Justin’s doors remained open beyond Lily’s expectations. It was as if he was waiting for her. Although Justin did not close the door, Lily glanced inside the room, raised her hand, and knocked on the door twice."Come in," Justin's voice sounded.Lily noticed only one dimly lit lamp turned on in the room. Justin was sitting on a chair by the window with a cup of coffee in front of him. It smelled fragrant, but it seemed as if he did not even take a sip."Justin.""Sit down," he said. His eyes remained calm as he glanced at Lily.Although there was still no expression on his face, Lily thought his eyes looked much better than when they were in the mourning hall."You..." After hesitating, she wanted to ask Justin something but needed to figure out where to start."Didn't I tell you not to come back? You’re still so stubborn," Justin started the conversation. Although he complained, Lily could hear that he was concerned."Do you think I could still escape if I don't come back?" L
She personally handed the candle to Justin, not thinking that any problems would occur."After you brought the candle back, did you light it up yourself, or did you hand it over to the housekeeper?"Taking a deep look at her as if guessing her thoughts, Justin's lips moved a little, and he faintly said two words: "Uncle Roger."Lily was silent.Roger did not have to explain himself. He was deeply devoted to Wilfred and had spent many years serving by his side. Nobody in the Lodge family would ever question Roger's allegiance.In other words, the doubts about the whole situation fell on the three of them. Since Lily and Justin could not argue, Henry and Jonathan saw this as an opportunity to attack them. At that moment, neither their guilt nor their innocence could be established with certainty."This is a conspiracy!" Lily's hand clenched into a fist. How vicious!It was not just as simple as framing. She wanted to know who tampered with the candle."I must find the real murder
Justin’s answer was not necessary anymore, as his attitude spoke volumes. Lily got back to her room and noticed that Alexander was not there. She had no idea where he had gone, but as he had assured her, they were on the Lodge family's grounds, which were perilous at times but mostly safe. Therefore, she should not worry about him.She had to handle some things urgently, so Lily took out her phone and called Olivia, “Liv, there’s a small candle stick in the safe inside my lab. Could you please send it to the FDA for lab testing?” “Why?” Olivia had not seen Lily in days. She was overjoyed to hear from Lily, but before Olivia could ask how she was doing, Lily made an unexpected request.“I need it urgently. Please help me,” Lily added, “Don’t tell anyone about this. You need to do this personally, and when you have the results, take a photo of it and keep the report safe with you.” “Okay,” Olivia promised though she was still slightly confused. As a perfumer, they were trained to
“Maybe the news hasn’t got out yet,” Lily smacked her lips and added, “Olivia, I need you to be the one to spread this news.”“Spread what…” Oliva hesitated, then asked, “Why do you need me to spread the word? The Lodge family won’t be releasing this news to the public?” This should be something the family had to announce to the public, especially when it was about Wilfred, an important figure in the country. News about him would surely be published in newspapers, and all the prestigious families in the country would attend his funeral. Olivia had nothing to do with the Lodge family. Wasn’t it a bit strange for her to be the one to release the news to the public? “There’s a problem back at home, which is why…I need your help,” Lily clarified as she heard a knock on the door. She turned to look, and in came Alexander, followed by Edward behind him. Alexander had planned to tell her something but saw that she was talking on the phone, so he refrained.Instead, he turned to E
“I know what’s the number,” Alexander came up from behind Lily and held her hand. Then he turned to Edward. “You can go now.”Edward nodded and left, not forgetting to close the door behind him.“Seriously? You’re jealous because of this? I was just trying to help Olivia!” Lily waved her phone in front of Alexander to remind him.“Of course, I know that!” Alexander pinched her nose lightly and pulled her to sit next to him. “So, what did Justin say?”“I think he was worried about something. He didn’t say much, but I’m sure he knows something. I just don’t know why he would allow them to do as they please,” Lily elaborated.Alexander thought for a few seconds before asking, “You’re saying he has given up his position as the head of the family?”“I’m assuming he did it to prevent the family from getting into a feud. However, judging from the current situation, I don’t think that’s working.” Lily had never expected this many problems to arise immediately after her grandfather’s deat
“No, there’s not going to be an ‘or,’” Alexander remarked while waving in disagreement. “They’ll only pin it on Justin.”The elders treated Lily as an outsider to this issue, even though they wanted to form a coup, take over as the family head, and reap the benefits that came with it.However, it would be challenging for the elders to overthrow Justin as the family head if they did not push the cause of Wilfred’s death onto the scented candles he had used, primarily since the family doctor had always overseen Wilfred’s health.“That’s why I want to look for the culprit who sabotaged the scented candles as soon as possible,” Lily said while frowning, “Justin said he, Roger, and I were the only ones who directly came in contact with the scented candles.“However, Roger has been with our family for a long time and has been unwaveringly loyal to Grandpa, so it can’t be him. I don’t understand. How and when did the culprit do this?”Alexander deduced, “The Lodge family’s residence is h
“Something happened within the Lodge family. Do you know about it?” Arianna asked.“You mean that the old man from the Lodge family is dead?” Nathaniel calmly replied as he started to clean up his bottles while studying them closely.“Of course, that’s not all. Have you heard of Henry Lodge?” Arianna sat on Nathaniel’s chair and looked at him. “Since you’re Lily’s ex-boyfriend, you must know a thing or two about the Lodge family, right?”Nathaniel sneered mockingly as the fingers that were fiddling with the incense stopped. Moments later, he continued, acting as if nothing had happened, “If it weren’t for Mother telling me about it, I wouldn’t have known she was from the Lodge family. So, how much do you think I know?”“Huh?” His answer surprised Arianna. “Wow, you were quite a horrible boyfriend then.”“That’s all in the past now!” His downcast eyes showed no emotions. “Why are you here, Ari? I’m sure it’s not just to lecture me.”Arianna drawled while playing with a pen on Nath
“No enmity would last forever in this world, and the same goes for friendships. Look at us now. Aren’t we on the same team?”Arianna did not get the chance to answer before he continued, “Don’t tell me things like blood is thicker than water or we’re helping each other because we’re siblings. Those are bullsh*t excuses that you and I don’t believe in. We can only sit here together to discuss our plan for one reason. We have the same goal in mind, and this plan would benefit both of us. Am I right?”Arianna looked at Nathaniel with a solemn gaze. “You don’t need to look at me that way.” Nathaniel chuckled. “I told you we’re not enemies, at least not now. You’ll always be my dearest younger sister as long as we’re after the same thing. I’ll be your older brother who can assist you too.”Arianna said nothing and just stared at Nathaniel in silence for a moment. Shrugging, she started, “Okay then. You’re right. Let’s talk about the Lodge family now. Since you have such a clear underst