After Ella's family departed, the polite façade of the Williams Family quickly vanished. Ivan's voice turned cold as he remarked, "Ella really tested me earlier! She's a dead girl walking!"

Lucien remained silent, but deep down, he couldn't help but admit that Ella's behavior really pissed him off!

"Didn't you say that you had Ella under control? How come she was so different person just now?!" Lillian couldn't help but ask her son, "It felt like she was the one taking advantage of us!"

"I don't know how..." Lucien expressed his confusion, "I spend almost every day with Ella, and even when we're apart, we talk on the phone regularly. She didn't seem any different to me, but… the way she just acted was unusual."

"I don't think it's Ella." Ivan said, "It was probably Jack, that bastard."

"You think Jack told her to act that way?"

We've watched Ella grow up, and you've been with her all your life. People don't change overnight." Ivan nodded as he jumped to the next logical conclusion: "It's likely that Jack is concerned about us borrowing money and not repaying it, so he intentionally instructed Ella to act this way. Jack may not appear as naive and honest as he seems. People like that don't exist in this line of business."

"I never saw it coming– I always thought he was just a good old man," Lucien expressed his anger. "But Dad, you don't need to worry. When I marry Ella, this $2 billion won't matter. The Ford Group has $50 billion in liquid capital, and it'll be all ours!"

The corner of Ivan's mouth curled into a sly smile as he said, "I'm counting on you, son."

"Don't worry. Ella is still our ticket to the top. I just know it," Lucien said, exuding confidence. The cunning glint in his eyes also revealed his determination to use Ella's influence to their advantage.

Sure enough, this was a family of snakes and rats!

—

As they left the Williams family villa and settled into the car, Jack couldn't contain his excitement, "I'm so proud of you, honey. You didn't just reject the Williams family's request, but you made them willingly write down the loan note. This way, there's no risk of losing the money we're loaning them."

Ella smiled faintly.

She wasn't too worried about the $2 billion. What she was really interested in was the 6.67% of shares that the Williams Group was offering as collateral.

In her past life, the Williams family was determined to take over the Ford family's property, but in this life, Ella wanted the Williams family to experience what it was like to be robbed blind!

"But Ivan is quite shameless. He's doing the e-commerce project by himself, yet he has the audacity to ask us for funding and still paints us as the wrongdoers. I didn't realize it before, but you've revealed how selfish and deceitful the Williams family is," Jack said, unable to hide his anger.

"That's why we can't take them seriously and why we can't show them kindness."

"Are you planning to call off the wedding?" Jack asked, still curious about the situation.

"You'll know when I'm ready to do that," Ella replied coyly.

She didn't need to hide the truth from them, but she was afraid of her parents' furious reaction when they found out about her partnership with Eden. What would they say if they knew she was planning on marrying him instead?

The thought weighed heavily on her mind.

None of her elders thought Eden was worth his salt, and it wasn't like she could defend his actions herself. Ultimately, she decided to avoid giving her parents a hard time, at least for the time being.

"Okay. I'll just wait and see," Jack's promise indicated a newfound sense of trust in Ella. In response, Ella smiled and nodded.

The sedan arrived at the Ford family villa. As soon as Ella stepped out of the car, she said, "Dad, I need to go out for a while. You and Mom can head back first."

"It's so late… Where are you going?"

"I need to go check on Cendy."

"What? What's wrong with her?"

"She's drunk," Ella lied.

That's what friends were for: lying to your parents!

"Well, then, please take care of yourself. Cendy is a good girl, but she spends too much time at clubs. Try to tell her to be more cautious. It'll catch up to her one day."

"I will," Ella nodded.

"Go then. And come back soon."

"Uh-huh," Ella promised obediently.

Jack and Daisy uneasily gave a few more instructions before going back.

Ella promptly had her driver take her away from the villa. As she left, she dialed a phone number. The voice on the other end still sounded somewhat hesitant, "Miss Ford?"

"Eden. I have something for you. Where are you?"

"Didn't you visit the Williams family today? Am I supposed to feel flattered that you suddenly remembered me?!"

"Are you jealous?" Ella asked bluntly.

When she arrived at the Williams family's door earlier, the media had already exposed the situation. Ella noticed it while she was scrolling on her cell phone at the Williams family villa. However, she chose not to dwell on it, considering it unimportant. Despite that, it seemed like the media already ran with the story, spreading rumors about things they knew nothing about.

"Heh," Eden chuckled dryly. Ella hears him move toward someone and say, "Come on, darling. Scream for Miss Ford, here…"

"Babe! You're so annoying!" The voice sounded whiny, sending shivers down the spine.

Ella blushed slightly and bit her lip. "Eden, aren't you even afraid of catching something?"

"Catching something? My, Miss Ford, what are you suggesting?" Eden's smug smile is audible.

"Where are you?" Ella asked, suppressing the displeasure in her heart.

"You wanna see me that badly?"

"Eden!" Ella gritted her teeth.

"The Imperial. Suite 333," Eden said flatly before hanging up.

Ella barely managed to hold back.

In front of Lucien – the man who killed her in her past life – she was able to keep her composure and look him in the eye. But when it came to Eden? His words alone made her feel like she couldn't breathe! It was like there was a boulder on her chest, suffocating the life out of her.

Taking a deep breath, she instructed the driver to take her to the Imperial, and the entire ride was spent trying to regulate her emotions.

The limousine quickly arrived at Seattle's largest nightclub, The Imperial, and from afar, she could see the neon flashes of the brilliant entrance, and the dazzling lights had the feeling of illuminating half of the sky in a trance.

The valet hurriedly opened the car door for Ella. She stepped out of the car, feeling a bit timid. The thought of asking Cendy for help crossed her mind, but she resisted the urge and gritted her teeth. Bracing herself, she followed the waiter at the door into the nightclub.

This was the first time she's been to a place like this.

In the past, Cendy used to invite Ella to join her at the clubs, but Ella always declined. Cendy eventually respected her decision and stopped insisting. Although Cendy occasionally complained and warned Ella that men would get tired of her, Ella never took those words to heart. However, now she couldn't help but reflect on the irony of the situation.

There was some truth to Cendy's words.

She did everything she could to be a good wife for Lucien. She stayed pure and saved herself for him, and even then, Lucien said she was as cold and stiff as a corpse.

Ella paused for a moment, gazing at the large, gilded door in front of her. The attendant rang the doorbell, and with a respectful tone, said, "Miss Ford is here to see Master Eden."

The next second, the sound of the gate unlocking echoed. Ella was surprised to learn that private rooms in nightclubs had security doors, as it was her first time visiting one. The grandeur of the security door amazed her as she watched it slowly open before her eyes.

At that moment, she wondered what she'd see on the other side…