Ella stood in front of the mirror one last time. She didn't own any luxurious evening gowns, so she chose the best she had: a simple white silk blouse and a black skirt that reached below her knees. She wore no adornments except for her soft fragrance, and she tied her black hair into a casual bun, while her short bangs still brushed against her forehead. She looked like a classical painting in a world full of extravagance.
When the car stopped in front of the Martin mansion, Ella felt her breath tighten. The mansion's walls were not merely stone—they were a boundary separating her simple life from this unfamiliar world.
Mr. Martin welcomed her at the entrance with a warm smile. He was a man in his fifties, dressed in an elegant suit, with an unexpected kindness shining in his eyes.
"Welcome, Miss Ella. Your father told me a great deal about your noble character, but he forgot to mention that you possess a beauty that brings calm to any place."
Ella blushed and slightly lowered her head. "Thank you, Mr. Martin, that's very kind of you."
He led her into the dining room, where the long table looked as though it had been prepared for royalty. As she sat quietly, a brief silence filled the room—until it was broken by the sound of firm footsteps approaching.
Ella froze in place.
A tall young man entered, his features sharp as a blade, his eyes as cold as winter ice. He wore a casual black shirt, yet his presence dominated everything in the room.
Mr. Martin said, "Ella, let me introduce you to my son, Kai."
Kai did not smile. He merely cast her a quick, fleeting glance—a look that seemed to study every detail of her simplicity within seconds. He sat across from her without saying a word and began eating with a cold indifference that made Ella feel invisible.
Mr. Martin tried to ease the tension. "Kai, Ella is a very remarkable girl. She studies and works at the same time to support her family."
Kai replied in a deep, calm voice, without lifting his eyes from his plate, "Diligence and hard work are admirable qualities… I only hope the price she received for this dinner hasn't ruined that ideal image."
His words struck like lightning. Ella felt a surge of humiliation that almost made her leave, but the image of her sick grandfather and her exhausted father appeared before her like a shield, holding her together. She clenched her hand beneath the table, then looked straight into Kai's icy eyes and said with calm firmness:
"Mr. Kai, there are things in life that cannot be measured by a price, and sacrifice for those we love is one of them. Perhaps in your world everything has a cost, but in mine, dignity and loyalty are the only currencies that never lose their value."
For the first time, Kai stopped eating and raised his head to look at her intently. A heavy silence fell over the room as their gazes clashed like fire and ice.
In that moment, Kai realized that the girl standing before him in her simple clothes possessed a strength that even armies of the wealthy might not have.