“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
On their way over, Nathaniel told Melanie to get everyone who worked at the lab to gather there. By dawn, everyone rushed to the lab, not knowing what had happened, but they could guess it was something huge from the urgency.Knowing that it was an important matter, Melanie became severe at work. She repeatedly analyzed the components of the essential oil she brought back from the factory and compared them to the formula. There was just one thing she could not understand; the reason the finished product differed so much from the previous batches.Although Melanie had been unconcerned about work for the past two years, she still had the basic skills and knowledge it took to be a perfumer. From the analysis, she was sure there was nothing wrong with the essential oil components. Where was the problem from then?Nathaniel did not mention the problems with the essential oil and finished product to the lab’s employees. He just told them the company had received a new order, and he had to
Olivia looked at Nathaniel and then at her watch, “I’m not late. It’s still early!”“The company had notified all staff members to gather in the laboratory immediately. Where have you been?” Nathaniel asked with a livid face and stern tone.“I was sleeping at home,” Olivia said assertively. “What notice are you talking about? I didn’t see any. Also, I don’t read work notifications during non-working hours.”“How dare you talk back when you’re at fault? Everyone is working hard for the company. What about you? Do you think I won’t reprimand you because you’re a senior staff member? It seems like Lily has…” Nathaniel abruptly stopped speaking as if Lily’s name was taboo in the company. “Forget it. Go and check on the essential oils in the laboratory. See if there is any difference compared to before. If you do it well, I won’t hold you accountable for being late.”After some thought, Nathaniel felt that only Olivia would know the reason behind this matter apart from Lily. Olivia ha
“Alright!” Nathaniel pondered for a while and agreed. However, his call could only go through when he used a borrowed phone as Lily had blocked his and Melanie’s numbers.Meanwhile, Lily had obtained all the research and analysis data and prepared a detailed report, so she only needed to hand it to Jenny. Lily completed her task ahead of schedule since it was not a big deal for her. After all, she had talent. Also, she practically lived in a laboratory over the years and had grown accustomed to it.Due to her job’s nature, the laboratory included a shower room. She took a much-needed bath and got dressed before wiping her hair when her phone rang. “Hello?” Lily answered while wiping her hair, putting the call on the loudspeaker. “This is Lily speaking. Who’s calling?”She could not hear well as she had a big towel on her head. She smelled herself all over to ensure no odd smells lingered because she did not want Alexander to smell anything weird on her again.‘She must be doing thi
“Thank you,” she said politely. Lily was confident that she had done her job well, and there was no need to be modest about it.Jenny smiled when she saw Lily’s confident expression. She leaned against the lockers and turned to face her, “Honestly, I thought you were the one who had plagiarized MN Inc.’s work.” Lily raised an eyebrow, unsure how to react to Jenny’s comment. When they first met, she knew of Jenny's untrust and disdain toward her. The way Jenny looked at her was so obvious. She practically had the words “You’re a plagiarizing thief!” inked across her forehead.Lily did not bother explaining herself because words could only do so much when others already had certain assumptions about her character. She could only prove herself through her capabilities and dispel those rumors with time.Jenny noticed Lily remaining silent and continued, “After all, Melanie Thayer was quite well-known in our industry. She was a dark horse that won numerous awards. Besides, most conside
Lily smiled silently. So, Jenny decided not to push the subject, “Okay then, miss secretive! Since you have your knight in shining armor to pick you up, I won’t be your escort then. I’ll take my leave. See you!”Lily nodded and parted ways with Jenny at the entrance of the building. As Jenny was backing out of the car park, she turned her head and saw Lily still standing there. She was about to ask Lily why she was still there when she saw Lily dashing across the other direction.Out of curiosity, Jenny slowed down her car to look at Lily. She saw Lily running toward a black sedan and hopped in. Then the car drove off. The sedan windows were dark, so Jenny could not see the person sitting inside.“Gosh! I’m just too nosy sometimes!” Shaking her head, Jenny smiled. As she stepped on the accelerator, the black sedan overtook her and sped off. “W-Was that a Maybach?!” Jenny felt dizzy when she noticed the brand of the car Lily was in.…“You smell good today. Did you just shower?” Al
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