Lily almost stretched her finger to touch Alexander's tanned skin and well-built muscles. She gulped subconsciously."Lily? Lily?!" Nathaniel suspected Lily had hung up the phone when he did not get a response, so he kept calling her name.Lily widened her eyes as she watched Alexander's tall figure lean toward her. His handsome face was getting closer and closer. She held her breath, and then…When their lips got close, Alexander turned sideways and gently kissed Lily on her cheek near her ear. Then he straightened his back and went straight into the walk-in closet.Thud!The phone slipped from Lily’s hand and rolled on the carpet. Fortunately, the phone fell onto the carpet. Otherwise, it would have shattered.Nathaniel was still on the other end of the call waiting for Lily’s response, when the loud thud hurt his eardrums. He hurriedly moved his ear away from the phone and exclaimed, "Lily! What the hell are you doing?! Are you even listening to me?"Lily squatted to pick up
Rumors had it Alexander was cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel. No one would have expected him to be gentle and considerate to another person.The water’s temperature was just right, so Lily comfortably took a hot bath and changed into new clothes and undergarments. The discomfort she felt from her menstrual pain reduced considerably, and it made her feel relieved.Alexander was right when he said Lily did not need to rush and should take a good rest first.Lily took a nap while Alexander hugged her and fell asleep, giving her a great sense of security. The two simply cuddled without doing anything else, and Lily felt a newfound peacefulness.She napped for over an hour and realized her phone had countless missed calls when she woke up. They were from Nathaniel, who seemed distressed, while Lily felt the exact opposite.She slowly changed into a white dress. The dress was simple, without any unique cuttings or designs, but it fitted Lily’s figure well, giving her an elegant look.
Lily walked over and sat down gracefully.Melanie had arrived at the venue earlier. Once Lily took her seat, Melanie glanced over at Nathaniel, who noticed that and gave Melanie an “Okay” gesture. Seeing that, Melanie felt slightly more at ease.The press conference soon commenced, and Nathaniel went straight to the point. “I’m sure all of you heard about the incident during the perfumery competition last night. There were some misunderstandings. Hence, we arranged this press conference to clarify the misunderstandings to those concerned with the media’s help.”Nathaniel paused before he continued, “The product ‘First Love,’ which was one of MN Inc.’s entries to the competition, was well-received by everyone. However, two companies submitted the same work, which raised concerns about plagiarism and intellectual property theft. The people involved in this incident are already here, so I won’t say more. Now, I’ll pass the floor to the two perfumers to explain it to all of you, alrig
Nathaniel took the lead in turning the microphone to his side to strike preemptively. "Of course, it’s not considered stealing. In any case, Lily is a member of our company. She has worked as Ms. Thayer’s assistant and has participated in creating fragrances to some extent for many years.“I don't want to define it as stealing or plagiarism this time because it sounds atrocious. I can only say that in this society, in our industry, it is understandable that we can’t control everything. We are willing to give Lily a chance, and we hope MN Inc. can bring us better compositions in the future."Nathaniel had some experience socializing and dealing with the media over the years. His remarks were neither humble nor arrogant, snobby but sincere. He understood and protected the employees who betrayed his company.The reporters felt moved while casting a contemptuous look toward Lily. The current situation was apparent. It was clear that Lily was unwilling to be an assistant and then stole
The reporters started getting excited about the gossip. After listening to Nathaniel's words and seeing Lily smiling warmly, they thought the matter would be settled and not have any more juicy information.Oh, but the tables had turned! Lily had indirectly slapped Nathaniel’s face in front of everyone! The reporters’ focal lengths immediately aimed at Nathaniel’s swiftly ashen face while Lily appeared calm. The duo’s expressions greatly contrasted with each other."Ms. Christian, you mean to say you didn’t plagiarize Ms. Thayer’s work, but she plagiarized yours instead?” Someone immediately asked.Lily smiled, "I would like to correct your words. The word plagiarism means counterfeiting and is also an act of infringement. Although such actions are unacceptable, there is a procedure for self-reprocessing. In addition to plagiarism, there is another act called snatching, which means taking something and changing it into one's own.""Isn't that stealing?" The reporter replied.Lily
Lily smiled faintly and looked at Melanie. "Are you sure that’s what you want? Do you want me to let the cat out of the bag?" She was so calm, making Melanie feel flustered.What was Lily plotting? What did she want exactly? She had laid all the cards on the table and could not bear to back down. Melanie gritted her teeth and bravely replied, “Don’t make a fool of yourself, Lily. I’ve done nothing wrong. I can’t say I’m the most talented person in this industry, but I am undoubtedly one who works hard. Everyone knows how much I’ve done in this company over the past few years. You can’t just come up here and spew nonsense.”"Melanie," Nathaniel was on her side, gently squeezing her forearm. He turned to look at Lily again, cleared his throat, and said, “I apologize. The purpose of this press conference was to explain everything to the competition’s organizing committee, friends, and consumers who care about us. However, we did not make enough arrangements, nor did Ms. Christian have e
"Ms. Christian, do you really have evidence, or are you making it up? Have you thought about the repercussions if this case goes to court?" Lily looked around calmly, facing the skeptical crowd. Her relaxed demeanor and mild aura quieted the noisy crowd. She parted her red lips slightly and exclaimed four words, "Bring on the lawsuit!"…Lily was aware that leaving would not be an easy task, but she did not expect Nathaniel to stop her in the alley. Did he not just go after Melanie? Why was he still here? Nathaniel's face was gloomy. His hands were in the pockets of his trousers as he leaned against the wall. The fact that his entire body was concealed from the light added to his grim appearance.Lily’s steps were hesitant, and she did not want to pay attention to him. Instead, she tried to turn around and leave in the opposite direction, but unexpectedly, someone blocked her path.It made sense why Nathaniel was whispering to some people before he left. Was he explaining thi
Nathaniel could not believe his ears, "What did you say?" "It's not that I didn't think about giving you a chance, but even now, you still want me to take the blame. Nate, do I look that stupid?" Lily's voice was icy. There was a sarcastic smile on the corners of her lips. Nathaniel felt a chill in his heart. He suddenly felt that the woman before him was a stranger. She was no longer the person he had known for several years. She became so sharp, elusive, and very unmanageable."Lily, what do you mean? You don't believe me anymore?" "I trusted you so much that I don’t even know how I was persuaded." Lily paused, then did not bother explaining, "I'm now very thankful for not signing a formal contract with you. From today onward, your MN Inc. has nothing to do with me." She emphasized the word ‘your’ as she raised her foot to walk past him and leave. Nathaniel grabbed her arm. He had not realized what she meant, but he knew he could not let her go yet."Are you still blamin