Chapter 6

The figure wore a simple and plain white dress. The lights focused on her body, and everyone was dazzled when she walked out with a graceful aura around her. Lily dressed simply and did not wear any jewelry. Her makeup was also faint, yet it accentuated her natural beauty.

“L-Lily?!” Nathaniel could not believe his eyes and could not digest what exactly happened. He instinctively took a few quick steps forward and faced Lily. He lowered his voice and said, "What are you doing here?"

"I came here to participate in the competition, of course." Lily glanced at him. Her lips revealed a mischievous smile as she leaned over and continued to move forward.

"Lily!" Nathaniel pulled her wrist, his low voice exasperated, "Stop fooling around! This is not the occasion for such things!"

Alexander squinted at the screen in the VIP room, looking at Lily’s restless hand. Then his glance sharpened suddenly.

The next second, Lily pulled her arm away from Nathaniel's grasp with force. “Mr. Hall, since you know this is an important occasion, I suggest you behave yourself!” Her words echoed throughout the venue, and she was already on the stage.

Her transformation greatly exceeded Nathaniel's expectations, and he looked at the woman standing on the stage in surprise. Lily had always been well-behaved, so how did she…

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Rebirth’s very own perfumer, Lily. I was the one who made First Love.” Lily was unhurried, and every word she spoke was clear. Everyone present could hear her.

Looking at Lily on the stage, Melanie gripped the wine glass in her hand and gritted her teeth to maintain a superficial smile. She glared at Nathaniel, signaling him to salvage the situation urgently. However, Nathaniel had firmly locked his gaze on Lily as he wondered what she would do.

“The organizing committee has informed me there was a clash in creativity with First Love. I was surprised to hear that, but I believe the judges will make a fair decision. Still, I am willing to accept further investigation.” Afterward, Lily took two steps back away from the microphone. She looked decent and elegant, which made her seem honest.

“L-Lily? I feel like I’ve heard of this person before.”

“Yeah. I remember her winning the Best New Perfumer award in the province contest, but I hadn’t heard from her since.”

“That’s old news. At a competition in Finland two years ago, she made a blunder, and everyone called her a perfumer with no sense of smell.”

“Oh, that’s it! Now I remember who she is!”

The looks in the crowd’s eyes changed when they looked at Lily. They disdained her, teased her, and wanted to watch the drama unfold. The competition’s standards were not as high as others, and many influential companies in the industry did not participate. Only the smaller and more medium-sized companies took part.

Regardless of the award’s standard, one could heighten their company and perfumer’s popularity to grow their profit if they won an award.

Although Rebirth relied on La Beauté Group, it was not long after that Rebirth made a name for itself. Still, Rebirth did not use La Beauté Group’s senior perfumers during this competition, so the judges considered it fair for them to participate.

Melanie heard the discussions around her and steadied her flustered heart. Then he approached the stage smilingly. “I apologize for delaying everyone’s time. I’m Melanie, MN Inc.’s perfumer, and I am honored to meet so many elites in our industry,” she paused and continued smilingly, “I have not been in the industry for long. I only started three years ago, but I have studied perfumery for a long time. Still, I never expected someone to steal my hard work. I-It’s…”

Melanie scoffed and shook her head, “How should I say this? I guess I can only thank the person who stole my work because it means others have recognized it.” She turned and playfully winked at Lily, not blushing once.

Lily stood rooted and watched Melanie smile menacingly at her. Lily could not help but admire Melanie for lying so effortlessly. Although the two ladies smiled and spoke politely, the situation had started on a rocky path.

The host spoke at the right time, “Both sides seem reasonable to us. Is this truly a clash in creativity?”

Then the crowd burst into an uproar again.

“I have never heard of a clash of this proportion after all my years in this industry!”

“Yeah! It would be possible if it were just the product’s name, but even the perfume’s scent is similar. It’s too much of a coincidence!”

“It must be plagiarism!”

“We must not tolerate plagiarists! It is a shame to the industry!”

Melanie grabbed the microphone. “I, too, despise plagiarism, but I believe the judges will bring justice to the competition!” She was full of confidence compared to the calm Lily.

“What about you, Ms. Christian?” The host asked.

“I believe in the organizing committee and my work.” Lily smiled blandly and did not say much, but her eyes revealed her determination.

The host then mediated the dispute with a smile. “Since that is the case…” Before he could finish, he furrowed his brows and twitched his nose twice. “Uh…”

The crowd quickly understood what made the host stutter because most also twitched their noses from smelling something bizarre. To be precise, it was a terrible odor. Not only was it smelly, but it was also fishy. Everyone felt disgusted when the odor mixed with a fragrance.

"What's that smell?"

Everyone present was familiar with the perfume industry and was used to smelling various scents. However, they could not tolerate the sudden stench.

“Organizers, didn’t your staff clean the venue before the competition? Why does it stink?!” Someone questioned.

The host hurriedly explained, “We’ve ensured the venue was spotless before this. It’s impossible…” Before finishing, he moved a few steps to the side and looked at Melanie, conflicted.

Melanie wanted to say a few more words, but before she could hold the microphone, the host avoided her like the plague. Melanie was stunned and revealed a puzzled expression.

Everyone followed suit when they saw the host’s actions. They immediately understood the situation and leaned toward Melanie. Then they hurriedly backpaddled.

"T-The stench is coming from her!”

“What a horrid smell! Someone, quickly open the windows!”

Melanie heard the crowd’s criticism, and her face turned ashen. She felt extremely humiliated. Melanie had also smelt the strange odor but did not think it came from her. She wanted to look downward and sniff it but was too embarrassed and confused to do anything about it.

“Lily!” Nathaniel shouted with a bitter and pained expression, “W-Why did you betray me?!”