The True Lady Strikes Back novel (Cecilia and Christopher)

Chapter 19

Christopher naturally wouldn't allow Kevin to return the blood all at once. He instructed Solomon to draw 800 ml from Kevin before letting him go.

"I'll want you to donate your blood to replenish the hospital's blood bank. I expect you to repeat this once every month until you've repaid your debt. I'll have someone monitor you, and if you fail to comply, your son will be responsible for settling your debt."

Kevin's face turned as white as a sheet when he heard this, and he nearly fainted from the shock.

"I'll comply. Please don't hurt my son."

Christopher played with the scalpel once more. "You must cooperate when the time comes for you to expose Juliana," he ordered.

"I will."

"Now, get lost. If you see Cecilia in the future, stay as far as possible."

Having agreed to the terms, Kevin hastily grabbed the

still-warm blood bag and made a quick escape from the scene.

Christopher examined Cecilia's blood extraction records and instructed Solomon, "Give Juliana a lesson tomorrow. A lesson that involves blood."

Since Cecilia didn't appreciate him meddling in her affairs, he chose to keep Juliana alive, allowing Cecilia to handle her at her own pace.

Solomon agreed, "Understood, Mr. Forte."

Observing Christopher rising from his seat and preparing to depart, Solomon quickly interjected, "Mr. Forte, considering all you've done for Ms. Yancey, why don't you communicate

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with her about it directly?"

"If I were to initiate the conversation, it might seem like I'm seeking recognition and undermine my initial intent of assisting her," Christopher explained.

With that, he left.

After returning to the mansion and taking a shower, Christopher anonymously sent Cecilia the medical records of Juliana that he had managed to obtain. When Cecilia received the email, she was in the bedroom, searching for suitable personal information.

Believing that Sebastian had discovered something and forwarded her a lead, she promptly halted her search and clicked on the email.

Nevertheless, what greeted her was not a lead but rather Juliana's medical checkup data.

Initially, Cecilia remained indifferent toward the report. However, upon casually flipping through it, her countenance assumed a more serious demeanor.

"It turns out that Juliana's illness was cured a year ago!" she mused.

Cecilia held herself accountable for the situation. She had been so consumed by reconciling with her family that she had overlooked Juliana's illness, leading her to donate blood to Juliana without justification for an entire year.

Her gaze fixated upon the pinprick in her arm, and her eyes harbored a deep-seated anger.

"Juliana, your good days are over!"

Following her declaration, Cecilia embarked on a quest to trace the anonymous sender of the email. The outcome revealed a falsified IP address, mirroring the identical result she had encountered at the chancellor's office earlier.

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"Could it be the same person? Why would that person help me?" she thought.

While she contemplated the two lingering questions, her computer's alarm abruptly resounded.

The cause of the alarm was the personal information she had fabricated earlier, intended to lure the person lurking in the shadows.

Cecilia abandoned all her thoughts and immediately tracked the other party's IP address.

On the other side, Christopher immediately found that he had been framed. He immediately reinforced the firewall and conducted backtracking as soon as possible.

The two of them continued to attack and defend themselves. Both were on equal footing, and none of them could win the other.

Finally, Cecilia's fingers were so exhausted that she gave up first.

This marked the first occasion she had encountered an adversary on par with her skills. Furthermore, the manner in which this individual breached her firewall bore a striking resemblance to the techniques employed when they had targeted her phone previously.

Such a coincidence couldn't help but make her worried.

This was because if it was the same person, it meant that her identity might have been exposed!

It would also mean that it was dangerous for her to continue to stay in Quilton.

Nonetheless, this perilous situation presented an opportunity for her to strategically position herself as bait, with the aim of drawing out the enigmatic mastermind hidden in the shadows. With such thought in mind, Cecilia stopped worrying and

went to bed.

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When lying in bed, she felt that her guessing was incorrect. If the clandestine orchestrator had indeed discerned her identity, they would likely make a direct approach to locate her. This rendered the ongoing pursuit of leads through questionable personal information data unnecessary.

"Is it really a coincidence?" she wondered.

Cecilia, unable to unravel the mystery, relinquished her thoughts and closed her eyes, surrendering to sleep.

At this juncture, Christopher remained wide awake, revisiting the information data he had previously examined.

Soon, he found that someone was doing the same thing as him. Furthermore, the manner in which they intercepted the attack bore a striking resemblance to the interception procedure implemented on Cecilia's phone.

"Could it be Cecilia? Why did she look into the matter three years ago? Is she an enemy or a foe?" he wondered.

Christopher harbored doubts about whether he had overanalyzed the situation and contemplated testing Cecilia's response at a later time.

The only thing he could be sure of now was that Cecilia's information was fake.

This was because the ordinary experiences within the information proved insufficient to justify her exceptional proficiency.

The following day marked the reopening of Quilton University, following its school anniversary celebration. Hendrix had dispatched a notice to all the attendees the day prior, stipulating that the teacher-student conference was scheduled for nine o'clock in the morning and mandatory attendance was required.

In early June, the weather had turned scorching, with the sun's

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rays heating up the skin.

Hendrix looked at the students under the stage and got to the point.

"This impromptu teacher-student gathering primarily focuses on the issues of slander and framing related to Cecilia," he announced.

He then continued, "All the proof is on the campus forum. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Anyone who slanders Cecilia maliciously will receive a major disciplinary infraction and a deduction of ten academic credits, which will be publicly disclosed later."

Following that, he provided a brief discussion of the school's disciplinary guidelines and atmosphere.

"Quilton University is now in a chaotic and unpleasant atmosphere. If I find out who deliberately spread the rumor, they will be expelled from school! If the circumstances are serious, they will be taken away by the police and held legally responsible like Joel from the computer science department." After Hendrix criticized several students, the meeting ended. Cecilia deliberately slowed down her pace and waited for Juliana.

Juliana was surrounded by a group of fake friends and praises at that point.

"Julia, your abilities never cease to amaze me. I can't believe you've discreetly secured the soundtrack of the major motion picture," someone exclaimed in admiration.

"Julia sings well and has so many fans. Yates Corporation could be considered to land a good deal by choosing her," said another.

"When the movie is aired, Julia's song will definitely become popular. After that, we will be seeing you releasing your

album!"

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"Julia, don't forget your besties when you are famous!" "Yeah. Don't forget about us..."

These flattering remarks touched Juliana deeply, making her incredibly happy.

She feigned modesty and replied, "Please don't praise me. excessively. It's a privilege to sing the movie soundtrack for Yates Corporation. I wouldn't dare to imagine becoming hugely popular. I just hope I won't hinder the movie's success."

Upon hearing this, Cecilia couldn't resist nodding in

agreement. "It appears you have a good self-awareness and understand that you might impede others' success. That's why you voluntarily terminated the collaboration with Yates Corporation. Plus, I wanted to sing this song too," she remarked.

Juliana glared at the haughty Cecilia and said in frustration, "Ceci, Yates Corporation has selected me. I have a responsibility to Yates Corporation. Please don't cause unnecessary trouble."

Juliana's best friends immediately reprimanded Cecilia. Nevertheless, due to Cecilia's current reputation, they refrained from making any excessively harsh comments.

"Creating lyrics and music is distinct from singing. Don't assume you can become a popular singer just by writing a few good songs," someone asserted.

"The song from Yates Corporation isn't something you can simply request to sing. Trust me, stopping wasting your time will be wise. You'll only embarrass yourself when the time comes," another retorted. "Besides, why should Julia give you the opportunity? Who do you think you are?"

Disregarding their disdain, Cecilia smiled and confidently declared, "It's not her who's granting me the opportunity. It's

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me who will seize it from her!"

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Juliana then reminded her with pride, "Ceci, I'm about to sign a contract with Yates Corporation. You don't stand a chance."

"Really? Let's go together then. Let's see if I don't stand a chance, or you will lose it."

Just as Juliana was about to respond, she noticed Yvette approaching them swiftly, causing her to become vigilant. Juliana knew that should Yvette intercede on behalf of Cecilia,

Cecilia could potentially secure the resources that were originally meant for Juliana.

Therefore, she intentionally raised her voice in front of the gathered crowd and declared, "Cecilia, Yates Corporation is an exceedingly professional film and television company. They won't grant special favors

to anyone. Even though you have a close relationship with Ms. Yates, she won't make it an exception for you either."

When she said that, she immediately attracted many student's attention. The onlookers immediately gathered around them.

Juliana was satisfied with the effect and deliberately asked Yvette, who approached them, "Ms. Yates, was I right?"

She was confident that Yvette would not dare to openly assist Cecilia in wresting resources in front of everyone, completely disregarding Yates Corporation's reputation!

Yvette knew Juliana's thoughts and said, "No. It is st* pid not to take shortcuts or make use of connections."

Juliana didn't expect Yvette to say that. When Juliana was about to reprimand Yvette, the latter spoke.

"Ms. Yancey, one should avoid double standards in life. You shouldn't deny Ceci the chance to use her friendships to secure resources when you used your two brothers to boost your fame, don't you think?" Juliana found herself at a loss for words. Her expression was

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rigid as she questioned, "Ms. Yates, what's your intention here? Do you intend to offer the movie soundtrack that Mr. Jimenez and I had agreed upon to Cecilia?"

Ignoring Juliana, Yvette looked at Cecilia and asked, "Ceci, do you want to sing it? If you do, I'll give the chance to you."

Cecilia knew that Yvette asked on purpose.

Consequently, she replied in a cooperative tone, "Certainly, I do desire such a remarkable opportunity to attain fame." Upon hearing these words, Juliana promptly assumed a pitiable demeanor as if deeply aggrieved by a great injustice.

"Cecilia, why do you want to snatch my opportunities? What have I done to offend you?"

"You know very well if you have offended me. So, stop pretending to be innocent. You know I won't fall for this." After saying that, Cecilia suddenly approached Juliana and whispered in her ear, "Aren't you tired from pretending to be sick for a year?"

Juliana was so frightened that her face turned pale.

"Y-You..."

Cecilia said, "How could I know that? I know a lot of things. Let's have fun together."

Cecilia and Yvette then left.

Soon, Juliana received a call from Francis.

After taking the call, she discreetly recorded it and feigned ignorance as if she were unaware of anything.

"Mr. Jimenez, I'm sorry for the delay. I will come to sign the contract right away."

"Juliana, you don't have to come here anymore. The contract signing is canceled. I have a better candidate now."

"Is it Cecilia? She is not as good as me in singing. Why is she

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more suitable?"

The students majoring in singing at the music department were required to submit a song at the conclusion of each semester, and the evaluation was conducted openly.

Juliana had listened to Cecilia sing on multiple occasions. It was neither exceptional nor subpar.

However, when compared with Juliana's, Cecilia's singing fell considerably short.

Francis cleared his throat softly, giving off a slightly guilty vibe. "I believe she's better than you. We can consider collaborating in the future," he suggested.

Then, he hung up the phone.

Juliana stared at the screen with hatred and said, "Cecilia, I will

not let you snatch my opportunities away!"

The fake friends, keeping vigil by her side, inquired, "Julia, Cecilia has gone too far. What's your plan?"

"I will let her give up those opportunities!"

Soon, word of Cecilia pilfering Juliana's resources circulated throughout Quilton University, and it even reached the Yancey family's attention.

Simultaneously, the recording of Juliana's conversation with Francis found its way to her fan group.

All the fans got mad and tagged Yates Corporation, wanting an explanation.

Jeremiah, meanwhile, retweeted the recording.

He was a rising young singer with a huge group of fans. Soon, Yates Corporation became a trending topic and was scolded by the netizens.

Cecilia's situation was not much better. She was also being scolded incessantly.

Juliana was satisfied with the results and waited for Yates 12-491

The True Lady Strikes Back Corporation to take the initiative to apologize and sign the contract with her.

However, before she could get the good news, something had happened.