Chapter 5

Stephanie never expected Lana to expose her in public like this.

The old Lana would never have dared to do such a thing.

Because she clearly knew that no one in their family liked her, she had always desperately tried to please them. But today...

“Ethan, she's lying. I never called her," Stephanie quickly turned the tables. "She must have seen the news online and didn't trust you, so she secretly followed you here!"

As she spoke, Stephanie gave Lily a meaningful look.

Lily stood up from her chair and walked over to Lana. "Please don't misunderstand. I only came here with Mr. Mitchell after accompanying him to meet the client."

It seemed like an explanation, but was actually a provocation.

She was subtly mocking Lana—Ethan's work and personal life no longer needed her.

Lana laughed lightly. “Miss Walsh sure works hard—not only accompanying him to meet clients, but also to please his family. If you also sleep with him at night, that would make you a full-service escort."

"..."

Everyone present looked uncomfortable because of Lana's words.

Lily's eyes immediately reddened. "If my presence makes Mrs. Mitchell uncomfortable, then I'll resign immediately..."

Before she could finish, Margaret interrupted. "What nonsense! These past six months, with your help, the company has reached its current scale. You're a great contributor to the Mitchell family..."

She walked over and took Lily's hand. "Don't worry, I won't let you be wronged."

Then she turned her gaze to Lana. "Lily is my honored guest. You'd better watch your words."

How could a parentless orphan compare to the Walsh family heiress?

Although Lily appeared to be just an ordinary person on the surface, her daughter had told her that she was actually the Walsh family heiress, just keeping a low profile, which was why her identity wasn't publicly known.

Since her son started dating Lily, his career had reached new heights, proving her identity was certainly correct.

And the benefits she brought to the Mitchell family were incomparable to what Lana could offer.

She would make sure they divorced smoothly. Then she wouldn't have to be mocked by those gossipy women because of Lana anymore.

All these years, because of Lana's background, every time she gathered with those wealthy ladies, they would make snide remarks, leaving her unable to hold her head up.

Once Ethan divorced Lana and married Lily, who was flawless in both appearance and family background, let's see who would dare mock her!

With Margaret's protection, Lily became even more smug. “Margaret, I won't be angry with Mrs. Mitchell. After all, with all the rumors about CEO Mitchell and me online now, it's understandable that she doesn't like me."

"You're so understanding..."

As the two women went back and forth, Lana didn't care at all. She just watched Ethan, who had remained silent the whole time.

His mother was publicly embarrassing her, yet he showed no reaction. Couldn't he see what was happening?

No—he was afraid of making Lily unhappy!

Now in his heart, there was only Lily. She had long been kicked out of the game.

This was why Stephanie had tricked her into coming here.

Since she wanted to watch a show, she'd give her quite the performance.

"Mom is right. I should be more polite to Miss Walsh, especially since all the news online is fake! Ethan told me everything—the photos were photoshopped, and he's never had any feelings for Miss Walsh..." Lana smiled gently. "To him, she's just a secretary who can be fired at any time."

Lily's expression immediately changed. She looked at Ethan with resentment. "So I mean so little to Mr. Mitchell?"

Ethan's expression also changed, but with Lana present, he couldn't say anything.

Seeing Lana gain the upper hand, Stephanie's eyes flashed with anger. She suddenly raised her voice. "Since you're here, let's eat together. Today's dishes were made by my brother. They taste pretty good—you probably haven't had the chance to try them."

Lana raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

Stephanie crossed her arms with a challenging look. "What, are you afraid?"

"Since you're so graciously insisting, I'll grant your wish."

She walked over and looked at the four dishes and one soup on the table.

Everything was spicy, but Ethan had stomach problems and couldn't eat spicy food. In all their years together, she had always accommodated him. Now for Lily's sake, he had learned to torture himself.

Indeed, without comparison, there was no harm.

Lily seemed to finally find her home advantage, sitting back in her previous seat and serving Lana a spicy chicken wing. "I like spicy food, so today's dishes are all spicy. I wonder if they suit your taste?"

Lana laughed lightly and directly picked up a whole plate, dumping it all onto the plate in front of Lily.

The sauce and liquid immediately splashed all over Lily. She tried to stand up, but Lana pressed down on her shoulder. "Miss Walsh, these dishes were all specially made for you. How could I compete with you for them! To not waste Mr. Mitchell's thoughtful gesture toward you, you must finish everything!"

The second plate, the third plate...

All four dishes, along with the hot and spicy ribs sauce—the entire table was a mess, and Lily's white dress was covered in grease and sauce, making her look extremely disheveled!

Lana then called a servant over. "Now that we've finished eating, it's time for dessert. Quickly serve Miss Walsh some macarons—they’re just as sugary as she is."

Lily was so angry her whole body began trembling.

"Have you gone crazy enough?"

Ethan yanked away Lana's hand that was pressing on Lily's shoulder.

He used too much force, causing Lana to stumble and twist her ankle. The pain immediately changed her expression.

Lily immediately threw herself into Ethan's arms, crying breathlessly. "I kindly served her food, and if she didn't appreciate it, that would be fine, but why did she have to humiliate me like this?"

Ethan comforted her gently, as did Margaret and Stephanie.

They both looked at Lana with disgust and accusation.

Margaret said, "What do you expect from someone with no breeding—no class whatsoever, acting like a complete shrew!"

Stephanie added, "Not like a shrew—she IS a shrew. Brother, divorce her quickly. This kind of woman doesn't deserve you at all."

Watching the three people all revolving around Lily, Lana's eyes reddened with hatred as she stared unblinkingly at Ethan's face—the face she once thought gave her the most security.

She had treated him as the most important thing in her life, dedicating everything to him, yet he had abandoned her halfway.

In 25 days, she would make him truly understand what it meant to regret his choices!

Lana endured the sharp pain from her ankle and turned around with apparent indifference.

Only then did Ethan notice she was limping. "Lana..."

He wanted to push Lily away and chase after her, but she held him even tighter.

Watching Lana's retreating figure, for some reason, Ethan suddenly felt panicked.

As if he was about to completely lose something most important!