the empress episode 1 who is the mother watching

On the day of Valeria Castle's engagement, her mother, Marilyn Castle, arrives at the banquet disguised as a cleaner, only to face humiliation from the Hardy family. A wealthy woman fights her over a parking spot, her future mother-in-law enforces strict household rules, and her fiancé demands an outrageous betrothal gift. But Marilyn soon reveals her true identity. Wayne Cuddy, Aaron Shaw, and Basil Brady step in with a billion-dollar dowry, instantly turning the tide. From that moment on, she proves her strength time and again, expertly resolving the crisis at Price Corp. In the end, as foreign capital threatens their empire, she takes Valeria abroad—ready for the next battle.

On the day of Valeria Castle's engagement, her mother, Marilyn Castle, arrives at the banquet disguised as a cleaner, only to face humiliation from the Hardy family. A wealthy woman fights her over a parking spot, her future mother-in-law enforces strict household rules, and her fiancé demands an outrageous betrothal gift. But Marilyn soon reveals her true identity. Wayne Cuddy, Aaron Shaw, and Basil Brady step in with a billion-dollar dowry, instantly turning the tide. From that moment on, she proves her strength time and again, expertly resolving the crisis at Price Corp. In the end, as foreign capital threatens their empire, she takes Valeria abroad—ready for the next battle.

Lottie Garner faces a forced marriage to the Ford family's son, an overweight playboy with STDs, to pave the way for her stepsister Nikki Garner's marriage alliance with the Weber family, the wealthiest in the capital. To escape this fate and exact revenge on Nikki and her mother, Lottie decides to seduce Nikki's fiance, Zaxton Weber. They begin a clandestine affair. At Nikki's engagement celebration, Lottie arrives exquisitely dressed, her striking figure capturing everyone's attention, including Zaxton's. The pair share an intimate moment in the stairwell during the party. Meanwhile, an increasingly anxious Nikki searches for them, heading toward the stairwell where a dramatic confrontation is about to unfold.

Eight years ago, Anna Lane, a D-list actress, married Caleb Scott, CEO of Scott Group, to fulfill her grandfather's wish. After unexpectedly becoming pregnant, she filed for divorce. Six years later, the Scott family discovers that her daughter, Nancy, is actually Caleb's child and begins searching for them. While Anna faces mistreatment on a film set, Caleb arrives to rescue them but doesn't recognize his daughter. At a banquet, Caleb's mother reveals Nancy's identity, and the truth comes out: Anna is Caleb's ex-wife. Caleb confesses his love, and they remarry, welcoming twins and achieving both love and career success.

Paul Smith, CEO of Horizon Group, had it all—until his own adopted children and former college friend Lewis stabbed him in the back. Forced into bankruptcy, he watched his empire crumble while grappling with his mother's failing health and furious employees demanding back pay. Just when all seemed lost, Dylan Walker stepped in, offering him a lifeline at his own firm. At the Tech Chip Competition, Paul staged a stunning comeback, leading his team to victory and landing a game-changing deal. Meanwhile, justice caught up with Lewis and his co-conspirators—their schemes finally earning them a one-way ticket to prison.

Ada Walton has saved Sid Cissie's life once, but Gail Rob stole the credit and ran away after she caused Ada's father's death in a car accident. Three years later, Ada happens to find out about the affair between her best friend, Poppy Lee, and her fiancé, Reg Wagner. Under Reg's grandfather's will, he won't get his family inheritance unless he marries Ada. To pay off her mother's mounting medical expenses in the hospital, Ada forces herself to enter into a contractual romance with Sid. Soon, things become uncontrollable...

Twenty years ago, Quilla saved Yosef and his family by chance.The two fell in love over time, and she chose to stay with Yosef, raising his three children as her own. Twenty years later,the ex-wife Mary reappears. Emotionally, the three children lean more toward their birth mother, so the family decides to drive away Quilla, the only "outsider". Heartbroken, she cuts ties with them for good. Meanwhile, the Grant family's business begins to decline,and Mary proves to be nothing but a gold-digger. They finally remember Quilla's kindness and try to win her back, but her heart is already dead, and she starts a new life.

Recently graduated April Simons is drugged and harassed by two men, only to be dramatically rescued by Reuben Hamilton, heir to the Hamilton Group corporate empire. In a moment of compromised consciousness, they become intimately involved. Reuben leaves his business card, which April unknowingly misses, losing their connection. Seven years later, April has given birth to twins and is cast out by her family. Simultaneously, Reuben's mother desperately seeks to arrange a marriage for her son. April's jealous cousin deliberately orchestrates a confrontation at the Hamilton family home, publicly exposing April's past. Just as April faces humiliation, Reuben arrives, setting the stage for their unexpected reunion.

Fiona Shaw, once a privileged heiress, fell from grace three years ago when her family's business collapsed. Burdened with a staggering five-hundred-million debt, she was forced to accept the Sterling family's arrangement—an arranged marriage with their second son, Henry. Yet the union was nothing but a façade. Henry, a closeted man deeply in love with his loyal secretary Louis, had no affection for Fiona and abandoned her after their wedding night. His only reason for marrying her was to appease his mother, Elizabeth, and to secure an heir quickly—ensuring his claim to the family's vast fortune and strengthening his position against his half-brother, Jeff.

When Evelyn was five, her mother died tragically, leaving her alone in a distant village. Many years passed, and now she finds herself back in the city, poised to marry Athoria's wealthiest man, Graham Britton, as a replacement for another. While Graham is rumored to have a cold-blooded nature and fiery temper, Evelyn is taken aback by the handsome figure he cuts as she stands before him. When Graham assumes Evelyn is playing hard to get, she swiftly proves him wrong, and when he belittles her as just a village girl, she reveals herself as a skilled practitioner of medicine, design, piano, and technology. It's only then that Graham realizes he's married a true gem.

Tiana, the daughter of the Chudy family, was abducted when she was born. Her brother Bennett, fearing their mother's blame, swapped her with another baby, Roslyn, at the time of the abduction, falsely claiming that the kidnapped child was a janitor's daughter. Tiana was raised by Liala and eventually employed by Chudy Group due to her talent. On her first day at the company, she was bullied by Roslyn for saving a colleague. Bennett noticed the resemblance between Tiana and his long-lost sister, delved further into the investigation, and uncovered the truth, confirming that Tiana was indeed his sister. He vowed to protect his sister from harm. With the mystery of Tiana's identity unraveled, her future got brighter under her brother's protection.

William Coffey and Shelly Richards had been together for years, deeply in love. But just before they could get married, tragedy struck—William's sister Lea died in an incident involving Shelly's younger brother. The Coffey family was devastated and blamed Shelly, their grief turning into resentment. While William was in the hospital, his mother forced Shelly to leave. At the time, Shelly was already pregnant, but with nowhere to turn, she had no choice but to leave the country. Five years later, Shelly returned and ran into William again. The feelings he had buried for so long came rushing back. He still resented her for disappearing without a word, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop loving her.

Seven years ago, Haskell fatally struck someone while driving. Unbelievably, Zachariah's own fiancée Sherian, mother, and father forced him to take the blame for his brother's crime. When authorities arrived, Sherian immediately accused Zachariah, condemning him to prison despite his innocence. During his incarceration, Zachariah developed groundbreaking nuclear fusion technology, earning recognition from the scientific community and securing employment upon his release. Returning to the family that betrayed him, Zachariah discovered nothing had changed—they still harbored no love for him. After weathering countless fresh betrayals, he finally severed all ties and walked away, leaving his past behind forever.

Sandi Leach thinks she will live a comfortable and happy life after marrying into a wealthy family. However, soon after their marriage, her husband Nat Goddard reveals his twisted nature. Having witnessed his mother's death at the hands of his abusive father during childhood, Nat is psychologically disturbed and severely lacking in the ability to love. Under the guise of love, he keeps Sandi under 24-hour surveillance, forbids her from communicating with anyone, and frequently subjects her to physical abuse and imprisonment. Covered in bruises, Sandi chooses to escape in desperation. With the help of plastic surgeon Ivan Hoover, she gets a new face, hoping to escape Nat's shadow. However, she discovers that her new face is modeled after Ivan's deceased wife, Jeanne Spencer.

After her father had an affair and her mother passed away, Clara's stepmother moved in with her illegitimate son, throwing Clara into a world of trouble. The scheming stepmother wanted her own son to study abroad, so she pressured Clara to drop out of school and get married, using the dowry to fund her son's education. But Clara, determined not to give up on her dreams, took on all sorts of part-time jobs. One day, she saved an elderly lady, and through a twist of fate, ended up marrying the woman's grandson. Clara was ready to keep working hard to support herself, only to find out her new husband was actually a super-rich tycoon pretending to be a poor employee! Deciding to play along with his charade, a hilarious and absurd drama ensued!

Yale enters a piano competition to raise money for his mother-in-law's surgery. He wins first place, not only securing the medical funds but also receiving an invitation from a renowned orchestra.However,his wife, Quinn, misled by a toxic friend, becomes convinced he's having an affair. Provoked by the friend, she disrupts the competition, ruing Yale's performance without realizing that she's also destroying her mother's last chance for treatment. One mistake leads to another. Under her friend's manipulation, Quinn even breaks Yale's fingers, crushing his dream of becoming a top pianist. Just as she believes she's done the right thing, she receives a call from a detective, proving that the evidence of Yale's infidelity, provided by her toxic friend, was completely false.

While delivering food, Miles accidentally walked into a conflict between Clare and her uncle, Baron. Baron coveted Clare's family's goods and intended to seize them. Miles not only ruined his scheme but also selflessly shielded Clare, taking a fatal bullet for her. As a result, Clare developed feelings for Miles, believing he was meant for her. However, Miles was already engaged to Winnie. Winnie and her family were greedy, constantly demanding money in the days leading up to the wedding. Miles' mother, Martha, invested everything she had for her son's marriage but still couldn't satisfy their insatiable greed. After learning that Miles was being tormented by Winnie's family, Clare intervened without hesitation. Using her strength to intimidate everyone, she successfully took Miles away, and they held their wedding.

Rory Taylor, the future Lord of the Divine Order, once spent three years undercover, mistaken by everyone as an ex-con and lowlife. After returning, he found his mother being abused by his stepfather—and without hesitation, he stepped in to protect her and taught the abuser a harsh lesson.But his stepfather's family ruled the local underworld and came after Rory for revenge. With unmatched personal strength and the hidden power of the Divine Order, Rory brought them all to justice.Later, when the infamous "King of Hell," Kyle Joust,bullied Rory's classmates, and even Rory's own cousin used his name to act arrogant and lawless, Rory never strayed from his sense of justice. One by one, he wiped out every trace of evil in his path.