Chapter 133: Chapter 133: The Bait in the Shadows

Upon receiving the intelligence that the representatives from Helios Technologies were eager to arrange a meeting with him, or to be more precise, that the shadowy figure manipulating events from behind the scenes had taken the juicy bait he had offered, Julian Sterling could not suppress a cold, amused chuckle. He adjusted his position slightly before speaking into the phone.

“So, tell me, how exactly did you handle the conversation with them? You know the drill perfectly well by now, Lucas. Under no circumstances can I reveal my face to them, and the same rule applies to you. We must remain ghosts in this machine.”

“Naturally. Do you take me for a fool, Julian?” Lucas Hill’s voice crackled through the receiver, brimming with a confident, almost arrogant swagger: “Me? I led them around by the nose as if I were herding docile cattle in a pasture. However, listen to me closely, Jules. I seriously doubt that the person stepping forward to accept this contract on your behalf isn’t actually Cedric Harrington. It feels entirely wrong. It seems more likely that some incompetent fool from the Harrington family has been sent out to act as the face of the operation. While I cannot claim to understand the intricacies of Cedric’s personality with absolute certainty, I refuse to believe that a man listed among the most brilliant, youthful, and talented leaders of our city could be quite this dense.”

Hearing the palpable disdain and open mockery dripping from Lucas’s tone, Julian burst into a fit of clear, ringing laughter. He laughed so hard that his body shook. Unfortunately, the intensity of his mirth proved too much for his current physical state. The sudden movement sent a sharp, electrifying jolt of pain shooting through his waist. He hissed instinctively, sucking in a breath of cold air to steady himself against the ache before he could manage to speak again.

“Is the person engaging with you really that unintelligent? Is he truly so easily manipulated?”

“If I only had to waste a minimal amount of breath to lead him around like a cow on a rope, then yes, he is undoubtedly stupid.” Lucas clicked his tongue in disapproval, the sound sharp against the speaker: “But I have to admit, you really do come up with some wicked concepts, Julian. First, you snatched away the land they had their eyes on, causing internal friction and chaos between the Sterling and Harrington families. And now, at this critical juncture, you are delivering a fake contract right into the hands of the Harringtons to sabotage them further.”

“Come now, watch your phrasing. It is not a fake contract. Handing over forged documents would be illegal, and I have no intention of going to prison.” Julian corrected him, his tone turning pragmatic and serious: “Lucas, that is a perfectly viable contract for development. The business plan contained within is absolutely not terrible. In fact, it has merit. It is simply that the metrics, the projections, and the method of expression contain… certain problematic issues. However, as you said, if the person receiving it refuses to conduct a thorough due diligence check and rushes to implement it blindly, then he is clearly the fool. That negligence has nothing to do with me, nor does it implicate you in the slightest.”

Lucas chuckled as well. Yet, there was one undeniable truth he had to acknowledge: Julian Sterling was incredibly cunning. He was a creature of strategy.

From the very moment Ethan Caldwell had tipped Julian off regarding the acquisition of that specific plot of land, snatching a delicious morsel right out of Aaron Sterling’s outstretched hands, Julian had already begun his meticulous calculations. He was maximizing every conceivable ounce of value from that property, squeezing it dry of its potential.

The commercial value, or the sudden, exponential spike in price due to its prime geographical location, was merely surface-level worth. Those were things anyone could see. The profound impact lay hidden beneath the surface: once this land was lost, the collaborative relationship between the Harrington family and the Sterling family would likely face severe turbulence. In reality, a single plot of land should not have possessed the power to influence so much. It was just dirt and potential zoning rights, after all.

However, Julian surmised that there must be a secret buried within that land, a mystery he had not yet uncovered. Based on what Julian knew, the Harrington family had shown a keen interest in acquiring this land from the very beginning. Or to be more precise, it was Cedric Harrington’s faction that desired it.

Cedric had acted with extreme caution, likely wishing to keep outsiders in the dark about his intentions. It was even possible that he didn’t want the rest of the Harrington family to know what he was up to. The reason Julian possessed this specific insight was due to his massive, cheating advantage: Julian Sterling was a transmigrator who had crossed over into this world. He had read the script.

Initially, he had not recalled this specific detail. The memory had been foggy, buried under the weight of his new reality. He didn’t know why, but two days after Ethan announced the purchase of the land, the memory had suddenly struck Julian with crystal clarity. Perhaps he had only skimmed over that part in the original story, leaving a faint impression. But it mattered not; now that he knew Cedric was the one desperate for the land, Julian could take his time investigating its secrets.

It was precisely because of this dynamic that Julian predicted a major falling out between Aaron Sterling and Cedric if Aaron failed to secure the land. Obviously, Julian did not know the specifics of how the two of them cooperated. Whether Cedric was personally involved in the negotiations or not was another unknown variable.

But the terms of the alliance between the Sterling family and Helios Technologies definitely hinged on the acquisition of this land. This explained why Aaron, despite the immense risks involved, had resorted to kidnapping and attempting to ruin Julian’s reputation. The ultimate goal was likely just to reclaim that land to appease his partners.

In Aaron’s twisted narrative, he likely believed that the only reason Ethan Caldwell had purchased the land was because Julian had thrown a tantrum, unwilling to see the property fall into Aaron’s hands. Aaron likely had no idea that if he hadn’t constantly opened his mouth to claim a close relationship with the Caldwell family, using them as a stepping stone for fame and profit, Ethan would never have bothered to intervene.

All things considered, Aaron truly enjoyed making himself the center of the universe. In Aaron’s mind, it seemed that everyone should be kneeling at his feet in worship. A character like Julian, the original canon fodder of this world, was nothing more than an insignificant ant in Aaron’s eyes. Julian’s mere existence made Aaron feel insulted, a constant, nagging reminder that Aaron was merely a child from a poor background who had stumbled into a wealthy family by chance. Perhaps it was partly for profit, partly for pride, but all these factors drove Aaron to push Julian to a dead end.

He would not stop until death claimed one of them.

Just as Julian’s soul was drifting away into these chaotic, wandering thoughts, Lucas’s voice dragged him back to reality, breaking his trance: “Hey, Julian, are you even listening to me?”

“Huh? Um? I didn’t hear that clearly. My apologies, could you say it again?”

“Wow, has your soul been hooked away by your husband, Julian? Lust is harmful to the body, you really need to learn some self-control.” Lucas teased, his voice dripping with playful insinuation.

“Hey! Lucas! I told you it has nothing to do with that!” Julian protested, though his face flushed slightly.

“Right, right. Listen to me, Jules…” Lucas’s voice turned serious, dropping the playfulness: “How do you want to continue leading this person from Helios Technologies by the nose? I bet the contract you provided certainly won’t achieve the grandiose promise of ’elevating your company to new heights with superior technology.’ But how can you be sure he will use it? Does the person behind this have enough authority to execute it? And what if he demands a face-to-face meeting to sign a clear contract? At that point, we would be implicated in legal liabilities.”

“Didn’t you say you had him on a leash? Why are you suddenly afraid of legal entanglements?”

“When he demanded a meeting, I told him I didn’t want to meet for the time being. I told him he could study the contract first, and if he felt it was viable, he simply needed to share the profits with me later. And, absolutely, he said yes.”

Lucas sighed heavily as he replied, the sound of a man weary of dealing with incompetence. Julian fell into a stunned silence for a moment, processing this information, before hesitantly asking, “…We haven’t encountered some idiot impersonating them, have we?”

“See? You also feel like this guy is a moron, right? But he possesses a high-level QR authorization code from Helios Technologies. I messed around a bit and traced his IP, it really is located at their headquarters building.”

“Is it possible it’s a foolish subordinate using his boss’s computer?”

“Stop emphasizing the words ’stupid’ or ’foolish’! I checked. I guarantee it is a high-ranking figure.”

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