At half past six, the seats in the ballroom of a five-star hotel in Brown City were almost full. Other than media reporters, there were also renowned perfumers and newcomers from the perfumery industry. Anyone who had any relations to the perfumery world gathered here.After all, this incident caused an uproar and shook the entire perfume industry. Everyone wanted to come and see how Lily would explain herself. Everyone wanted to know if she would apologize for her wrongdoings or deny what she said in the recording.Alexander's car did not drive to the main entrance. Instead, he arranged to enter through the back. Then a bodyguard escorted him through the VIP passage to the lounge.His secretary had arrived earlier to organize everything. Once she heard Alexander coming, she quickly rushed over with a stack of papers. Although she managed to put on a calm face, her nervousness was seeping through."Mr. Russell," she called out as she pushed open the door. When she looked around an
Rose, Alexander’s secretary, was growing impatient as she waited. Her boss remained calm, but she could not help asking, “Mr. Russell, why don’t I call Lily and ask about her current location?”It should be easy for the company to look up the employee’s phone number. She would happily be the villain if her boss were unwilling to urge Lily.Alexander replied calmly, “No need. Go outside to deal with it first. She’ll be here soon.”Alexander had already made his point, so there was no use in her rushing. While her superior seemed calm under pressure, she was anxious despite only being a subordinate. Rose bit her lip, turned, and left.Alexander finally pulled out his phone and looked at it, his eyes darkening.When they parted ways, she claimed she needed time to gather "evidence." She added that it could take some time and she could be late, but she would be there eventually. Certainly, she would provide the press and the company with a satisfactory explanation.He trusted her and
”What are you talking about? Unlike who?” She immediately teased her."I meant he’s not like some men. They're dumb and boring. It’s as if saying something nice could kill him!" She said vaguely, but it was obvious who she was referring to.Lily wouldn't let her off the topic so quickly, "Is that so? Who’s the man you are referring to? Do I know him? Is he handsome and brave? Is that man surnamed Sullivan?"Olivia blushed hard and glared at her fiercely, "You’re annoying. I don’t want to talk to you anymore! Hmph!""You can talk about me, but don’t like it when I talk about you instead. You have double standards!" Lily shook her head and said emotionally."I do have double standards! Anyway, you're not allowed to talk about him and me.""Him? Who are you referring to?" Lily pretended to be ignorant. Olivia was mad with anger, but there was nothing she could do."Okay, I’ll stop teasing you!" Olivia pouted and looked at the box in Lily’s hand. This was something they had just m
”The impact of this incident was too significant. This is not just about La Beauté Group. You should know that the entire perfume industry was affected due to Ms. Christian. This affects our reputation! Who would dare to buy perfumes in the future? Who knows if there’s any poison in them? She’s an alarmist. She’s spreading rumors and deceiving the public!"Some radicals voiced their harsh condemnation and the facial expression of the PR department's employee changed. She immediately comforted the public, "Everyone, please calm down. The reason our company is holding this press conference today is to give you an explanation. We’ll definitely give you an answer today. However, there’s a small incident, and Ms. Christian hasn’t arrived yet. I hope all the reporters present can please give us some time, okay?”La Beauté Group had a very high status in the beauty industry. Moreover, the public relations department's statement sounded sincere. Everyone looked at each other and calmed dow
The whole road was congested, with an accident ahead. Although the traffic police were on the scene, the cars moved forward slowly.Seeing how slow the cars were, the initially calm Lily could not help feeling anxious. She looked at the traffic jam and the time. She helplessly said, "Sir, please drop me off by the side over there."Then she turned to Olivia and said, "Don't worry. Stay in the car and go slowly. I'll get out of the car soon and walk another way.""It's dangerous! There are so many cars!" Olivia said worriedly after grabbing Lily."It's fine. I’ll be careful. I’m already late." Lily glanced at the road. If she remembered correctly, a small road nearby could reach the hotel, which may be faster."Then you... be careful!" Olivia was worried, but since Lily insisted, she could say nothing else. Olivia could only give Lily some gentle reminders.When the car stopped by the side, Lily quickly opened the door and got down of the car. She trotted to the side of the road, holdin
After a pause, Alexander looked at the audience and asked, "I noticed many perfumers among the guests who came today. As far as you are concerned, do you think adding poisonous materials to perfumes is feasible? In other words, can it be done?"Nobody expected Alexander to turn the tables on them, that he would question them now.Some wanted to say, "We are here to question you, not for you to question us." However, Alexander was on stage, and no one dared to say that—instead, they just looked at each other, stunned."Is there anyone who can enlighten me?" Alexander continued.His attitude was sincere, and it did not look like he was deliberately making things difficult for them, so some perfumers were eager to answer.The status of La Beauté Group in this industry did not need anyone to comment. Even if such negative news came out, they could stop the spread of the news immediately. It showed the company’s capabilities.Besides their ability and interests, they needed a good developme
Rose noticed Alexander staring at the person who just spoke. She stood anxiously and instinctively took the initiative to start speaking, “Ms. Christian…”As soon as she started, a crisp voice sounded, “Sorry, I’m late, everyone!” Lily was panting heavily, looking a little messy, her hair wet with sweat sticking to her face. She was also wearing casual clothes.The media thought she would attend all dressed up and was startled by what they saw. Some picked up their cameras and took pictures as they returned to their senses.No matter what, the main character finally appeared. The reporters and media did not waste their time. As for why Lily was so messy, everyone wondered if she did not want to come but got forced to show up. Some reporters had already begun to think of the drama in their minds.Alexander turned to look at his wife. She was holding a box in her hand while trying to catch her breath. "Don't worry." He said warmly, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wipe
Lily performed worse than the previous perfumer and would have been better off saying that she was bragging or joking. Instead, she was admitting it seriously. Did she think she was heroic and majestic by doing so? What was Lily thinking?Looking at Mr. Russell again, he had no intention of stopping her. His eyes were always on that woman as if she was his whole world.‘Crazy! The world was crazy! Mr. Russell is crazy too!’Rose looked at the ceiling speechlessly as she did not know how the press conference would end today. Since they had already reached this point, she might as well continue to listen."Ms. Christian, do you mean that the recording was edited? That means that it’s not what we heard?" The reporters were smart as they quickly concluded the key points."The recording did sound like it was edited. However, Ms. Christian's words were clear and have not been edited," someone objected.Lily was in no hurry despite being faced with all their doubts. She smiled slightly
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