“What’s going on?” Cyrus asked. He instructed his assistant to switch to the news channel.Melanie summarized the situation for him. “Next month, Aiden and a few other perfumers from Medonia will be organizing a friendly competition in Harbor City in the name of sparring with fellow industry players from neighboring countries. They specifically mentioned my name, saying that they want to continue exchanging notes with me.”The issue had escalated quickly, and the phone call was quickly becoming a group chat.Cyrus’s assistant chimed in, “The news channel emphasized that the purpose of the friendly match is to blend fragrances in the simplest way possible. Participants shall bring their own ingredients, but they cannot bring more than ten of them and the total cost cannot exceed 150 dollars. How is that simple? That’s just cheap!”Melanie pursed her lips.The friendly match had yet to begin, but its promotional efforts were thorough. It seemed Aiden was worried she would ignore h
Elder Gibson was almost eighty… Given his reputation and status, seeking a partner would have been as easy as pie. Why would he bother risking his reputation?Melanie was curious and shocked at the same time. “How beautiful is this old lady who called the police?”“I’m not too sure. I didn’t see her myself. Whatever I know was told to me by the police. I even asked Elder Gibson, but he refused to tell me anything. He even insisted on finding her again the moment he gets released!” Cyrus’s assistant was at his wits end.Melanie felt the same way. “Master is just so stubborn… Don’t panic, I’ll head over and we’ll talk more.”By the time she arrived at the police station, Elder Gibson’s assistant had bailed him out. Upon seeing how stubborn he remained, the police dared not release him until his next-of-kin arrived, for fear that he might harass the old lady again.Melanie explained that Elder Gibson had no children and his other relatives were all abroad, leaving her, his disc
As for Cyrus’s handwriting… It was hard to say anything nice about it.Melanie was immersed in her thoughts, when an angry yell came from the bedroom. “Who allowed you in here?!”“Master?” Melanie walked in fearlessly. “It’s me!”“Are you allowed in here?!” Cyrus wasn’t pleased to see his secret exposed.Melanie hurriedly explained herself before he exploded in anger. “Didn’t you tell me to ask you if there’s anything I don’t understand, and that you’ll surely patiently explain things to me? The competition is just around the corner, you can’t leave me alone.”Cyrus knew he couldn’t go back on his word and had no choice but to walk over, asking patiently, “What do you not understand?”“I’m hungry. Why don’t you have some breakfast with me first?”Melanie smiled and led him out of the room while instructing the assistant to prepare two portions of breakfast. She ate with gusto, which successfully whetted Elder Gibson’s appetite. He started tucking into his breakfast.That wa
“Miss Melanie, there will be a jewelry fashion show held in Medonia the day after tomorrow. I reserved a VIP ticket for you, do you want to attend it?” Linda extended an invitation to Melanie.Melanie turned to look at Cyrus.Cyrus knew what she was worried about. The friendly competition was just around the corner, but she wasn’t yet ready for it.“What’s the matter?”Linda could sense Melanie’s hesitation and went on, “I wasn’t joking when I said that I’d invest in your perfumes. I’m sincere about it. Mr. York will also be present at the jewelry show. With you around, the three of us can have a good chat.”Cyrus nodded at Melanie. Melanie pondered for a moment before saying, “Alright, then. I’ll be there on time. Thank you for your invitation.”“Don’t mention it!” Linda hung up, all smiles.“Go with peace of mind. Don’t worry about the competition. It isn’t something of major significance anyway, you’d rather do something that you should be doing,” Cyrus persuaded Melanie.Me
Melanie looked up, and adjusted her hat as she looked at the handsome face before her. “You’re…Melanie Jones!”When the man called out her name, Melanie suddenly realized who he was. He was Adam O’Shea, a popular model and the darling of the fashion world.He was of mixed descent and stood at a towering height of 195 centimeters. His thick brows, bright eyes, and sharp features propelled him swiftly to stardom as an ambassador highly sought after by various international brands within the past two years. Some claim that he was born for the runway and the camera lenses. Otherwise, a model as perfect as he would not have been possible.Melanie stood up and asked, “Do you know me?” “I’ve seen all of Mr. Smith’s cover shoots. My favorites are those two series in which you’re featured! The Genie of Fragrance! You look even better than in the photos!” Adam’s eyes lit up as he praised Melanie with a smile.“Thank you,” Melanie thanked him politely.“Do you always say so little?” Ad
“What else do you know?” Annie’s gossip radar started ringing.Melanie told Annie about her bumping into Adam at the airport.“In that case, Adam O’Shea probably doesn’t know that he just got himself a new partner?” Annie asked.Melanie nodded. “Based on what he said at that time, the finale of the show is a solo segment.”Annie’s face lit up. “I’ll get someone to check things out on Adam’s end right away.”Melanie fed Annie a piece of grilled meat, which Annie gobbled up before saying, “If he doesn’t yet know that he suddenly has a troublemaker for a partner, I’ll have someone inform him about it! Ha ha ha!”“Thank you very much for that. Don’t choke,” Melanie laughed out loud, too.A distance away, Kelly was having her meal, surrounded by a few other women.Seeing Melanie and Annie chatting and laughing away, looking unperturbed by her provocation just now, made Kelly stand up in frustration. She crooked her finger to signal her subordinate to follow her to a quiet corner, wh
Adam was kept busy with preparations for tomorrow’s show the moment he arrived at the hotel. Make-up trials, outfit tryouts, jewelry matching and stage rehearsals filled his schedule.It was only when he finally had time to eat that he heard about the organizers taking the liberty to find a new partner for him without his agreement—and it was the rich heiress of an organization he had never heard of in his life!He was sought-after by many and born for the stage, but he was also equally fearful of the stage. That was why it was a pursuit of perfection for him each time he appeared on stage. He would communicate in advance with the organizer of each and every event he made an appearance in, and he had to agree to the partner that the organizer had planned for him.This time round, they had agreed for the finale of the show to be his personal catwalk without a female partner. The last minute change made his blood boil!He snapped harshly, “I’m done with organizers who don’t know ho
Ms. Yancey stood stunned for a moment before turning back to look at Melanie.Melanie stepped forward upon realizing that she had been implicated in the issue.“Ms. Yancey,” she said, “I’m afraid this is all a misunderstanding. I don’t really understand it myself, but I heard Ms. Murray mention earlier about someone who thinks too highly of herself in wanting to be Adam’s partner, which was what angered Adam. Was she referring to me?”“This was a misunderstanding to begin with.”Ms. Yancey couldn’t be bothered to spare a glance at Kelly. She looked at Melanie, before her gaze landed on Adam. “I can promise you that no one is able to stuff a partner down your throat without getting your express permission. As such, you can catwalk at tomorrow’s show with peace of mind.”“That’s great! We similarly look forward to our first collaboration with you, Ms. Yancey,” Adam’s manager chimed in at just the right time.“What I’m most concerned about right now is whether Melanie Jones is wil