5.

"Are you okay?" Claudia, Emily's best friend since high school, asked. "You seem down." Claudia added causing Emily to sigh deeply.

"I am sorry. You all came to celebrate with me, and I have been trying to be happy and cheerful but my heart remains heavy." Hearing Emily's words, her friends looked at her concerned.

"Talk to us Em, what is the problem?" Natasha, a college friend of hers asked.

"My sister, I didn't realize she took a joke my friends had made in high school to heart. Last night she..." Emily choked in on her tears; Claudia quickly patted her, while her gaze filled with anger, looked around for Ella. 'She is always the problem!' Claudia thought.

"She threatened to cut herself if we don't cut the cake an hour later than we normally do." Emily who still sounded dejected, smiled mischievously as she looked down.

Her mother had told her earlier that in a bid to calm her father's anger, they would be cutting the cake in Ella's birth hour. Emily had argued with her mother over this but she soon realized she couldn't do anything to change the decision, so she came up with this plan.

This way, not only will none of her friends question her on why the cake wasn't cut in her birth hour, but they would instead hate Ella even more.

"That bi*ch!" Claudia cursed.

"She is too much. Not only did her mother use tricks to break your mother and father's relationship, now she too is using tricks..." Kendall, another friend of Emily added, her voice filled with displeasure.

"You can't say that here. What if someone hears?" Emily quickly cautioned as she looked around. She was worried that someone who knew the truth would hear what Kendall had said. Besides, most of her father's business partners knew the truth.

Some of them would even attend their birthdays and bring gifts only for Ella. Luckily all gifts are always placed in one place, so her mother would always make it seem as though no one had brought a gift for Ella.

"But she is not lying. Had her mother not drugged your father, he would never have touched her. If it wasn't for tricks, how would that jealous bi*ch be born?" Claudia was furious. Emily was overjoyed to hear them say all of this, especially since Ella had dared to remind her that she was a homewrecker's kid. But she was truly worried about someone hearing their discussion.

"She is my sister no matter what. And besides, although my father doesn't love her much, she is still his daughter. So seeing her that way, we decided to just cut the cake in the hour of her birth." Emily sighed, "Girls, please, let's not make a mockery of her again, okay? Her mother is after all still my father's first wife." Emily finished as she bit her lower lips. Seeing her this way made her friends pity her even more.

"Oh Em, you are just too kind." Natasha smiled encouragingly at her.

"Her kindness is her only flaw in life. If only she was half as shameless as that bi*ch." Claudia scoffed.

"Okay, let's have fun. I promise I will be much more cheerful. Having you by my side is enough to make me happy." Emily smiled at her friends before her eyes met with his...

Lucian Daniel.

The eldest son of the Daniel family's. She had first met Daniel when she was just twelve, his family had brought him and his sister over for a visit, but their mother had made sure they interacted with Ella more. Emily remembered feeling extremely aggrieved; her mother had told her that their visitors were richer than them and that she should befriend them.

"Emily," Lucian called her name as he walked over to the ladies; he nodded at Emily's friends as a form of acknowledgment.

"Lucian..." Emily responded blushing. Her friends smiled as they excused themselves. "You shouldn't have come over, what if Dad saw us together?" They had talked about it for days now, they cannot be seen together. Else, others will suspect their relationship especially now that he will be engaged to Ella.

"We did. But I noticed you looked sad, and I couldn't just stay away." Lucian told her. He had been watching her all evening, and he had seen her friends comforting her, he couldn't just ignore.

"It is nothing much." Emily says as she looks down. "Ella just made a fuss about us cutting the cake on my birth hour and not hers." She paused, "I wouldn't have talked about it but my friend, Kendall was saying she would leave after we cut the cake, so I had to tell her. You know, in case she has urgent business to attend to." Lucian nodded

"I see." Lucian wanted to comfort her but he restricted himself. He needed the engagement with Ella. With the shares from her mother and grandparents, even if Eric doesn't give her any more shares, it would be enough to ensure his takeover is smooth. With her as his fiance, his grandparents will hand over the company to him, and when that happens, he can finally marry Emily, the love of his life.

"We will talk later tonight, okay? Happy birthday, and I hope you will like my gift." Lucian smiled at Emily before turning to leave.

Eric who was standing on a foyer with his friends had watched the interaction with a frown. "And besides, the gifts too, except for the gift from father, I never receive any gifts for my birthdays." He was suddenly reminded of Ella's words.

Eric excused himself as he called his secretary, "Find out the relationship between Lucian and Emily, I want the report in half an hour. Martins, before that, get me the gifts Lucian brought for the girls discreetly." Martins nodded and left. Eric was certain he had seen Lucian mouthed gift.

Martin soon returned holding two boxes, "You have twenty more minutes Martin." Eric reminded. As the host, he cannot be away for too long.

Opening the two gifts, Eric laughed dryly. Lucian had gifted Ella a gold set of jewelry. While he gave Emily a customized jewelry with the initials E.L a small heart in between the letters, there was also a mug with the words Yours forever, and lastly, a knitted scarf with the same initials.

Eric had remembered seeing Emily wearing a bracelet with similar initials, and he hadn't thought much of it.

"What the hell is going on?" Eric questioned the empty room. He didn't know what to think any longer, what to believe. As he waited for Martins to come back, he prayed he was wrong. That all of this has some sort of explanation, no matter how ridiculous, and that there was no romantic connection between Lucian and Emily.

"Sir," Martins passed him a document. "I found out the two usually meet in private, and I am sorry, but I had to hack into Miss Emily's phone to extract the chats between her and Mr. Lucian. I promise I didn't look through anything else." Martin quickly added.

Eric took the file and opened it, he didn't need to read much to know just how blind he had been. Looking through their recent chats, he discovered their plans, Lucian planned to use and dump his daughter only to marry the sister, does he think of him as stupid that he would allow his two daughters be with him?! And Emily, 'How did I not know this about you?' Eric closed his eyes shut from anger and disappointment.

"That will be all Martins." Martins nodded as he left. He had looked through those chats and he couldn't believe what he read. Although from first glance, one wouldn't think there is anything wrong with those chats, it would seem like a girlfriend complaining to her boyfriend but Martins has been with the family for long. And most of those things Emily had told Lucian were lies. Never has Emily being slapped by their father because of Ella. 'You really can't judge a book by its cover.' Martin thought to himself as he rejoined the party.

As the evening progressed, Ella and Emily were called to cut their cake. Ella smiled so much as tears filled her eyes, she finally felt like she was celebrating her birthday, Emily who was beside her had to force herself to keep her smile.

After cutting the cake, Emily who couldn't curb the anger she had felt decided to go on with her plans. She subtly guided Ella who was wondering why her father hadn't announced her engagement with Lucian toward the fountain.

Ella smiled following Emily, in her memory, this had happened after the announcement of her engagement with Lucian, but why wasn't her father saying anything?

"You said father has a surprise for me. What is it? Do you know when I will be getting it?" Ella was curious. Are things changing?

Emily clenched her fist upon hearing Ella's words, 'I have been embarrassed by cutting the cake in her birth hour yet she still wants Dad to announce her engagement with Lucian?' She gritted her teeth in anger. 'I will make sure that before you get the gift, you will be totally embarrassed to show your face. So what if we cut the cake in your birth hour, only I can be the star of tonight.' Emily thought with a smile.

As they approached where the reporter is hiding, Ella stopped knowing they are close enough for him to get the recording she needs. "Sister, where are we going?" She asked. "We are walking away from our guest." Ella added.

Emily looked around, and seeing as there was no one close by, she dropped her acting. "I saw you smiling so widely when we cut the cake, are you that happy to have embarrassed me?!" Emily asked seething with suppressed anger.

"Embarrassed you? Sister, for nineteen years we have been cutting the cake in your birth hour, how can you be embarrassed this one time? And besides wasn't it your mother that planned the party?" Ella asked looking confused.

"If..."

"Fine sister I am sorry." Ella says as she moved away from Emily, "Please don't be angry, I don't want to be starved again when father travels." Emily scoffed.

"So you know this and you are still acting arrogant huh!" Emily chuckled, "You want to be the star of tonight right? I will make you the star. The wicked, jealous stepsister. What do you think? I think that title will suit you well." Emily smiled as she grabbed Ella's arm.

Emily dragged her towards the pool area, Ella who was smiling behind her gave the reporter the signal she had agreed with him earlier. Knowing, he wouldn't be recording anymore, she pushed Emily into the pool and jumped in with her.

Emily's cry coupled with Ella's had the guest rushing over, "She pushed me in!" Emily screamed as she was pulled out of the pool by Lucian. Eric looked at Lucian's act quietly while stretching a hand for Ella to take.

Lucian's parents also frowned at their son's action. Seeing his parents frown, Lucian quickly realized his mistake.

"Ella are you alright?" He asked as he moved close to her, feigning concern. Ella flinched from his touch. Seeing her reaction, Eric's heart broke even more. 'To think I was going to get them both engaged.'

Taking his jacket off, Eric placed it on Ella"s body, Emily stared hatefully at this act. She could feel her friends questioning gaze on her... 'Why?! Why is nobody holding her responsible for pushing me into the pool?!'

Ella also stared at her father, 'this shouldn't be right?' She had just wanted them to doubt Emily's words, in her past life, she had stood at the edge of the pool in shock when Emily cried out that she pushed her in, no one had believed her no matter what she said. But this time around, 'Why do I feel like father believes me, that he is on my side?' Ella cried hating herself for been weak. For craving his love even after everything.

"I have got you." Eric told her seeing her tears before carrying her away from the crowd. Clara watched the two leave in anger, looking at her daughter who was left soaked on the floor with no one to care for her, Clara motioned for two maids to help her to her room before dismissing everyone.