Chapter 407 - 403: Taken Away

Lily Sterling’s move made Rachel Farris choke with indignation.

At Goldman Golding, it wasn’t just that Rachel was a senior artist; even President Lockwood had to show Connie respect.

Rachel Farris glared at Yuna, a menacing smile finally spreading across her face. She nodded and said, "Fine. Since her former master has come to claim her, I suppose I can’t just keep her. You were never a good fit anyway."

She deliberately emphasized the word "master," clearly not passing up one last chance to insult Yuna.

That word was incredibly grating. Lily couldn’t stop herself from speaking up, but Yuna secretly tugged at her arm.

With her eyes red-rimmed, Yuna looked at Rachel Farris and said, "Thank you, Rachel!"

Seeing Yuna struggling to hold back her feelings, Rachel Farris snorted in contempt and walked away.

"What’s going on? Why is she treating you like this?"

Lily’s heart ached for her. She reached out and took Yuna’s hand.

At that moment, all the grievances Yuna had bottled up finally burst forth, and she began to cry. "Just because someone on the team was privately complaining to me that she’s high-maintenance, I foolishly brought you up and praised you, saying how nice you are and all that, and she happened to overhear."

"Just for that?" Lily was shocked.

Yuna nodded, tears streaming down her face. "Finn and I were new, so we were just running errands and doing odd jobs on the sidelines. We weren’t even qualified to be near the artists. But because of that incident, she specifically assigned me to her side just to find new ways to torment me every day."

"Lily..." Yuna sobbed, hugging Lily tightly. "Thank goodness you’re here. Thank you for saving me. I don’t know how much longer I could have held on."

Yuna’s unrestrained sobbing once again drew the attention of others on set.

Everyone knew what Yuna had been through and sympathized with her, but no one dared to speak up because of Rachel Farris’s status.

Besides, they didn’t know the full story or how the young assistant had offended Rachel Farris in the first place.

"Okay, no more crying. Go pack your things, get Finn, and come home with me today."

Lily decided not to report the matter to Connie. If Rachel Farris was bold enough to act this way, she clearly wasn’t afraid of word getting out.

’Besides, I’m not a child who runs to the teacher with every problem. That’s too immature. Rachel is a big name in the industry, and she isn’t one of Connie’s artists. Telling Connie would only put her in an awkward position.’

"Finn, are you okay?"

On the way back, Lily made sure to check in on Finn.

Finn shook his head. "I’m fine. I just feel bad for Yuna. I never thought Rachel Farris would be so unprofessional behind the scenes. And to think Yuna was so happy at first when she heard she’d be joining her on set."

Yuna, however, looked at Lily with concern. "Lily, you went against her today for our sake. Someone as petty as her won’t let this go. I’m worried she’s going to make things difficult for you now."

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I couldn’t just stand by and watch you suffer."

"Okay, let’s change the subject." Lily patted Yuna’s hand and smiled. "I landed a new role. Filming starts next month. I’m the second female lead, and I’ll be working with Heather."

"Really?"

Lily nodded. "From now on, you’ll both always be with me. I won’t let the company reassign you to anyone else again."

Hearing this, Yuna and Finn exchanged an excited glance and nodded vigorously.

A week later, *Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix* made a surprise debut in the summer lineup. Penguin Video had spent a fortune to acquire the exclusive online broadcasting rights.

On the day of its premiere, the show dominated the trending topics on all major media outlets and social platforms.

The hashtag for Lily Sterling’s character, Flora, also quickly went viral after her first appearance in the second episode.

Her personal social media account, which had gone dormant during her long hiatus, came roaring back to life as she experienced another massive surge in followers.

Cooperating with the company’s promotional campaign for the new drama, Lily posted several times on X. Each post surpassed hundreds of thousands of shares and likes, and the comments broke ten thousand within two hours.

Of course, the company’s marketing efforts played a part, but the number of her active followers was genuinely skyrocketing.

After all, her most recent post on X before this had fewer than five hundred comments, mostly from die-hard fans who had been eagerly anticipating the show’s premiere.

On the day of the premiere, Cecilia Sterling gathered all her family and their friends at her home, making everyone sit down and watch her sister’s on-screen debut.

Besides their family of four, Estelle, Blair, and Jane Sterling were naturally in attendance. Mrs. Goodman also brought desserts made by her family’s cook for everyone to enjoy while they watched.

Ethan Sterling invited Renee Reid and Jameson Stone.

Lily’s three roommates were all busy filming on their own sets, but they all promised in their group chat to watch the first eight episodes that had been released.

Yvonne Sterling’s family, far away in Veridia, also turned on their TV at the same time. Not only would they watch, but they would also have a video call open to watch with them.

It was the liveliest day the house had ever seen.

*

Cecilia Sterling received her first call from Zelda Warner three days later.

A light rain was drizzling that day. Cecilia pressed the answer button, and the moment she said, "Sister-in-law," she froze.

When she rushed to the scene, several police cars were parked outside the gated community where her brother lived. A crowd of onlookers, huddled under umbrellas, had gathered to watch the commotion.

She didn’t even bother to open her umbrella, rushing forward into the rain. But just as she pushed her way into the crowd, a hand suddenly grabbed her.

"Cecilia!"

It was Mr. Young.

Rainwater trickled down her hair and onto her cheeks. She looked at Mr. Young, and he just shook his head at her. "It’s over. All we can do now is watch him go."

Mr. Young had barely finished speaking when a stir went through the crowd.

"He’s coming out! They’re bringing him out."

"His wife is pregnant with their second child, too."

"I thought that Yates guy was untouchable. Heard he had connections on both sides of the law."

"It’s a crackdown from the top this time. He’s not getting away."

The murmurs of the crowd grew, but not a single word reached Cecilia’s ears. It was as if the curtain of rain muffled all the chaotic noise.

In the distance, Wesley Yates was led out by two detectives, his hands cuffed behind his back. Behind him, Cecilia saw Captain Shepherd, the man who had questioned her the other day... and Saul Thorne!

Visibly pregnant, Zelda Warner stood under an umbrella held by a nanny, her eyes brimming with tears as she held onto her seven-year-old son, who was crying out for his father. She watched as the police led Wesley Yates away.

Cecilia’s gaze was fixed on her brother’s face, her eyes never leaving him.

As if sensing her unique stare, Wesley Yates suddenly looked up, and his eyes instantly met Cecilia’s in the crowd.

Cecilia didn’t speak, nor did her lips move, but Wesley suddenly smiled at her.

The smile lasted only two seconds before the police pushed him into the car.

Cecilia looked away, and when her eyes shifted, they fell upon Saul Thorne, who was standing in the rain and had also spotted her.

Their eyes met. Cecilia had told him she wouldn’t blame him, no matter the outcome. She understood him. And so, her gaze was still clear and unwavering as she looked at him.

Saul Thorne watched Cecilia for a long moment before a slow smile finally touched his eyes.