Chapter 724: The More You Know, The Greater the Shock

The power of the internet seems intangible, but it can easily destroy a person or a family.

As a young person, Tanya Hughes had seen many such things online. Besides, neither Lily Sterling nor her sister seemed simple. People like them surely had many methods and tricks up their sleeves.

And what about them? They were just ordinary people. Faced with such a huge disparity in power and status, they could only accept their different class. They couldn’t even think of resisting.

Most importantly, they weren’t in the right. They wouldn’t even receive the sympathy and support usually afforded to the disadvantaged.

Seeing his daughter was truly frightened, Leopold Hughes didn’t push her. “Alright, alright. We’ll leave. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Besides, they still had the twenty dollars. It would be a total waste of effort if that reporter really came asking for it back tomorrow.

“Cecilia, is there anything else you need us to do?”

Cecilia Sterling first transferred a sum of money to Duane. “There shouldn’t be anything else. Divide this money among everyone.”

Duane didn’t refuse, as he already understood Cecilia’s personality.

“Oh, right. Starting next month, send the accounts for those bars to your sister-in-law. Those private assets were always hers to begin with. I’ll start teaching her how to audit the books.”

Zelda Warner had grumbled more than once about being bored with nothing to do at home, so Cecilia Sterling thought of finding something for her to do.

Duane nodded. “Alright, I’ll remember that.”

Cecilia Sterling waved her hand, turned, and got into her car. Just then, a WhatsApp message came in from Lily.

It was just three short words: “Sis, thank you.”

Looking at the message, Cecilia Sterling smiled knowingly. She opened up the trending topics on social media. The top spots were already completely occupied by news about another A-list celebrity.

Goldman Golding’s team had also used their PR tactics to cool down all the search terms related to Lily Sterling. By now, they had all vanished from the trending lists.

*

Ever since being publicly humiliated by Cecilia Sterling at Cirrus Palace, Shawn Lane had spent the last few days investigating her.

Cecilia Sterling hadn’t deliberately hidden the trails of some of her investments, especially the major moves in Sunstone District. It was impossible for her acquisition of dozens of properties not to leave a trace.

So, Shawn Lane had indeed found some things. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to leave him dumbfounded!

“Shawn.”

Mrs. Lane knocked on her son’s door and came in with a plate of fruit. “Have some fruit.”

But Shawn Lane got up, phone in hand, and headed straight for his father’s study, too preoccupied to respond to his mother’s calls.

Walter Lane was practicing calligraphy in his study. He was surprised to see his son. “Not sleeping yet? Don’t you have to accompany Kylie to an exhibition tomorrow?”

“Dad, I have something to ask you.” Shawn Lane closed the door and walked up to his father’s desk.

Seeing his son’s serious expression, Walter Lane couldn’t help but write the character for “Calm” on the paper. He then set down his brush and gestured for him to sit. “What is it?”

“It’s about Cecilia Sterling.”

Walter Lane’s expression froze for a moment, then he sighed slowly. “Still can’t forget her? Kylie is a much better match for you.”

“It’s not that I can’t forget her, Dad. I’ve looked into some things and realized I know almost nothing about her. Do you know something?”

“You’re right, you don’t know her well enough. Or perhaps, there are too many unexpected things about Cecilia Sterling. You could never finish learning about them, nor could you ever fully understand.”

Walter Lane knew this from personal experience. Every time he met Cecilia Sterling, something new and shocking would emerge.

“You know about Genesis Park in Sunstone District, right?”

“The one the Lane Group failed to win in the auction?”

“That’s right.” Walter Lane looked at his son seriously. “It’s in Cecilia Sterling’s hands now. We’re talking hundreds of millions in physical assets. Even when the Lane Group was at its most liquid, we only had about that much.”

“Sometime ago, there was an AI upgrade program. Every company in the country involved in artificial intelligence partnered with them, with the sole exception of the Lane Group. We were shut out. I looked into it, and sure enough, it was a team funded by Cecilia Sterling.”

“This has had a huge impact on the group. Because of that program, we’ve been lagging behind at the bottom of the industry in the AI sector. Now, their team is developing version 2.0. If Cecilia Sterling still refuses to sell the project to the Lane Group, I’m afraid the group will soon be forced out of this entire field.”

“She invested in something like that?” Shawn Lane was utterly shocked. He never thought Cecilia Sterling would understand such things.

“The company can form its own project team for R&D!” Shawn Lane suggested.

Walter Lane sighed and shook his head. “A new team would need time to gel. A new project requires immense preparation beforehand, not to mention a massive amount of capital. Even if we formed a new team, given their speed, we’d only be able to chase their shadow.”

“Moreover, this Cecilia Sterling has close dealings with Mr. Young and Chairman Jennings. I don’t know if they’re collaborating, but they’re clearly on good terms.”

“Cecilia Sterling’s network in Lorcain is vast. I often hear her name from other people.” Walter Lane looked at his son. “Shawn, you and Cecilia are not in the same league at all right now. Even I sometimes feel a head shorter when I stand before her.”

Shawn Lane was dumbfounded. ‘How could this be?’

‘Then who was that Cecilia Sterling who was with him at the beginning?’

‘Did she hide it on purpose?’

‘Was she afraid that if I knew her true abilities and background, I’d have ulterior motives? Or was it because she felt insecure?’

Shawn Lane couldn’t figure it out. He felt like his brain had just crashed; he couldn’t think at all.

“I know this might all be a bit beyond you right now, but it’s all true. And this is far from everything there is to know about her. The more you learn, the more astonished you’ll be.”

For instance, he didn’t dare tell his son that she had foreseen the market trends in Sunstone District long before the Lane Group did and had moved to acquire nearly a hundred plots of land.

The amount of capital that required was so enormous that even Walter Lane himself dared not think about it.

“Don’t think about these things for now. And don’t see Cecilia Sterling again.” Walter Lane picked up his brush again, dipping it in ink as he instructed his son, “The path I’ve chosen for you is the right one. In the future, when you take over the group and have the Churchill Family’s support, you will certainly be able to achieve great things.”

“As for now, facing Cecilia Sterling will only lead to your own humiliation. Instead of that, you should spend more time cultivating your relationship with Kylie before you go abroad.”

Unexpectedly, Shawn Lane suddenly looked up, stared seriously at his father, and asked, “Dad, can I not go abroad?”

Walter Lane’s hand froze. “Not go abroad? Absolutely not!”

He was very satisfied with the changes in his son over the past year or so of studying abroad, but upon observation, he clearly felt it still wasn’t enough.

“You must complete your studies. The single most correct decision I’ve made regarding you was sending you away. Dad believes that in another year or two, you will have made a qualitative leap in every aspect. This is not up for discussion. You must continue your studies abroad.”