Read Novel Full Chapter 860: Gemma's Visit
Chapter 860: Chapter 860: Gemma’s Visit
At first, Ivy hadn’t been entirely convinced that the idea would have much potential.
Nevertheless, she decided to give Bella a chance and took out several novels she had saved from before, handing them over for publication.
The results had exceeded both their expectations.
Within just one month, the novels had exploded in popularity across Planet Astra.
Their stories spread so quickly that even children had begun recognizing the familiar characters and discussing the dramatic plots.
Customers could often be heard talking about the latest developments while waiting for their meals, and some people even came to the restaurant specifically to read the next installment.
The most popular stories revolved around arrogant CEOs, misunderstandings, dramatic betrayals, and innocent heroines who somehow managed to endure endless unreasonable treatment from the men who claimed to love them.
Some readers affectionately referred to one particular story as ‘The CEO’s Chase to Cementry’, while others couldn’t stop criticising its male lead for being unbelievably stupid and blind.
Despite all the complaints, the characters remained strangely relatable to many readers, and the novels continued attracting an enthusiastic audience.
As a result, the restaurant had gained another source of income, while the stories themselves had become a topic of conversation throughout Planet Astra.
Lova became so furious that he pointed at Alana, his face turning red with indignation.
“You know what? I’ll get this entire restaurant shut down for comparing me to those ridiculous CEOs in your novels!”
Alana merely shrugged, showing no sign of being intimidated by his threat. “Aren’t you behaving exactly like one of them right now?”
Lova’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he immediately demanded, “When have I ever behaved like that?”
Alana placed one hand on her waist and pointed at him with the other, her expression filled with amusement.
“Why are you so furious just because you discovered that I was the one who saved your grandmother and kept the truth from you?”
Lova scoffed, refusing to acknowledge the flaw in his reasoning.
“Isn’t it because you deliberately concealed the truth and faked the entire encounter? You probably wanted to use my grandmother to gain something for yourself!”
Alana burst into laughter, unable to believe how confidently he was making such ridiculous accusations.
“See? This is exactly how you’re behaving! What investigation have you conducted to support your claims? Have you even bothered to look into what happened? Can you show me a single piece of evidence proving that I deliberately deceived your grandmother?”
The moment Alana mentioned evidence, Lova fell silent. His previously aggressive attitude seemed to evaporate into thin air as he struggled to come up with an answer.
He had arrived at the restaurant prepared to accuse her of wrongdoing, yet he hadn’t even taken the trouble to verify whether his suspicions were true.
Alana watched his expression change and laughed again.
“What happened? Did you suddenly forget how to speak? You haven’t conducted any investigation at all, have you? That’s exactly what those typical CEOs in those ridiculous novels do. They blindly believe whatever they imagine, accuse innocent people without evidence, and only realize how foolish they’ve been after causing a complete disaster!”
Lova’s face darkened with humiliation. Feeling as though everyone in the restaurant was watching him make a fool of himself, he pointed at Alana again and declared,
“You know what? I’ll investigate the entire matter myself! Once I discover the connection between you and fake kind deed, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you!”
Alana smiled as though she had just heard another particularly entertaining line from one of her novels.
“At least remember the plot of those novels before threatening someone,” she advised lightly.
“Even those arrogant CEOs eventually discover the truth, acknowledge their mistakes, and apologize when they realize they’ve wronged someone. I hope you’ll do the same and come back to apologize once you find out what really happened.”
With that, she completely ignored him and returned to managing the restaurant, leaving Lova standing there with his anger.
Unable to tolerate the humiliation any longer, Lova stormed out of the establishment.
The moment he disappeared through the entrance, several customers who had overheard his confrontation with Alana exchanged amused glances.
One of them couldn’t help chuckling before commenting,
“See? This is exactly what I was talking about. That Lova fellow is absolutely ridiculous! I used to wonder what was wrong with him, but now I finally understand. He probably thinks everyone is scheming to get close to his family because of their background.”
Another customer nodded in agreement and added,
“Exactly! Just because he belongs to the Lesi family doesn’t mean everyone is desperate to curry favor with them. Does he honestly think we have nothing better to do than scheme for his attention? Why would anyone go to such lengths just to get noticed by him or his grandmother?”
The others nodded along, joining in the discussion as they complained about Lova’s unreasonable behavior.
Alana heard their comments but made no attempt to stop them.
After all, she had no intention of defending someone who had barged into her restaurant, accused her without evidence, and threatened to have her business shut down.
If Lova didn’t want people to criticize him, he could start by learning how to behave properly.
That night, when the restaurant was preparing to close, Gemma finally appeared.
Compared with the last time Alana had seen her, the older woman looked as though she had aged overnight.
The lines on her face seemed more pronounced, and there was a tiredness in her eyes that even her carefully maintained composure couldn’t conceal.
The moment Gemma spotted Alana, she offered her an apologetic smile and asked gently, “May I come in for a moment?”
Alana honestly had little desire to maintain any further connection with the older woman, especially after all the trouble Gemma’s grandson had caused her.
She had a business to run, and the last thing she needed was to become entangled in the Lesi family’s affairs.
However, she had also heard that Gemma had been supporting her rather than blindly defending her own grandson.
Considering that the older woman had even been willing to take a stand against Lova’s unreasonable behavior, Alana eventually decided to let her in.
Once Gemma was seated, she glanced around the restaurant with an approving expression.
The establishment was still beautifully maintained, and even at that late hour, the lingering fragrance of delicious food filled the air.
“Very good,” Gemma remarked, looking around appreciatively.
“You’ve truly established a name for yourself. I’ve heard that securing a reservation at this restaurant requires quite a few connections these days. It seems that your business has become far more successful than I initially expected.”
Alana smiled politely as something suddenly occurred to her. “Oh, right, that reminds me of something.”
She turned toward the counter, retrieved a card she had prepared earlier, and placed it in front of Gemma.
Gemma looked down at the card in confusion before raising her eyes toward Alana, silently waiting for an explanation.
Alana gestured toward it and explained,
“This is a small token of appreciation for allowing us to rent this shop. I know the property belongs to the Lesi family, and you were kind enough to let us use it while even reducing the rent considerably. I’m grateful for that, so I’d like you to have this card. You can come here and dine whenever you want, and you won’t need to make a reservation beforehand.”
Gemma stared at the card for a long time without saying anything. Eventually, a faint smile appeared on her face.
“You truly know how to handle relationships,” she remarked softly.
Although Alana’s gesture appeared polite and considerate on the surface, Gemma understood the message hidden behind it.
By offering her a VIP card that granted her unrestricted access to the restaurant, Alana was settling the favor between them and making it clear that she no longer wished to maintain any personal obligations toward the Lesi family.
It was a graceful way of drawing a line between them without openly declaring that she wanted to end their association.
As long as Gemma accepted the card, the favor would be settled, and neither of them would have any reason to continue relying on the other.
Alana maintained her polite smile and replied, “I’m afraid I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Gemma didn’t press the matter. Instead, she calmly accepted the VIP card and slipped it into her belongings.