Chapter 200 - 198: Mother’s Forced Love
Following her daughter on a tour, Jasmine Sterling felt the house was big enough for a hundred people.
It just lacked the signs of being lived-in. Especially with her daughter living here alone, even with all the things she’d bought, such a large house still felt a bit empty.
"Cecilia, you just bought this house not too long ago, right? Everything looks brand new."
Sitting down on the living room sofa, Jasmine Sterling couldn’t help but ask her daughter.
Cecilia Sterling nodded. "Yeah, I just bought it a few months ago. Lily stayed for a few days before she had to go join her film crew. I’m usually at school, so I don’t come back here often."
"But Mom, you can stay for a while this time. The break is starting soon anyway, so I’ll have time to spend with you."
Jasmine Sterling shook her head at her words. "I can’t stay for too long. How could I feel at ease leaving Ethan home alone for so long?"
As she spoke, Jasmine Sterling’s eyes still roamed the house unconsciously. Her voice was filled with awe. "This villa you bought is just too big. Doesn’t it feel awfully empty living here?"
"Well, I definitely didn’t plan on living here by myself," Cecilia said with a smile. "Once you and Ethan move to Lorcain next year, won’t our home be much livelier?"
Jasmine Sterling was now seeing her daughter’s success with her own eyes. To be able to acquire such a massive property in Lorcain all by herself—she was both gratified and proud.
Cecilia then changed the subject, asking her mother, "Mom, why did you suddenly come to Lorcain? You didn’t even tell me. I haven’t prepared anything. Besides some drinks, there’s nothing in the fridge."
Jasmine Sterling gave a gentle smile and began to explain slowly. "It was all because of that video you sent me the other day. I was chatting with your aunt, and as we talked, I started thinking I should come to Lorcain to see you. You’ve been in Lorcain for two years. What parent wouldn’t visit their child at school at least once? The more I thought about it, the more I felt I had to come. So today, since your uncle could watch the store, I gave Ethan a few instructions and came right over."
As she spoke, Jasmine Sterling casually pulled the package she had brought over and opened it. "It’s fine that there’s no food in the house. Mom brought plenty of things, all fresh. I’ll cook for you."
Cecilia peeked inside. The bag was filled with all sorts of vacuum-sealed ingredients, all local specialties from Veridia.
Although you could buy high-quality goods of the same kind in Lorcain’s big supermarkets, her mother bringing them from so far away was a gesture of love. Not wanting to spoil the mood, Cecilia said with pleasant surprise, "This is so much, Mom!"
"I was worried I didn’t bring enough," Jasmine Sterling said cheerfully. "But then I remembered you’ll be back home for the New Year in a month. I’ll prepare more for you to bring back then."
The mention of the New Year prompted Cecilia to suggest, "Mom, why don’t we celebrate here in Lorcain this year? Ethan will be on break soon too. We could have your sister’s family come over as well. It would be so lively with all of us together."
But Jasmine Sterling dismissed the idea without much thought. "That won’t work. Your aunt and her family have to go back to your uncle’s side for the New Year. His family is very traditional about that; the son can’t celebrate the holiday away from home."
"I was also thinking we should celebrate in Veridia. You said Ethan and I are moving to Lorcain next year, so this might be our last New Year in Veridia. After the holiday, I’ll look into our house there and see about selling it."
Cecilia understood her mother’s reasoning. As for the house...
"Mom, let’s keep the house. Who knows, we might want to go back to Veridia for a visit sometime. We’re not short on money now, so there’s no need to sell it."
The house was old, but it held all their family’s memories. Cecilia knew her mother would be reluctant to let it go.
Jasmine Sterling was very moved by her daughter’s thoughtfulness.
Seeing it was almost dinnertime, Jasmine Sterling quickly got up to get started. "You must be hungry. I’ll go make you something delicious."
"Oh, Mom, you just got here. Can’t you rest for a bit?"
"Rest? I’m not tired! I took a train, I didn’t walk here." Jasmine Sterling said as she grabbed her bag and headed straight for the kitchen. "I’ll put these things in the fridge first. Don’t those food delivery apps let you order meat and vegetables now? Order some, and I’ll cook for you."
Seeing her mother’s overwhelming affection, Cecilia could only give in.
She knew her mother; as long as she was around, takeout was not an option.
They happened to be out of cooking basics like oil, salt, and vinegar, so she ordered those from a delivery app as well. Meanwhile, her mother was already bustling in the kitchen, starting to prepare the ingredients for the God Jumps Over the Wall.
Her mother always remembered it was her favorite dish. Even though it was a hassle to make, requiring two or three days of stewing, her mother would tirelessly prepare it with the best ingredients whenever she craved it.
"That has to stew for a long time, Mom," Cecilia said, watching her mother bustle about, a warmth spreading through her chest.
Jasmine Sterling’s hands moved with practiced ease. Without looking up, she replied, "Let it stew. It’s your favorite, isn’t it?"
"Oh, right. Didn’t you say you get along really well with your new roommates? I’ll make extra, so you can invite them over to try my cooking."
Cecilia said, "One of them lives right next door, less than five hundred meters away."
"That close?"
"But they’re both at school today. I only came back because I had a business meeting this morning."
Hearing this, Jasmine Sterling instinctively paused what she was doing. She looked up at her daughter and asked, "Was it for that project with the Jennings Group?"
Cecilia nodded.
Jasmine Sterling asked again, "Did it go well?"
"Not yet. We’re at the final price quotation stage. We quoted them six million for the year, but they thought it was a bit steep. They said they needed to go back and discuss it in a meeting."
Cecilia said it casually, but Jasmine Sterling was stunned.
’Six million a year?’
’This business deal is huge.’
But she didn’t understand business, so she could only give her daughter a bit of advice. "Whether you get the deal or not, Chairman Jennings helped you, so you must remember the favor he did for you."
"I know, Mom. Mr. Jennings is a very, very good person."
Only then did Jasmine Sterling smile, before urging her daughter to go out and wait.
After the groceries were delivered, Jasmine Sterling spent an hour busying herself in the kitchen alone. Soon, a table full of dishes that looked, smelled, and tasted divine was set.
This was the first meal since moving into her new home that truly gave it the warmth of being lived-in. Sitting at the table, Cecilia couldn’t help but feel moved.
She did something rare and pulled out her phone, snapped a picture, and posted it to her social media feed with the caption: "Mom’s mandatory love. All my favorites!"
Her aunt, her precious little sister, her silly little brother, Estelle, Blair, Director Lawson, and Jeb all liked it instantly.
Cecilia didn’t have time to read the comments. She eagerly picked up her bowl and chopsticks. "Thank you for all your hard work, Mom. I’m definitely going to eat an extra bowl of rice today."
Jasmine Sterling watched her daughter dotingly. "Good. Eat up."
But just as Cecilia was about to dig in, the sound of a keypad lock unlocking suddenly came from the entryway. Mother and daughter heard it clearly and instinctively looked at each other.
Then they heard the front door open. Saul Thorne’s voice called out as he glanced at the extra pair of shoes in the entryway—ones that were clearly not Cecilia’s. "Babe, do we have a guest?"
Jasmine Sterling turned to her daughter, her face a mask of astonishment, her eyes filled with shock.
Cecilia blinked and quickly stood up. "Mom, that’s my boyfriend."