In the past, Lady Grace used to be the shining star among the socialites, but this year, with two hundred gentlemen casting their votes, she only managed to secure thirty-nine votes after two rounds. Most of the other socialites either received no votes or garnered votes in single digits.Meanwhile, Melanie achieved an overwhelming victory with sixty-one votes, claiming the top spot."Melanie is truly impressive! It's her first time attending the socialite banquet, and she has already stolen Lady Grace's spotlight!""That dance she performed was amazing! I'm not a professional, but I found it quite delightful!"People around her began to discuss Melanie, leaving Grace frustrated. She turned to leave, but her butler quickly reassured her, "Don't be hasty, my Lady. I have a way to remedy this situation.""The results are already out! What remedy is there now?" Grace retorted with widened eyes."My Lady, please be patient."The cunning butler smirked and walked away, whispering a f
Madam Morgan, observing Melanie's shy demeanor, could not help but chuckle inwardly. The newlyweds, just separated, already seemed to be deeply enamored with each other. Their affection was genuinely heartwarming."He was indeed here at noon," Madam Morgan disclosed.Melanie instantly looked up, eagerly awaiting more information."But he was too busy. He bid me farewell at noon and flew to Delfino. He didn't have time to attend the banquet.""Oh, I see..."Melanie's voice trailed off, realizing she might have overthought things. The person who had lifted her with such concern to tend to her injury could not possibly be Jeffrey.Unable to contain herself, Madam Morgan squeezed Melanie's hand. "When you return to your country, he should be back too, and you can meet then!""Ah...yes."Melanie awkwardly nodded."What's wrong, dear?" Madam Morgan inquired with concern."Nothing."Melanie casually responded. "Stephen and his uncle really do look alike."Madam Morgan laughed hear
"Mel, forgive me, I truly messed up!" Bryan knelt on the ground, his voice choked with tears.He tried to grab the hem of her dress, but she disdainfully stepped back. Bryan looked up in surprise, "Mel, are you afraid of me?""Afraid?"Melanie sneered, "You’re just a street rat. What's there to fear? I just want to keep a safe distance from things that are not clean!"Bryan held back and shifted his gaze to her leg.If he had not seen it with his own eyes, he would not have believed that Melanie's leg had healed! She stood before him, radiant and elegant. How did he not notice it before?"Mel, your leg has healed. I'm genuinely happy for you!" Bryan spoke, feigning indignation, "If it weren't for that malicious woman Lena back then, your leg would have been fine!""So, are you implying that Lena was the sole mastermind behind scheming against me? You were unaware?" Melanie's tone was contemptuous and dismissive, "How did you unknowingly contribute to getting her pregnant?""I..
Melanie pursed her lips.Although she was married, Stephen had not returned home either. She paused briefly and politely said, "I'm busy with work and really can't go back. Uncle, feel free at home."Of course, it was his home, but maybe she was too casual about it.Jeffrey frowned, "Burning the midnight oil like this, don't you realize the impact on your health?"Melanie hesitated for a moment. It seemed that Morgan Group had investigated her health before arranging her marriage to Stephen. "President Morgan, rest assured. Since the surgery eight years ago, I've been actively taking care of my health. I'm in good shape now.""Do you know the risks of undergoing major surgery? With so many employees at Jones Enterprise, do they need you to be the one sacrificing?" Jeffrey remained firm.Melanie, however, was not afraid. "I want to reclaim the empire my father built. Jones Enterprise is like his other child."Hearing her emotional response, there was a brief pause on the other en
Half an hour later.The presentation from the White Group concluded, and the person in charge finally came out to inform that Jones Enterprise could enter for bidding.Melanie, accompanied by Mr. Lincoln and two executives, entered the room, copied the proposal onto the host's computer, and began the presentation.She calmly opened the first page of the slides, greeted the hosts politely, and started explaining.However, just as she reached the second page, the chairman of the industry association, Eaton Pagemaker frowned."Sorry to interrupt, Miss Melanie. Could you please flip through your proposal?"Melanie blinked her long lashes, having a rough idea of what might be happening.With an elegant smile, she nodded and used the remote control to smoothly run through the slides. The committee members at the judge's table grew increasingly serious.After a brief discussion, Chairman Pagemaker put down his pen and asked her directly, "Miss Melanie, are you sure this proposal is yo
John White frowned, his gaze momentarily distracted.Melanie smiled and nodded to Mr. Lincoln, and he quickly went out, bringing in another Jones Enterprise employee with a tray containing various bottles and jars."Ladies and gentlemen of the judging panel, please allow me to give a practical demonstration."Melanie spoke while expertly taking out the small bottles. "These are some fragrances I've personally diluted."She approached the only female judge and said, "In this lady's perfume, basil is the predominant ingredient. Basil produces warmth and has a minty fragrance. I believe you have a warm, cheerful personality and prefer similarly warm scents. I recommend a combination of lavender, marjoram, and lemongrass. With the proper proportions, these ingredients create a fresh and aromatic fragrance while providing stress relief and relaxation."She opened the bottles of the mentioned ingredients, made a basic fragrance blend with a dropper, and placed it beside the female judge
Several judges echoed Melanie's proposal.Knowing various brands of perfumes within the industry is a simple test for someone in charge of a perfume department. Besides, Melanie had just analyzed the ingredients of each perfume, even if John had a less-than-perfect sense of smell, he could still make brand predictions based on the components.However, John White hesitated.He struggled to refuse the analysis but had no reasonable excuse to do so.Chairman Pagemaker’s face darkened as they waited.Both were in charge of perfume departments, one excelled at recognizing and blending scents, while the other had not even conducted a basic analysis of competitors. It was evident who had plagiarized whose proposal.After instructing the staff, the chairman said, "Let's conclude today's tender here."Seeing several judges getting up to leave, John hurriedly followed to the door, wanting to explain something. However, the chairman ignored him, with a nasty remark. "Mr. White, the plagiar
In the private dining room, Daniel was unexpectedly having a meal with the person in control of the White family, who happened to be John White's father.Despite the longstanding competition between Jones Enterprise and the White family, the two families rarely met privately, deliberately avoiding any suspicion. Melanie made a mental note of this unusual encounter.After the meal, Melanie went directly back to the company and inquired about the progress of the investigation into the stolen proposal. So far, no valuable clues have been discovered.However, she remembered a statement made by the chairman of the industry association during the bidding. He mentioned that her proposal was identical to the one from the White family, down to the last detail. This indicated that John had obtained the final draft version of the proposal.Considering the limited number of people with access to the final draft, Melanie lowered her gaze, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes.Daniel had already be