Chapter 738 - 734: Renovation

"Your information must be out of date," Ivy Winters stated confidently. "I just heard this myself. It happened very recently."

"Recently? Sister-in-law, who told you? Or did you see it yourself?"

"I didn’t see it myself, but Monica told me. She’s quite close with Jasmine Sterling, so her word is very reliable."

Randall Jennings’s brow furrowed, his heart filled with agitation.

Just then, however, Matthew Jennings stood up and said to his wife, "Let’s go."

He didn’t press his younger brother any further. He’d said what needed saying and made sure Randall knew what he needed to know. Besides, Randall was a powerful figure in his own right. Even as his older brother, Matthew wouldn’t presume to make this kind of decision for him.

What he did next was entirely up to him.

Ivy Winters gave Randall Jennings a long, searching look. After getting up, she couldn’t help but add, "Think it over carefully. Once you’ve made up your mind, just let us know if there’s anything we can do."

Randall Jennings didn’t respond, simply rising to his feet. "I’ll see you out."

Once they were in the elevator, Ivy Winters turned to Matthew Jennings and asked, "What do you think Randall will do?"

"I don’t know," Matthew Jennings said frankly. "His business acumen is beyond question, but this is the first time he’s ever faced something like this. I’m not sure what to expect either."

"If he really does marry that Jasmine Sterling, are you going to help him get past the old man?"

"I’ll support him no matter who he marries. I’m not the old man; I don’t need him to give me a child."

Ivy Winters smiled at his words. No matter what, he would always protect his little brother.

*

「Cirrus Palace.」

Today, for the first time since acquiring it, Cecilia Sterling finally had time to properly inspect the property.

The general manager’s surname was Sheldon, and he had been at Cirrus Palace for over four years. The acquisition had not affected the staff, so all employees kept their original posts, including the top position of general manager.

Cecilia Sterling had also given all the employees a raise, winning a huge amount of goodwill from the entire staff right after taking over.

Cirrus Palace had been in operation longer than Aetherium. It originally opened in 2007 and, after hosting a multitude of international guests during the 2008 Olympics, it shot to fame.

But now, almost twenty years later, many areas were showing their age, and the maintenance had been subpar.

This was a major reason why Cirrus Palace couldn’t measure up to Aetherium.

Manager Sheldon was very familiar with Cirrus Palace’s current condition. As he led Cecilia Sterling on a floor-by-floor tour, he followed her request and pointed out every problem in detail, holding nothing back.

After completing the tour, Cecilia noted that while there were indeed many problems, they were all fixable.

"Let’s start with the lobby," Cecilia Sterling said, looking at Manager Sheldon. "The biggest problem is the main lobby on the first floor. Twenty years ago, this design might have been considered grand, but by today’s aesthetic standards, it’s simply dated."

"If we renovate the lobby, we might have to close for some time. Won’t our losses be too great?" Manager Sheldon asked, concerned.

"I’m not talking about just renovating the lobby. I mean we’ll *start* with the lobby. Closing for a while is fine. The entire Cirrus Palace needs a complete overhaul, or we’ll never be able to elevate its standing."

"Manager Sheldon," Cecilia Sterling said, looking at him and giving her instructions, "I need you to contact some capable designers and have them draw up a few proposals. I want to use a blue and white color scheme to truly give Cirrus Palace the majestic aura of a ’Celestial Palace’."

"A blue and white color scheme?" Manager Sheldon asked for confirmation.

Cecilia Sterling nodded. "It’s a difficult color scheme to get right, which is why the designer must have impeccable taste and a lot of vision. Otherwise, this place could easily end up looking like a mental hospital."

"Lean heavily into luxury. I don’t mind if it’s a bit flamboyant, but it absolutely must have a powerful presence."

’Aetherium’s overall aesthetic was a dark, Black Gold color scheme, the epitome of understated luxury.’

’That’s why she wanted to style Cirrus Palace with a bright, blue-and-white palette, aiming for an airy and majestic feel.’

’Two completely contrasting styles would be much more interesting.’

Manager Sheldon’s eyes widened as he listened. "Miss Sterling, a complete style overhaul... that’s practically a gut renovation! The cost..."

"Don’t worry about the cost. Use only the best materials for everything. When we’re done, this place must be able to compete with Aetherium on equal footing, at the very least."

Manager Sheldon could only nod, silently taking note of Cecilia Sterling’s requirements.

"Women’s Day is coming up. Have the benefits for our female employees been arranged?"

"Oh, that was settled long ago. It’s the same every year: each female employee receives a skincare set, plus the statutory half-day off."

Cecilia Sterling immediately shook her head. "Just a skincare set is not nearly enough. Besides, many of the women on our janitorial, housekeeping, and kitchen staff are older. For them, skincare products are more of a frivolous luxury than a practical gift."

"Then what do you have in mind, Miss Sterling?"

"Just give them gift cards so they can buy whatever they want. And make sure the amount is generous. Change the half-day off to a full paid day off. Furthermore, on their day off, they can come to Cirrus Palace and choose one of two complimentary options: a meal or a beauty service."

"Huh?" Manager Sheldon was stunned. ’Who gives out employee benefits like this?’

’Can this even be called a benefit?’

’This is charity, right?’

Then, he heard Cecilia Sterling add, "And we’ll follow this policy every year from now on."

"Y-Yes, of course." Manager Sheldon finally snapped out of it and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

’He didn’t even dare to imagine the cost for that single day. If the accounts looked bad later, he just prayed Miss Sterling wouldn’t hold him responsible.’

Just then, she received a message from her younger aunt’s husband, saying he was downstairs.

Cecilia Sterling told him to meet her at the coffee shop on the first floor.

"Cecilia," Brendan Harris said, slightly out of breath and beaded with sweat. "The elevator from the underground garage is broken, so I had to walk up."

Hearing this, Manager Sheldon, who was standing to the side, quickly explained, "Miss Sterling, the elevators are severely aged and break down frequently. I’ve already notified maintenance to get it fixed."

"The elevators are that worn out? Then this renovation is even more urgent. All of this old equipment must be replaced. Otherwise, it’s only a matter of time before there’s an accident."

"Yes, I’ll get on it as soon as possible. Please don’t worry."

"Manager Sheldon, this is my uncle-in-law. You mentioned last time that the security manager position was open. He can fill it."

The previous security manager had been a relative of one of the former owners. He had not stayed on after the acquisition, which conveniently left the position vacant.

"No problem. He can come with me in a moment to fill out some paperwork and complete the onboarding process. Regarding the salary..."

"The standard salary and benefits for a manager-level position will be fine," Cecilia Sterling said.

Brendan Harris had been given a heads-up. He’d been incredibly anxious lately with nothing to do, so he never expected Cecilia to arrange a job for him so quickly. An irrepressible smile spread across his face. "Cecilia, does this mean I’ll be working here now?"

Cecilia Sterling smiled and nodded. "You’ll have to bear with it for now, Uncle. If my aunt hadn’t mentioned you were getting restless sitting at home, I wouldn’t have put you in the security department. I’ll find something more suitable for you later on."