Chapter 461 - 457: The Event Officially Begins

The moment she saw Cecilia Sterling appear, Mrs. Lane’s expression instinctively froze.

And when she heard Cecilia call out "Mom," her eyes went wide.

Who?

’Who was she calling Mom?’

"Cecilia."

Jasmine Sterling pulled her daughter aside, just about to speak, when a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes appeared on Cecilia’s face. She took the initiative to greet Walter and Mrs. Lane. "Mr. Lane, Mrs. Lane, long time no see."

’It *has* been a long time. The last time we saw each other was... last year, I think?’

Mrs. Lane instantly lost her composure. Her face went from warm as the equator to frigid as the North Pole, and she turned away with a sneer.

But Walter Lane was different. The more he learned about Cecilia Sterling, the more shocked he was.

The previous incidents were already enough to make him re-evaluate Cecilia, but he never expected that the friend Director Jennings personally introduced today would be Cecilia’s mother.

This connection implied that Cecilia Sterling and Chairman Jennings must also be very close.

A veteran of the business world, Walter Lane was far more shrewd and controlled than his wife. He kept a poker face, offering only a faint smile. "We meet again."

"Cecilia, you know each other?" Jasmine Sterling exclaimed in shock.

Cecilia nodded slightly and explained calmly, "To be precise, I was in a relationship with their son."

Jasmine Sterling blinked. She knew her daughter had been in a relationship before Saul Thorne. ’Could it be...’

Randall Jennings, standing to the side, hadn’t expected this either. However, Mrs. Lane’s visceral reaction didn’t escape his notice. Even though Cecilia was all smiles when she greeted them, it was obvious their relationship was anything but amicable.

And when she heard Cecilia mention her son, Mrs. Lane felt a tightness in her chest.

’If it weren’t for her, my son wouldn’t have been sent to study abroad. It’s so hard for me, his own mother, to even see him now.’

However, today was Mr. Jennings’s event, so Cecilia naturally wouldn’t go so far as to embarrass him. Thus, she didn’t elaborate.

Turning her head, she saw Connie and Heather Keaton walk in. Cecilia took the opportunity to pull her mother along. "Mom, Lily’s agent is here. I’ll take you over to meet her."

"We’ll excuse ourselves now," she said to the couple.

With that, Cecilia ignored their expressions and pulled her mother away.

Randall Jennings didn’t ask any questions. Seeing the situation, he let them be and turned to greet other guests.

The moment they were gone, Mrs. Lane couldn’t suppress her fury. "What is going on?" she fumed. "Are you telling me the cleaning company we use is owned by Cecilia’s family? I’ve been going out of my way to support their business, just handing them money. How infuriating!"

Upon hearing this, Walter Lane couldn’t help but glare at his wife. "You have no self-control. Director Jennings was standing right there. Couldn’t you have kept a straight face?"

"That’s Cecilia Sterling!" Mrs. Lane’s voice suddenly rose, but she caught herself the next second and quickly lowered it. "She put our son through so much misery, and you expect me to be nice to her?"

"I just don’t get it. When we looked into her background, wasn’t she just an ordinary person who grew up in Veridia? How did she manage to squeeze her way into Lorcain’s high society?!"

Walter Lane knew the truth about Cecilia, but Mrs. Lane was in the dark.

In her eyes, Cecilia was still just a young girl who hadn’t even graduated from college.

"What kind of accurate information could those half-assed investigators you hired find?" Walter Lane just assumed the information his wife had gathered was wrong.

From what he knew of Cecilia, her background and her network were both unfathomably deep.

Meanwhile, Connie finally found a chance to introduce Heather Keaton, the most valued and popular actress under her management, to Cecilia.

"You must be Lily’s mother, right?" Connie shook Jasmine Sterling’s hand warmly, unable to hold back her sincere praise. "You look so young, and you have such wonderful poise. It’s no wonder you raised such an outstanding daughter."

"You’re too kind, Connie," Jasmine Sterling said to her. "Lily must be causing you a lot of trouble. She’s still young and doesn’t understand many things, so I’m grateful for your extra care."

"Not at all, not at all! Lily is a wonderful girl, I’m very fond of her. Our Heather likes her too. And since they’re working together on this show, Heather, as her senior, will take care of Lily on set," Connie said, opportunely bringing Heather Keaton into the conversation.

Jasmine Sterling looked at Heather Keaton and thanked her with a smile. "Lily told me all about it. She said that you’ve been taking good care of her. Thank you."

"Please, don’t mention it, Ma’am. I’m very fond of Lily. I’m sure she has a great future ahead of her in the film and television industry."

Cecilia could see Connie’s intentions and understood them completely.

In Lorcain, the circle of investors in the entertainment industry was a complex web, but if you could just get your foot in one door, the resources you could obtain would be overwhelming.

Cecilia wasn’t deeply involved in other circles, but her own—headed by her and Mr. Young—brought together dozens of investors. They all worked on good projects together and made money together.

Especially after her brother was imprisoned, she had basically taken his place, holding a pivotal position in the investment world. It was perfectly understandable that Connie wanted Heather Keaton to get to know her.

This was a favor Cecilia would definitely grant Connie.

So she took the initiative and pulled out her phone. "Heather, let’s add each other on WhatsApp. My best friend is a huge fan of yours. Would it be possible to get a few signed photos for her sometime?"

"Of course, no problem."

Cecilia followed up, "I recently took over a hotel in the Sunstone District and I’m starting on renovations and reconstruction. If there’s a chance, Heather, would you be able to make an appearance at the hotel’s grand opening ceremony?"

This was considered a commercial appearance, and Heather Keaton’s appearance fee was in the highest tier in the industry.

Hearing this, she instinctively looked at Connie, because Connie was the one who made the final decisions on these kinds of events.

Connie answered without hesitation, "We’re all friends here. Miss Sterling, just remember to let me know the opening date in advance, and I’ll definitely keep Heather’s schedule open for you."

"That’s wonderful. Thank you in advance, Connie."

"Miss Sterling, if you really want to thank me, then please keep our Heather in mind if you come across any good projects with a strong team," Connie said directly. Her words were natural, and though she had a clear goal, she didn’t come off as pushy.

Cecilia had known what Connie was getting at all along, so she just smiled and nodded. "Don’t worry, I’ll definitely keep it in mind."

With that promise, Connie knew Heather’s future path would be much smoother. She quickly prompted Heather Keaton, "What are you waiting for? Propose a toast to Miss Sterling."

"Miss Sterling, to you."

"I also hope you’ll continue to look after Lily in the industry."

"Of course."

Before long, the banquet hall started to fill up, mostly with old friends. Cecilia also saw Mr. Sullivan, Julian Summers, arrive with his secretary, and Mr. Young came as well.

After greeting everyone, Cecilia took her mother to their assigned table. Their name cards were set on the table, along with a numbered paddle for each of them to use during the charity auction later.

Soon, the smooth sound of a piano filled the air, and the event’s host walked onto the banquet hall’s stage with a microphone in hand.

The event officially began.