“No company can last long if it has no innovation. It’s also a problem I’ve been thinking about recently. I plan to make the changes before the market demand forces us.” Nathaniel tapped his finger on the table and looked at everyone present.“It may seem like we’re on the losing end since our competitors know our formulas, but don’t forget these old products have been around for a while. Even if we didn’t publicize it, some interested rival companies might have already developed it.“That is to say, even if our old products still sell well now, they will soon lose their competitiveness. We should aim toward developing new products instead of how to protect the older ones. That should be our focus to ensure our sustainability.” Nathaniel stood up and pressed down on the table with both hands.His points were sound and reasonable as he came fully prepared. The board of directors was initially skeptical, but his words were reasonable and made them contemplate further.“You might be c
Lily had always been indifferent to such things, which made him wonder when she noticed him using company funds to take Melanie out on vacation and buy her gifts.Nathaniel did not understand. Why did she wait until now to mention it when she had known about it for a long time? He could only think of two possibilities. The first one was that Lily did not know it before and only found out somehow recently. The second one was that she had known about it for a long time but pretended she was ignorant and unaware.Either possibility was scary to Nathaniel. Their confrontations just reinforced his sense that he had never really understood her. It made him wonder if she was still the Lily that he knew.Nathaniel clenched his fingers tightly one by one. His anger had reached a breaking point. He might have looked calm facing the board of directors, but he had been panicking the day before. He feared he could not reassure the shareholders, and it would be game over for him.Luckily, Nathan
The sound of ideas was always beautiful. Melanie wanted to do it herself but became nauseous after being enclosed in the lab for too long.She felt this was understandable and forgivable because she was pregnant. Melanie then prepared a cup of coffee and supervised from outside. It was bad for the fetus if the mother drank too much coffee while pregnant. Melanie was aware of it but still contemplating whether to keep the baby.After assessing the pros and cons, she decided against having the child. At least, not now. However, Nathaniel desired it greatly. If she got an abortion, it would undoubtedly strain their relationship. Nevertheless…‘What a tough decision!’The phone vibrated. Melanie thought it was Nathaniel asking where she was, but when she picked it up, the call was from Frank. She was inexplicably flustered. Melanie quickly looked left and right, but thankfully no one was there. She then set the coffee cup down, stood up, and went to a secluded spot in the corridor.Sh
"If you really want it, you must seize every opportunity!" He said this meaningfully and then hung up. Melanie did not understand what he meant until he sent a text with an address. It was in Sapphine, not too far from the location of the laboratory. In an instant, she understood. Frank was on his way! Melanie was holding the phone with a trembling hand since she did not think he would return so soon. Clearly, she was going to have a tryst. She honestly wanted to refuse. This was Sapphine, not Middle Valley. It was possible to run into acquaintances, not to mention Nathaniel was there as well, so if anyone saw… Her heart was conflicted. Frank seemed to have visited casually, and his words were also quite laid back. However, it was a ruthless decision to make. If she declined, it was the same as rejecting him. This implied that she would have to give up her advantage in the judges' decisions for the annual perfume competition.Melanie had already taken
Melanie wanted to escape at that moment, but she just stood there instead. Her feet were rooted to the ground, and she could not move. Melanie thought of all possibilities, and her whole body turned cold as she started trembling."Frank," She whispered his name, seeing that he seemed asleep. She wanted to leave and immediately get out of there. Suddenly, Frank opened his eyes abruptly. His eyes shone brightly, just meeting hers.Melanie did not expect that, so she released a frightened "Ah!" and stepped back.Seeing her terrified, panic-stricken face, Frank laughed indifferently. He sat up slowly, swept all the things on the table into the trash can, and raised his hand to wipe his nose and the corners of his mouth. Then he stood up.Melanie stepped back when she saw Frank approaching step by step, gradually retreating to the base of the wall. She had nowhere else to go."Frank, No!" Seeing him raise his hand, she turned her head away in fright and closed her eyes tightly.Howeve
Melanie looked puzzled because Frank let go of her hand and turned around to walk back. He picked up a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table, removed a cigarette from the box, stood by the window, and looked outside.Melanie was confused. Frank called her over and showed her such a shocking scene, but he did not force her to join in. So what did he want to do? She took two steps forward and looked at his silhouette. She seemed to be mindful of images of his depravity just now, which made her shudder.Melanie dared not say anything, so she just stood there. Her clothes were hanging off her body, and she did not know what to do for a while. After smoking half a cigarette, Frank turned to look at her. He looked up and down with a criticizing expression. Then he spoke while Melanie kept quiet. She did not know if she should be happy or sad.Frank had lost interest in her body. Did it mean she could finally escape his torture and get respite and freedom? However, at the same time, it
"Oh?" Frank finally looked a little interested. "Do I know her?" "You've seen her before," With a meaningful smile, Melanie said, "Do you remember Lily?" "Your rival in love?" Frank stroked his chin, and the girl's beautiful face appeared before him. Honestly, he was very impressed the first time he saw her. He had his ideas but did not have a chance to do anything then.Meanie sneered disdainfully, "Rival in love? She's not worthy! However, if it's to change your taste, she shouldn't be too bad."Frank was not at all interested in these intrigues of women, but he was still very interested in having some fun for himself. "Indeed, she isn’t," after a pause, he added, "But, as far as I know, she's no longer with MN. Inc. Now she's in the same boat as you. Are you sure you can convince her?"Melanie shook her head and sat on the sofa’s edge. “Must you use this method to get beautiful women? There are so many other ways for you to get her.”"As I said, I don't like to for
Melanie had not paid close attention before since she was scared. Looking at him now, she realized his figure was thin. Much thinner than average.She knew the reason now and felt uneasy. Since Frank had done such a thing, he might as well have one foot in hell. Melanie did not know if someone would discover it at some point. She also had no idea how long he would last in the industry. However, she was sure she could not count on him in the long run.Melanie thought she had found a powerful ally and would win in life if she maintained her relationship with him. Unfortunately, reality gave her a rude awakening.One could not entirely depend on a single person. Melanie knew she could not rely solely on Nathaniel. Likewise, she could not pin all of her hopes on Frank. She needed additional support and could feel secure only when she had sufficient backing.Even so, Melanie was not in a hurry as Frank could still be her support in the meantime. She could back out after giving him Lily
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