Chapter 682 - 678: It’s All Cecilia Sterling’s

The staff member’s words left Cecilia Sterling momentarily confused, and she instinctively glanced at Elvira Underwood.

Elvira Underwood, not knowing the specifics of the situation, thought she had made a mistake and instantly grew tense. "Boss, they just asked about the current status of Genesis Park."

Cecilia, still puzzled, looked at the official and asked, "Is there a problem?"

’I’ve been waiting for this day,’ she thought. ’This industrial park is the largest real estate asset I currently hold. If the government expropriates it, I’ll make a fortune. I can’t afford for anything to go wrong.’

"It’s like this," one of the men began to explain. "Genesis Park currently has a large number of tenants, all of which are active companies. As your manager just mentioned, there are large, medium, and small businesses, involving more than ten thousand employees in total."

"As you can see, Genesis Park is essentially a massive economic body. It not only involves hundreds of companies in Sunstone District but also affects the employment of over ten thousand people. If we were to redevelop this area, the repercussions would be enormous. We at the Bureau of Urban Development wouldn’t dare to rashly take on such a risk. The final decision will have to be made by our superiors after they meet to discuss it. For now, we are required to report this situation."

Cecilia understood now. She gave a slight nod. "Indeed. However, if the park is to be expropriated down the line, we can certainly do our best to cooperate by gradually relocating the tenants. After all, a project of this scale doesn’t happen overnight. Aren’t we still just in the preliminary fieldwork stage?"

"Heh..." The staff member couldn’t help but chuckle as he looked at Cecilia. "I’m surprised. For someone so young, Miss Sterling, you know quite a lot. You even know about fieldwork."

Cecilia smiled back. "I’ve done my research."

The so-called "fieldwork" was, in essence, similar to how a salesperson makes their rounds.

Insurance agents go door-to-door in their assigned districts to sell policies, and people handing out flyers do the same.

The Bureau of Urban Development’s fieldwork team, similarly, went through their assigned zones to meet with the owners of every parcel of land that could potentially be expropriated. Their goal was to persuade the owners to cooperate with the government’s redevelopment efforts, sign a letter of intent for expropriation, and sell their land to the government.

To put it bluntly, they were like a negotiation team that comes in before a demolition.

"We certainly welcome your willingness to cooperate, Miss Sterling. We will be sure to faithfully record your intent. The park’s location is unique; bypassing it would consume immense financial and material resources, so it’s highly likely to be expropriated. You can start preparing in advance, Miss Sterling."

As he spoke, the two men stood up.

Cecilia quickly rose to see them out. "Please, take care. If you have any questions, you can contact me anytime."

She took out her business card and presented it with both hands.

Reaching the office door, one of the men held up a hand. "That’s far enough, Miss Sterling. It’s cold outside."

The other man glanced at the documents in his hand and looked up. "So, shall we head to the hardware factory on Augustan Road now?"

"Let’s go."

"Wait..."

But before the two could take a single step, Cecilia called out to stop them.

"Is there something else, Miss Sterling?"

Cecilia gave a slight smile. "You’re heading to the hardware factory on Augustan Road?"

The two men exchanged a glance and nodded in unison.

Cecilia confirmed again, "631 Augustan Road?"

The official holding the file seemed to realize something. He hastily opened it and began to examine it closely.

_Owner: Cecilia Sterling._

"This..." The man looked up in shock. "Miss Sterling, this hardware factory... it’s yours too?"

"It is," Cecilia said, turning sideways and gesturing for them to come back in. "It looks like you’ll both have to stay a while longer."

The two men shook their heads with wry smiles and returned to the office to take their seats again.

Elvira quickly chimed in, "The tea’s gone cold. I’ll go get a fresh pot."

"The hardware factory was already vacant when I acquired it, so there shouldn’t be any complications," Cecilia said, getting straight to the point.

The two officials were experts in their field. They likely guessed that the young woman before them had made her move very early on, all in preparation for this very day.

"Miss Sterling, please take a look at this. If you agree, just sign at the end."

_Letter of Intent for Land Expropriation._

Cecilia gave it a quick scan. Her main concern was, of course, the price, but it wasn’t listed on the document.

"There’s no price listed?"

"Miss Sterling, this is just a letter of intent. Your signature confirms your willingness to cooperate with the expropriation. However, the Bureau of Urban Development will finalize the development plans based on the district-wide reconstruction blueprint, so we can’t be certain at this stage if this specific parcel will be included."

The other man, however, leaned in and whispered, "Don’t worry, Miss Sterling. They say it’s uncertain, but it will almost certainly be expropriated. Think about it: once the entire district is redeveloped and made new, how could they possibly leave an abandoned hardware factory right in the middle of it all?"

Cecilia smiled, nodded, and signed the document without hesitation.

After the two men confirmed there were no issues with the signature, they once again rose to leave. Cecilia couldn’t help but offer a friendly reminder, "Perhaps you two should double-check your files... are you sure there isn’t any other property of mine in your designated area?"

Her suggestion made the two men exchange another look.

"Miss Sterling... you seem to own quite a portfolio, don’t you?"

Cecilia just smiled without a word, but her silence spoke volumes.

Taking her advice, the two officials sat back down, took out all their land files, and began to cross-reference them.

The result was staggering. Of the 37 properties in the zone they were responsible for, 14 of them were registered under the name Cecilia Sterling.

Staring at the thick stack of files related to Cecilia, the two men were momentarily speechless. Never mind her uncanny foresight in acquiring these properties so far in advance—just how much capital would it take to own all this land?

Neither of them dared to even try and calculate the total!

What they didn’t know, however, was that this was only a small fraction of her total holdings.

Pen in hand, Cecilia signed her name on one letter of intent after another. Her calm and composed air alone was enough to command their respect.

"All signed. This should save you two from running all over the place," Cecilia said, putting down her pen with a smile.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Sterling. With this, a third of our fieldwork is finished in one go."

"Of course. So, the next step is...?"

Seeing her question, the official quickly explained, "Oh, right. Miss Sterling, once all the fieldwork is complete and the Bureau of Urban Development has finalized its preparations, you’ll be notified to attend a meeting. All the specifications and prices for the land expropriation will be announced then. Naturally, the prices will vary depending on the location and size of each parcel, so the final figures won’t be known until that time."

"I understand."

The official also handed her a business card. "If you have any questions, you can contact me as well."

"Alright, thank you."

This time, Cecilia truly did see them all the way to the door. After the officials had left the property management office, Elvira Underwood couldn’t hold back her question any longer. "Boss, is Genesis Park really going to be expropriated by the Bureau of Urban Development?"