Julian Sterling saw the doubt in Lucas Hill's eyes and smiled, pouring tea for himself and drinking it. "Don't look at me like that. Actually, sometimes I admire you a lot; you have a very good family."
"People like us, growing up in wealthy families, if we aren't smart, capable, and scheming, we have to pretend to be stupid. If I hadn't been foolish before, I'm afraid the thing you are talking to now would be my funeral portrait."
After speaking, Julian laughed again, the sound full of sarcasm.
How could there be innocent children in wealthy families? Even if they didn't have the ability to turn the sky upside down, their thoughts had to be deep and guarded. Perhaps there were impulsive and blunt people like Edward Sterling, but even he had to be capable and decisive to manage an entire corporation.
Everyone was different, but no one was "ordinary". In a place where fathers and sons could turn against each other for money, and siblings killed each other for inheritance, the only ending for innocence was a grave covered in green grass.
Even now, he still did not believe the Caldwell family could be so peaceful.
Didn't Richard and Catherine Sterling turn a blind eye to their adopted son harming their biological son? In that case, nothing in this world was impossible.
Sometimes those beautiful things were just a layer covering the filthy mud hidden inside.
"But what can I do? I am all alone." Lucas lowered his head to look at his empty tea cup.
"Lucas, I know your ability, and I also know your ambition." Julian poured tea for him, then continued, "If you can get into the top ten of that competition..."
Julian had only said this much when Lucas abruptly raised his head, eyes widening slightly, as if he couldn't believe how Julian could know about that.
Julian smiled, not answering that question for him, but simply continued, "I will support you with capital to set up a company. I won't interfere with management, just act as a major shareholder putting up the money."
"You think too highly of me." Lucas reflected for a moment; could he establish a company alone and shoulder it by himself?
Impossible.
"Of course, I know you don't have that ability on your own. That's why I want you to get into the top ten of that competition; at that time, you will have the opportunity to find future colleagues."
Lucas looked at him in confusion; those people came from many countries, did he want to establish a cross-border company?
Julian naturally understood Lucas's thought, so he narrowed his eyes, speaking half-jokingly, "Who knows, maybe you will meet a few prominent figures from around our area? For example, someone from the Vaughn family."
Lucas's eyes widened again.
Of course he knew the Vaughn family; Lucas even had the chance to meet Vincent Vaughn. It was rumored that recently the Vaughn family wanted to jump into Saint Lawrence City, so Lucas's uncle even received a few gifts personally delivered by Vincent Vaughn. Coincidentally, Lucas was also present that day.
However, could he cooperate with Vincent Vaughn?
Lucas looked at Julian in confusion, but the other only smiled.
...
When Julian left The Ebony Lounge, it was already dusk; the rosy sunset lay in the western sky, the lights were gradually coming on, and the inner city was as bustling as ever.
Julian leaned back in the car seat, tilting his head to look at the sky outside.
Everything was too messy right now; Julian was a bit confused, not knowing what he should do. He definitely had to stop the side of Aaron Sterling; Julian was not the type to accept a disadvantage, to endure even when someone was wreaking havoc on his head. He also had to worry about his own forces, but how to develop everything smoothly was the question.
Not to mention the matter of the Cole family, how did that "Julian" know Seraphina Cole? Did this family have any connection to the plot?
The relationship between Seraphina Cole and Julian in the past didn't just appear out of nowhere; there must certainly be some issue between the two, perhaps it was even beneficial for that "Julian". Most likely, in the original story, Aaron Sterling was able to build a relationship with Iris Visuals thanks to Seraphina Cole.
But why?
Julian wearily rubbed his temples; this feeling was terrible. He didn't want to do anything, he just wanted to be a slacker sitting around doing nothing.
"Young Master, are you okay? Do you need to go to the doctor?" The driver saw his face getting worse and asked.
Julian shook his head. "I'm fine, drive back quickly, I still have to eat dinner with Ethan."
The driver said "yes" and drove straight to Ethan Caldwell's villa.
...
When Julian pushed the door open to enter the house, there was a faint smell of sweet chicken soup inside. He sniffed a few times before taking off his shoes and going inside. The living room was empty, not a soul in sight; Julian quietly went into the kitchen and, sure enough, saw a man busy inside.
"I didn't expect Director Caldwell to know how to cook so many dishes."
Julian spoke while glancing at the table full of food, and there was even a pot of chicken soup boiling on the stove.
Ethan Caldwell had known he was back since Julian opened the door, yet he said nothing and just smiled, using a small ladle to scoop up some soup, blowing it cool before feeding it to him. "Taste it to see if it suits your palate."
Julian opened his mouth to sip a little; the chicken soup was sweet and light, probably simmered for a long time so there was a thin layer of fat on top. "It's okay, not too greasy."
"It's been a long time since I cooked this dish. Luckily it's not too bad."
"Am I acting as your guinea pig?"
"Tsk, if you can't eat it, then eat the food the auntie cooked." Ethan looked at the table of food; obviously, those dishes were cooked by the hired auntie, for how could the CEO have the ability to create such a table full of food?
Ethan ladled the chicken soup into a bowl, brought it to the table, and said, "Eat first, then shower. There's the shrimp dish you like, stir-fried with garlic butter, not very spicy."
Julian also looked at that plate of shrimp; it was quite fragrant, probably freshly cooked. He nodded and pulled out a chair to sit.
The household of the two was not too difficult, so there was no rule of "no talking while eating," so Ethan peeled shrimp shells for him while talking a bit about the Sterling family.
"Recently, the Sterling Group has been eyeing a plot of land. Another family is also competing, but Aaron Sterling hinted to the other side that his family is related to this side."
Obviously, "this side" referred to the Caldwell family.
Julian heard this and expressed no opinion, but the phrase "his family" made him happy. He didn't want any connection to the Sterling family over there.
Ethan placed a peeled, white shrimp into his bowl and continued, "This afternoon I just checked it out, that plot of land isn't bad, so I told my assistant to negotiate."
Julian laughed out loud when he heard this.
This time Aaron had dropped a rock on his own foot. Going outside boasting that he had a relationship with the Caldwell Empire, people would give way to him out of respect for the connection if not for him personally. Now that the main owner spoke up saying he also wanted it, what could Aaron do?
Using one's knees, one could figure out that Ethan wanted to vent Julian's anger for him.
"But after buying the land, what will you build? The Caldwell Empire doesn't specialize in real estate."
"It's fine, we are rich anyway. Leaving one or two plots of land empty doesn't matter." Ethan wiped his hands and also started eating. "Or should I build an exhibition hall for you? In the future, when Artist Sterling becomes famous, you can hang your paintings there."
Julian gave him a side-eye.
An entire plot of land, enough to build ten exhibition halls; he didn't know if he could paint enough to hang in all of them even if he painted until death.
Julian picked up a shrimp and put it in his mouth; the shrimp meat was fresh, crunchy, and seasoned very well. Mainly because he didn't need to lift a finger to peel the shells, Julian ate very happily, and in no time, the portion of shrimp Ethan peeled for him was gone.
After eating, he reached out with his chopsticks to pick up some stir-fried vegetables and asked again, "Which area is the land in?"
"In the western suburbs of Saint Lawrence City, about 5 km from Sapphire Gardens." Ethan saw that Julian had eaten all the shrimp, so he peeled more for him; his own bowl of rice hadn't gone down much.
Julian didn't pay attention to that, only frowning slightly.
He knew Sapphire Gardens; it was a high-end apartment complex in Saint Lawrence City. Although they were apartments, the units there were not the ordinary convenient type; they were built in a luxurious, noble style, mainly for people in the wealthy circle.
But wealthy people had their own villas, who would live in an apartment?
There were; the young people just experiencing life in Saint Lawrence City all liked to go there.
So even though Sapphire Gardens was located near the suburbs, it was still sought after by many, and the economy of that area even developed quite a bit.
Julian rubbed his chin for a long time; what did Aaron buy that land for?
"Open your mouth." Ethan picked up a shrimp and fed it to his lips; seeing his silly little one opening his mouth to chew while his eyes were fixed elsewhere, he asked amusingly, "What are you thinking about?"
"Is there news of zoning in that area?" Julian didn't answer Ethan's question but asked another one.
Ethan had just finished peeling a shrimp, so he stuffed it right into Julian's mouth and said, "There isn't. I'm investigating to see if any party is planning a project related to the suburbs."
Julian said "oh," then looked down to see his bowl was piled high with shrimp. He had drunk a bit too much tea in the afternoon, so his stomach was quite full now and he couldn't eat anymore. So he pushed the bowl toward Ethan.
"I'm full, you eat it."
Ethan didn't say anything, just looked at Julian once and ate all the shrimp.
Julian was also very tactful, obediently scooping less than half a bowl of chicken soup, leisurely enjoying it. CEO Caldwell's skills were not bad; the chicken meat was tender, the soup was sweet, and it went down quite well.
After eating, he went to the room to shower, then hugged his laptop and climbed onto the bed, searching for information related to the plot of land Ethan mentioned.
According to the photos, this plot of land was very ordinary, with many trees; since it had never been planned, there were quite a few vines, creating large overgrown patches.
Whether one wanted to use it for construction or do something else, it would be a waste of effort.
So what was Aaron looking for in this place?
Just as Ethan walked in, he saw Julian's furrowed brows; he glanced at the screen for a moment and knew what Julian was thinking.
"So stubborn, does the little young master not want to come back and be an asset management expert for me, but wants to become a real estate developer instead?"