”
Chapter 314
Chapter 314
Mr. Hilliard is a master of modern opera, and his masterpiece is Dancing with Daisies.
Celeste is quite familiar with Mr. Hilliard’s works because Caitlyn is a die–hard fan of Hilliard and has lots of his recordings at home.
When she was little, she even went to several of his performances with Caitlyn. His graceful moves and ethereal voice on stage were absolutely stunning.
Mr. Hilliard can even be considered as a mentor who inspired her interest in acting.
The main reason she wanted to learn acting was that Mr. Hilliard’s ancient costume was so beautiful, and she wanted to wear such gorgeous clothes to perform for everyone.
At the age of 50, Mr. Hilliard announced that he would no longer perform in operas and would focus on education instead. It’s been eight years since he last performed on stage. During this time, many people have invited him to perform, but all have ended in failure.
Valeria thought knowing his apprentice was no big deal. Back then, some people even knew Mr. Hilliard’s family, but they still couldn’t persuade him.
Valeria probably hadn’t tried, so she was quite confident, “Although he doesn’t perform publicly, he wouldn’t refuse a friend’s invitation, right? I wanted to ask a friend to invite him directly, but I haven’t discussed it with Skyler yet. I don’t know what she thinks about the birthday banquet, so I didn’t want to make decisions on my own.”
Valeria paused and said, “I heard that Skyler recently invested in a beauty salon, just opened, so she must be quite busy, right? Why don’t you let me handle the birthday banquet, so you don’t have to worry about it?”
Skyler glanced at her, “No way, what could be more important than celebrating Mom’s birthday? I only invested a little money in the beauty salon, I’m not a major shareholder, I just get some dividends at the end of the year, and I don’t need to manage it daily. As the older daughter–in–law, it’s my responsibility to organize the birthday celebration. When Mom turned 70, I was a widow with two kids to take care of, and I was so busy with my own stuff that I couldn’t handle the banquet, so you helped me back then. Now that Mom is turning 80, and Kaylee and Liam have grown up, I can’t keep shirking my responsibility, can I?”
Valeria smiled, “You’re being too polite. It’s Mom’s birthday, and it doesn’t matter who organizes it. You’ve been through a lot as a widow raising two kids. Now that your kids have grown up and are successful, don’t you deserve some rest? It’s not easy for you as a woman to handle so many things, I have two men in my family, so if there’s anything that needs running around, they can help, which should be easier.”
Skyler said without changing her expression, “It’s not the old days anymore. What can men do that women can’t? Although there’s only one man, Liam, in my family, I have a daughter and a daughter–in–law, two smart and capable kids who can help me.”
It was a battle between two skilled opponents, each move lethal.
The two of them were unwilling to give in, both determined to win the birthday banquet.
Seeing that there was no way to resolve the argument, Valeria threw the question to the old lady.
“Mom, it’s your birthday banquet, and we should follow your wishes. Do you prefer Skyler’s style or my style for your 80th birthday celebration?”
Chapter 3
