Chapter 73: There Are Always More Solutions Than Problems
After being laid off, Jasmine Sterling suddenly found herself with an abundance of free time. Having been busy for half her life, she naturally found it hard to adjust.
Fortunately, her daughter was by her side during this time. She would often take her out and about, so life didn’t feel dull.
It also gave her the time to make some wonderful dishes for her daughter that she had always wanted to but never had the chance.
Like roast goose.
And soy sauce chicken.
One day, the mother and daughter had just returned from a shopping trip. Cecilia Sterling had bought her mother a pile of new jewelry—some solid gold, some platinum, and some with diamonds.
Jasmine Sterling looked at the piles of shopping bags. While happy, she also felt it was far too much.
"There’s so much. If I hadn’t stopped you, I think you would have cleared out the entire counter," Jasmine Sterling said with a hint of resignation.
Cecilia raised an eyebrow, unconcerned. "Is it a lot? I don’t think so. You can just rotate through them. I’ve never seen you wear any jewelry before."
"Company policy said we couldn’t wear jewelry at work. It could easily snag the bedding or a guest’s clothes."
"Well, now you’re not working, so it’s the perfect time to wear them."
Cecilia knew her mother’s company did have that rule, but she also knew the bigger truth: her mother didn’t own any decent jewelry. She could never bring herself to buy such extravagances. Even the clothes in her closet were styles Cecilia remembered her mother wearing since she was a child.
That’s why she had spent the last few days completely restocking her mother’s wardrobe.
Jasmine Sterling knew this was her daughter’s way of showing her love, so she didn’t dampen her spirits. She accepted the gifts, but it was still far too much.
"Cecilia, how about Mom makes you some God Jumps Over the Wall?" Jasmine Sterling asked her daughter suddenly.
Cecilia was taken aback, then quickly refused. "Mom, you should be resting! Honestly, who’s like you? The moment you stop working, you want to spend all day in the kitchen. First roast meats, then soy sauce chicken, and now you want to make God Jumps Over the Wall? That’s so much trouble!"
Jasmine Sterling smiled and said softly, "It’s because you’re home. Once you go back to school, you won’t be able to eat it even if you want to."
Cecilia huffed a laugh. "I’ll be back for the New Year. And in half a year at most, I’m bringing you to Lorcain. You can cook whatever you want then. The kitchen in the new house is huge."
"About going to Lorcain... Mom hasn’t really decided yet."
Hearing this, Cecilia froze for a moment. "What’s wrong, Mom? You don’t want to go?"
Jasmine Sterling sighed softly. "It’s not that I don’t want to go. It’s just... I won’t know anyone, and the place will be completely new. Mom’s afraid she won’t be able to get used to it."
"Mom," Cecilia said, taking her mother’s hand reassuringly. "Lily and I are both in Lorcain, and Ethan will test into a university there too. The most important thing is for our family to be together."
"The other day, I asked Ethan where he wanted to apply. Guess what he said?"
Jasmine Sterling replied, "I asked him before. He said he wanted to apply to Veridia University."
Cecilia said, "But Ethan’s grades are good enough for any top university in the country. He said the only reason he wants to go to Veridia University is that he’s afraid you’ll be left all alone in Veridia. He’s worried you won’t have anyone with you."
"He said that?"
Jasmine Sterling’s expression was one of shock, her heart suddenly filled with a mix of complex emotions.
’My son is always so cheerful and carefree. I never realized he was thinking so deeply about this.’
Cecilia nodded and looked at her mother seriously. "It’s not just Ethan. If you really stay in Veridia by yourself, Lily and I won’t be able to rest easy either."
Jasmine Sterling nodded, her expression conflicted. Finally, she said, "Mom never said she wouldn’t go, just that I’m a little scared. But you’re right. The most important thing is for our family to be together."
Hearing her mother say this, Cecilia finally let out a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "When the time comes, I’ll figure out a way to get my aunt and uncle settled there too. Having them around will help you feel more at ease."
Jasmine Sterling pursed her lips at that. "Your aunt won’t necessarily listen to you. Her and your uncle’s shop is doing better and better every day. I doubt she’ll be willing to leave it behind."
"There are always more solutions than problems. Don’t worry, Mom."
And indeed, there were more solutions than problems. The only trace Jasmine Sterling had left behind in the restaurant that day was the security camera footage; there was no other useful information.
But Randall Jennings used his connections to find footage of them getting out of the car. By tracing the license plate number backward along the route, he found the location where they had gotten in.
From there, surveillance footage from near the pickup point showed them entering and exiting the Waterside Pavilion, a private spa club.
Finally, by cross-referencing the club’s member transaction records with the time they left, he found Jasmine Sterling’s information!
"Sanders, contact her first. Get her address and arrange a time for a meeting. I will go and thank her in person."
Randall Jennings handed the information he’d gotten from his friend to Sanders.
Sanders held the file and studied it for a long while, his expression turning hesitant when he saw the age listed on it.
Seeing this, Randall Jennings’s brow furrowed. "Is there a problem?"
Sanders looked up and answered honestly, "Chairman, it says here she’s 44 years old. But I remember the lady didn’t look that old. She seemed to be about your age."
Randall Jennings was thirty-six.
"Is it a crime for someone to look younger than their age?"
Sanders nodded quickly. "You have a point, Chairman. The climate in Veridia really does a person good. I’ll go check your schedule and coordinate a time with her."
Sanders turned to leave but was stopped by Randall Jennings, who said softly, "Don’t check my schedule. Put this ahead of everything else. Adjust my schedule to fit hers."
Sanders hesitated, "But we have meetings with Chairman York of the Yates Group and with Keystone Steel Group..."
Before he could finish, Randall Jennings cut him off forcefully. "Let them wait!"
"Yes, sir."
Not daring to say another word, Sanders quickly excused himself.
Jasmine Sterling had almost completely forgotten about the incident, so she was quite surprised to receive a call from Sanders.
She never imagined they would actually manage to find her information and phone number.
"Ms. Sterling, I am terribly sorry. I know it was incredibly presumptuous of us to investigate you without your permission, but our chairman was desperate to find you. He sincerely hopes to thank you in person, so please, I must ask you to give us this opportunity."
Sanders’s words were perfectly crafted: first an apology, then a reason, and finally, a clear statement of purpose.
His attitude was also very sincere.
However, Jasmine Sterling’s first instinct was to decline. "You’re being far too kind. I’ve already received your gratitude. There’s really no need for you to go to the trouble of making a special trip for this."
Hearing this, Sanders gave an apologetic laugh. "Ms. Sterling, this matter is extremely important to our chairman. You saved his life, which is by no means a small thing. The very fact that our chairman went to such lengths to find your information shows just how fixated he is on this."
"And to be perfectly honest, let me give you the inside scoop. Knowing our chairman, even if you don’t give me your address today, he will find a way to get it. Would you really have the heart to make him go through all that trouble again?"
"I guarantee you, we just want to thank you in person. Half an hour at most. We absolutely won’t cause you any trouble or disrupt your life."
Although Jasmine Sterling felt a bit helpless upon hearing this, she could also sense their sincerity and persistence.
In the end, she gave a resigned nod. "Alright, then."