The laboratories were generally a little farther from the city center. Firstly, they took up a large area, and it would be easier to find a suitable location in the suburbs since the price would be more affordable. Secondly, the employees should do the experiments without distractions. Furthermore, it was easier to source spices and raw materials in the suburbs.When Lily worked in MN Inc., its lab was also on the city’s outskirts. However, Nathaniel’s capital was limited, so he only rented half of an old factory building. He also used to complain when they had to purchase raw materials.Of course, Nathaniel would still be pleased with the finished product, and then he would talk about the future with Lily. Yes, after all, it was all just talk.Although the location Jenny had sent was remote, Lily could still get there by taxi. However, unlike what she expected, what awaited her was not just a factory but a whole tower. Although it looked pretty standard, it was unexpected to have s
However, there were no hostility in Jenny’s eyes this time. It appeared to be more of an encouragement.She smiled slightly. "Why should I be afraid?" Lily, being a perfumer, knew that the industry also involved stench suppression besides creating fragrances.Not all raw materials have a pleasant aroma. Some have a foul odor and may even be repulsive. To eliminate the stench and keep the fragrance, a perfumer had to use the unique properties of the materials.Having such a pungent smell in the air, this laboratory appeared dedicated to experimenting with various stenches.Lily knew Jenny would make things difficult for her, but she did not expect Jenny to use this method. Still, it did not matter. It was no problem because Lily was interested in everything related to perfume making.Jenny was somewhat impressed by Lily's composure but said, “Don't get ahead of yourself. Do you believe all it takes is for you to get rid of the smell? That's the basics that any entry-level perfume
Lily stayed in the laboratory the whole afternoon and barely spared time even to drink water. She was a very enthusiastic worker and would block out all external distractions once she was engrossed in her work.Lily only realized it was already dark when someone knocked on the laboratory door, urging her to leave. The task was more difficult than expected, and she miscalculated the time it would need. Jenny had given her three days, and Lily made her plans according to her habits in the old laboratory. She had not considered not being able to stay as late as she had wished.She had to leave on time. No one was allowed to stay overnight at the company except for the staff on duty. After all, there was a concern for information confidentiality. She was only permitted to be in this laboratory, for example.Lily took off her coat, headgear, and gloves before she washed her hands several times. It was already past eight, and the sky was dark. Jenny was long gone. She had informed Lily
It was just a small gesture, but Alexander caught it. He quickly pressed the button to raise the car’s partition that separated the driver and the back seat. Without waiting for Lily’s consent, he picked up her injured foot and placed it on his lap. With the interior light on, he could see that Lily’s ankle was red and swollen. Alexander frowned at the sight and asked, “Why are you so easily injured?”“How would I know?” Lily replied in a low voice. It was as though she was fragile when all she had was a sprain. Alexander was the one who caused this, or more accurately, the way Edward drove the car.“Your bones are fine. You just need to apply some cream on it after we’re back. Reduce walking for a few days.” Alexander made his conclusion after checking her foot.“You know how to check for injuries?” Lily was surprised.“Checking on simple bruises and sprains is not hard.” Alexander raised his head to look at her, and his frown deepened.“Your body…” Alexander said hesitantly
The first thing Lily did upon reaching home was to take a shower. After an hour, Lily finally came out in her pajamas when she was satisfied with how great she smelled from head to toe, thanks to the mix of body wash and fragrant essential oil she created herself.Alexander had already showered in another bathroom. He walked over with a prepared towel when he saw Lily coming out. “You didn’t dry your hair?” He realized Lily did not have the habit of blow-drying her hair after her shower. Even though there was a hairdryer in the bathroom, she always came out with wet hair.“I don’t like the feeling of hot air blowing on my scalp,” Lily explained and stretched out her hand to take the towel from Alexander. However, he moved his hand and covered her head with the towel instead. Then, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Sit down.”“I-I…”Lily could not convince Alexander to stop, so she could only listen to him, sitting down obediently. Alexander pressed his hands on the towel and
“Yeah. I set that target for myself.”“Are you crazy?” Alexander loosened his hands on the towel, causing it to fall from Lily’s shoulders to the couch. As this matter was unusual, he had gotten Edward to talk to George. According to George, they were researching new products while experimenting with suppressing odor with fragrances. The plan was to get results within ten days, and three people were in charge of the experiment. However, Lily was not part of the trio.George was also surprised and promised to check on the matter immediately. However, Lily told Alexander that she would get the data within one day and that she was the one who set the target. He could only think that she was crazy when she made the promise.Lily did not understand why Alexander was reacting this way. Looking up, she said, “I’m not crazy. It’s not that difficult.”What she said rendered Alexander speechless. He did not know whether he should tell her that she was being overconfident or arrogant. The co
“Essential oil?” Nathaniel paused for a moment. “Didn’t we send some stock over this morning? Are those not enough?”“Mr. Hall, that batch of essential oil’s quality is subpar, so we can’t use it!”“Subpar? We got it directly from the lab. You’re telling me that we can’t use it now?” Anxiously, Nathaniel walked back and forth in the living room. “Was it a mistake on your side, and you’re trying to push the blame on us now?”“We would never do that. There has been an increase in orders, so my workers are all working overnight to complete the job. We adhered to the process closely and completed our factory assembly line work. It’s unlikely for us to be the problem here. Why don’t you come over and see for yourself?”The factory’s manager was helpless in this situation too. After all, something went wrong and affected the order’s completion time, which would delay production and bring dire consequences.“Okay, I’ll be right there.” After hanging up the phone, Nathaniel immediately go
Melanie cleared her throat and rephrased herself, “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with the formula, so it’s not my problem either.”Then she turned to look at the factory’s manager. “We produce everything in the lab strictly according to the formula. If there were something wrong with the formula, we would have discovered it long ago. It must be the factory’s problem. Have you checked all the other ingredients? Have you checked if your workers made a mistake? Don’t just think about pushing the blame on others whenever there’s a problem here.”“Ms. Thayer, be careful with your words. What do you mean we’re pushing the blame? We are merely reporting the problem to Mr. Hall soon after discovering it. We just want to find out why, and after checking earlier, we think the problem lies within the essential oil. If you disagree, help us find the root of the problem, as you are a professional in this field. It will help us start manufacturing the products as soon as possible.”His words rile
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