Wren was not expecting to see Stella here at all as she hastily wiped away the tears on her face and called out in a hoarse voice, "Hello, Ms. Hall."She was only a few years older than Sonia. She was a young lady with an oval-shaped face, looking very youthful. However, her skin seemed somewhat pale, giving her a fragile appearance that reminded Stella of Colin Craven. That left a deep impression on Stella.Stella handed her a tissue and said gently, "Here, wipe your tears."Wren took it and thanked her.Stella was not a nosy person, but when she came in earlier, she overheard Wren on the phone with the hospital mentioning payment and surgery.It reminded her of the helplessness she felt when she could not afford to pay for Rainee's treatment in the hospital to keep her alive. So, she could not help but ask, "Are you facing any difficulties back home?"Wren had already stopped crying by then, but as soon as Stella asked that question, tears welled up in her eyes again. Wren foug
"Other than that, the entire finance department is also ostracizing her. Even people from other departments who used to have good relationships with her are now afraid to talk to her, fearing they might be associated with her."If this continues, Wren will probably resign in less than two months. Even though she can find another suitable job quickly, she won't be able to afford the medical expenses for the next few months."With a tense expression, Stella asked, "Kiara, are you close to Wren?"Kiara said, "We're okay. I'm responsible for claiming reimbursement for my team, so I deal with her the most. We also often eat together."Stella whispered a few words to her, and Kiara was taken aback momentarily. Then, she nodded solemnly and softly said, "I'll try."After coming out of the restroom, Xavier came to Stella, saying that Grace Esper, a major client of Caline, had arrived and needed her reception.While heading to the reception area, Stella asked Xavier, "I haven't heard abou
Grace paused for a moment before saying, "So, she's the lost daughter that just returned to the Saun family, huh? No wonder she can become the Vice President here."Stella pursed her lips and smiled, not showing any anger. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Esper. I indeed don't know too much about our major clients yet, and I apologize for any negligence. Which series of perfume would you like to try? I'll arrange it for you."Grace's tone softened a little upon seeing how good Stella's attitude was. "I'd like to try the new 'Cloud Nine' perfume you've formulated. If it's as good as you described it, I'm going to order a batch as door gifts for my son's wedding."Stella did not know about the 'Cloud Nine' perfume. She glanced at Audrey for clarification.Aubrey then said in a low voice, "Ms. Hall, we can't sell 'Cloud Nine.' Mrs. Barlow customized it; she would not appreciate it if we sold it to others. We have an agreement not to sell it as 'Cloud Nine' is formulated exclusively for her."Besides
Grace refused to listen any further and said with a stern face, "I want to try 'Cloud Nine'. Let me tell you: as long as it's good and can uphold the reputation of the Esper family, I can afford anything, no matter how expensive!"Stella tried to explain, "I didn't mean it that way—"Grace cut her off and said impatiently, "I don't have any more time to waste. Just tell me right now; can I try the perfume or not?"Stella clenched her hands and forced a polite smile. "Of course. I'll go get it for you."With a slight nod, she turned around and left the reception room.As soon as she stepped out, her expression darkened. 'I've never seen anyone dumber than Jaylene! Her brain must be rotten!'Then, she quickly called Keegan and explained the situation to him, hoping to get some advice.After listening, Keegan calmed her down and suggested that she see what was so special about 'Cloud Nine.'Stella went to the display cabinet where the perfume bottles were stored and found the bott
Jaylene followed along. She did not think that Stella had any way to deal with the situation. After all, Grace was not an easy person to persuade. If she had really tried 'Cloud Nine,' she definitely would not be interested in anything else.When Grace arrived at the fragrance testing room, Stella was already waiting at the table full of perfume bottles. Grace frowned. "I only want to try 'Cloud Nine'; why did you bring so many other ones?"Stella smiled and pointed to an ordinary-looking bottle next to her and said gently, "This is 'Cloud Nine.' I was afraid that you might not like it, so I brought some others for you to try.""That's pretty thoughtful of you." Grace crossed her legs and said calmly, "Let's begin.""Sure," Stella responded and picked up a test strip to sample the perfume.Julia saw what Stella was doing and suddenly said, "Ms. Hall, should we let Mrs. Esper try 'Cloud Nine' first?"Grace paused and realized that the bottle in Stella's hand was not 'Cloud Nine,'
Stella said gently, "When I first met you in the reception room, I didn't smell any scent on you. You have makeup on, but most makeup products have some scent to them. The ones you're using are scent-free, yet you're not someone who doesn't like fragrances. So, I had a feeling that you came prepared."Grace was impressed by how observant Stella was. She then figured that a person like Stella would only promote products that suited the client from their perspective and would not fabricate things just to make them buy their products.Then, she said flatly, "Let's carry on."Jaylene's expression darkened.Stella lowered her gaze, nodded, and continued letting Grace try the other perfumes.She let Grace test nine perfumes in a row and said great things about each one, continuously impressing Grace. However, smelling so many perfumes made Grace's sense of smell numb, especially since each perfume required her to identify the top, middle, and base notes.The whole process took some tim
Stella had heard a few perfumers talking about olfactory fatigue in the pantry. She learned that when one smelled various fragrances for too long, the sense of smell would weaken, so they would not continuously smell fragrances for more than three hours a day.She then looked at the time and found out that it had been two and a half hours since they started. Grace was not a professional perfumer, so two and a half hours should make her sense of smell less sensitive.But seeing Grace's hesitation, Stella became nervous, fearing that her plan would fail.Grace glanced at 'Dream Weaver,' then at 'Cloud Nine.' Finally, she settled her gaze on the latter.Stella's heart sank. Just as Grace was about to speak, the phone in her bag rang.She opened her bag and took out her phone. When she saw who was calling her, her expression turned gentle.Upon answering the phone, she said, "Where are you? Don't you have class today? Oh, okay. Give me a little more time. I'm still testing the perfum
The young man hugged Grace's arm. "That was his fault. He rode against traffic in the tunnel and went up to a hundred and sixty miles. I've never rode faster than a hundred and twenty."Grace raised her voice. "Is one hundred and twenty not fast enough already?""It is, it is. Mom, please forgive me. I just couldn't resist myself. Please don't tell Dad. I won't ride ever again in the future."Before Grace could say anything, he added, "Mom, did you change skincare products recently? Your skin looks a little... strange."Grace became nervous upon hearing that, and she immediately touched her face. "I didn't. I'm still using the same brands. What's wrong with my face? What do you mean strange?"The man widened his gaze, looked carefully at Grace's face, and said, "Strangely beautiful."Grace could not help but smile as she pushed him away. "You cheeky boy. Stop teasing me!"He then hugged Grace's arm. "I mean it. While other moms are getting older, my mom is actually looking young