Seeing Lana's astonished expression, Liam felt confident he had made the right purchase.These pendants must conceal a secret. Why else would Lana be so eager to snatch them? She was normally so calm and composed. "It was a gift from someone else," Liam explained, his final act of stubbornness.Without a hint of doubt, Lana nodded and said, "Actually, now that I look at them, they don't seem that impressive."The difference between ancient and modern carving techniques was undeniably vast.What the ancients deemed exquisite might not be perceived the same way now.With a sigh of relief, Lana said, "Luckily, some fool bought them last time, or I would have faced a significant loss."The fool in question, Liam, remained silent.Despite her indifference, Liam was puzzled by Lana's earnest desire to snatch the pendants. So, he decided to test her."Do you want to take a closer look?" he asked, extending the pendants toward Lana.Without hesitation, Lana took the pendants, examin
Stella's eyes rolled back as she fainted on the spot.Enraged, David grabbed Billy and gave him a good beating. Nicole cried uncontrollably by the side, berating David for his lack of conscience.The room was in chaos. But instead of stopping it, Lana merely cleared her throat. She said, "Even the antidote can't save you if you can't regain your consciousness." Hearing this, Stella immediately jolted up and rushed to Lana's side. "Please, spare me! Give me the antidote. My children are still young; they can't live without their mother!""Sure, I can give it to you." Lana leaned leisurely against the door frame. She glanced over at Billy and Nicole as she continued, "But have you done the things I told you to do yesterday?"Stella asked in tears, "What did you ask me to do?"It was only then that she remembered. Lana had asked her to kneel and beg for forgiveness from Billy and Nicole.Ever since Stella had got together with David, she had always been arrogant and domineerin
Nicole did not look like she was joking at all. She held onto Lana's hand tightly, refusing to let go even when Lana's hand turned red.Billy stammered in shock, "Mom, let go. She's not Aunt Sasha. Aunt Sasha passed away many years ago."Lana explained patiently as she told Billy to step aside. "Auntie, please take a closer look. I'm not the person you mentioned. I'm Lana!"Her voice was calm and gentle with a soothing tone. Nicole quickly calmed down."I'm really sorry!" Tears streamed down Nicole's face. "For a second there, I really thought you were my younger sister. You look so much like her.""Please don't take it to heart, Boss. This is the first time I've seen my mom like this. She's not usually like this," Billy explained. He was worried that Lana might mistake his mother for being mentally ill."Don't worry, Billy. I understand," Lana replied.After comforting Nicole, Lana called for the doctors and nurses to conduct a thorough examination.Billy accompanied Nicole
The news of Lana's participation in the Chef King Championship somehow reached Carol's ears."I wonder who gave that country bumpkin the courage to attend the competition? I bet she's never even eaten bread rolls before!" Jennifer scoffed. She couldn't help but burst into laughter. Sarah snorted coldly. "You'd better stop mocking her. That so-called country bumpkin managed to snatch Eric away. What have you been doing then?""Mom …" Jennifer was exasperated but had nothing to say.Eric had moved on from Jennifer recently. Rumor had it that she had been bothering him so much that he had issued a statement declaring himself single. He had completely cut ties with her.Now, she had become the laughingstock for all the women in Gilsbury."Don't call for me. Lana wouldn't have been able to take advantage of the situation if you were capable enough.""But he's not with Lana now. Doesn't that mean I still have a chance?"Jennifer's words rendered both Sarah and Carol speechless.
30 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Soon, the venue began to announce a ten-minute countdown. The works of the other contestants were nearing completion. Even Kayla had started to work on the oven.Only then did the figure who had been dozing off begin to move.Lana removed her sunglasses, revealing a bright pair of eyes. She had a cold yet enchanting gaze. It was evident that she was a beauty from just one look alone.She took out a thermos from her backpack and poured the pre-prepared broth into the pot. Then, she retrieved a sealed container from her bag. She shook the pasta inside and placed them into the boiling broth. After the pasta was cooked, she scooped them into a plate and sprinkled some green onions as garnish. Her masterpiece was complete. The other contestants who had been observing her blink in surprise. They couldn't help but curse inwardly. Does that dish even count as a competition entry?How is this any different from the pasta their mom makes
The judges couldn't believe their eyes when a plate of plain pasta appeared in the competition. A few of them even rubbed their eyes in an attempt to give the dish the benefit of the doubt.After experiencing the exquisite dish prepared by Kayla, Lana's pasta seemed like a joke.Even if the pasta sauce seemed tasteless and had no meat, surely some vegetables were still in it? However, she had only garnished the dish with green onions. It was as if she was too stingy to cook other side dishes. "Please introduce your dish." Lana finally opened her eyes after hearing the question. She had been up all night preparing the pasta sauce, causing her to doze off today."This is pasta, made with—""Pasta? Anyone can make the same dish. Why did you enter the competition with it?" Terence interrupted her without letting her finish. "Shouldn't you show some sincerity if you want to compete? What do you take us for?" he continued.After Terence's passionate speech, Justin chimed in, "
"No way!" Kayla was the first to stand up and express her doubts. She thought that today's competition was specially tailored for her to showcase her culinary skills. Plus, she didn't notice any underdogs present. So she couldn't be in second place.Terence paused for a moment. And then, he calmly announced as if he hadn't heard Kayla's words, "First place goes to Lana Clark!""Lana?""Who is Lana?"Before this, Kayla was one of the more famous people among the contestants. Who was this Lana who suddenly appeared out of nowhere?Kayla frowned. Her pretty face creased in thought, and she whispered to her assistant beside her. "Quickly, go and find out who this Lana is.""Lana is the person I was talking about!" Carol, who was standing nearby, immediately said.Her face was as pale as a ghost. From the looks of it, one might even think she had lost the competition! How could it be Lana again? And how did she manage to defeat Kayla? How was that possible?At that moment, a slend
Justin added in a defeated tone, "Kayla, your dish today is indeed full of creative ideas, but when it comes to seasoning …"Although he didn't finish his sentence, it was even more hurtful."I told you, your seasoning is the problem. It's too bland. You can't even taste the original flavor of the food." Yves was an adorable senior. He didn't think too much about it and directly expressed his thoughts. "Wait, you're Mr. Stark's granddaughter? How could he have such a terrible cook as his granddaughter?" John realized belatedly.Lucas shook his head in defeat. "We already turned a blind eye to you and gave you points. And yet, you're accusing other people of cheating. If there really is someone playing unfairly, it's you! Did you know? She achieved a perfect score."Comments left by the five judges were like arrows striking into her chest. It was too painful to even lift her head.Kayla suddenly realized that she had tarnished her family's reputation!"Don't give up!" Lana,