The True Lady Strikes Back novel (Cecilia and Christopher)

Chapter 23

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Cecilia was not interested in Juliana’s filthy blood.

She forced Juliana to draw blood to make her experience the feeling of seeing the blood being taken

away from her body.

Especially considering Juliana was already low on blood, she should have experienced the chilling

sensation as her body temperature dropped.

Juliana observed Cecilia’s aggressive demeanor and realized there was no room for negotiation, so

she stretched out her arms and rolled up her sleeves.

“Call the doctor here to draw the blood.”

As she tumbled down the stairs, she collided with the edges of the stairs, leaving two deep purple

marks on her arm.

The bruises stood out starkly against her fair skin, presenting a somewhat jarring sight.

Cecilia didn’t feel sorry at all. She asked the doctor to bring a blood collection bag and handed it to

Sophia.

“Come on, just do it like how you drew my blood last time.”

Sophia was unwilling to take Juliana’s blood and declined outright, stating, “Your conditions you

proposed didn’t mention this!”

“That’s correct. But if you do it yourself, Juliana will take one less step to return it. The decision to draw

or not is up to you.”

Sophia took the blood collection bag without much hesitation.

The cold needle pierced Juliana’s skin, and her body tensed up abruptly.

As the blood flowed into the blood collection bag, her body temperature slowly dropped, and she felt

cold all over.

That feeling was so horrible that she didn’t want to experience

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it again.

Therefore, she was determined to let Cecilia die.

Her hatred was hidden in her gloomy expression, and no one noticed it.

When Juliana’s vision darkened, she was about to faint as 400 ml of blood was finally drawn out.

Then there came the second condition.

Gordon revealed Juliana’s true identity as the adopted daughter and presented Cecilia with the

documents that showed Juliana had been expelled.

“Are you satisfied?”

Cecilia nodded. “I’m satisfied with your quick action.”

With that, she reached out her hand and said, “Give me the share transfer agreement.”

Slap!

Jonathan patted the file bag into Cecilia’s hand and stated firmly, “There you go. Remember to adhere

to the agreement, or rest assured, I’ll ensure you face the consequences.”

Cecilia ignored him and opened the file bag.

Once she confirmed that the share transfer agreement had taken effect, she dialed Philip’s number.

“Analyze Juliana’s medical records for the past two years.”

“Okay.”

After Cecilia hung up the phone, she smiled at Juliana. “I’ll come and draw your blood again in another

month and three days.”

The Yancey family glared at Cecilia angrily, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

Cecilia waved her hand happily. “See you later.”

After she left, the Yancey family immediately comforted

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Juliana.

“Juliana, although your identity is publicized, you are still my baby daughter.”

“Even if you are not registered as one of the Yancey family, you are still my favorite sister.”

“You will still live in the Yancey residence, and your status won’t change.”

“Julia, I’ve transferred my two mansions to you.”

“The shares of Yancey Corporation in my hand are useless. When you get better, I will transfer them to

you.”

Juliana was speechless.

As Juliana listened to the favor and concern of the Yancey family, her unhappiness disappeared.

She was even a little proud of herself.

“Cecilia, you must have never thought that the more you took away, the more I got!” she thought.

After the Yancey family comforted her, they talked about Cecilia.

“Cecilia is going too far. We can’t allow her to be so arrogant. We need to bring her down.”

“Juliana must sing the theme song of the movie Yates Corporation. I’ll deal with it.”

After Jeremiah said that, he contacted Calvin, the current CEO of Yates Corporation.

Although he was not a singer of Yates Corporation, he had an in–depth cooperation with Yates

Corporation.

Calvin looked at the caller ID and didn’t answer until the phone was about to disconnect automatically.

He asked, “Mr. Jeremiah Yancey, what’s the matter?”

“The theme song for ‘The Palace‘ was originally meant for

my

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sister, but Yvette gave it to Cecilia. I’m hoping that Mr. Yates can return it to my sister, and in exchange,

I can perform the chorus,” Jeremiah said.

With the help and support of the Top Idol Singer, the theme song would indeed become popular before

the movie made it to the screen.

Calvin would have agreed without hesitation if he hadn’t heard Cecilia’s voice.

But now, he refused without hesitation.

“Mr. Yancey, I’m sorry, but we feel Cecilia’s voice better matches the movie ‘The Palace.”

“Mr. Yates, just to let you know, I’ve already recorded this call. If you insist on lying through your teeth

and letting Cecilia sing the theme song, I’ll demonstrate the power of our fans!”

Except for Christopher, Calvin had never been threatened by

anyone.

His voice suddenly became cold. “Mr. Jeremiah Yancey, I advise you not to play with fire.”

“Let’s wait and see!” Jeremiah said.

After the phone was hung up, Calvin contacted Cecilia.

“Jeremiah just called me, and your plan has been pushed forward. When will we meet?”

“When I compete with Juliana openly,” Cecilia replied.

“Okay, our company wants to sign you. Please think about my offer carefully.”

“There’s no need to. I won’t sign it, but if there are songs that I like, we can cooperate,” Cecilia said.

“I’m relieved to hear that. I hope you can defeat Juliana with your strength, and I wouldn’t want to

endure the pressure from the entire Internet for nothing.”

Cecilia directly exposed Calvin’s true intentions, saying, “Mr.

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Yates, aren’t you resisting the pressure because you anticipate a significant reversal later on?”

Despite the severe scolding and the sharp drop in stock price. that the Yates Corporation experienced

at that time, the company’s fortunes would reverse after Cecilia defeated and publicly embarrassed

Juliana. Its stock price would double and reach new heights.

Calvin chuckled and remarked, “Ms. Yancey, I didn’t expect you to have such strong business acumen

at your young age.”

“You’re wrong. I just know people well.”

With that, Cecilia hung up the phone.

She didn’t know Calvin well, nor did she want to. There was no need to talk too much.

It was already noon. She bought some ingredients and went back to her condominium to cook.

Now, the Internet was full of news about Juliana.

Even though Juliana’s false identity as a Yancey family member had been revealed, everyone in the

Yancey family continued to acknowledge her. Despite any claims of severing ties with her, they still

welcomed her back as their god–daughter.

Therefore, this matter had little impact on Juliana. Many people even envied her good luck.

Naturally, some netizens eagerly awaited the drama and even took the initiative to search for Juliana’s

biological parents.

Juliana posted a photo on her social account.

She appeared delicate and exquisite in the photo, like fine. porcelain, which made people want to

protect her. As a result, all the gossip surrounding her turned into sympathetic discussions about her

challenging situation. Cecilia appeared unfazed by the online commotion. She casually perused the

gossip while cooking.

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Yvette forwarded her the trending news as soon as the dishes were served.

[Yates Corporation’s Unfair Practices Raise Questions of Favoritism]

The title was simple and clear, and Cecilia could see at a glance that it referred to her.

The news was simultaneously shared by Jeremiah and Jayden, both of whom boasted massive fan

bases. This led to an

immediate uproar.

Many people pushed Yates Corporation to the forefront and boycotted it, resulting in a sharp drop in its

share price.

After Cecilia read the news, she had a new understanding of the two siblings‘ writing skills.

She carefully circled five incorrect words, replaced inappropriate terms, corrected various sentences,

and rearranged the paragraphs for clarity.

The winds of public opinion shifted swiftly after Cecilia’s action, akin to grading an essay.

The netizens who had accused Yates Corporation had become “grammar sleuths,” scouring the

manuscript for any

improprieties.

Then, they concluded that the writing skills of the Top Idol Singer and the award–winning actor were

poor.

[Bad Vocabulary of Top Idol Singer.]

[Award–winning Actor’s Faulty Sentence]

[Literacy In The Entertainment Industry.]

Such posts soon dominated the trending topics.

The two Yancey siblings hadn’t anticipated this outcome. When they finally came to their senses, they

couldn’t contain their enthusiasm and were forced to shift the blame to their

assistant.

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However, the netizens weren’t easily fooled. Instead, they became more enthusiastic and even

uncovered the

compositions Jeremiah and Jayden had written during their school days.

In fact, it was not a big deal to have wrong words and bad sentences. It was almost everyone’s

mistake.

Nonetheless, as netizens amplified it and competitors tried to tarnish their image, the story escalated to

include the celebrities‘ fake academic qualifications.

Their fans quickly lost their composure, engaging in heated arguments with netizens. Insults and

senseless rants filled the online spaces.

At that point, Juliana revealed the news of her injury,

suggesting that Cecilia may have been responsible, with Yvette possibly involved as well.

Yates Corporation faced a barrage of public criticism again, causing its stock value to plummet

immediately.

Not long after, Calvin posted an announcement on the group’s official website.

[Considering the online pressure and the widespread suspicion surrounding Yates Corporation, we will

undergo a public audition process at Quilton University to select the singer for the theme song of “The

Palace.” All music department members are welcome to sign up for auditions tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the

auditorium.]

Below the announcement was the registration link.

The name would be displayed publicly at the bottom after registration.

The first one to register was Cecilia, followed by Juliana.

After those two, only a few people signed up for the audition.

It was not that the students of Quilton University didn’t want this opportunity, but they were very self–

aware and knew they

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couldn’t compete with Juliana.

The handful of students who signed up believed in their abilities. They wanted to impress Yates

Corporation and compete for potential opportunities for future collaboration.

It was the afternoon of the next day.

By one o’clock, the auditorium had been thoroughly inspected and was at full capacity.

Those who came late couldn’t even get a seat, so they had to stand at the back.

Those who arrived any later were denied entry.

Many journalists also came to livestream the audition.

In front of the omnipresent cameras, the students appeared somewhat reserved. The vast auditorium

was filled with hushed whispers, devoid of any loud noise.

“Cecilia is the first to sign up. I believe she must have some talent. Otherwise, she wouldn’t willingly

subject herself to humiliation.”

“She sings worse than me. What talent can she possibly possess? She’s just all talk and no show.”

“I think so. Maybe Cecilia is still fantasizing that Yates Corporation would openly protect her.”

“Cecilia has a good tone. She may be like the Anonymous Songwriter, who deliberately hides her

talents.”

“It’s possible…”

Although the comments were not particularly loud, they were picked up by sharp–eared journalists and

streamed live online. Netizens watching the livestream eagerly waited for Cecilia and Juliana to face

off.

As time passed, it quickly approached 2 p.m.

Howard Lewis, the vice–chancellor, appeared on stage.

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“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the CEO of Yates Corporation!”

Not only the students but also the journalists were shocked.

No one had anticipated that a big shot like Calvin would take part in the theme song audition.

After Calvin was seated, the teachers of the music department took their seats on the judging panel.

Jeremiah and Jayden also came to cheer Juliana up in

person. They were also there to prevent Calvin from favoring Cecilia.

Howard gave a brief overview of the rules and added, “The order of performance will be decided by

drawing lots!”

There were eight contestants, and Juliana drew third place, which was considered an advantageous

position.

However, Cecilia was unlucky and got the eighth.

Contestants who perform last on stage often experience higher stress levels, making them more

susceptible to lower scores. This was because the judges had listened to numerous songs, and their

ears had become somewhat desensitized, making it difficult for them to become genuinely interested

unless a performance was exceptionally captivating.

Juliana appeared with a crutch and gauze on her forehead, emanating an aura of vulnerability. Her

image aligned perfectly with “The Palace,” leaving a strong impression on the audience.

She walked to Cecilia, looked at the number plate in her hand, and asked kindly, “Ceci, do you need to

exchange numbers with me?”