"Have you eaten yet?" Melanie raised her eyebrows and smiled, knowing that Cyrus was concerned about her. "On the way back, I thought about it and planned to use some of the coldest spices to create this fragrance. I've already decided on the main ingredients. The top notes include amber and blackcurrant, the middle notes use clary sage and geranium. For the base notes, I originally wanted to use cedar and fir, but I felt that cedar was too heavy. I want the final fragrance to give a sense of overcoming difficulties. Can you help me think of a substitute?" "Heh." A scoff came from the phone. "Are you trying to challenge me? Cold spices are rare. I’m old and my mind isn't as sharp, so I can't come up with anything!" "Don't say that, Master. You’re not old." Melanie thought of a different way to provoke him. "Do you know? This time, we went to the mountains to ask the mountain guardians for help. I accidentally discovered an old lady who makes dried flower sachets with wildfl
"Now?" Melanie asked with surprise. "Yes. If you're available now, our car is already below Jones Enterprise. Besides you, we also invited Mr. Quicksilver.” Melanie agreed. She quickly tidied up and went out. She saw Quincy coming out of the temporary office. The two of them got into the car driven by Luis Romero’s assistant together. Opening the door to a private room at the Imperial Restaurant, they saw Luis and a delicate girl by his side. The girl was adorned with jewels, and the heavy gold accessories made her seem a bit old. In fact, she was only about twenty years old. Melanie and Quincy exchanged glances, unsure if this girl was Luis’s daughter or his mistress... "Miss Melanie, Mr. Quicksilver. Please have a seat." Luis stood up, and Melanie and Quincy quickly asked him to sit as well. "You don’t have to stand on ceremony. We’re just having a meal today." Luis sat down first. Melanie and the others followed suit. Melanie didn’t want to play polite and asked,
Quincy spoke first. "President Morgan?" When Jeffrey entered and saw Melanie sitting by the table, he paused in his steps slightly. However, his gaze quickly moved away from her face without lingering. He nodded at Quincy and then raised his eyes, saying, "President Romero, sorry for the wait." "President Morgan, you’re a busy person. It's already a great honor for you to agree to have a meal with me!" Luis stood up and extended his hand. Jeffrey shook hands with him. One was tall and one was short; their interactions seemed a bit comical, but their auras were imposing. After Jeffrey took his seat, Luis looked at Melanie and Quincy and said, "Well! I said you all know each other, right? Not long ago, you worked together to overcome obstacles in the mountain bike race area." Quincy nodded. "That’s right." "Speaking of the mountain bike race, I just thanked Miss Melanie and Mr. Quicksilver. Now, I want to thank you in person, President Morgan. You are all benefactors of thos
Pushing open the door of the private room, a gust of cold wind blew in. Melanie felt herself sobering up. She suddenly thought of something. Luis wouldn’t have invited her and Quincy as third wheelers for no reason. Could it be that he sensed something unusual between her and Jeffrey, so he was testing the waters? From the Angle family’s centennial celebration to the vast mountain racecourse, wherever Luis paid attention, Jeffrey was there protecting her. Upon careful consideration, this was very likely Luis’s intention. If he found out that there was more than met the eye between Jeffrey and her, Luis might have other plans. If he was determined to have his daughter marry into the Morgans, he might secretly deal with her. Having figured this out, Melanie's heart suddenly felt less heavy. Leaning against the door, she took a moment to collect herself before turning to go back. Just as she reached out to push the door, it opened from the inside. Melanie was startled. She une
The roar of engines came from outside the car window. Quincy and Melanie both looked out, wondering who they had offended. The driver, alert, swiftly turned the steering wheel and floored the accelerator, seizing the opportunity to turn the car onto another road. He drove at a lightning speed. However, the car that had temporarily fallen behind refused to be outdone. It quickly caught up, not giving up on chasing them and was close to overtaking them. Melanie gripped the handle above her head. With a focused gaze, finally saw that it was Jeffrey's car. She quickly told the driver, "Stop the car. I know them." The driver sighed in relief and slowed down. The car behind, as expected, overtook them smoothly and blocked their way. The car door opened quickly. Jeffrey got out and headed toward their car. To avoid revealing their relationship in front of Quincy and the driver, Melanie quickly got out of the car to meet him. "Are you crazy?" she demanded in a low voice. "You d
The time in the shower seemed to pass both quickly and slowly, seemingly unpredictable. Melanie's head was buzzing, repeatedly thinking about what she said just now. Truly, alcohol emboldened people… After an unknown amount of time, she finally put on a bathrobe. She smoothed her wet hair, and walked out of the bathroom. She saw Jeffrey in a dark checkered robe that revealed some of his chest. He was lounging on the sofa, waiting for her. Seeing her standing still, Jeffrey took the initiative to get up and walked to her. He helped her tuck her wet hair behind her ear, revealing the graceful curve of her side profile. His Adam's apple bobbed. He couldn’t help but lean close to her tender ears. His breath brushed against the top of her head and ears, sending an electric current rushing from the depths of her heart to her entire body. She couldn't help but tremble. His eyes flashed. He bent down to kiss her, but her phone rang. Melanie was about to step away, but Jeffrey fir
"What's the matter?" Melanie asked. "Is there something wrong?" "Is this fragrance really completely handmade?" Cyrus couldn't help but bring it closer, sniffing it carefully. "I told you; you’d be interested! I had the same reaction when I first saw the fragrance sachet," Melanie explained. "There are only four houses and a courtyard on the mountain. Occasionally, there are wild animals. The old lady doesn't have professional tools. She did it purely with her own skills." "Her skill in blending scents is probably no weaker than mine." Cyrus sighed. "Such a talented person living in seclusion in the mountains is truly a waste…" "Not necessarily." Melanie disagreed with Cyrus’s view. "She uses her skills to provide for her two children, and the family lives happily. Having talent doesn't necessarily mean achieving fame and success." Cyrus nodded in agreement. "When I left, I told her that I’d send her a set of professional tools to make it easier for her to create more and
The side door of Jeffrey's office opened, and the staff from the assistant department hastily escorted Isla out, as if they were afraid of being discovered by Melanie. Two assistants even purposely followed Isla, shielding her from Melanie’s sight... Melanie sneered inwardly. A meeting? And Isla was attending, too? She smirked when she glanced at the menu again. All the dishes she ordered were his favorites. Melanie's lips curled with a touch of coldness. With a flash in her eyes, she decisively picked up her phone and dialed the restaurant’s number. "Hello, has my order been started?" "Madam, your order is ready for delivery. It will arrive in about ten minutes," the waiter replied politely. "Please include some extra condiment packets," Melanie said nonchalantly. "Sure. May I ask what flavor you prefer?" "I love the spicy flavor. The insanely spicy one," Melanie pronounced each word decisively. "Alright. I'll add some extra chili oil for you," the waiter responded, sl