However, his threat meant nothing to Olivia. She paused her steps and slowly turned around. The sight of his angry face made her chuckle. “Do as you wish, Mr. Hall! From now on, I’ll choose when I want to work and what time I’ll arrive. If you wish to penalize me for being late or playing hooky, go ahead!”Then Olivia opened the door and walked out of his office.“You’re letting her go just like that?” In disbelief, Melanie stared at the door through which Olivia had exited, then turned to Nathaniel and said, “She’s going to tell the press all that nonsense! How could you let her leave?”With a dark expression, he roared in return, “What should I have done instead? We’re at the company building! Do you know how many people saw her enter my office? Do you think I could lock her up?”“What should we do now?” Melanie was anxious and bit down on her lip. There are a lot of folks who are doubtful of her these days. The name Melanie had made for herself with much difficulty was now r
“It’s not bad. I’m in a new environment and working with new people. It feels like a rebirth to me, just like the company's name.”Lily did not speak about the mistreatment she experienced at her new workplace. She knew that not everyone would get along with her, and there would always be those she clicked with and those she could not. Jenny was right. Lily had not made a name for herself, nor did she have any experience. Not only that, she had several lawsuits waiting to be settled. It was typical for companies or teams not to want her on board. It was true that Lily got into Rebirth through her connections, but now she must prove her doubters wrong by demonstrating her genuine capabilities.“That’s good,” Alexander said, lowering his head to leave a peck on her cheek. He was aware of everything that occurred at the company but did not bring it up since she didn’t tell him herself. He also wanted to see how far she could go on her own after being so adamant about not making thei
Lily was speechless. She did not expect Nathaniel to seek her out over the place she used to rent. Seeing that he only just discovered she no longer lived there, it seemed he did not look for her for the last few days.Looking at Alexander, Lily’s lips curled into a smirk as she picked up her phone and said leisurely, “Since I won’t be staying there anymore, obviously, I’d stop renting the place. I could talk directly to the landlord about it, so why would I need to inform you, Mr. Hall?”“Don’t forget that I paid all the rent for you! You!” Nathaniel wanted to continue ranting, but he suppressed his rage and took a few deep breaths. After that, he asked, “Where are you staying now? Rebirth can’t possibly provide you with food and accommodation, can they?”He was convinced that Rebirth brainwashed her, and with his involvement with Melanie, it might be difficult to keep the truth from her anymore. Other than that, he could not think of another reason Lily, who had always been obedie
Lily smiled indifferently. “I’m not afraid of them. That’s what I want exactly.”“Oh?” After some thought, Alexander continued, “You have a backup copy of all their data?”As a perfumer, it was normal for Lily to have backups of all research data as she would conduct countless experiments on fragrances in a year, including minor adjustments along the way. Each research would take months, so it would be easier for her to check for any missing data or errors with her backup copies.“I did, but he took them away too.”Before, she was utterly defenseless against Nathaniel. She did not think of transferring or hiding her research data elsewhere because she trusted him. Lily kept everything in the lab, and Nathaniel sent his men to take them away the other day. After listening to Lily’s words, Alexander narrowed his eyes and said, “I don’t understand. Why are you still so confident if you don’t have any evidence?” Initially, Lily did not plan to tell Alexander anything, but since he
Charles called Lily into his office as soon as he sighted her. It seemed as though he was waiting for her. Charles walked to the side of his desk and pointed at the window blinds in front of him. “Pull down the blinds.”Lily turned around to do as Charles said. As she was doing so, she could see the gossiping and inquiring eyes from the outside. ‘What is going on?’ Lily pulled down the blinds and walked deeper into the office.“Take a look at this.” Charles took out an envelope and threw it in front of her.Lily opened the envelope with doubt in her heart and found a lawyer's letter inside. As expected, Nathaniel had sued her. Lily glanced at the letter casually and put it back into the envelope with a sneer on her face. She did not take it seriously.Charles had been observing her reaction. When he noted that Lily was overly calm, he could not help but ask, “What are your thoughts on this? The other party has sent us a lawyer’s letter.”Lily put away the letter. “I apologize for
“Do I have to copy these notes by hand? Can’t we just photocopy these instead? You can also hire someone to copy it if we really need to copy it by hand!” Melanie pouted and voiced her dissatisfaction. “I’ve been feeling drained recently. Even my mental state is taking a toll. I am under a lot of pressure facing Lily's attacks recently!” Melanie said while coquettishly hugging Nathaniel’s arm.Nathaniel’s heart immediately softened when Melanie cozied up, acted spoiled, and talked to him in her sweet voice. He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her toward him. “You’re also familiar with this industry, so It’s not like you don’t know that most of these notes are handwritten. Would you use a computer to record the data while experimenting? You’d only key in the final summary, wouldn’t you?” Nathaniel comforted Melanie and kissed her forehead.However, his words could not calm Melanie’s anger. “This is all Lily’s fault. We would’ve won the award if she hadn’t plotted against us.
Lily knew she would be rejected but did not expect to be turned down this quickly. Jenny Thorn's office door was shut tight, and her assistant would not let Lily in. She claimed Jenny was currently in a meeting and that non-permanent staff could not enter. Half an hour of waiting later, Lily realized that Jenny's meeting would not end anytime soon. Instead of simply waiting outside, she opted to enter the room unannounced. Jenny's assistant did not expect Lily to barge into the room, so she was helpless in stopping Lily and could only follow behind, yelling, “Ms. Thorn, she…” "Who gave your permission to enter?" Jenny glanced briefly at Lily and commented in a crude tone, "There's a meeting going on here. Unauthorized personnel should get out!" "I've officially joined Rebirth as permanent staff. On that account, I'm allowed to join the meeting as a staff member for this project, not just some unauthorized personnel," Lily elaborated while walking toward an unoccupied chair a
Seeing that Lily agreed so quickly, Jenny smirked in disdain. Even though Rebirth was a newly established company, it was still under the La Beauté Group. The staff members were all the best in the industry, which was why Jenny was unhappy with how Lily was employed. Jenny was relieved that she finally had an excuse to reject Lily from her team and fire her from the company. "You better not back out on our deal! I hate people like that!" Jenny quickly added, in fear of Lily regretting her decision. "Relax, I won't. Just like you, I hate people who do that as well," Lily nodded in agreement. Raising an eyebrow, Jenny turned slightly to her side and pointed at the table. "Come here."Lily stood up and walked toward Jenny. Shortly after entering the room, Lily noticed three fragrance bottles on the table in front of Jenny. All three of them looked the same. The amount of liquid content inside those bottles was probably the same, too. After all, Lily had previously worked
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