"I think Cendy deserves an apology more than I do," Ella said with an air of righteousness.

Lydia's expression changed drastically, unable to conceal her true feelings any longer.

Since childhood, the person Lydia hated the most was Cendy. She felt overshadowed by Cendy, who received special treatment from celebrities and everyone around her. Unlike the others, Cendy always challenged Lydia at every turn.

Lydia's situation took a painful turn when she fell in love with Winston, only to discover that Winston had feelings for Cendy. This turned out to be the biggest insult in her life. Her hatred for Cendy only grew.

In a single glance, Lillian understood her daughter's thoughts and recognized her strong hatred for Cendy. She realized that making Cendy apologize in person was an incredibly difficult situation for her daughter. At that moment, Lillian couldn't help but feel some blame towards Ella for putting her in such a distressing position.

Wasn't Ella grateful for a face-to-face apology? To give an apology is to admit inferiority, and that wasn't enough for Ella, apparently. The stupid girl just had to go and act even more self-righteous.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Amidst the crowd, Lillian found herself unable to turn her head and leave. The presence of so many people waiting for Lydia's apology made it impossible for her to exit the situation.

"Lydia! Shame on you for losing your temper like that. How could you accidentally break Cendy's phone? Hurry up and apologize," Ivan insisted, trying to avoid further embarrassment for their family.

Despite his clever use of the word "accidentally," it remained essential for Lydia to apologize to Cendy at that moment.

Cendy stood tall, straightening her back, and waited for Lydia to bow down to her.

This reward from Ella was exceptionally sweet.

"Lydia," Ivan blushed, noticing her lack of response.

In the upper class, particularly among men, there exists a sense of superiority over women. Once the head of the household speaks, no one dares defy it.

Lillian hurriedly pulled Lydia, saying, "Lydia, be a good girl and apologize.

Lydia's eyes became glassy

"I know you were careless, but breaking Cendy's cell phone was just wrong," Lillian scolded, pinching Lydia in the back again.

Enduring the pain, Lydia looked intently at Cendy, who responded with a distinctly amused smile.

"Lydia," Lillian hissed.

"I'm sorry," Lydia said through clenched teeth, on the verge of tears. Inside, she was cursing everyone in the room.

Ella sneered from the sidelines.

The Williams family only had themselves to blame. If they raised their daughter properly, she wouldn't have to pretend to be educated, disciplined, and polite.

And one day, she would expose the Williamses for what they really were.

"It's okay," Cendy said generously, "I know you didn't know any better, so I won't hold it against you. Just don't bite next time."

So just because Lydia was young, she was stupid?

And what did Cendy mean by 'don't bite'?

Was she calling Lydia a dog?!

As soon as Lydia picked up on Cendy's sarcasm, she couldn't control herself and rushed at Cendy with the intention of fighting back.

Lillian pulled Lydia back and said, "Since it's nothing, I'll take Lydia over for some dessert. She hasn't had dinner yet." She didn't want Lydia to lose face with the Williams family in front of everyone.

Lydia restrained herself and gave Cendy a hard look before following her mother, prepared to leave.

The moment they left…

RIP!

The sound of tearing fabric rang out, followed by Lydia's piercing scream, "Ah!"

If Lydia hadn't screamed, things might have been different, but her scream drew everyone's attention to the scene.

Everyone's attention was drawn to Lydia's torn gown, which ripped right where she had wrapped her chest, exposing flesh-colored bra pads and revealing her scandalized appearance.

Ella quickly withdrew her foot from the end of Lydia's skirt, a hint of panic in her eyes. "Lydia! You walked in front of me and I accidentally stepped on the end of your dress…"

"Ah!" Lydia's shrieked again, her face turning red.

Never had she been so embarrassed.

Never.

In a fit of anger, she covered her chest and screamed in frustration.

After a brief delay, Lillian rushed to shield her daughter, saying, "Don't look!"

Her voice trembled with anger as all eyes stayed glued to Lydia.

How could outsiders witness such a disgraceful image?!

In the future, how could her daughter face anyone as a member of the Williams family!

Lucien quickly reacted and removed his jacket to shield Lydia's body.

"Quickly, take Lydia back!" Ivan was visibly distressed.

Never had the Williams family experienced such humiliation.

This level of shame had never been witnessed before.

Lillian rushed to escort Lydia out of the hall, who walked while crying, consumed by shame and fury.

Ella must have done it intentionally! That woman planned this!

As the Williams women depart, Ella and Cendy exchange glances.

Cendy realizes that she must not underestimate Ella in the future. Ella's actions were unexpected and impressive! She had never seen her be so aggressive before.

"I apologize for the scene you witnessed," Ivan said, feigning seriousness while offering a casual smile.

"Accidents happen; it's quite common. Let's not dwell on it. Come on, it's been a while since our four families gathered. Let's have a drink," Jack chimed in to lighten the mood.

The people here were all human, and they quickly resumed enjoying the festivities, restoring the banquet to its usual state of harmony and joy.

Lucien pulled Ella to the back garden, and she could clearly sense his anger.

"What the hell was that about?!" Lucien was barely suppressing his rage

"I truly didn't do it on purpose," Ella pleaded innocently, her face wearing an innocent expression. "I don't know how Lydia's skirt hem got under my feet. And when she walked so quickly, the dress tore… It wasn't my fault."

"Ella, you've changed," Lucien leaned in, scrutinizing her.

Ella sneered darkly. Changed, indeed. And why was that a bad thing? If she didn't change, he'd continue using her for his own benefit.

However, she maintained a simple and incomparable expression on the surface. "Why would you suddenly think that? We're together every day. What do you mean I changed?"

Lucien's eyes turned cold.

Yes, they were together every day.

But how could she change so drastically?

Ella no longer followed his common sense; he couldn't grasp her thoughts, nor could he control her anymore.

"Lucien, are you mad at me? Because I got in a fight with your sister?" Ella asked cautiously.

She acted the way she did in her past life. At that time, she always feared making him angry and unhappy, so she constantly catered to his feelings. As long as he showed her any kindness, she would compromise without setting any boundaries.