?Chapter 68:

“What’s going on here?”

A deep voice suddenly broke through from the side. Several heads turned to find a man in a suit approaching, with the shop assistant who had earlier snapped the photo of the bracelet trailing behind him.

The men in ck froze on the spot.

“Boss, let me exin…” Denny rushed forward, eager to ry what had happened. Vincenzo Casadei — the owner of The Underbarrel — listened silently, his expression growing colder with every word.

When he had first seen the bracelet photo sent from the shop assistant, he’d intended to personally greet the customer. Now, standing here, he realized that she had dared to cause a disruption in his operation.

Vincenzo stepped closer, his gaze like a de as he stared Maia down. “Youngdy, do you know what it costs to cause trouble in the ck market and walk away alive?”

Maia simply shook her head, her calmness so casual it was as if he had just asked whether she wanted tea.

Vincenzo’s stare turned lethal. “It costs you a palm,” he said coldly. Denny smirked at the sight, already imagining this arrogant girl bursting into tears. That would teach her not to meddle where she didn’t belong.

Instead, Maia calmly crossed one leg over the other, smiling as if they were discussing the weather. “Me, causing trouble? But if I remember right, the ck market has another rule. No selling fakes. Anyone who does gets their selling rights revoked and their name permanently cklisted. I simply pointed out a fake. How is that causing trouble?”

Vincenzo’s face darkened. This woman, who seemed so naive at first nce, clearly knew the rules here better than he’d expected.

“Maybe so, but everything sold here is genuine. You publicly used me of selling fakes. What else would you call that if not causing trouble?”

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Without missing a beat, Maia hopped down from the tall stool, her gaze slidingzily toward the shelves packed with bottles behind her. “But the way I see it, half the liquor in your store is counterfeit.”

“What?” A stunned murmur rippled through the crowd.

The Underbarrel had built a reputation even inside the ck market — a name tied to prestige and authenticity. Here, people believed that if you couldn’t find a bottle anywhere else, you’d find it at The Underbarrel — and it would be real.

Vincenzo had been operating The Underbarrel in this spot for ten years, drawing customers from every corner of the country. If he had been selling fake liquor, why would so many people keeping back to buy from him? In truth, mentioning that the liquor came from The Underbarrel carried more weight than saying it was purchased anywhere else.

“Nonsense!” Vincenzo shouted, his face turning a deep shade of red, his mustache twitching furiously. “You think you can tear down my business with just a few words? You have no idea where you are! Take her!”

He snapped his palms, and immediately, two men in ck sprang into action.

“Cut off her palm and throw her out of here!”

“Hold it.” Maia’s voice cut through the tension, calm and unhurried. Her eyes swept the gathering crowd. “Since we have such a good audience tonight, why not verify on the spot whether it’s fake tequ?”

Verifying on the spot?

The crowd buzzed with a mix of surprise and excitement. People started whispering, some smirking, some eagerly waiting for the scene to unfold.

Watching Vincenzo’s face tighten, Maia gave azy chuckle. “What’s the matter? Afraid?”

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