"What's your name?" The host asked enthusiastically."..." "Hello?" Upon seeing her in a trance, the host called to her again."..." Suddenly coming back to her senses, Melanie looked at him, "I..."She realized her voice was a little hoarse as soon as she opened her mouth. Clearing her throat, she clenched the microphone tightly. Her mind went blank.Melanie was no stranger to the spotlight, having received many awards and applause over her career. However, this time she panicked. Her hands and feet were icy, and her entire body was trembling.Melanie would be humiliated if she made a mistake on stage, especially since Lily was present. She could not let that happen. "This young lady may be a little nervous. It’s alright, have a rest if you’re tired. Let's get someone else." Melanie interrupted the host, who was trying to salvage the situation, "I'm sorry… I was just distracted." Melanie tried to make her smile look natural. "My name is Melanie Thayer. I’m a perfumer at M
At that moment, it was difficult for her to back down. Melanie, conscious of the audience's eyes on her, forced herself to recall the process and to keep a level head.It was not only a matter of taking a sample, stating a few words, or even figuring out the general formula and ingredients. What if Melanie said something wrong that she could not take back? Due to the overwhelming tension, even holding a test strip made her hands tremble.After she completed a series of procedures, there was still a faint lingering aroma on the tip of her nose. She thought long and hard about the ingredients so that she could give a brief description of them. That would be preferable to saying nothing at all. "Ms. Thayer?"As soon as the host spoke, she responded quickly, "I like this fragrance. Light and elegant scents are my go-to, and this one has won me over. Whoever the perfumer is, I imagine they value peaceful silence and enjoy a serene garden view with birds and blooming flowers.
He lifted her hand and planted a kiss on the back of it. Clap, clap.The audience erupted into applause as Melanie withdrew her hand immediately. Most people could only see the kiss Frank planted on her hand, but he had also licked her hand. It was brief, and he released her hand instantly after. It was as if it had never happened. The area he had licked and kissed her burned. It was a tickly feeling, like a cat's tongue. It made her heart skip a beat. Melanie's cheeks flushed red, but she did not dare expose what he just did in front of the audience. She smiled and lowered her head shyly, acting like all the praises she had just received embarrassed her. Only Lily narrowed her eyes at them and looked at Melanie with a smirk. Lily was too far away to see what Frank had done, but based on Melanie's reaction, it was not due to the compliments she had gotten. Melanie was the type of person who would claim credit for something that was not hers, so she certainly was not on
It was an eventful day for Melanie, filled with turmoil and excitement. She initially thought she was about to fall into a bottomless pit, but at the most crucial moment, Frank appeared and extended his arm to catch her.On the way back to the hotel, her mental state was in such a mess that she did not even struggle to break free when Frank held her hand without asking. There was only silence. A sense of edginess filled the air, making them feel restless.Frank led Meanie to the elevator when they arrived at the hotel lobby. When the elevator doors closed, he pushed Melanie against the wall and trapped her with his body.“Mr. Moreau!” Melanie yelped in surprise.“Melanie, I’ve done a huge favor for you today. Shouldn’t you be grateful?” Frank said as one of his hands grabbed the back of her head.“I-I,” Melanie hesitated and wanted to speak, but Frank ignored her and kissed her abruptly. Melanie could not even breathe, less tried to stop him. Though her hands were on his chest, it
Lily questioned herJenny in silence, but Jenny was not looking at her as her full attention was on the call. Jenny nodded, saying, “Okay, I understand. Don’t worry! I’m coming over right away!”After Jenny hung up the phone, Lily asked, “What’s wrong? Do you need to be somewhere?”“Yeah, they bought a new bunch of ingredients, and I need to go check on them.” Jenny nodded apologetically.“Then I’ll come with you,” Lily offered.“There’s no need for that. The staff told me to go without you.” Jenny shook her head, fearing that Lily might take it wrongly. “I-It’s not that they don’t trust you. It’s most likely not the company but the client. Well, we sometimes have strange clients with bizarre rules. Still, they’re asking for me, and our driver will be with me. I-I’ll probably just look at some stuff and sign a few papers, so I won’t take long.”“Sure, no problem. I’m just worried because you’re going alone, and it’s late now,” Lily replied.“What’s there to worry about, you silly
It felt nice to be in Alexander’s embrace. Lily lifted her head to look at him, saying, “When did you get here?”Alexander planted a kiss on her forehead, “Take a guess.”‘Now, he wants to play games!’ Lily thought as she gave Alexander a playful glare. Afterward, she said, “You left on the same day as we did, didn’t you? Even though we got here first, you weren’t far behind.”Alexander smiled and gave her cheek a peck, “You’re such a smart girl!”“That’s because I tried calling you but couldn’t get through. You never turn off your phone, even during a meeting. I’m guessing that was because you were on the plane, right?” As Lily recalled the details of that day, she could piece together a chronological timeline. However, she never thought it was because Alexander was coming to see her.“Well done. I should probably reward you for being such a clever girl, right?” Alexander smirked cheekily as this only made him love Lily more. He carried Lily to the sofa, sat down, and held her cl
"Does the gender matter?" He asked. Right! It was impossible to reason with a jealous husband. "Okay then, I'm honored that Mr. Russell is all jealous because of me. However," she paused and cupped his face in her hands, "We're also decent human beings and should be considerate of others. I'm going to check on Jenny. Please, just be good for me, okay?" She pecked him lightly on the lips and went to make her call. Alexander could not refute it, as she made perfect sense and even cared for his ego. It was undeniably difficult to refuse her. "Hey Jenny, are you there yet? How's the situation?" Lily asked. She was unsure if the client was an actual client or just someone Alexander had planted there. Regardless, she wanted to ensure her friend was safe. "How long do you need? Come back soon and if you need anything, just call me," Lily repeated. At the same time, Alexander raised his hand and squeezed her waist playfully. Lily rolled her eyes at him and continued,
Just as things were about to get into a heated mess, Lily's phone rang. She fumbled for it and answered the call, "Hello?""Lily, I'm almost back. I'm getting something to eat. Do you want anything?" Jenny's voice rang from the other end. In a flash, Lily was awake. She pushed against Alexander and jolted up, "N-No, thank you. I'm not hungry." "Okay, were you already asleep? I'll be back soon," Jenny promised."Right, yeah!" Lily hung up and dragged Alexander. "Hurry, Jenny is about to come back! You must leave now, and don't let her see you!" Lily warned as she struggled to tidy her clothes and handed Alexander his coat. This was when she noticed he was just sitting on the sofa with a dark expression on his face.Oops. "Okay, I know it's my fault, and I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. You know we can't expose our relationship for now, and Jenny knows you!" She continued to coax him into giving in. Alexander huffed in annoyance, "You're making it sound like I'm a nobod
Lily tilted her head up to fight back her tears, saying, “There’s something I find strange.”“What is it?” Mike asked after comforting his son.“Instead of detaining Prince Ross, Her Majesty has sent him back to Yudonia. If so, why couldn’t we reach him?”After some thought, Mike answered, “There are two possibilities. It’s probably due to poor signals, or he doesn’t want us to contact him.”The two shared a look, knowing what each other was wondering.‘Why can’t we contact Ross? Is he planning something?’…Three days later, Lily inserted the last needle into the queen’s leg and looked up at her, saying, “You should start feeling your legs tomorrow. Still, it’ll take some time before you can stand.”Suddenly, Lily chuckled.“Why are you laughing?” Yasmin touched her legs. She had begun to regain sensation in her legs over the last two days. She then began to believe that she could get up. However, the queen was hesitant when the queen heard Lily chuckle.Lily shook her head
Lily straightened up and said without resentment, “Of course, you wouldn’t.”“That’s… quite a pity,” the queen murmured thoughtfully.“Well, there’s a price to pay for everything. That’s how the world balances itself,” Lily continued, “I can’t stop you if you must carry on with R10. Still, I won’t witness whether or not it succeeds. I just wish the outcome isn’t something you’ll regret.”Lily smiled and turned to head out the door.Rick heard their conversation as he stood guard outside. After exchanging looks with Lily as she brushed past him, he entered the room and saw the needles in Yasmin’s legs. “Your Majesty, those needles—”The queen waved dismissively. “It’s okay. Lily will remove them later.”Even so, Rick was wary. “You’re being too careless, Your Majesty. What if that woman—”“She wouldn’t,” Yasmin interjected, shaking her head."Why do you trust her so much?" Rick asked despite himself. The queen fell silent. If Rick had not asked her that, she would not have rea
Lily took out a cloth and unfolded it, revealing a row of silver needles inside. Yasmin was surprised she carried the needles with her.“Tell me. What do you want?” The queen took a deep breath to calm herself. She then reminded herself that she could always say no to Lily’s request. Still, Yasmin was cautious about Lily trying to trick her.Lily casually said, "I left because Prince Ross wanted to help me. I hope you don’t punish him.""That's it?" Yasmin thought she had misheard Lily. 'Is she trying to talk terms with me just so that I won't punish my son?' she wondered in disbelief."Ross is my son. I won't harm him. Don't you think you've wasted an opportunity by making such a request?" The queen shook her head. "I wasn’t sure if you’d blame him, but he did rescue me once. If I don't do anything, it would be ungrateful of me," Lily said gently, "Also, didn’t you already lock him up?"Yasmin was puzzled. "No, I only sent him back to Yudonia. He kept trying to get me to sto
"Three days," Lily replied.“That’s it?!” Yasmin was in disbelief. She thought Lily would try to buy some more time and suspected she would say the process would take several months or even years.‘I haven’t felt my legs for over a decade. I wouldn’t mind waiting for three more days.’“Are you sure I can get up and walk in just three days?” Yasmin pressed her legs hard but felt nothing. She would have treated her legs long ago if it were that easy.The queen had visited many famous doctors from various countries, but they could only stop her legs from getting weaker. However, Lily confidently told Yasmin that she could fix her legs so quickly.Yasmin wanted to believe it.After some consideration, Lily said, “I can’t guarantee that you’ll walk as fast as you once could. After all, you haven’t used your legs for a long time, and your muscles have atrophied. Still, you’ll recover slowly.”Yasmin nodded repeatedly, thinking it was good enough. She never dreamed of walking as well a
“Because only our opinions matter." Lily thought of something and said, "Unless you choose to believe Rhea.""I… don't trust anyone." Yasmin’s expression stiffened as she turned her wheelchair away."Your Majesty, I know you're dedicated to the experiment, but there are other things in life. Have you ever considered letting go of your burden to sightsee? You’ve done enough as a queen over the last few decades. Aren’t you tired of living a lonely life?”Lily gently spoke as she gazed at Yasmin’s back.The older woman caressed her knees with both hands and stared down at her legs, murmuring, “Sightsee, huh? I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”Yasmin had not used her legs for many years. Initially, she could still stand up and sometimes took a few steps. However, she could no longer get to her feet.She had grown accustomed to sitting in a wheelchair, but she felt a pang of sorrow after hearing Lily’s suggestion.Lily asked, “What if I can help you stand again? What if you can walk a
"Yes, I returned not just for him but also for you," Lily said, "I'm sure you were anxious for my return, weren't you?"Yasmin scoffed dismissively. "Why would I be? I have my bargaining chip. Besides, did you honestly think I couldn’t bring you back?""Bargaining chip? Do you mean Nick?" Lily shook her head with a smile. "Don't forget that he's not my son. Do you think he'll be much of a bargaining chip to you if I choose to ignore him for my three children?"She did not wait for Yasmin to reply and continued, "Besides, Nick still has a father who’s willing to die for him. If Mike decides to take drastic action against you— Yes, you're a queen, and you don't care much about an insignificant businessman.“However, don't forget that his business spans worldwide. There's no guarantee what he might do. Who knows, he might spread information that can affect Your Majesty and Yudonia's reputation?""You…" The queen was exasperated but could not retort.Lily noticed it and casually said
Rick could only remain silent at that moment.Yasmin then turned her wheelchair around and blandly said, “Bring Lily over. I’d like to see what excuses that sly woman can come up with.”"Your Majesty?" Rick was puzzled. "You know she'll just lie to you. Why must you—"Yasmin interjected, "I'd like to hear what she has to say."Rick had no choice but to leave and do as she said.As Lily was about to doze off, she heard noises from outside and opened her eyes. Immediately after, the door opened, and Rick appeared. He glared at her and spoke coldly, “Her Majesty wants to see you.”Lily glanced at Rick calmly and stood up as if she had expected his appearance. On the other hand, Mike rose before her and headed out.However, Rick stopped him as he reached the door. “You stay.”"But we came together!" Mike glanced over his shoulder at Lily, signaling her to persuade the man. Rick added, "The queen doesn’t wish to see you. Just stay here!"Lily patted Mike's shoulder and said gentl
Everyone was shocked when Lily returned to the embassy with Mike. One of the staff members quickly left to report the news to Queen Yasmin.Meanwhile, Lily saw people peering at her and Mike from the corner. Afterward, several guarded-looking men appeared. Lilt recognized them as the queen’s attendants. They brought Mike and Lily inside and then gave the duo a thorough search.The men only relaxed after finding nothing suspicious about the duo. Even so, Lily could not see the queen as the men told her to wait in an innermost room instead.After returning to the embassy, Lily felt a sense of strange familiarity. Although she knew the place well, her mindset had changed.She previously hated the embassy and simply wanted to escape. However, she had returned with a critical mission. Not only did she have to complete it, but she also needed to leave the place in one piece.While she was calm, Mike was somewhat anxious. He clasped his hands on his knees and glanced around as he sat dow
"I promise I'll do anything you want, okay?" Mike begged. He was desperate to see his son, so he decided to follow Lily when she insisted on returning to the embassy.Mike continued, “If any of you go with her, they might stop or suspect you. They won’t do that to me. It’s natural for me to want to see and rescue my son. I’m the best candidate because it makes sense for me to sacrifice myself for him.”After a short silence, Lily said, “You’re right.” She then looked at Alexander, who pondered before slowly raising his head and saying, “Me too.”Dominic tapped the table. "So do I."Cameron thought for a moment before saying, "I've no objections."Seeing this, Austin spread his arms and said, "Since you all agree, what else can I say? Let's do it!"It did not matter whether or not he agreed, but he just wanted to support Mike. The latter nodded and became emotional, saying, “Thanks, you guys!”"Why are you thanking us? Just be careful, and don’t be rash like you promised," Aust