Chapter 263: Chapter 263: Selena

For a brief moment, she even considered the possibility that Lana might have seen the same dream.

’Otherwise, why would Lana react with such cold disdain toward me?’

The thought sent a faint chill down Cassandra’s spine, making her fingertips go numb.

However, she quickly shook her head and dismissed it. ’That’s impossible,’ she told herself. ’Dreams are just dreams.’

Soon, another explanation surfaced in her mind, darker and far more unsettling.

’Maybe someone is manipulating everything from behind the scenes,’ she thought, her chest tightening with unease.

Meanwhile, Lana returned to the lounge.

The moment she stepped inside, the noise of the banquet was replaced by a muted hush.

She closed her eyes and leaned back slightly.

’This kind of party is truly unbearable,’ she thought, her brows knitting together in disgust.

She had barely arrived, yet the nausea and irritation were already overwhelming.

’In the future, I’ll never attend such banquets,’ she resolved silently. ’Once I have my own city, I’ll live peacefully and avoid gatherings like this altogether.’

Mr. Crow could not help but shake his head.

“You’re truly naïve,” he remarked, his tone carrying both amusement and exasperation.

“Once you open your own city, you’ll have to socialize even more, not less.”

Lana laughed softly, the tension easing slightly from her shoulders.

“Then I’ll hire a stand-in,” she replied casually.

“I’ll let them act as the city’s representative while I enjoy the tax revenue, cultivate in peace, and deal with anyone who dares oppose me.”

Hearing that, Mr. Crow shook his head again. “You really know how to dream beautifully.”

Lana glanced at him sideways, her eyes gleaming. “Mr. Crow, if you have a better solution, then say it.”

Mr. Crow paused before pointing out calmly,

“Instead of a stand-in, you should find a partner. With someone by your side, you could rest while they handle everything else.”

Lana immediately shook her head. “And what if that partner betrays me and takes everything?”

Mr. Crow opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say another word, someone called out Lana’s name.

Lana looked up, and the moment her eyes landed on the woman standing before her, her expression darkened.

It was someone she never wanted to see again.

Selena.

Selena studied Lana for a moment before smiling faintly. “For a second, I almost thought I’d mistaken you for someone else.”

Lana nodded coldly. “Then you did find the wrong person.”

Selena laughed lightly. “You really know how to joke.”

Lana’s gaze hardened, sharp and unyielding. “And you who don’t know how to joke.”

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward.

Sensing the tension, Mr. Crow quickly reached out through their link. “Who is she?”

Lana’s reply was immediate and chilling. “If given the chance, I would kill her.”

That was how deep her hatred ran.

Mr. Crow stiffened. “Who exactly is this Selena?”

Lana could not bring herself to answer right away. The memories clawing their way up were too horrifying.

Meanwhile, Selena smiled as though nothing was wrong. “I have a proposal for you. As long as you hear me out…”

Lana stood up abruptly, her chair scraping softly against the floor.

“Shut your mouth,” she snapped. “Say one more word, and I’ll make sure you regret coming to this party.”

Selena froze, completely taken aback by Lana’s hostility.

’What did I even do?’ she wondered in disbelief. ’Why is she acting like I stole her kidney or something?’

But Lana’s mind had already drifted into her past life.

In that life, Selena had tricked her into sleeping with one of the richest CEOs… none other than the man known as Phoenix. After that night, Phoenix had behaved utterly irresponsibly.

Worse still, he had treated Lana like dirt, repeatedly abusing and torturing her, as though she were nothing more than something disposable.

The more Lana thought about it, the hotter her blood burned. Rage surged through her veins, turning her face slightly red.

Selena sensed the change instantly.

Seeing Lana’s fury, fear crept into her heart.

She truly did not understand what she had done to provoke such hatred.

Taking a deep breath, she was about to speak when Lana cut her off.

“I will leave first,” Lana said coldly. “If you want to follow me, go ahead. But the moment you take even one step behind me, I’ll make sure you’re thrown out.”

Selena fell silent.

At that moment, she did not even have the courage to follow Lana anymore.

Once Lana was finally alone, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Mr. Crow spoke again through their link. “Can you tell me the truth now?”

Lana’s thoughts drifted back to her past life.

“She’s my cousin,” she admitted quietly. “She’s from the Almond family, Mrs. Almond’s niece, and she’s loved by all of them.”

She paused before continuing, her voice tinged with bitterness.

“To gain respect in her own family, she’s always used underhanded methods, tricking people whenever it suited her. She even tricked me once.”

Mr. Crow frowned. “How?”

Lana closed her eyes briefly. “When I was kicked out of the Almond family, I had nowhere to go. I could only seek help from those I once trusted.”

Her voice lowered. “Selena was one of them. She often spent time with me before, and since we were cousins, I believed we were close.”

A bitter smile tugged at her lips. “At least, that’s what I thought. I even gave her things, believing it was goodwill.”

As a result, when she was kicked out, Selena was the first person who came to Lana’s mind.

’She’s family… she won’t abandon me’, Lana had thought back then.

When Selena learned about her situation, she rejected her outright at first.

“Even my own family wouldn’t allow me to help you openly,” Selena had said, her tone sounding helpless and restrained.

Yet, not long after, Selena secretly slipped a few thousand dollars into Lana’s bank account.

“This is the most I can do for now,” she had added, her voice lowered as if burdened by guilt.

At that time, Lana did not even have a basic place to stay.

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