Chapter 1

Lily Christian woke up with a headache and dry mouth in the middle of the night.

She was over the moon because she had finally created the “First Love” formula, the perfume she had worked on for many years. After winning the upcoming competition, Lily and Nathaniel Hall’s wedding would be on the agenda.

The couple met in university, known each other for five years, and dated for three. Lily left everything behind to focus on perfume formulas and finally managed to help Nathaniel expand his company. Thinking of the beautiful future ahead, she indulged more in drinking.

She rubbed her temples, wanting to get some water to quench her thirst. However, she heard strange noises coming from the adjacent room.

Lily lived alone in a rented apartment. Occasionally, Nathaniel would stay overnight, but he typically slept in the other room.

The noise Lily heard made her worry if Nathaniel was feeling unwell. When she got closer to the source, she heard a woman’s voice instead.

“Nate, won’t Lily hear us?”

Although the woman’s voice was unclear, Lily was sure it belonged to someone she knew. She instantly felt disheartened.

Lily had developed insomnia due to her extensive research on perfumes. She started relying on sleeping pills over the past few years, making her somewhat resistant to its effects.

“I’ll become a top perfumer tomorrow after my new product wins an award. It’ll secure my status in this industry, and you’ll have tons of investment opportunities knocking on your door. Then you can recruit as many people as you want! How could Lily compare to me?”

By now, Lily identified who was speaking as she clenched her fists. It was Melanie Thayer, Lily’s good friend from college. She was having an affair with Lily’s fiancé. Lily had heard the rumors before but chose not to believe them blindly. Despite that, the truth was hurting and tearing Lily apart.

Nathaniel responded, “I even named the company after us. Can’t you see how much I love you? Lily is just a stepping-stone in the grand scheme of things. Do you think I would’ve tampered with Lily’s perfume formulas during the amateur competition if it weren’t for you?”

“I don’t want to hear you say her name. I only want to know if you love her or me,” Melanie’s voice was delicate, and she sounded sensual whenever she stretched her words to a higher pitch. However, it was not to Lily— she found it shrill.

Lily gritted her teeth and widened her eyes, wishing she could see the shameless couple right through the door. The sounds she soon heard made her nauseous. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms till they bled. Doing that helped Lily stop herself from barging into the room. She never expected her wholehearted efforts to end up like this.

Lily rose to fame three years ago after being crowned champion at the regional perfumery competition. She received countless offers, including one from one of the prominent industry players, La Beauté Group. However, she rejected them to focus on helping Nathaniel with the business he had just established.

When she participated in another significant competition two years ago, there was a problem with her perfume. Everyone ridiculed her, calling her a perfumer without a sense of smell. Back then, she could not figure out what went wrong.

Nathaniel was “by her side” out of concern. He suggested Lily work behind the scenes while Melanie joined the competitions and attended the public events.

Lily thought they had each other’s backs and would go through her life’s hurdles together, yet she was just one of Nathaniel’s many pawns in a chess match.

Nathaniel named his company MN Inc. and told Lily it was just two random letters he picked. Lily believed his foolish excuse, but it was Melanie and Nathaniel’s initials.

The shameless couple was lovey-dovey while Lily helped Nathaniel expand his company unconditionally. It was ridiculous now that Lily thought about it. Lily’s fury gradually diminished as calmness took over. After losing sleep for the entire night, Lily finally heard the footsteps of the sc*mbag and b*tch leaving at dawn.

She quickly got up from bed and rummaged through her drawers. Finally, she found a gold-printed name card. Three years ago, the CEO of La Beauté Group, Alexander Russell, gave Lily his name card personally. She wondered if his phone number was still the same. Lily held the phone tightly in her hand, slightly nervous when the recipient answered the call. “Mr. Russell, I am Lily Christian.”

After pausing, Lily noticed Alexander did not hang up the call, so she continued, “We met at the regional perfumery competition three years ago. You gave me your name card back then.”

“I remember that.” The man’s deep voice and three simple words somehow calmed Lily’s nerves.

“I have a business proposal to make, and I figured you might be interested,” Lily said.

After some silence, Alexander replied, “Meet me at my office at 9 a.m. tomorrow. We’ll talk then.”

Lily noticed Alexander was about to hang up when she quickly stopped him. “W-Wait, Mr. Russell, it might be too late tomorrow. What about today? Plus, it’s inconvenient for me to meet you at your office. Could we set another location?”

Lily was in a hurry and blabbered. After blurting out her words, she could not help but feel anxious.

La Beauté Group was not an ordinary company. It owned over 67% of the market share in the beauty industry nationwide, not to mention its vast range of product lines and terrific financial support.

The CEO of La Beauté Group, Alexander Russell, was simply a legend in the business world. It was a miracle for Lily that he agreed to meet with her, yet she dared to negotiate the details of their meeting. Still, she only did that because she had no choice.

The product launch and perfumery competition were commencing that night, so it would be too late for Lily to talk with Alexander the following day. Going to his company may attract unnecessary attention, affecting Lily’s plan.

Lily tightened her grip on her phone and even became cautious of her breathing. This time, she wanted to put all her cards on the table. It was silent for three minutes at the other end of the call. Lily thought she was about to get rejected when Alexander said, “Okay. Meet me at the cafe at Gardens Road in thirty minutes.

“T-Thank…”

Before Lily could finish, Alexander continued, “Remember to bring your passport along.”

“Wait, what?” Lily asked, puzzled. Alexander had hung up the call.

Lily digested Alexander’s words and wondered if she had misheard him. However, she did not have the time to think deeper. Lily quickly changed her clothes and made herself look presentable before leaving. Fortunately, Gardens Road was not too far away, and she managed to arrive on time. Lily was about to enter the cafe when someone stopped her.

“Ms. Lily Christian?” The man called out her full name, but Lily had no idea who he was.

“Mr. Russell is waiting for you.” Then, he motioned for Lily to move in another direction. Lily looked in the direction the man pointed and saw a Lincoln Limousine parked by the roadside.

Lily understood what the man meant instantly. Without further hesitation, she strode toward the limousine, and the driver opened the door for her. She could not see much of what was inside the vehicle except for a pair of long legs wearing shiny leather shoes.

When Lily got into the car, she shuddered instinctively due to the air conditioner’s cold air. Then she looked at the man and said, “Good morning, Mr. Russell. I…”

“Get straight to the point,” Alexander’s response was short, simple, and indifferent.

Lily stopped talking abruptly to take a closer look at his face.