Lana's POV
The mall was alive with the sound of laughter and chatter as Lana sauntered along its gleaming corridors, holding Max and Lily's hands.
"Lana, look!" Lily's voice was in near-cardiac arrest as she pointed to a huge display of stuffed animals. Her eyes were glued on a soft, oversized bunny, and she looked at Lana hopefully, pleading.
Lana laughed, nodding her head. "Alright, you can pick one. Just one, though."
Lily squealed and hugged the bunny, placing it into their cart. Meanwhile, Max was busy examining a set of building blocks. He examined the box then placed it carefully beside his sister's new friend in the cart.
The three continued down the aisles, stopping every now and then for snacks, school supplies, and little trinkets. Lana watched the two with a contented smile, grateful at moments like this.
But just around that corner to the home goods section, the smile fell from Lana's lips. There Evelyn stood, perfectly attired as usual, near a display of glassware. That vision once more sent the surge of annoyance through Lana's chest, but she schooled herself to remain calm. She was here for Max and Lily, and nothing would put a dampener on their day-not even Evelyn's unwanted presence.
Evelyn's eyes landed on them, and a slow, catlike smile spread across her face as she approached.
"Well, well, if it isn't the babysitter," Evelyn said in a sweet-as-sugar drawl, only mockingly so. Arms crossed, she eyed Lana with barely disguised disdain. "Quite a shopping spree you're on, huh? Must be nice spending Nikolai's money so freely.
Lana took a deep breath and kept her tone even. "I'm just picking up a few things for Max and Lily. They deserve a fun day."
Evelyn snorted, one eyebrow arcing. "Oh, I'm sure they do. But tell me, Lana, do you ever stop to consider your place within all of this? Because I can assure you, it's not quite as important as you appear to think it is.
Lana bit back a retort but said nothing, merely turning away and focusing on the children again. She wasn't about to give Evelyn the time of day, rising to her bait. Lily looked up at her and seemed to sense the sudden animosity emanating between them. Lana gave her a reassuring smile.
"Come on, kids. Let's head to the checkout," she said, wheeling the cart forward as Max and Lily moved alongside her.
Evelyn's gaze followed them until they were out of sight, her eyes lingering on the cart. She swung around after a minute or so and looked either way, first one direction and then the other, as if hoping no one would notice the direction of her gaze. And in one swift, deliberate motion, she let a little crystal trinket fall into Lana's cart, burying it under some of the other merchandise.
A faint, self-satisfied smile played across her mouth as she straightened, a plan already in motion.
At the checkout line, Lana was unloading items onto the counter while Max and Lily chatted happily about the selected toys. She was halfway through scanning when the cashier's face pulled tight, his friendly expression twisting to one of sternness.
"Ma'am, it would appear there is an item that hasn't been scanned in here," he said, jiggling the crystal trinket Evelyn had planted.
Lana blinked, confused. "That. that wasn't mine. I didn't put that in my cart."
The cashier gave her a skeptical look. "This item was in your cart, ma'am. I'll need you to pay for it, or security will be called."
Lana felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She could feel the inquisitive stares of people around her, and her heart pounded as she scrambled not to make a scene.
"Fine, I'll pay for it," she said softly, digging out her wallet. It wasn't worth arguing here in the middle of the store. All she wanted was to leave and put this embarrassing moment behind her.
She was reaching out to hand over the money when she saw Evelyn standing near the entrance, watching with a sly smile that spoke volumes. This had been Evelyn's doing, her petty way of trying to put Lana in her place.
Max, silent all this while beside her, also caught Evelyn's smirk. Brow furrowed, he tugged on his sister's sleeve.
Lily," he whispered, drawing near. "Did you see Evelyn? I believe she did something to get Lana in trouble."
Lily's eyes went wide, and she looked over at Evelyn and back at her brother. "But. why would she do that?" she asked, her voice both confused and offended. "Lana didn't do anything wrong.
Max's face set in determination. "Exactly. And I think it's time Evelyn learns that she can't just keep doing stuff like this. We're gonna get her back."
Lily's eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea. "Ooooh, can we? Like a secret mission?"
Max grinned, nodding. "Yeah, like a secret mission. But not today. We don't want to ruin Lana's day any more than it already is.
Lily nodded, serious on her face. "Fine. We'll strike when the time is right."
It wasn't until they reached the checkout area and then exited that Lana was visibly flustered but trying to regain composure for Max and Lily's sake as she walked toward the exit, holding both their hands and trying to brush off what happened.
Reaching the car, Max looked up at her with a concerned expression. "Lana, are you okay?
Lana forced a smile, patting his shoulder. "I'm fine, sweetheart-just a little mix-up. Let's not worry about it, okay?"
But Max didn't look so convinced. "Lana. I think Evelyn did that on purpose. I saw her watching you when they found that thing in our cart.
Lana sighed, the frustration rising once more. She hadn't wanted the children to witness that particular side of Evelyn, the nasty undertows of dealing with adults. "Max, it's. It's complicated. Sometimes people aren't nice for reasons we just don't understand."
Max nodded, but his face was thoughtful. He turned to Lily.
They got in the car, Lana cranked the engine, and looked back in the rearview mirror at Max and Lily, already whispering to each other in the back seat. She had no idea what they were plotting, but she let it go.
Lily leaned over toward Max and whispered, "We're really gonna make her pay, aren't we?"
Max smiled and nodded "Oh, we will. Just wait. We'll make sure Evelyn never messes with Lana again.