Chapter 144 - 142: He Must Be Fine
It was nearly 1:00 PM by the time she left the Property Transaction Center after completing all the paperwork. The final title deed wouldn’t be ready for at least a week, but the center had issued Cecilia Sterling a temporary proof of ownership.
In other words, from the moment she paid and signed, the ownership of Genesis Fashion Park in the Sunstone District of Lorcain was hers!
To be honest, Cecilia Sterling felt a bit dazed as she held the temporary proof of ownership, staring at the seals and signatures on it.
She hadn’t felt this way when she bought her house, but now she owned a massive plot of land in Lorcain.
How massive?
Nearly three hundred mu—an area roughly the size of twenty-eight football fields!
It felt completely surreal, and a rare sense of bewilderment washed over her.
She didn’t know the first thing about real estate, nor was she any good at business.
In her past life, the Lane Group had paved the way by tearing down and rebuilding this industrial park. She knew she could replicate their success simply by following their old playbook.
But if it were really that easy, she wouldn’t be feeling so lost.
A project this massive was impossible to complete on her own, even with her immense wealth. She knew nothing about any of the professional fields involved.
So, Cecilia Sterling knew she couldn’t follow the path the Lane Group had taken. At least, not for now.
Still, she hadn’t bought the land on impulse. ’Since I’ve come this far,’ she thought, ’as long as the land is mine, I’ll figure it out. I’m sure I’ll find the best use for it eventually.’
She took a taxi straight back to the university, and as luck would have it, ran into John Lawson the moment she stepped out of the car.
He had just parked his electric scooter and was lifting a black plastic bag from its basket, about to head onto campus without looking up.
Seeing this, Cecilia quickly called out to him, "Director Lawson!"
John Lawson turned, looking puzzled at the sound of his name. When he saw it was Cecilia, he broke into a wide grin. "Cecilia! Funny, I was just about to send you a message."
As he spoke, he walked over and handed the black plastic bag to Cecilia. "This is for you. I’m telling you, those trees they planted behind your dorm building attract a ton of mosquitos. Some botany students in your building already reported it to the administration. They’ll probably send someone to pull those trees out and plant something else in a few days."
Cecilia reflexively took the bag from Director Lawson and asked, puzzled, "Then what’s this?"
Director Lawson said, "It’s a mosquito net and some insect-repellent incense sticks. The incense works wonders. At night, just light one and place it by the balcony window before you sleep. I guarantee you won’t get a single mosquito. It’s what I’ve always used."
Hearing Director Lawson’s tone, she realized he had clearly gone out of his way to prepare these things just for her.
"Thank you, Director Lawson. But please, don’t go to all this trouble for me in the future. You went out to the market just to buy this net, didn’t you?" Cecilia was touched, but also a little embarrassed.
She knew Director Lawson was very concerned and caring toward her, but she was perfectly capable of managing her own daily life and didn’t want to trouble him so much.
John Lawson waved a dismissive hand. "Go to the market? Nah, I ordered it online. I was buying a mosquito net for my little girl anyway, which reminded me. You must have mosquitoes in your dorm, right?"
Cecilia nodded, not denying it. Every night, Blair would "practice her martial arts" with the electric mosquito zapper. ZAP! CRACKLE!
"Well, there you go. It didn’t cost much, so don’t give it a second thought," John Lawson said with a smile, turning to leave.
But as he turned, a searing pain suddenly shot through him. In an instant, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and all the color drained from his face.
"Director Lawson!"
Cecilia knew instantly that something was wrong. She rushed forward to support him, only to find him trembling so violently from the pain he couldn’t even speak.
"Cecilia, what’s going on?"
Students were coming and going at the university gate. A classmate immediately saw the situation and rushed over to help. Cecilia yelled for them to call 911 immediately!
But John Lawson didn’t even last a minute before his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Cecilia’s heart plummeted, and her hands began to shake uncontrollably.
"Director Lawson! Director Lawson!" Cecilia cried out again and again as her eyes reddened uncontrollably.
Thankfully, the ambulance arrived quickly. Without a second thought, Cecilia got in with the paramedics. Before they could even ask, she blurted out, "I’m his student. I can’t reach his family right now, but I can cover the expenses."
The paramedic glanced at Cecilia and nodded. The ambulance sped off, its siren wailing.
The medics began performing emergency procedures on him right there in the ambulance. Cecilia could only sit in the corner, watching in silence.
Everything had happened so suddenly, and Director Lawson’s condition was so frightening, that a deep sense of unease settled over Cecilia.
She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Director Lawson. ’He can’t die! He just can’t!’
Ever since she’d started at Lorcain Tech, it was his constant, meticulous care that had made her life run so smoothly. In both this life and her last, Director Lawson had been one of the most important people to her.
Once they reached the hospital, medical staff rushed John Lawson straight into the emergency room. A nurse stopped Cecilia outside the doors. "Please wait out here. We’ll update you as soon as we know anything. In the meantime, you need to contact his family. If there’s an emergency, you aren’t authorized to sign for him!"
With that, the large white doors of the emergency room swung shut in front of Cecilia.
Cecilia was still reeling from the shock, but she forced herself to calm down. She was holding Director Lawson’s phone, but it was locked with a passcode. After a few failed attempts, the phone locked her out completely.
After a moment’s thought, she pulled out her own phone to call her department head. She explained the situation and asked him to notify Director Lawson’s family right away.
After hanging up, Cecilia sat down in a nearby chair. The silence of the hallway threatened to pull her into an abyss of fear.
Cecilia prayed silently. ’In my past life, Director Lawson was perfectly fine long after this. He has to be okay.’
’He has to be okay!’
After what felt like an eternity, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed from the end of the hall. Cecilia looked up to see a woman in a deep purple dress running toward her.
Cecilia had never met Director Lawson’s wife. In her previous life, he had gotten divorced in middle age and raised his daughter alone.
’So this woman must be his wife... before the divorce?’
"Hello, are you Director Lawson’s..."
Cecilia stood up to meet her, asking the question on reflex.
The woman stopped, her gaze fixed on the light above the emergency room door. "I’m his wife. What happened?"
Cecilia shook her head. "It was so sudden. I don’t know, either. We just have to wait for the doctor to come out."
Cecilia expected his wife to be sick with worry after hearing that. Instead, the woman glanced impatiently at her watch, sighed in frustration, and muttered, "Well, isn’t this just a huge inconvenience!"