Chapter 710: Chapter 706: The Truth
A hush fell over the office. Jasmine Sterling and Yvonne Sterling both went silent after telling Cecilia the truth.
They knew that even Cecilia would need time to digest and accept such a world-shattering truth.
Cecilia sat there in a daze, countless images flashing and overlapping in her mind. Every frame, every scene, was of Lily’s adorable face. She could even hear the clear sound of Lily’s voice calling her “sister.”
‘But why didn’t this happen in my past life?’
‘Was it because Lily wasn’t famous enough in my past life?’
‘Or did Mom manage to keep this earth-shattering secret hidden for her entire life?’
After a long while, Cecilia finally pulled herself out of her daze. She nodded, her expression numb. “I… I get it.”
It seemed she hadn’t fully digested it, nor had she truly accepted it.
But she could no longer afford to worry about herself. Those two people who had appeared out of nowhere were aggressively trying to snatch Lily away, and she would never allow that to happen.
‘I don’t care who gave birth to Lily. Lily is my sister—my very own sister!’
“Cecilia, don’t blame your mom for keeping this from you,” Yvonne Sterling said softly. “It was always for the best that as few people as possible knew. Besides me, your uncle, and your grandparents on both sides, no one else was aware.”
“Auntie, of course I don’t blame Mom. She didn’t do anything wrong.” Cecilia looked at her mother, her tone earnest. “I should be thanking her for giving me such a wonderful sister. And she’s your wonderful daughter, too!”
Her words instantly brought tears to Jasmine Sterling’s eyes.
She covered her mouth, her eyes turning red as she nodded emphatically.
“Lily’s not at fault, either. She was abandoned. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Cecilia quickly composed herself and immediately pulled out her phone to call Connie.
She had to explain the whole truth to Connie so the company could formulate the best possible public relations strategy for Lily.
Since the truth was on the verge of coming out, there was no longer any point in hiding it.
“Huh?”
Connie was utterly shocked by what Cecilia said. “H-How can this be?”
Just an hour ago, Cecilia had sworn up and down that it was impossible, and now, in the blink of an eye…
“Connie, that’s the truth. I only just found out myself. My mom told me in her own words.”
Shock was one thing, but Connie quickly shifted back into a professional mindset. “The company’s in a meeting right now. The original plan was to frame this as a malicious incident or a simple mistake, but that approach is obviously out. We have to use the truth. That’s the only way our story will be airtight.”
“I understand. We can’t lie, or the repercussions will be endless,” said Cecilia.
Lies are the easiest things to expose, and one lie always leads to countless more. There was no need to take that risk.
With Cecilia’s confirmation, Connie felt reassured. “Don’t you worry, Miss Sterling. In this situation, Lily is clearly the victim, the one who was abandoned, the one who was kept in the dark. We have every advantage stacked in our favor. Public opinion will definitely swing our way.”
“Connie, I suspect they might try to find Goldman Golding,” Cecilia said, her mind starting to race now that she had calmed down. “They won’t give up this easily. Between Lily’s home and the company office, the office is obviously easier to find. You need to be prepared.”
“Got it. Have Lily stay away from the office for the next couple of days. We’ll handle it.”
After hanging up the phone, Cecilia walked back to the sofa and sat down.
“Cecilia, is this going to affect Lily’s career?” Jasmine Sterling asked, her face etched with worry. “She’s worked so hard to get here…”
“Mom, don’t worry. I won’t let anyone do anything that could hurt Lily. I’ll take care of everything. Let’s pack up and go home for now. Lily should be back soon, and we owe her an explanation. She has the right to know the truth.”
Around eleven o’clock that night, Lily dragged her exhausted body home.
The living room was brightly lit. Not only were her mom and sister home, but her aunt and uncle were there too. The house was buzzing with activity, and the table was laden with fragrant dishes.
“Lily’s home!”
Seeing Lily, Yvonne Sterling rushed forward and took her by the hand. “You must be exhausted. I bet you barely ate anything at the after-party. Your mom and I made lots of delicious food, so go wash up.”
“Auntie, what are you all…”
Lily was confused. She glanced at her watch instinctively. It was already eleven o’clock.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Before she could react, she was ushered toward the washroom.
By the time she came out from washing her hands, everyone else was already seated at the table, waiting just for her.
Her sister looked at her and patted the empty seat beside her. “Come on, Lily.”
Lily hesitated. Looking at everyone before her, a sense of dread washed over her, a powerful premonition that something was wrong.
She walked over and slowly took her seat, her eyes darting nervously across everyone’s faces like a frightened fawn before finally settling on her sister.
At this moment, it felt as if looking at her sister was the only thing that could put her at ease.
“Sis.”
“Lily.” Cecilia reached out and took her sister’s hand, finding it ice-cold. “There’s something Mom wants to tell you herself tonight.”
Lily slowly shifted her gaze to her mother, only to find her gazing back with nothing but tenderness in her eyes.
A lump formed in her throat. Lily’s voice trembled as she spoke. “I… I think I already know.”
The unease in her heart took solid form. Tears began to slide uncontrollably down Lily’s cheeks. She knew how incredibly difficult it must be for her mother to say these words, so she said them for her: “I’m… I’m not your biological daughter.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement of fact.
Her perceptiveness made everyone’s heart ache for her. Cecilia squeezed her sister’s hand even tighter.
“Lily, I know this is hard to accept,” her aunt said, “but we thought it would be better to tell you ourselves rather than have you find out some other way.”
After all, given the circumstances, they couldn’t have hidden it for much longer anyway.
Lily asked through her tears, “Th-then where did I come from?”
“I found you in a park. You were only about the size of a thermos back then…”
Lily clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs.
‘I was abandoned!’
“Lily, this doesn’t change anything!” Cecilia insisted. “You’re my sister. You’ll always be my real sister. Mom has never once thought of you as just someone she found. All these years, even our aunt and uncle have treated you like their own daughter.”
Jasmine Sterling was crying too. “Lily, if I could have kept it a secret, I would have hidden it from you for my entire life. I knew this truth would be too cruel for you to bear, but…”
Yvonne Sterling also added through her tears, “Lily, you have to understand your mom. Back then, your father left because he couldn’t handle the pressure of her insisting on keeping you. All these years, she has loved you with her whole heart.”
Sobbing too hard to speak, Lily just nodded. “I know…”