Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Golden Goose

Without hesitation, she leaned toward Lana. “Be careful of any waiters who approach you.”

Lana nodded calmly.

Almost immediately, a waiter approached her carrying a tray of wine.

His foot slipped, and the glasses tilted dangerously, red liquid about to splash toward Lana.

In a flash, Lana moved, her body swaying aside with effortless grace.

The wine missed her entirely, not a single drop touching her dress.

Lana narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Betty. “Is that the waiter you meant?”

Betty glared sharply at the man, recognizing him at once. “Yes. He was talking to Sophia earlier.”

Lana chuckled softly. “If that’s the case, then he needs a proper lesson.”

She adjusted her hair slowly, then fixed the waiter with a cold, piercing stare.

“What were you doing just now?”

The waiter panicked, his face paling. “I-it was a mistake!”

Lana’s lips curved slightly. “If it was a mistake,” she replied calmly, “then hurry and wipe the entire floor with your bare hands.”

Hearing those words, several women nearby gasped softly.

A woman immediately stepped forward, her voice rising with forced righteousness.

“Lana, you’re acting too maliciously,” she declared.

“How can you ask a waiter, who is also a human being, to pick up ice and broken glass with his bare hands? He’ll hurt himself!”

Lana’s expression remained calm, but her eyes cooled slightly.

’This is how they plan to step on me to look noble? Pathetic.’ she thought, instantly seeing through their intentions.

Before Lana could respond, Sophia walked over, her posture elegant and composed.

“This isn’t Lana’s fault,” she said at first, making both Lana and the woman stiffen in surprise.

Then Sophia continued in the same calm tone,

“The waiter was wrong first. Given the circumstances, it’s only natural for Miss Lana to be this decisive. Otherwise, others might think she’s an easy target to provoke.”

Lana immediately understood what Sophia was doing.

’If others want to climb over me openly, then Sophia is extending a hand… while holding a knife behind her back,’ she thought.

Lana let out a soft chuckle and turned to Sophia.

“If that’s the case,” she asked lightly, “how do you plan to deal with this waiter?”

Sophia’s expression hardened instantly. “He’ll be blacklisted.”

The waiter’s face drained of color. He looked at Lana in panic, shaking his head desperately, his lips trembling as if begging for mercy.

Lana glanced at him briefly, then nodded as if agreeing with Sophia’s decision. “That seems appropriate.”

Then she turned toward Lucian, her smile gentle yet unreadable. “Lucian,” she said smoothly, “can you make sure this waiter never gets a job as a waiter anywhere in Xila City?”

The moment those words left her mouth, both Sophia’s and the waiter’s expressions changed completely.

This was not part of the plan.

Originally, they had intended that even if the wine spilled on Lana, Sophia would step in, scold the waiter publicly, and declare him blacklisted.

But those would only be empty words, nothing more than a show.

The waiter would still find work elsewhere, and the matter would quietly fade away.

However, if Lucian truly took action, then the consequences would be real.

The waiter would very likely never find another job again, his future in the city effectively destroyed.

Trembling with fear, the man even began begging to Lana, his tone unusually earnest.

Sophia quickly intervened, stepping forward with a practiced smile.

“Lana, you’re being too harsh. I already told you I’d deal with the waiter. Don’t you trust me?”

Lana tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint, mocking smile.

“If it weren’t for what happened at the entrance,” she replied calmly, “I might have believed you.”

Her gaze sharpened, a quiet glint of suspicion flickering in her eyes.

“Who knows? Maybe all this drama was something you carefully staged.”

Sophia’s face drained of color. She stiffened, then immediately turned toward Lucian as if grasping for support.

“I’ve already explained that it was a mistake and I haven’t done this I swear.” she said hurriedly.

Lucian’s eyes, however, never left Lana.

From the moment he had arrived, he hadn’t spared a single glance for any other woman. His attention was unwavering, almost blatant.

Lana let out a soft chuckle, amusement laced with ridicule.

“You keep explaining,” she said lightly, “yet your eyes never leave him.”

She raised a brow. “Don’t you find that a little laughable?”

Sophia’s nails dug into her palms. Anger surged to the tip of her tongue, but she forced it down, schooling her expression.

“If you insist on dealing with the waiter yourself,” she said stiffly, “then go ahead.”

The waiter’s face turned ashen. His lips trembled as if he wanted to protest, but Sophia shot him a cold glare.

Slowly, deliberately, she mouthed a single word… family.

The meaning hit instantly. The waiter’s knees nearly buckled.

He knew better than anyone what it meant to offend Sophia.

One wrong word, and his family would pay the price. He swallowed every protest, lowering his head in silence.

Sophia turned back toward Lana, her expression composed once more, as if waiting for Lana to pass judgment.

Before Lana could speak, Lucian stepped forward.

He didn’t want her reputation stained, especially not with labels like cruel or ruthless for simply enforcing justice.

“This waiter has been extremely disrespectful,” he stated. “I’ll make sure he’s blacklisted.”

Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and relayed the waiter’s information.

The implication was clear. The man’s career was finished.

All around them, the guests stared at Lana with glittering curiosity.

To them, she was a golden goose. As long as they could get close to her, they might gain a chance to approach Lucian.

Before, she had only been seen as the so-called fake daughter of the Almond family.

Now, they finally understood how important she truly was.

In a corner of the hall, Lana’s cousin watched everything unfold, her gaze dark and calculating.

’If she doesn’t accept my proposal,’ she thought, ’I’ll have to do something about her.’

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