"Alright," Jack said after thinking about it for a minute or so.

The hesitation was because their family wasn't used to being in the limelight. But now, he didn't want his wife to suffer under the scrutiny of other women anymore. He realized he hadn't given Daisy much in this life. Even their wedding was dreadfully simple, mostly due to his mother's disapproval of Daisy.

Since then, there had never been any grand celebration or party for Daisy. Her birthday and their wedding anniversary were all spent at home in a low-key manner. Jack hadn't expected that their family's modest lifestyle would cost Daisy the respect she deserved from other members of high society.

As he thought about it carefully, Jack realized that since they got married, even his mother and his sister-in-law had been scornful of Daisy. He hadn't intervened before to avoid causing family conflicts, but it had come at the expense of his wife's confidence.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Jack was filled with a righteous conviction, "On your mom's 50th birthday, I'm going to make her the happiest woman in the world!"

"I knew you loved her," Ella said happily. "I'll take care of the banquet. You just need to follow my arrangements so we can surprise her when the time comes."

"Okay, sweetheart," Jack said, having full trust in his daughter's abilities, "but don't tire yourself out too much."

"Don't worry," Ella smiled brightly, exuding confidence, "On my mom's birthday, I'll make sure you two stun the whole audience– No, the whole country!"

"I'll leave it all up to you then," Jack said, giving her a tender smile, and there was also a bit of anticipation in his expression.

"It's late, Dad. You should get to bed now."

"You too, Ella."

"I will."

Jack went upstairs first, and Ella sat in the hall for a while, deep in thought.

This banquet wasn't just about setting up a trap for Lucien; it was also because she didn't want her mom to be miserable anymore. She was determined to make her mother's birthday a spectacle.

Those years…

Those years of her first life she spent married to Lucien.

Even Lucien's mother looked down on Daisy. Every time they talked, Lillian's words were full of contempt, but Daisy didn't want to cause problems for Ella with the drama, so she just endured it. Lillian's spite extended to Ella as well, and Ella put up with it for the sake of being a good daughter-in-law.

When Ella thought back to it now, she wanted to slap herself for being so stupid!

She threw her self-worth down the drain for Lucien!

Ella gritted her teeth.

She would not make the same mistake again.

—

Time flew by, and half a month passed. Tomorrow was the day of her mother's birthday banquet, and all the preparations for the celebration were hidden from her mother. Ella wanted to give her mother a wonderful surprise on her special day.

It wasn't every day that someone turned 50 for the second time, so Ella was determined to make up for all of the regrets of her past life. She was going to move past it by helping her mother do the same.

She finalized the details of tomorrow's party with the staff one last time. Just as she was driving away and getting ready to leave, she got a call from Eden. It was a bit of a rarity for that god among men to take the initiative to call her. They hadn't spoken since their impromptu meeting at the Imperial, and it wasn't only Eden she hadn't kept up with.

She hadn't contacted Lucien during that time either.

Lucien had been busy with the preparations for the Outstanding Youth Awards, where he would be giving a live speech. It's no wonder that he would be so occupied, as this award was a prestigious event in America, and a significant number of talented individuals from various fields had been honored with this title. Naturally, Lucien devoted himself to this important endeavor.

While he was occupied with his own business, Ella understood that he wouldn't have the time to pay attention to her. In fact, she was glad about it, as it meant she didn't have to pretend to be his doting fiancée. That was a chore she was happy to skip out on.

As she drove, Ella picked up the phone, "Hello."

"Your mom's birthday is tomorrow, right?" Eden inquired.

"Didn't you get the invitation?" Ella asked. She had double-checked with the staff to ensure that all the invitations had been delivered.

"Of course, I did."

"Then you have no excuse to be late."

"I'll even get my future mother-in-law a birthday present," Eden said with a hint of playfulness. The term "future mother-in-law" stirred an unfamiliar feeling in Ella's chest.

"No need," Ella replied, trying to steady her emotions, "that's already been taken care of."

"Huh?" Eden sounded a little surprised.

"You'll see for yourself tomorrow," Ella said, purposely keeping him in suspense.

Eden laughed softly and didn't ask for more details.

Then he said, "Turn on the TV later."

"What?"

"In about half an hour."

"Why?"

"I mean it." Eden hung up abruptly.

Ella frowned, looking at the phone with a slightly dazed expression. What the hell was Eden up to now?

She decided not to dwell on it too much and instead took the limo straight to Seattle's largest jewelry store.

While walking into the jewelry store, Ella was also calling Cendy, "Are you there yet?"

"Almost. Just gimme another minute."

"You're always late," Ella complained.

"I'm already doing you a favor! I usually don't get up until noon, and it's not even 11 o'clock yet. I woke up early and got dressed and I'm on my way– What else do you want from me?!"

Ella ignored Cendy's irritable tone. "Drive safe. I'll wait for you."

"Hmph," Cendy grumbled before hanging up.

Ella put down her phone and went to the VIP room of the jewelry house under the guidance of the attendant, where she was treated with the highest quality service.

"Ma'am, if you'll wait just one moment. Our staff have already gone to fetch the crown for you. It'll be out right away," the attendant said with utmost respect.

"Good." Ella sipped her coffee and nodded her head.

As she nodded, a sudden thought crossed her mind. "Can you turn on the TV for me?" she asked. Inside the private room, there was a TV available.

The waiter swiftly agreed, "Yes, of course, just a moment," and promptly switched it on. He inquired, "Are you going to watch Mr. Williams' live speech?"

At that moment, Ella froze, realizing that today was the day of the Outstanding Youth Awards.

Is that why Eden told her to turn on the TV? Did he want her to watch Lucien's speech?

She racked her memory of her past life for answers. Eden wasn't supposed to be participating this year. He wasn't supposed to be nominated for an award for another two years. After that, he won year after year.

But at that moment, as Ella looked at the TV screen, the field staff was introducing the list of participants for the Outstanding Youth Awards. The first name they called out?

Eden.

The camera immediately focused on him, sitting in the front row below. His beauty had a lethal quality to it, something that wholly captivated Ella and left her feeling a bit disoriented.

"Holy shit, that man is gorgeous! Is that Eden?!" Cendy shrieked from the doorway. "What show is this?!"

Ella shifted her gaze to Cendy, who was still catching her breath. Her friend was also captivated by the TV screen. Ella explained, "It's the annual Outstanding Youth Awards."

"Oh! For that award Lucien was nominated for? You prayed for him to win when we went to the shrine up the mountain, I remember."

Ella sneered, angry at herself for ever wasting her breath praying for that sack of shit.