Chapter 319

Lancelot Lewie was a contemporary male opera singer. He was well-known for his work “The Flower Pavilion.”

Stella was really familiar with him because Rainee was his die-hard fan and had many recordings of his performances at home.

When Stella was younger, Stella had even gone to a few of his performances with Rainee. Lancelot had a soft, feminine figure, and ethereal vocals. It was not an overstatement to say that he had peerless elegance on stage.

‘Lancelot can be considered one of my first teachers when I learned performing arts. At first, I wanted to learn how to act because Lancelot looked really beautiful in period costumes. I also wanted to perform for everyone while I am dressed beautifully. When Lancelot was 50, he announced that he would no longer perform in public and would focus on his education career. To this day, it’s been eight years since he’s performed on stage. Throughout these years, many invited him to stage a comeback.

However, all of these attempts ended in failure. So what if Cyrene knew his students? Back then, someone even knew one of Lancelot’s family members. Yet, it still didn’t work out,’ thought Stella.

Cyrene probably had not attempted it, so she said rather confidently, “While he doesn’t perform publicly, he’s got to do it for the sake of his friend when invited, right? I initially wanted to ask my friend to invite him, but I hadn’t discussed the matter with Dahlia. I also don’t know what ideas Dahlia had in mind for the birthday banquet, so I didn’t take the liberty of doing it.”

After a pause, she continued, “Dahlia, I heard you recently invested in a beauty salon. Since the business just opened, you must be pretty busy, right? Why don’t I organize the birthday banquet? This way, your matters won’t be held up.”

Dahlia glanced at her. “Not at all, Cyrene. How could other matters be more important than my mother-

in-law’s birthday? I’ve only invested a small sum in the beauty salon, so I’m not considered a major shareholder. I get dividends at the end of the year, but I don’t usually need to manage the salon.

Theoretically speaking, our family should naturally be the ones organizing the birthday banquet. I, as a widowed single mother, couldn’t handle our mother- in-law’s 70th birthday myself. Thankfully, you helped out. This year, she’s having her 80th birthday, and Keegan’s already grown up. I can’t shirk my responsibilities any further, right?” Cyrene smiled.

“You’re being too formal, Dahlia. What’s the difference between you and me organizing it? Does seniority matter? I think it’s not easy for you to raise two children when you’re widowed. Now that they’re finally grown up and successful, shouldn’t you take a good rest? You’re a woman, so it’ll be inconvenient for you to do many things. I’ve got two men at home, so it’ll invariably be easier. I can ask them to run errands for me whenever there’s a need.”

Dahlia kept a calm expression. “What era are we in? Can’t women do the things men do? While Keegan’s the only man in our family, I have a daughter and a daughter-in-law. Both of them are smart and capable. They’ll provide me with sufficient help.”

‘It’s true that when pros fight, every strike is a critical hit. Neither of them is backing down, and they seem determined to be the organizer of the birthday banquet,’ thought Stella.

Seeing how they could not come to an agreement, Cyrene threw the question at Cordelia.

“Since it’s your birthday, things will go according to your wishes no matter what. Why don’t you tell us if you want Dahlia’s style for your 80th birthday banquet, or would you prefer my style instead?”

Cordelia also seemed as though she was in a really difficult position.

“Dahlia’s meticulous. She pays great attention to details and takes everything into consideration. On the other hand, Cyrene focuses on the bigger picture, so the grandeur’s pretty good. I quite like the banquets you two organized. My 80th birthday banquet this year might be the last one I’ll have in my life. Besides, you two aren’t getting any younger. After worrying about them all your lives, it’s time you two enjoy your lives and stop being so busy,” she said as she turned to Keegan and Stella.

She continued, “Stella, why don’t you organize it this year?”

Stella was bewildered.

Everyone was stunned when they heard Cordelia’s words.

Cyrene was the first to speak. “We’ll be inviting many people for your birthday banquet, and young people don’t have the experience. We’ll become a laughing stock if the banquet isn’t done properly.”

“Cyrene’s right. While Stella is my daughter-in-law, she’s really way too young. Since young people are inexperienced, they will inevitably overlook things. It’s fine if it’s a family banquet, but there’ll be many people on the day of your birthday banquet. Can she bear the responsibility if something goes wrong?”