Things were not going according to Brittany’s plans. Alexander quickly finished his breakfast, which was not what Brittany thought would happen—the duo sat opposite each other, chatting away as they ate their breakfast. He ate only a sandwich and had one cup of coffee before returning to his desk and turning on his computer.Alexander had fixed his gaze on the monitor immediately after eating his breakfast. After taking a few bites of the food, which tasted bland because he was not focused, Brittany could no longer sit still and put away her breakfast before walking over to him. “Alex, can’t you see that I’m here?”Alexander looked up at her before his gaze averted back to his monitor. “What is it?”“Do you hate me?” Brittany asked again, pouting.“No.”“Then why are you ignoring me?”“I’m working.”“You’re lying! You just don’t want to talk to me. Are you so busy that you don’t even have time to eat breakfast with me?” Brittany was so angry that she reached for his monitor and
“I’m busy. Also, I’m going on a business trip soon,” Alexander said.“Are you saying you won’t care about my sister’s safety just because you’re busy?!” Brandon yelled over the phone.“Hmph. You said it yourself—Brittany’s your sister!”After a moment, Alexander continued, “She’s not a little girl anymore. It would help if you told her not to visit my place so often. It wouldn’t be good for her reputation if people were to gossip. By the way, how does she have so much free time on her hands? Isn’t she supposed to be shooting a drama?”Upon hearing that, Brandon finally realized something. “You don’t want to spend time with my sister, do you? You know how she feels about you! My parents would be happy if you guys got together. What’s bad about it? Tell me honestly. Are you seeing someone?”Alexander stayed silent for a moment. “She’s your younger sister, and I regard her as my younger sister too. I’m hanging up now. Talk to you soon. You should go look for her.”After saying all t
In fact, this perfumery competition was not considered the most significant event for perfumers. It was more of a competition to discover new talents, so the organizers only invited young blood, like solo participants or perfumery company representatives, to participate in the event.The junior perfumers who registered as solo participants received special treatment because they could be exempted from the competition's first round. Due to that, fewer participants would take part in said round.As a representative of Rebirth, Lily had no choice but to join the competition’s first round. The task was pretty simple. Each participant had five perfume bottles and had to identify the ingredients used by smelling them. On top of that, they would need to identify the perfumes’ base notes.It was a piece of cake for Lily. Back then, Jenny gave her a similar task to make things difficult for her. The only difference was that Jenny’s task was much more challenging than in the competition’s fir
Lily walked past Melanie and strode toward the exit. ‘God knows why she stopped me back there. It’ll be troublesome if she tries to frame me or anything again later.’Lily saw Giselle walking over to her quickly as soon as she exited through the door, the latter’s expression filled with joy and excitement. She failed to conceal her emotions, although she tried. “Congratulations, Ms. Christian!”The results of the first two rounds were released immediately upon finalization by the organizer, but the participants had to stay for a while longer inside the venue. Lily found Giselle’s attempt to suppress her happiness hilarious and raised her hand to pinch Giselle’s cheeks.Giselle was stunned.“Let me give you some advice.”“What?”“Don’t call me Ms. Christian next time.” It was rare for anyone to call Lily that, making her feel weird getting addressed that way too.Her words made Giselle’s mind go blank for a second. “What should I call you then?”“What about my name?”Giselle bl
Giselle was one to worry about many things, but she was right this time. However, Lily's rejection was not solely motivated by a desire to avoid gossip, as meeting Lisa at such a delicate time could lead to unwarranted assumptions. Even if Lily did not care about that, it would affect the reputation of Lisa and her father.Lily looked at the man and said, “How about this? I’ll call Lisa and talk things over the phone with her.”The man stayed silent, so Lily took out her phone and called Lisa. However, the call did not go through at all.“Ms. Parker is doing this because she has no other choice. Ms. Christian, we hope you understand,” the man explained.At first, Lily wanted to decline, but she was worried that something had happened to Lisa or that she had encountered some sort of difficulty since the call was not going through and the man had Lisa's ring with him. After hesitating for a moment, she finally decided. “Fine. I’ll come with you.”“Wait!” Giselle, seeing that she cou
Giselled dropped to the side before she managed to finish her words.“Giselle?” Lily called her name with a frown. She grabbed her arm and shook it twice, “What’s wrong with you, Giselle?”Lily also felt faint halfway through the sentence. She looked at the person in front of her and said, “You guys are not the personnel sent by Lisa!”She, too, passed out and fell on Giselle’s unconscious body.“You caught on too late,” Jo said menacingly.The car drove to a desolate place. They stopped halfway to change to a different vehicle before continuing the journey. They used different roads before finally stopping in front of a small wooden house. The driver stopped the car and walked to the other side. Jo opened the door and jumped from the vehicle. They each carried Lily and Giselle on their shoulders and walked towards the wooden house.The people inside had likely heard the noise outside and opened the wooden house door to invite them in, “You weren’t followed, right?”“Hmph.” Jo
Christopher made a phone call after he locked them up. “Yes, we got her. When will we receive our payment?”“Have you tied her up properly?” The person on the other end of the call asked worriedly.“Don’t worry. We’ve always met our customers’ various needs,” Christopher paused a moment before adding, “Even if she weren’t tied up, do you think she’ll be able to run away?”“It’s better to be on the side of caution.” Although he, too, felt that Lily could not escape from her kidnappers, the plan had to be foolproof, and mistakes were unacceptable.Christopher did not take his words to heart. “When are you coming over?”“I can only be there after two days. Give Lily water but less food for the next few days. Don’t let her eat much. Also, remember to give her the injections,” The person said.Christopher stayed silent for a while before he laughed awkwardly and said, “Shouldn’t you do this yourself?”“I have something urgent on my side and can’t leave. Just do as I say. I’ll pay you
Christopher gave Leonel a stern look before saying, “Don’t you dare do anything stupid. You better not touch her and do something the client did not request!”Leonel pursed his lips in resentment. “I was just saying. It’s such a pity.”Unexpectedly, Jo agreed, “Yeah.”Christopher and Leonel looked at Jo in surprise. Jo then prepared the injection and placed the needle on a tray before getting to his feet. He said, “I’ll go give her the shot.”“Jo.” Christopher stopped him. “Don’t be too hard on her or accidentally kill her. It’ll be difficult to answer the client if that happens.”Jo nodded and walked toward Lily’s room.He opened the door and looked at the woman lying on the bed. She had the petite figure of a typical Asian but was full of curves. Her exposed slender arms were as white as snow. It looked like she had not woken up yet.He walked toward the bedside, turned on the side lamp, and stared at Lily. Then he put the tray on the bedside cabinet and sat on the bed. He str
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