gulps of air to calm his anger.

Just watching him gasp for air, it looked like he was about to die of anger!

After a while, he composed himself and came back to sit down. With a reluctant and pridefully awkward expression, he tossed the business card onto the table. "Fine, you buy it then. You don’t even understand go-karts and you dare to take over a club? You’ll lose your shirt!"

Cecilia Sterling slowly picked up the business card. "So what if I lose money? I’m rich, after all."

"You..."

Julian Summers felt his chest tighten. He got up and walked back to the window to take deep breaths again.

Secretary Grant walked in, looking rather surprised. "Boss, what’s wrong with you?"

Cecilia Sterling waved a hand. "It’s nothing. He’s having an asthma attack."

"Huh?" Grant exclaimed in shock. "When did he get asthma?"

"Just now."

Word of this soon reached the others.

「In the premium track-side lounge.」

A few people sat in a row, watching a yellow go-kart that streaked across the track like a bolt of lightning.

He was driving as if to vent his anger.

"Cecilia, maybe you should just let him have it," Jane Sterling said, crossing her arms as she watched the racetrack. "You’re friends. Don’t let this ruin your relationship."

"He definitely knows the state of The Sullivans better than I do, and he knows better than I do whether he can actually acquire it," Cecilia Sterling said with a calm expression. "He’s not angry at me right now. He’s angry at himself for having an opportunity he can’t risk taking."

Julian Summers genuinely loved go-karting, and this was the best club in the country. The temptation was simply too great for him.

Giving it up was a real shame, but he was the chairman of The Sullivans now. He couldn’t act on a whim like a child anymore.

Blair glanced sideways at Cecilia Sterling, a meaningful look on her face. "Cecilia, this isn’t over, is it? I get the feeling you’ve got something else in mind."

Her words made Jane Sterling look over as well.

Cecilia Sterling couldn’t help but smile, but she nodded in admission. "He’s all worked up and hasn’t had time to think straight yet. Once he does, he’ll definitely come looking for me."

Jane Sterling frowned in confusion. "Looking for you? What for?"

But Blair understood. "To ask Cecilia to let him in on the deal."

"Ah..." Jane Sterling’s mouth fell open in realization. She looked at Cecilia and asked, "Cecilia, so you planned to include Julian Summers from the very beginning?"

Cecilia Sterling nodded. "This club’s business model is simple and mature, and its revenue is stable. As long as it’s managed steadily, it’s guaranteed to break even and turn a profit in a few years. So it really is a good project."

"Some time ago, I acquired a hotel from The Sullivans in the Sunstone District. When the policy for the district’s redevelopment and construction was announced, the value of that hotel instantly multiplied several times over in my hands. Even though I didn’t do anything wrong, now that we’re friends, I still feel a little bad about it."

"I promised him a while back that I’d bring him in on any good projects that came up. This is the perfect opportunity. It just so happens to be something he loves, so it’s right up his alley."

All these thoughts had formed in Cecilia Sterling’s mind the instant she learned the club was for sale. While she was intentionally teasing Julian Summers, the things she said to him were also based on sincere considerations.

Julian Summers really couldn’t come up with that much cash flow all at once.

SKRRRT—

The tires screeched against the ground as Julian Summers’s car came to a steady halt at the finish line.

Then, he was seen getting out of the car excitedly. Taking off his helmet as he ran, he rushed over to Cecilia Sterling. "Cecilia!"

Cecilia Sterling, chewing on her straw, watched him with a leisurely air. "Hm?"

"Are we friends or not?"

"I guess..."

"Tsk!" Julian Summers shot her a dissatisfied glare.

Cecilia Sterling quickly nodded. "We’re friends."

Julian Summers’s mouth split into a sycophantic grin. Sticking his butt out, he squeezed Blair aside and plopped himself down next to Cecilia Sterling.

Cecilia Sterling watched him with an amused smile as he said cheekily, "Look, we’re friends, right? And good friends should help each other for mutual benefit. I know more about go-karts than you, and I know the club’s business model inside and out. If we work together, this club will absolutely flourish. So, bring me in, we’ll go fifty-fifty, and that way I won’t have to put up so much money at once."

Cecilia Sterling said nothing, just stared intently at him.

Julian Summers watched her too. Seeing her lack of reaction, the smile on his face gradually stiffened.

Finally, his expression darkened. "Taking ten thousand steps back, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even know about this amazing project, right? A person’s got to have some gratitude, don’t they?"

Cecilia Sterling pursed her lips. "Isn’t ten thousand steps a little far to go back?"