"It's been a while," Ella smiled, genuinely happy to see Winston.

In truth, Ella wasn't prejudiced against Winston. He was easy to get along with and treated Cendy like an older brother, taking care of her. He also showed kindness and looked after Ella as well.

As far as she could remember, Cendy had always rejected Winston, but he had always put up with her. No matter how mad Cendy got at him, he would tolerate it. Ella wondered if Winston's departure was due to Bowen's sudden appearance.

Maybe that was why.

Otherwise, why would he leave after staying with Cendy for so many years?

As Ella spent most of her time with Cendy, and Cendy started to spend more time with Bowen, Ella naturally saw Winston less frequently. Ella's opinion of Winston became influenced by Cendy's jaded views of him.

However, setting Cendy's perspective aside, Winston was still Ella's childhood friend, and he had always been kind to her.

In her past life, Ella didn't know the truth, so she was repulsed by him. But now that she knew everything, she felt a tinge of guilt and pity toward the man.

Winston smiled back, "It's been a long time."

"I almost thought you weren't coming back," Ella said bluntly.

"My mom pushed for it with her death," Winston grimaced as he explained. "I'm the only family she has left, so I couldn't really say no…"

Hearing this, Ella wasn't resentful of his delayed return.

In her last life, she had distanced herself from Winston because of Cendy, so as far as Winston knew, she had no reason to treat him well.

"Welcome back." Ella extended her hand suddenly. A trace of surprise clearly flashed across his faintly smiling face.

Slowly, he shook Ella's hand and replied, "Thank you."

"We should catch up over a meal sometime."

"Yeah, we should."

"Now that you're back, are you gonna work at Chase Bank again?" Ella asked casually.

"No," Winston replied firmly.

Ella smiled, "You overheard my conversation with Cendy."

Winston knew Cendy thought he came back just to steal her family fortune from her.

Ever since they came into the picture, Cendy had always said that Winston and his mother Jane were up to no good, and it's no wonder she thinks that way. Jane had entered the Summer family's home even before Cendy's mother had passed away.

Of course, it's not that Jane killed Cendy's mother, but Cendy's mother was seriously ill at the time. Cendy's father, Lucas, was preoccupied with Jane and cared little about Cendy's mother's condition. They were already divorced, but in Cendy's mind, she still felt that her father was too cold-blooded.

The final nail in the coffin came when Cendy's mother passed away. Cendy called Lucas to be there for her mother's final moments, but he refused to do so.

That cast a shadow that Cendy was never able to escape from.

"I'm not interested in the family estate," Winston's expression hardened.

"I know," Ella understood.

Winston regarded Ella with a hint of surprise, not expecting her to trust him so unconditionally. In the past, Ella had always put herself in Cendy's shoes and had taken her opinions as absolute truth.

"I just think if you let her continue to believe that, it'll motivate her to take over your family's company. She wants to hand it over to Bowen, but I'm not comfortable with that…" Ella sighed. "She trusts that man too much."

"Bowen's been pretty good to her," Winston said, his voice lacking emotion.

Ella gave him a look.

"By the way, I heard you're getting married next month," Winston asked, changing the subject.

Recognizing that Winston didn't wish to discuss Bowen any further, Ella decided to let the topic go. She understood that inserting herself in their drama wouldn't be good for anyone.

"Yes, I am," Ella nodded.

Ella was indeed getting married, but it was more about the concept of marriage itself rather than her feelings for Lucien.

"Congratulations in advance."

"Thanks." Ella smiled, "It's getting late, I should head back home now."

"Yeah. Goodnight."

Ella got into the limo, and as the vehicle left the Summer family villa, she looked back at Winston.

She could never forget seeing him break down in her past life, his eyes filled with grief as he held Cendy's lifeless body.

This time, she was determined not to let that tragedy repeat itself.

—

When Ella arrived home at the Ford family villa, her dad was still up. He probably couldn't sleep, feeling uneasy about her picking up Cendy from the nightclub. Her mom on the other hand had already gone to her room.

"Dad," Ella called over to him affectionately. Being able to live with her parents properly again, she cherished every second with a silent thanks to God.

"How's Cendy?" Jack asked, visibly concerned. He considered her a member of his own family.

Cendy frequently visited Ella's house because she didn't get along with her dad and stepmom, and she would often seek comfort from Ella's parents since she was young. As a result, they began treating Cendy as their own daughter.

"Drunk, like I said. I brought her home safely though."

"That's good… Tell her to ease up on the drinking, will you? It's not good for her health."

"Believe me, I told."

"Alright, honey… It's late. You should get some sleep, too."

"I wanted to discuss something with you first," Ella's light tone became heavy.

"Go ahead."

"You and Mom have been happily married for so many years, but have ever actually given her anything?"

Jack was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. He was at a loss for words.

Ella spoke earnestly, confronting her father about her mother's situation, "I know Mom never asked you for anything, but she's been looked down on all this time! Mom hardly socializes with the other wives in her circle. Do you really believe that it's because she doesn't want to? That she doesn't crave friendship? No! It's because Mom was born into a lower status, and these stuck-up noblewomen refuse to associate with her. The entire time you've been married, you've never given Mom a proper title–never openly stated that she's your wife. The other elite women see her as one of our servants, and you never correct them! Mom is a lady just like them, and she deserves their respect!"

In the past, her parents taught her that it was enough for them to live comfortably, and that she shouldn't care so much about reputation or the opinions of others.

But now, she'd changed.

Her pride wouldn't allow her to accept even the slightest insult, and that pride extended tenfold to her loved ones.

The real world was divided between the weak and the strong, and the more you compromise, the more you're taken advantage of.

Jack grew visibly agitated by Ella's words, "Who's been saying those things about my wife?!"

Ella replied, "It's not saying them out loud. It's what they think in private. It's how they ostracize my mom."

"I can't let your mom be looked down upon like that!" Jack asserted with determination.

"Then do something about it," Ella urged him.

"How?" Jack seemed eager but unsure of what to do.

"You're one of the most powerful men in Seattle, Dad. For Mom's 50th birthday, throw a party–throw a ball, just for her. Invite all those so-called noble wives and show them just how wrong they were to think lowly of her!" Ella proposed.

Seeing Jack's hesitation, Ella decided to continue.

"Our family has maintained a low profile for many years. Our gatherings and banquets have always been modest, and even though we may not be as extravagant as some, our family is truly far beyond being called 'well-off'. We're the second most wealthy family in the country, so for once let's show everyone exactly what that means!"

If the Williamses wanted to go all out for the wedding, fine.

The Fords will throw a birthday party that'll blow it out of the water.