Chapter 500 - 496: Thank You, Sister

The director froze. He stared at Cecilia Sterling’s lovely, smiling face, but all he felt was a chill shooting up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

She might have been smiling, but she wasn’t joking.

Yuna and Finn were stunned speechless. They gaped for a moment before snapping their mouths shut. Inwardly, however, they were thrilled. Their Lily finally had someone in her corner.

"Do you understand?" Cecilia asked when she saw the director was still frozen. "While I’m still capable of smiling at you, I suggest you get rid of that scumbag for me. Now."

The director’s heart pounded with fear. He couldn’t afford to offend the investor, obviously, but he couldn’t afford to offend George Lowe, either.

’This is an impossible situation,’ he thought. ’Am I going to end up begging for scraps in this industry?’

"M-Ms. Sterling," he stammered, "it’s just... Mr. George Lowe only has a few scenes left. It would be very complicated to replace him now..."

"Complicated?" Cecilia cut him off again. "If money can solve it, it’s not complicated. Find someone to reshoot his scenes, use Artificial Intelligence for a face swap in post-production—I don’t care. I can afford to fund whatever it takes. But this Man Lowe must get the hell out of my production."

"Either he’s out, or you’re out with him. Do I make myself clear?"

At this, the last trace of a smile vanished from Cecilia’s face.

Helpless, the director nodded. "Y-Yes. Crystal clear."

The director walked out of the dressing room, his back drenched in sweat. He never would have imagined that the investor for this series was Lily Sterling’s older sister.

And such a young woman, at that.

But her presence was incredibly powerful. Her attitude just now made it obvious she had zero respect for that old lech.

He took a few deep breaths, his expression hardening, and strode toward George Lowe’s dressing room. ’Offend him or not, this show is my baby,’ he thought. ’I’m definitely not the one getting fired. The investor wants you replaced. If you have a problem with that, take it up with her. I’m just the messenger.’

It just goes to show, no matter how terrifying a situation, when a person’s own interests are at stake, they can always weigh the pros and cons in an instant and make the decision that benefits them most.

"Sis..."

Inside the room, Lily Sterling snapped out of her daze. She grabbed her sister’s hand and asked in disbelief, "You... you’re the investor for this series?"

Cecilia looked at her younger sister, her expression instantly softening with affection. She arched an eyebrow and said with a smile, "That’s right. President Lockwood from your company, Goldman Golding, is an old friend of mine."

So that her sister wouldn’t think she had done all this just for her, Cecilia quickly explained, "How else do you think I made my fortune these past couple of years? I was already involved in the film and television industry before you even started your career."

"Th-Then why didn’t you tell me?"

"I was waiting for the right moment. I wanted to wait until you had achieved something on your own merits. I thought if I told you then, you wouldn’t feel so burdened by it."

Cecilia squeezed her sister’s hand and spoke gently. "Because no matter what, we can’t deny that my existence will, to some degree, give you a leg up in your career. But I don’t want that to overshadow your own talent and hard work. All I’ve ever wanted to do is help you avoid some of the pitfalls others face. That’s it."

As Lily Sterling listened to her sister, her mind couldn’t help but drift back to everything that had happened since she’d gotten into The Film Academy.

"So... after I was replaced on *Heavenly Destiny as Phoenix*, were you the one who got me the role in *Flora*?"

"And later on, when it came to picking scripts and roles... Connie always deferred to my personal preferences. Was that all because you’re an investor in Goldman Golding?"

Cecilia no longer denied it, simply giving a slight nod.

"Lily, I’m your sister. You need to feel one hundred percent worthy of my help, because it’s only right and natural, and it’s what I want to do for you. But I also know you very well, so I’ve always been careful to not overstep. In the end, all the final decisions were left to you. I could have made you the female lead in every project, but I know you only want to play the characters you’re passionate about, so I simply opened the doors for you and nothing more."

Cecilia was actually very nervous. She explained so much because she was afraid Lily would fall into a trap of self-doubt. She worried Lily would dismiss her own talent and attribute all her success to simply having her for a sister.

But that wasn’t the truth. If Lily didn’t have the talent, no amount of help from her would have gotten her to where she was today.

At best, she would have just been a talentless actress who never had to worry about finding work because she came with funding.

Lily Sterling looked at her sister, her warm eyes welling up and turning red. Her lips trembled as she said, "Thank you, sis."

Hearing those three words, Cecilia let out a breath of relief. She opened her arms, pulled her sister into a hug, and gently stroked her back. "Don’t thank me. Just remember this: from now on, no one in this industry will dare to bully you again. You just have to keep being as strong as you were today, because I will always have your back."

Lily Sterling nodded, choking back a sob. She felt no resentment toward her sister—only a profound sense of security and a heart full of gratitude.

She had grown. If she had learned all this at the beginning of her career, she would have fiercely rejected it.

But in the past year, she had seen too much of the industry’s dark side. Without her sister, after Suzanne Sawyer stole her role, she would have been relegated to playing nobodies. It was possible no one would have ever noticed her.

Without her sister, she wouldn’t have gotten the role in *Flora*, and she certainly wouldn’t have received two nominations at the Golden Magpie Awards for it.

Even with all her talent, trying to earn a nomination for such a major award on her own would have taken years, maybe even a decade. She might never have achieved it at all!

Her sister was right. She had helped her avoid so many pitfalls.

On set, she had witnessed just how brutal the competition in this business was. When faced with others’ hostility and bullying, there was always someone who would treat her decently out of respect for Connie.

She had seen actors get replaced even after they’d already joined the production.

She had seen Henry Marshall brazenly harass and threaten Suzanne Sawyer, leveraging his status as an investor.

She had even seen with her own eyes more than one actress give in to powerful investors and irresistible temptations, willingly sacrificing themselves.

And then there was today.

Without her sister, she didn’t know what kind of desperate situation this environment would have forced her into. Her sister hadn’t just helped her avoid pitfalls; she had been protecting her.

She might not have understood it before, but now, she saw it with perfect clarity.

And Cecilia had already seen what became of an unprotected Lily in a past life. That was why, in this life, she was determined to be her sister’s staunchest protector, no matter what.