Arianna had been exceptionally quiet throughout the meeting, barely saying a word, to the point where people almost forgot she was there. Once Donovan called her out, everyone turned to look at her.However, Damian was still calm about it as he stood there with a smug smile. Although everything was a mess now, he felt it was not his fault. Donovan's accusing attitude upset Damian. 'Who does he think he is to question me like that?'"Mr. Elm, everything happened so suddenly. I do feel like it's premeditated." After thinking about it, Arianna continued, "I think this woman is quite suspicious as well.""Exactly! There's something fishy about this woman! She's trying to frame the company and me on purpose!" Damian interrupted, "Maybe La Beauté Group sent her. I'll go look into her at once!"Donovan shot him a look, and Damian immediately lost his arrogance. Although he was dissatisfied, he knew he was not the president of Tanner Corporation yet. Therefore, he was not qualified or powe
Arianna nodded. "Of course!"Just like that, the meeting ended.Damian never expected the highlight of his life to end like this. Not only was he pained, but he also did not know what to do next. "Arianna Tanner, what are you trying to do here?!" He could not hold himself back and rushed to grab her arm."Mr. Damian, what are you doing?" Arianna did not bother to break free from his grip. Instead, she frowned and looked at him. "You're hurting me."Turning a deaf ear to her words, Damian became more aggressive. "Is this part of your plan?! You're trying to frame me, aren't you?! Why did you suggest inspecting our perfume?! Are you trying to say there's something wrong with my perfume?!"His voice boomed. Since there were still people around the lounge area, it attracted many people’s attention as they gathered around. However, the duo was their two bosses, so no one dared to speak up. Everyone just stood and watched quietly."Mr. Damian, I need you to calm down. We should all wor
Although Damian was reluctant, he had to admit Arianna was more experienced than him in dealing with crises.When the elevator door opened, Nathaniel was standing there. The three of them exchanged looks, and just as Damian was about to speak, he heard Arianna say, "Come with me!"She called Nathaniel into her office and closed the door. However, as Arianna did not draw the curtains, everyone could see that she was talking with a solemn expression, presumably about the perfume crisis.Damian continued to pace around outside. His mind was in chaos. After much deliberation, he still thought that woman was the root of all these problems. He even wondered if Naomi had taken money from someone else and tried to frame him.After thinking about this a bit more, he stomped away.Although Arianna seemed occupied talking to Nathaniel in her office, she fixed her eyes on Damian, who was outside. When she saw him leave in a hurry, she dropped the act and signaled with her eyes that Damian had
Lily brought some fruits and a thermos of hot porridge to the hospital for Olivia's visit.After she had resigned and worked with Lily at the studio, Olivia had not been eating properly. When Lily got the call informing her that Olivia was in the hospital, she was shocked.Lily was relieved to learn from Edward that it was only a minor stomach ulcer, and she quickly brought some porridge and fruit over early in the morning."Where is the person who’d always make me eat? You're something else. How could you forget to eat?!" Lily kept muttering as she poured the porridge into a small bowl."Your stomach is very sensitive now, and you should only eat food that is easy to digest. Now, no matter how much you crave them, you can't eat all that delicious food you like anymore."Then she sat on the edge of the bed and blew on the spoon as she glanced at Olivia, who was still laughing. Lily genuinely did not know what to do with this woman. "How dare you laugh still?""What a privilege to
“That's none of our business," Lily said before closing the door. Then she sat back down and continued feeding Olivia the porridge.This industry was chaotic. The reporters weren't there for any of them, so it was best not to poke their noses into it.After eating two bowls of porridge, taking a break, and munching on a banana, Olivia thought she heard footsteps outside. She guessed that the reporters must have left and felt more at ease."You should rest well these couple of days. There's nothing much in the studio right now, so you don't have to worry. Once you're out, you can continue to rest at home if you like," Lily said."Don't you have a new series of themes to come up with? Can you do it on your own?"Olivia knew of Lisa's request, so she was eager to ensure everything was going well. After all, this was the first big project that the studio had, and it was a big stepping stone for them."I have yet to decide on a theme, but I have a rough idea. Give me time to think abo
"Lily, what's going on?" Olivia tilted her head and asked. She observed Lily getting up to close the door, but she didn't return for quite some time, and then, it was only partially closed."Shush!" Lily gestured. "I'm watching a show." Olivia was speechless! Wasn't Lily the one who said not to meddle in other people's business? Olivia did not know why Lily was interested until, amidst the yelling, Lily suddenly remembered who that man was.That man that barged in was Joseph Tanner's illegitimate son, Damian.The fact that Lily had heard of him was also purely coincidental. Jenny had told her at the time that Nathaniel had taken a job with Tanner Corporation and proposed that they go into the perfume business. He even opened up a new department to develop perfume, with him being the person in charge. Lily had no idea when he became the project manager of Tanner Corporation or how he became involved with them. However, Jenny warned Lily that their complicated relationship could l
“So, Mr. Tanner, you seem to prioritize your company's loss over Ms. Schiffer's well-being, am I right?" Another reporter immediately stepped in and questioned.Damian was no fool and immediately picked up on the trick question. "Of course, I care about Ms. Schiffer, but before there’s any conclusive evidence, it's wrong for her to say something is wrong with our perfume. We consider it slander and have the right to pursue it!""The hospital has already issued a test report confirming that your company's perfume triggered Ms. Schiffer's allergic reaction. There is no doubt about that. Why are you still trying to argue? What other evidence do you need?""Mr. Tanner, did you come here to pressure Ms. Schiffer into changing her statement?""Are you here to suppress this matter because your company cannot prove its innocence?""If it triggered Ms. Schiffer's allergic reaction, other consumers must also be experiencing it. What's more, my sources say your perfume contains prohibited in
After that, the reporters left. They had everything they needed and more. Now, they just had to go back and edit the clips in preparation for their new posts. The story this time was sensational, and it was as big a deal as Lily's poisonous perfume or even more prominent.In Lily's case, it was just an audio recording, and there was no solid proof. In addition, La Beauté Group had a solid background with an excellent public relations team. Although the news story did not take long to spread, the PR team quickly suppressed it.Then once the press conference concluded, it gave them a clean slate and put the company in a positive light. Immediately after, some said La Beauté Group's perfumes are good for one's health and could even cure diseases. They were miracle products.Later, what was even more interesting was that Lily resigned from La Beauté Group. Everyone assumed she was going to lay back and enjoy being a trophy wife, but she later revealed she had opened her own studio and w
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