Ella thought for a moment before adding, "If I had to guess, though, you called me to discuss my marriage with Lucien, didn't you?"

Athena was stunned, clearly not expecting Ella to guess correctly.

Of course, it wasn't that Ella had experienced it in her previous life. After all, her last life didn't happen just last night, and there was no recent news about it. She was able to guess that the people in the old Ford mansion – Athena and Morton – and the Williams Family had a secret alliance. If they wanted to use the Williams Family to seize the inheritance in her father's hands, then Athena had to have been colluding with the Williams Family for a long time.

At the charity event, Ella humiliated Lucien, the Williams family heir. It only made sense for Athena to try and teach her a lesson.

But Athena never expected Ella to suddenly grow a backbone. Ella didn't say much, but it was enough to fill Athena with shame, embarrassment, and fear. There was no returning from this.

"Here's the thing, Grandma," Ella said bluntly. "Last night, I received the Crown Sapphire as a gift from Eden. I accepted it in front of everyone, and I made Lucien lose face." With that, Ella held out the sparkling sapphire.

The dazzling light, the perfectly cut stone, its historical heritage, and the fact that it was one-of-a-kind in the world all captivated any who saw it. Even Athena couldn't help but stare at it for a few moments.

Athena eyed the jewel but spoke with full contempt for Ella, saying, "You have the nerve to brag about it, too. That's just shameless!"

"I had my reasons for accepting the gems. First, we Fords are businessmen, and businessmen don't turn down unexpected opportunities. I saw no reason to decline Eden's gift. Secondly, I know you're an avid gemstone collector, and when I saw this for auction, I was certain you'd appreciate it. If Eden hadn't caused a scene, I would've bought it myself. It just so happened that Eden willingly offered it," Ella explained.

Athena listened with a suspicious gaze, but when she heard Ella say she intended to give the sapphire to her… Athena's eyes grew glassy.

The old woman was moved.

She'd heard people talk about this jewel, but since she never thought she'd have a chance to see it, she never mentioned it. Now, it was suddenly held out in front of her. Of course that would make her emotional.

"Didn't my aunt ask a moment ago if my mom didn't bring a gift for Grandma? We did bring one. Unfortunately..." Ella's mouth quirked, "Grandma just said she doesn't care for any of our stuff."

At that moment, Athena felt like she was being punched in the face. She held back the words "if you have a heart" before they could leave her lips; she refused to beg.

Ella didn't give her any chance to back out, leaving Athena with no choice but to stare intensely. The sparkling sapphire on Ella's finger caused her heart to ache deeply.

"Don't you dare show off here! Granny is too wise to fall for your arrogant tricks!" Lisa interjected hastily, fueling her own anger.

Athena glared at Lisa. On the contrary, there was little that they could show off—only failures.

By looking at Athena's face, Ella knew Athena was probably devastated at that moment.

The old woman never expected that Ella would show her the sapphire – much less plan on gifting it to her – but seeing Ella holding the jewel, Athena started to wonder if she had her all wrong.

The more Athena thought about it, the more she felt guilty for treating Ella so harshly over the years.

Ella quickly echoed Lisa's sentiment, "Auntie Lisa is right. Grandma is very wise. She'd never go back on what she said…"

"Exactly!" Lisa replied, gritting her teeth.

Athena's face darkened to the point of turning purple, and Morton immediately noticed. He quickly called out to his wife, "That's enough, cut it out."

Lisa looked at Morton with a disapproving expression on her face.

Athena swallowed hard and said, "I don't care what reason you accepted Eden's jewel last night. I don't have time to bother with all these has-beens. I'm just warning you one thing: don't mess up your marriage with the Williams Family for me. Lucien is a good man, and you can't find someone like him anywhere else. You need to know what you're doing!"

"I don't want you to worry about my marriage, Grandma."

"Do you think I want to? I'm also afraid that you will be rejected by the Williams Family. Look at you. Do you think Lucien needs you that badly?!" Athena seized the opportunity to belittle Ella. She didn't intend to, but she just couldn't resist…

Ella started to realize that a lot of her issues with confidence and self-worth were Athena's doing.

"I don't know if he has to choose me, but I can tell you very clearly that I'm not the one!" Ella said all those words that she couldn't even say originally. "You don't have to show how much you care about my marriage. After all, back when Grandpa wanted to betroth me to Lucien, you were strongly against it."

Ella took another jab at Athena's past.

"What nonsense are you saying?!" Athena snapped, irritated by Ella once again.

"Didn't you want to betroth my cousin to Lucien back then? You even used all sorts of means to threaten and force my grandfather. Even though you didn't get your way in the end, the fact that you're suddenly so concerned about my marriage now makes me wonder if you have ulterior motives!"

"Ella, you ungrateful wretch! How dare you...!" Athena's anger flared up, and she was truly enraged by Ella's words. At that moment, she could barely restrain her urge to slap this little bitch to death.

"Don't say anything if you're fuming. I've already warned you about getting too riled up. Obviously, I'm smart enough to know when I'm not welcome, so I'll just say a few more things before I leave." Ella completely ignored Athena's anger, maintaining a calm expression.

With a steady voice, Ella advised, "Grandma, it's best for you to stay out of the Ford Family's matters now. You've lived a long life, and it's time for you to enjoy your old age and live happily. Your children and grandchildren have their lives in order. It's better for you to let go and allow things to unfold naturally."

Athena coldly snorted, "Are you mocking me for meddling too much?"

"Meddling or not, don't you have any compassion in your heart?" Ella was now offering Athena a small concession, a way to back down with grace.

Athena's red face started to turn purple.

"Take care of yourself, Grandma," Ella said, disdain dripping from her patronizing words. "We'll be going now."

She knew her grandmother very well.

All it took was a little attitude for her to rile up a storm.

But now, Ella knew how to shut her up for good.

As Ella prepared to leave, she pulled her mother along with her. However, something else seemed to occur to her, so she turned her head back. This time, her gaze was directed at Morton, and she asked, "Uncle, it's a work day, isn't it? Why aren't you at the office?"

Morton's face paled.

"You and your whole family are… relaxing at home?" Ella presses, raising her eyebrows slightly.

"What are you getting at?" Morton stared at Ella intensely.

"Nothing," Ella smiled faintly. "It's just that I suddenly understood why Grandpa chose my dad as the heir back then. If it had been handed over to you, you would've squandered the family's money years ago."

"You disrespectful little– Come here!" Morton growled as he approached Ella with a raised hand.