The atmosphere at the Williams Family dinner table was peaceful and joyful. After lunch, they were invited to have tea in the back garden. The cool autumn breeze added an elegant touch to the setting.

"That being said, we've been friends for so many years, so I won't beat around the bush," Ivan said, waiting for the tea to be poured before continuing.

Jack, of course, agreed positively, "Absolutely, just say what you need to say. We'll consider your input as the primary focus for Ella and Lucien's marriage."

"I'm grateful for that," Ivan replied with a generous expression. "The wedding is next month, and we won't spare any expense. Our two families, being part of Seattle's four prominent families, cannot have a simple wedding. The wedding venue setup and all the banquet expenses will naturally be borne by our side, and all the gifts received will go to Ella and Lucien, the young couple."

"Okay," Jack approved with a nod. Daisy also expressed her agreement with a hum.

"As for the bride price and dowry, there's no need for us to haggle. If you have any specific requirements, just let us know, and we'll do our best to meet them," Ivan said sincerely.

Jack replied, "You've generously taken care of the banquet, which is not a small amount of money. Besides, we only have one daughter, Ella, and everything we have will eventually be hers. So, we don't have any specific demands. Is there anything you want, Ella?"

Ella quickly understood her dad's signal and responded, "No, getting married is all about celebrating our love and happiness. It's more important for everyone to have a good time. I don't have any specific requests."

"Is there anything you particularly want? Auntie can buy it for you," Lucien's mother, Lillian, hurriedly offered.

Ella looked askance at Lillian.

All Ella could think of was how in her past life, this woman had pretended to be on her side, coercing her to take a dreadful medicine for her 'fertility,' all to ensure that she could give birth to the next heir of the Williams Family.

It wasn't until Ella was on her deathbed that she discovered the truth—that the so-called medicine was a concoction made of crushed-up bugs. Every time she drank it, she would experience vomiting and diarrhea for several days. Despite the unbearable suffering, she had endured it for eight long years, all in an effort to fulfill the Williams Family's desire for a son or daughter.

The cruelty in Ella's eyes was momentarily subdued as she responded, "All I truly wanted was the Crown Sapphire, and now that I have it, there's nothing else I want."

The mention of the sapphire clearly touched on a sensitive subject for the Williams Family, causing them to blush a little. However, being skilled at acting, they smoothly moved on from the unfavorable topic. Lillian said, "In that case, I won't press you. After all, once you're part of our family, you can always just ask me for anything. It doesn't need to be a special occasion."

"Thank you, Auntie," Ella smiled.

"Then the bride price is settled. As for the dowry, we don't ask for much, as long as our son is happy," Ivan paused, appearing to have some heartfelt emotions. He sighed heavily and continued, "But there is one thing I really have to ask for now."

"Let's hear it," Jack responded with a cool expression, matching the atmosphere.

"Well… right now, our company is working on an e-commerce project. Initially, there was no issue with funding, but unfortunately, it coincided with the bank's loan expiration, and we had to repay it. As a result, there's a shortage of funds for this project. We planned to borrow from the bank again, but they're also facing some constraints at the moment, so they've turned us down multiple times," Ivan sighs.

He continues, "Eventually, we decided it would be more appropriate to seek a small favor from you instead of begging other investors. After all, the Williams Group ultimately belongs to Lucien, and after he and Ella get married, it'll be hers as well! Asking you for assistance seems appropriate."

Ivan’s speech was majestic. In Ella's past life, when the Williams Family faced financial difficulties, the Ford Family had provided significant support. Given this history and Ivan's current point, there was no reason for Jack to refuse.

Jack glanced at Ella, and she nodded in agreement. Only then did Jack respond, "We're all family, so it's only natural to help each other. I'm willing to provide assistance. How much are we talking?"

"Preliminary calculations put it at about $2 billion," Ivan stated in a seemingly casual manner, as if it was a small sum.

Of course, it wasn't that the Ford Family couldn't afford it, but that was definitely not an amount they could simply squander without consideration.

Ella smiled and asked, "As far as I know, this project of yours needs a total of $2 billion. Could you not pay for any of it?"

Ivan felt a little embarrassed. He hadn't expected that Ella would be aware of this project, let alone that she would mention it directly. The implications of her words were quite clear—this project was being funded by the Ford Group, and the Williams Group wasn't putting in a single penny of their own money.

Everyone present was a businessman, and they all understood that no one could accept such a deal!

A cold silence settled over them for a few moments.

Lucien quickly jumped in to explain, "Our stock prices took a hit, so in order to balance it out, we had to divert a portion of our funds to fill in the gap."

"Oh, I see." Ella nodded thoughtfully.

Under the surface, Ella was well aware that the Williams Group's stock market filler only required a mere tens of millions of dollars, which was nothing in the context of a $2 billion project.

Lucien glanced at Ella's expression, feeling secretly relieved. He had initially assumed that Ella was well-informed about the project, but now it appeared that she might have only heard about it through gossip. How could a woman like Ella, whose primary focus was on becoming a supportive wife and mother, be knowledgeable about business matters?

"Dad, if they're having trouble funding their project, we should help them," Ella suggested to her father.

Lucien smiled slyly. He recognized that Ella remained the same, the naive woman he had once manipulated.

Jack found himself puzzled by Ella's actions. First, she wanted to call off the marriage, but now she wanted to help the Williams family? Still, he nodded and said, "Since we're family now, we should extend our help."

"Then I'll express my gratitude. Rest assured, I won't borrow the money without a purpose. Once the project turns profitable, I'll promptly repay you," Ivan hurriedly assured, a wide grin adorning his face.

"And what if it never becomes profitable?" Ella asked casually, as though it was just a passing thought.

Ivan shuddered slightly, maintaining his smile. "The project underwent a thorough inspection, and there is no possibility of losses."

"You can never be entirely certain in business," Ella muttered, flashing a knowing smile at Lucien. "Isn't that right, Lucien?"

"Yes, but we've meticulously devised foolproof plans for this project. Don't worry, there's no chance of losing money," Lucien reassured Ella gently.

"But if the project falls through, you won't be able to pay back the $2 billion, right?"

"How so?" Ivan interjected hurriedly. "We didn't invest all of our resources into this one project. Even if it doesn't perform well, we have income from other avenues. We will definitely be able to repay you."

"Oh! I see. Well, just for formality's sake, could you write us an IOU?" Ella smiled faintly.

Ella's demeanor appeared unchanged, seemingly harmless. It was as if the conversation was about a trivial matter–as if her suggestion was out of habit rather than mistrust.