Chapter 185 - 183: Letting Her Go Alone?
Since Suzanne Sawyer didn’t have her own dressing room, Lily Sterling was worried about her and brought her back to her own.
Inside the dressing room, Finn and the several bodyguards assigned to her by the company were all present. Perhaps because she was finally in a safe environment, the tension that had kept her wound tight suddenly snapped. The humiliation and hurt she felt swelled up all at once, and she began to cry uncontrollably.
Lily Sterling, however, was surprisingly strong. Even though Henry Marshall had verbally harassed her and even touched her face, she didn’t cry. Instead, she comforted Suzanne Sawyer. "It’s okay now. It’s over. Don’t cry."
Suzanne Sawyer couldn’t stop crying. Sobbing, she pulled out her phone to call her father. "D-Dad... I... I was ha-harassed... *sob*..."
Hearing her father’s voice on the line made her break down completely, and she began to wail.
Lily Sterling felt helpless and could only keep silently passing her tissues.
Yuna quietly recounted the incident to Finn. He was furious. "How can something like this happen on set? In broad daylight, no less! The sheer nerve of that guy."
It was the first time Yuna had ever encountered anything like this, and it was a real eye-opener. "You didn’t see him. The guy was like a rabid dog—he even dared to curse out the director!"
Finn hesitated, then pulled Yuna aside. "Should we tell Lily’s sister?" he whispered. "Didn’t she ask us to let her know if Lily ever got into trouble?"
Yuna hesitated. "Do we need to? I already told Connie. She should be able to handle it, right?"
"We should tell her anyway," Finn insisted. "They’re so close, and Lily was a victim in this, too. A few words of comfort from her sister would mean more than anything from us."
Yuna considered this and realized Finn was right. The last time Lily’s sister visited the set, she had given them all expensive Special Grade Sea Cucumbers as gifts. She had also quietly pulled them aside and told them to contact her immediately if Lily ever ran into trouble, even making sure to exchange WhatsApp numbers.
And today’s incident definitely counted as major trouble.
「Meanwhile」 Cecilia Sterling was hosting a dinner at an upscale restaurant in Lorcain for Wesley Yates, Mr. Young, and several other investment banking tycoons she had met at a previous gathering.
To succeed in Lorcain’s investment banking world, she needed to solidify these connections.
The other guests had come hoping to get a read on the situation. They couldn’t quite gauge where Jeb and Mr. Yates stood with this Miss Sterling. While their last meeting had seemed amicable on the surface, some felt their attitude was still ambiguous.
But to their surprise, both Jeb and Mr. Young had accepted Miss Sterling’s invitation, gracing the dinner with their presence. For the others, that made things clear.
This Miss Sterling, with her casual "thirty-two thousand," had clearly earned the respect of the two tycoons.
The atmosphere in the private room was heating up. Cecilia Sterling raised her glass. "Mr. Young, Jeb, last time I wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t drink, so I still owe you. To show you I’m not just some kid making excuses, I’ll start by downing three glasses!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... hold on..."
Before Mr. Young could even finish his protest, Cecilia had already tilted her head back and drained her glass.
She immediately refilled it and, without a word, downed that one too.
Then came the third.
While Mr. Young was verbally telling her not to drink so much, inwardly he was pleased. It confirmed his intuition: Cecilia Sterling was the real deal, not just putting on a show. Last time hadn’t just been an act to placate him.
"Miss Sterling can really hold her liquor!"
"You’d never guess it! She drinks that much and doesn’t even flush!"
"I bet she can outdrink most of us here. Miss Sterling, where are you from?"
Cecilia Sterling smiled. "I’m from Veridia," she replied.
"Ah..."
The guests all exchanged meaningful nods.
A Veridian. No wonder. The wealthy over there were every bit as prominent as those in Lorcain. The fact that Miss Sterling wasn’t a Lorcain local only made her background seem more mysterious.
"Cecilia, pace yourself," Mr. Young said, looking at her. "The night is young. Don’t get drunk right at the start, or you’ll make it look like we’re bullying a youngster."
Wesley Yates shot Mr. Young a sideways glance. "Well, that’s a first. I’ve never seen you tell someone to drink less, Mr. Young."
His comment made everyone in the room laugh.
Mr. Young shot Wesley Yates a mock glare. "What’s that supposed to mean? Cecilia is my daughter’s age. When I look at her, it’s like seeing my own kid. Is there something wrong with me being a little protective?"
Wesley Yates just shook his head with a silent chuckle, then raised his glass to Cecilia. "Alright, I’ll have a drink with you."
"Of course. My toast is to you, Jeb."
Cecilia boldly poured another drink and raised her glass, which made Mr. Young wince. He gave Wesley Yates a light shove. "Hey, let her catch her breath. She just downed three glasses."
The push made Wesley Yates spill wine on his trousers, but he paid it no mind. He drank what was left in his glass, then poured another half. "I’ll make it up with this half."
Cecilia smiled at Mr. Young. "It’s alright, Mr. Young. I’m in a good mood today. Besides, I came here to apologize. I spoiled the mood last time, so it’s only right I drink a few more."
In truth, Cecilia was simply confident in her tolerance for alcohol. She could really drink. Once, when she, Estelle, and their friends had hired male escorts, she’d drunk all kinds of hard liquor mixed with beer and hadn’t even gotten drunk.
Mr. Young quickly held up a hand. "Since you call me ’Uncle,’ and Jeb here has accepted you as his sister, there’s no need to be so formal with us. You’re still young; you need to look after your health."
At his words, the smile on Cecilia’s face became genuinely warmer. She could feel Mr. Young’s sincerity; he truly saw her as a junior to be looked after.
"Alright, Mr. Young," she said. "I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll stop when I’ve had enough."
Only then did Mr. Young nod in satisfaction. He quickly turned to the other guests. "You lot, hurry up and have a few rounds with Jeb. I can tell he’s itching for a drink today!"
The room immediately erupted into boisterous chatter again. Cecilia casually picked up her phone as a notification came in. She tapped it open, and the smile instantly vanished from her face.
Noticing the change in her expression, Mr. Young frowned. "What’s wrong, Cecilia? Did something happen?"
He spoke with the immediate authority of a powerful man, his tone implying he was ready to solve whatever problem she had.
Wesley Yates also set down his glass, his expression turning serious as he watched her.
Cecilia composed herself, then managed an apologetic smile. "I’m so sorry, Mr. Young, Jeb. I... I think I have to go. Something urgent has come up."
"Is it that urgent?"
Someone blurted out, instinctively glancing at Mr. Young and Wesley Yates, worried that Cecilia’s departure would offend the two power players.
But they weren’t displeased. Mr. Young jutted out his chin and asked in a low voice, "Tell me what’s going on. If it’s something in Lorcain, as long as it’s not murder or arson, I’ll take care of it for you."
Cecilia shook her head. "Mr. Young, it’s not a Lorcain matter. It’s at a film set in Starwood. It’s about my sister. I can handle it myself."
As she spoke, Cecilia started to rise to take her leave, but Mr. Young stopped her. "Hold on. Starwood is out in the sticks, far from any real authority. You’re going to go there by yourself?"
He then turned his head to Wesley Yates. "And what about you? Your sister is in trouble and you’re not going to lift a finger? You’re just going to let her go alone?"