"What do you mean? What's the theme? Who is it for? Are there any requirements for the type or scent? When do you need it? What’s the budget?" Lily started firing off questions right away. Lisa, who was munching on fries, was stunned. She blinked and replied, "Uh..." “You’re not sure, but you came to me with a business proposal?" Lily laughed at her and said, "Besides, there are so many perfumers over there, and many top-notch perfumers. Your father is one too. Why did you come all the way here to find me? Unless, of course, the burgers drew you here.Lily was only partially joking when she teased Lisa.Regardless of Lily’s degree of development, Lisa's father was already a well-known industry leader, as was the research team under him. Their company was already quite advanced, so why would Lisa go out of her way to find her? Was it done on purpose to give Lily a chance to shine?"Of course not!" Pretending to be angry, Lisa continued, "Well, here’s what happened. My fat
Lily was about to reach home when she received a call from her husband, “Are you on the way home?”"I’m almost there," Lily replied, "Five more minutes.""Wait for me at the door, but don't come in,” Alexander said, "I'll be out right away."Lily was stunned, asking, "You’re going out?""Um.""Is something wrong?""I’ll tell you later."After some thought, Lily nodded and replied, "Well, I'll be there soon."Soon enough, Lily drove into the neighborhood. As soon as she arrived at the villa's gate, she saw Alexander walking out. He dressed casually, so it did not seem like a momentous occasion. Still, he did not mention where he was going.Alexander opened the driver-side door, which confused Lily. "I'll drive. You've been busy all day. Take a rest.""Oh?" Lily replied, unbuckled her seatbelt, and got out of the car to move to the passenger seat. "Why didn't you tell Edward to drive?""It’s just the two of us, and I don’t want him to tag along." Alexander smiled, started the
“Is this?" Lily guessed what it could be, but she was not sure."Do you like it?" Without answering her question, Alexander looked around and was quite satisfied with the overall arrangement."What if I like it, and what if I don't? Is it mine if I like it?" Lily said half-jokingly, glaring at him as she touched the test tube lightly. ‘These are new!’"That's right!" Alexander answered with certainty, "It’s yours if you like it."Lily pointed and looked at him with surprise. "You bought all this for me?"Although she had probably guessed it, she was still surprised to hear him say that. After all, she had just thought of getting a studio for herself. Alexander even chose the location and had it all renovated. This is too coincidental. Could he read her mind?"Of course." Alexander was delighted with her response. He walked over and put the keys in her hand. "From now on, this place is yours. I've been around for about two months and thought this place was lovely. The location is
Since that was the case, Lily could only think about having a studio of her own but could not take further action. It was not until today that Lisa came looking for her for a customized order, along with the incident with the Perfumers’ Society, that Lily considered her plans more seriously.After all the recent events, she thought of implementing her studio for the first time. However, Alexander had done everything for her. Lily stopped the spoon in her hand, looked up at Alexander, and said severely, “Thank you for all of this!”Perhaps her tone was so severe that Alexander was stunned for a moment. Seeing her eyes full of gratitude, he could not help but smirk. He caressed her hair, saying, "You're spouting nonsense again.""It's not nonsense! It's the truth!" With a sigh, Lily continued, "You have no idea. After meeting Lisa today, I thought about building myself a studio. I was thinking about where it should be, how much it would cost, and whether or not you would agree. I neve
The studio's significant arrangements were made, and only minor concerns remained, such as hiring staff and procuring raw materials.Olivia will, of course, come along with her. At first, Jenny wanted to be on her team, but Lily turned her down since Jenny's new position as Rebirth's supervisor increased her likelihood of being promoted. She could do more at La Beauté Group and be given more opportunities, but she would be limited to doing the bare minimum in the studio.There wouldn’t be too much business initially, and Jenny couldn’t contribute much to technical work. It would be better if she stayed in that company and only joined the studio when its business improved. Since she understood Lily’s persuasive reasoning, Jenny nodded. “If you need help in the future, just let me know.”There was no need to quit her job at the company in a rush, but Lily submitted her resignation letter anyway. The higher-ups were shocked to receive it, and the letter was redirected from Rebirth to
Rose was stunned because her boss smiled meaningfully at that. ‘Did it mean something was going on or was it just a sweet smile? Also, it’s hard not to wonder about the plans Lily’s supposed to have. What could they be?’Rose arrived at the HR department carrying the resignation letter and many unanswered questions.“Mr. Russell approved it?” The HR employees were surprised. “Looks like Mr. Russell knew about this, and they talked about it.” “Still, things were looking up for Lily, and the company was planning to make her the chief perfumer. Why quit now? What for?”“What’s so great about being a chief perfumer? Didn’t you guys forget that she’s the future wife of our CEO?” Someone interjected. “Oh, yeah! That means Lily has quit the job to marry him, then?”Since it was a slow day at the HR department and this titillating gossip involved their boss, everyone felt compelled to join in. Someone raised her hand and said, “Oh, please! I’m telling you, according to the rumor I’
“That’s horsesh*t!” She shot Jenny a glare and slapped her tummy with both hands. “Do I look pregnant to you?”“Hey, not your tummy!” Hurrying over to stop Lily’s hands, Jenny touched her belly. “Still rather flat. If you’re pregnant, I’ll say it’s not past three months.”Finding it both hilarious and frustrating, Lily pulled Jenny’s hands off. “Well, I’m not! I had my period last month. How can I be pregnant for three months?”“What about this month, then?” Jenny asked half-jokingly. “The month’s not even over…” Lily thought back to when she last had her period and realized it had been over a month.She usually ignored her periods, and since she had been so preoccupied recently, she had just forgotten about this one. After being reminded, Lily realized she had missed this month's period.Jenny guessed what was going on based on Lily’s face and crouched down, nervous for her. “Why? You’re not really pregnant, are you?”“How can it be possible?” She laughed, although it rang a l
Lily was worried. Although it was hard to be sure with matters like these, she knew what had happened. She and Alexander had s*x twice without safety, presumably during her safe period. Thinking back, Lily felt a chill down her spine.As Lily drove, she looked up and saw the hospital gate. She had driven over here in a daze. However, having reached here, she hesitated to go in for a checkup. As Lily lingered, the cars behind her honked, and she could only drive into the compound.Unable to find a parking space, Lily hesitated again and drove out after making another round. She found a pharmacy nearby and went in but dared not ask for a pregnancy test kit.The pharmacy assistant had grown accustomed to these situations, so they asked if Lily needed family planning supplies. Only then did Lily hesitantly ask for a pregnancy test.Alexander had yet to return by the time Lily reached home. The afternoon sun shone through the window, but she felt a chill as she stared at the two lines o
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