“We should work more on our publicity and show everyone the wonders of medicinal herbs, then…”“Austin,” Professor Thompson held Austin’s wrist, interjecting, “I know you’re knowledgeable in this field, have done your research on these things, and learned much from a renowned teacher.“Mr. Dominic is a respected figure regarding medicinal herbs, but some still don’t respect him. Listen to me. It’s not easy to make the public accept medicinal herbs by working on its publicity, but what we’re doing now can achieve that!”“You’re not publicizing it for their acceptance! You guys are just merely meeting the market’s demands for the sake of your benefits!” Austin was angry.“Austin!” Professor Thompson frowned, and his voice became sterner. “Is this how you talk to your superior? Don’t forget you’re only a part of this team because I suggested your name to them! If you’re unwilling to cooperate, you can leave the team anytime!”“Professor Thompson, I just think our project isn’t moving
Austin turned and saw Lily approaching.“Professor Thompson.” Lily greeted.“You came just at the right time. The team just finished a set of experiments, but it’s still not right. Come and take a look at what went wrong.” Thompson was eager to bring Lily into the lab.“Professor Thompson,” Austin could not help but call out.“Uh…” That made Thompson tilt his body sideways and raise his hand. “This is Austin Fike. I believe you two met yesterday. You haven’t visited the institute recently, so you might not know him. Austin just joined us not long ago, and he’s the student of a reputable teacher in this field!”After a pause, he continued, “You two can chat since one of you is an expert in medicinal herbs while the other is an expert in fragrances. I’m sure the two of you can create sparks and miracles through exchanging ideas.”Lily looked at Austin and nodded lightly as if yesterday's unpleasant incident did not happen. Then she smirked. “I wonder who Austin’s reputable teacher
Lily looked like she was reminiscing about something from the past, or perhaps she was trying to figure something out.Thompson, who was by her side, was eager to know the answer. “How is it? Is it okay?”He took the smelling test strip from Lily and took a whiff himself. “Smells great. I can’t even tell that medicinal herbs were used in making this. Since you didn’t reduce the number of medicinal herbs used, their effect remains. We just need to make it into a scented candle now and find its effect on users when inhaled. If there’s no problem with that, then…”Suddenly, he paused as his expression changed. “This…”Seeing the expression change on Thompson’s face, Austin eagerly took the test strip from him and sniffed it. First, he waved the paper in front of his face before he put it closer to his nose and inhaled deeply.Frowning, he thought for a moment before suddenly smiling. “I told you guys that it’s impossible for her to succeed! Professor Thompson, look! I was right!”
When Lily left the lab, Austin followed suit. She walked at a faster pace, but he still managed to catch up with her due to the advantage he had with his height and long legs. Soon, he was in front of her, blocking her path. “Ms. Christian.”“What is it, Mr. Fike?” Lily stopped in her tracks, although she would rather just ignore him. She didn't understand how he, who acted all righteous while lying and using someone else's name to become famous, could advance so far in this field.“You know this experiment can’t succeed, don’t you? Since it’s moving in the wrong direction, why are you continuing? According to what I know, your husband has also invested much money in this project. Aren't you worried that neither of you will benefit from this?”“How would I know that? I’m just a woman who knows nothing about medicinal herbs. How could I possibly know the outcome of this research? Mr. Fike, don’t you think your question is quite contradictory?” Lily smiled, using Austin's mocking
Thompson did not answer her questions directly. He only reassured her that she shouldn't worry. According to him, the institute was ready because the project had been approved and established. They just needed her to produce the results they wanted. As for the testing of the product, she did not need to be involved.However, Lily was responsible for her creations. How could she not be concerned about the results or effects her product would have on its consumers?Seeing that Lily had been silent for a long time and appeared to be in a daze, Austin thought that she was not listening to him or that she did not understand what he was saying. Suddenly, he became irritated and lost interest in talking to her.Waving, he said, “Forget it! You don’t understand it anyway! This isn’t as simple as what you do for your perfumes. This is about medicines, and they might cause death if not dealt with appropriately! Here’s some advice for you, stop with the experiment and stop coming here too!”L
Alexander had been busy with work recently and felt terrible about it because he did not accompany Lily that much. After all, she was pregnant, and he felt he should stay by her side more often.However, he had no choice this time around as it did not only involve his company but something else much more important. Today, he came home slightly earlier, a rare occasion, but he did not see the woman he had been missing.“Where’s Lily?”After washing his hands, he went to pick Galen up. ‘He seems to have gained weight again.’“Mrs. Russell went out early in the morning and hasn’t returned yet,” Daisy replied. Hearing that made Alexander frown. He carried Galen with one hand and used the other to make a call. He vaguely remembered Lily telling him that she needed to visit the institute, so he wondered if she was still there this late at night.The call went unanswered, which was a usual thing. When Lily conducted her experiments, she would not pick up any calls, and her phone would
“You brat! How dare you make false accusations to your mama?” Alexander found the situation hilarious. “Was it painful when papa hit you?”This time, Galen nodded hard, and when coupled with his pursed lips, he looked like he was about to burst into tears again.‘How dramatic!’Alexander and Lily met gazes and saw helplessness in each other’s eyes. Then Lily sat with Galen in her arms while rubbing his butt softly as a form of comfort for the little boy. While looking at him, she smiled. “Then should mama help you take revenge?”Although Galen did not quite understand what “revenge” meant, he probably understood that Lily was going to help him with something, so he nodded quickly again. He was all smiles as he averted his gaze to Alexander. His eyes shone since he had just cried, and Alexander even saw a hint of cunning in them.Galen opened his arms wide before circling them around Lily’s neck and buried his head into the crook of her neck. Tilting his head, he looked at Alexande
It was strange for Alexander to get an apology from a baby. However, when Galen was just born, the couple agreed that they would not argue in front of their children, even when they had different opinions on how to educate their children.They had to look like they were on the same team, at least in front of their children. If one side felt that the other was wrong, they would discuss that privately. After all, nothing would work out if they treated their children differently. With puffed cheeks and pouted lips, Galen looked highly adorable. First, he looked at his mother’s stern expression, then at his indifferent father before finally saying softly, “Sorry.”“Who are you saying sorry to?” Lily asked deliberately, slightly tilting her head as if she did not hear him.“Papa!”Alexander was stunned once again. ‘He knew how to address me, after all. He was just going against my words earlier.’“Don’t pretend to cry and make false accusations anymore!” This time, Lily patted Galen’