"I'll die before I apologize to Ella!" Lydia's voice echoed loudly in the hall.

"I'm not playing games with you," Lucien responded, not even bothering to listen to Lydia's explanation.

"Why would you make me apologize to her when she beat me up?! She should be apologizing to me!" Lydia protested.

"But she didn't beat you up. I know you're lying," Lucien stated firmly.

"She really did hit me! Why don't you believe me? She really did! Her and Cendy!" Lydia's eyes welled up with tears.

"Ella has always been sensible and gentle. There's no way she'd hit someone," Lucien defended her.

"She hit me! Really!" Lydia continued to argue down the hall, unable to comprehend why he didn't believe her.

"I don't want to listen to you make another scene. You will apologize to her tomorrow!" Lucien insisted.

"I won't!" Lydia replied stubbornly.

"Lydia! You don't want our family to fall apart, do you?!" Lucien tried to reason with her.

"I don't care!" Lydia shook her head, her emotions spiraling out of control.

Lillian, who had always been the first person to spoil her daughter, raised her voice at her for the first time. "Lydia, I am this close to losing my patience with you. Stop being difficult and listen to your brother!"

"Mom! Why don't you guys believe me!" Lydia's frustration grew, and her tears started to flow.

"I don't care if it's true or not. You will apologize to Ella tomorrow!" Lillian asserted firmly.

"Mom!" Lydia was driven to sobs, feeling overwhelmed by the situation.

"So what if Ella hit you?! Right now, the most important thing for our family is to have Ella marry into our family. Since you're the one who pissed her off, you're going to apologize to her. After the wedding, you can do whatever you want, but right now, you need to keep up the act." Lucien commanded.

Lydia was so distraught that she couldn't stop crying.

"Lydia, you're not a child anymore. You have to think of the big picture too. Don't worry, okay? After you apologize to Ella tomorrow, Mommy will make it up to you." Lillian rubbed her daughter's back.

Lydia didn't listen at all and just kept crying and crying.

"I'll make Daisy look bad at her own party." Lillian soothed, "If her daughter wants to hurt you, I'll hurt her right back."

Lydia wiped the remnants of her tears and asked, "What are you gonna do?"

"Daisy has never dressed well for these kinds of things. I'm going to dress up in my fanciest clothes and steal her limelight. Think about it, Daisy and I are considered future in-laws, and when people gossip, she won't be able to hold her head high. I don't even know how Daisy has the nerve to throw herself a 50th birthday party!" Lillian expressed with contempt.

In high society, male superiority and female inferiority were very prominent. The fact that Daisy could organize her own 50th birthday banquet actually made Lillian jealous.

Lillian had always held a high status in the circle of noblewomen. She had a loving husband, a capable son, and a well-behaved daughter, and all the noblewomen flattered her, putting her on a very high pedestal.

However, even with her privileged position, since she got married, she had never had her own birthday party, let alone a grand celebration in her husband's name to invite the upper class.

All of a sudden, Daisy—the black sheep of the noblewives—was now having such a large-scale birthday party, and the thought made Lillian's blood boil.

Tomorrow, she would make sure Daisy knew that at the end of the day, she'd never be anything more than a peasant girl.

—

It was afternoon the next day, right after lunch when the Ford family villa's hall suddenly became crowded with people. Daisy was taken aback. She hadn't been informed about any banquet being thrown in her own home. She looked at the staff with a puzzled expression, wondering what was happening. After all, no one told her about it.

"Aren't we celebrating the birthday with Dad tonight? I planned for Mom to surprise Dad," Ella said. She'd come up with this excuse well in advance.

"Oh, look at you. Since birthdays are on the same day every year, they're never a surprise. Let's just try not to startle him too much," Daisy replied with a smile.

"How?" Ella was a little unhappy as she said, "Anyway, we need to go to the spa now. Then, makeup and outfits."

"Oh, you and your games," Daisy laughed lightly.

"Hurry up," Ella urged her mom to follow the staff.

"Aren't you going to come too?" Daisy asked, knowing that Ella often accompanied the estheticians who came to the house.

"I don't have to, I'm naturally beautiful," Ella joked.

Daisy smiled and playfully scolded, "And you claim to be so innocent. You're terrible!"

"Mom, go. I'll accompany you to change your gown later," Ella insisted.

"Okay, okay," Daisy finally agreed and left with the staff.

As soon as Daisy left, Ella notified the staff responsible for decorating the banquet site to come to the villa and set up. At the same time, she called her dad to let him know the time was coming. She was occupied with preparations for most of the afternoon.

After everything was in order according to the time schedule, Ella went to her mom's room. Daisy had just come out of her beauty treatment, and her face and body looked smooth and tender, appearing as youthful as a teenager.

"Mom, how do you take care of your skin so well?" Ella praised her mother's radiant appearance.

"This is truly the best skin we've ever seen at your age, Mistress," the staff chimed in, sincerely impressed. "If I didn't know your age, I would have guessed you were only 30 at most."

"Please, you don't need to flatter me," Daisy responded modestly, feeling a bit shy.

"It's true, Mistress. And it's not just your skin. You even keep your body in good shape. From the back, you really look like a young girl," the staff continued, expressing their genuine admiration.

"Now you're just exaggerating," Daisy blushed slightly, still humbled by the compliments.

Ella found her mom incredibly adorable no matter what. She believed her dad hadn't lost anything in his life by marrying her mom.

"Have you changed into your gown yet?" Ella asked.

"We'll put it on right away," the staff replied hurriedly.

They left briefly and returned with a long black evening gown adorned with sparkling diamonds that resembled the twinkling stars in the Milky Way—stunningly beautiful.

"Isn't this a little too glamorous?" Daisy looked at the dress in surprise.

"It's perfect! You're breathtaking, Mom. Dad's gonna fall for you all over again," Ella teased.

"What's the point of getting all dolled up when we're an old married couple?" Daisy was a bit dismissive. "I want to wear something else. I don't need a fancy dress to know your father loves me."

"I designed the dress myself," Ella suddenly spoke.

Daisy's heart softened. She was well aware that Ella had always been passionate about designing and was incredibly talented. However, her family had kept Ella's achievements—including the National Designer's Award—low-profile.

Seeing Ella looking a bit apprehensive, Daisy found it impossible to refuse her daughter's heartfelt request.

"Will you please just wear it?" Ella asked quietly.

Daisy couldn't help but smile. "Of course. My little girl designed it just for me. I'll wear it all night"

She followed the staff and went to change into the gown. The moment she came out wearing it, Ella was truly amazed by her mother's appearance!

Daisy's perfect figure, paired with the unique aura of a mature woman, was a stunning sight to behold.

She was the picture of nobility and elegance.