Unlike the Tanner family, Lily’s week had been relatively peaceful. The paparazzi had stationed themselves outside her studio but could not get anything on her since she barely left her workplace.She only traveled back and forth between home and her studio. Moreover, Alexander and Lily had made their relationship public long ago, so the media had even less to dig into. Ultimately, the paparazzi voluntarily left since there was nothing to do.On the other hand, there was finally news about the Perfumers’ Society, as officials had decided to investigate them. News about them caused a massive stir regarding the society’s integrity, such as Lawrence being the society’s qualified advisor and whether the other members had accepted bribery during competitions.This issue had caused public outrage, and officials had no choice but to look into it.The Perfumers’ Society now faced possible dissolution as the public had negative impressions of most of its perfumers. Therefore, some members s
“Hello, is this Ms. Lily speaking?" The person calling spoke to Lily fluently in English.Lily froze for a moment before nodding. "Yes, this is her."The caller responded straightforwardly, "I’m calling to inquire about the perfume one of the models from Aisha Agency used in Bryxton City’s fashion show. You were the one who devised and developed the themed series, am I right?”Lily asked, "Where did you get that information?"Hearing her vigilance, the caller laughed and said, "Ms. Christian, please don't misunderstand. We have no malicious intentions. We’re from Grandeur. We’re very interested in your perfume and want to discuss a collaboration with you. Do you have some free time?""Grandeur?”‘The world's largest perfume brand and company?’"That's right. We're the Grandeur you're thinking of. W-We’re not scammers and are interested in your perfumes. Look, can we discuss this sometime?" The Grandeur representative seemed to be able to guess Lily’s thoughts.Lily pondered for
The representative probably did not expect Lily to refuse directly. They were taken aback for a moment. "Ms. Christian, why don't you consider our offer first?"This offer was so tempting that the representative believed almost nobody would refuse. However, Lily did not even bother to listen. "Oh, that’s okay. I won't sell them, no matter what the offer is. Thank you for your appreciation, goodbye."Lily was about to hang up after speaking neatly. Still, the representative could not help but say another sentence, "Ms. Christian, we appreciate those perfumes, but I hope you also know that no matter how talented you are, you can't do much alone.“Our company can provide the most powerful platform, and as far as we know, your situation in Hyderland is not doing well. It's hard to say whether you can continue to work in this industry.""Your company won’t have to worry about me. Thank you for your concern, goodbye." Then Lily hung up without any hesitation."Don't you ever consider th
Lily followed the police to the station but did not know much about the current situation.Since the police knew about her relationship with Alexander, they were very polite. Still, she was not fully convicted. The officers took her to a room and served her a cup of hot tea before sitting for interrogation."Ms. Christian, we heard from Mr. Damian that he had bribed you. He also accused you of adding harmful ingredients to the Victory perfume. Is that right?” The officer asked."I did no such thing," Lily said lightly, "I don't know him either. Frankly, I didn't know who he was until the Tanner Corporation accused me.""If you haven't done anything wrong, why did Mr. Damian single you out? Do you have any grudges against Mr. Damian or the Tanners?" The officer asked again.Lily replied calmly, "No. As for why Mr. Damian accused me, you need to ask him. In addition, I believe all the evidence he listed, including photos and recordings, etcetera, can be used for forensic identificat
Somehow, someone bailed Damian out of jail.Nathaniel appeared at the police station wearing a neat suit and looking energetic. “I'm here to bail Mr.Damian out. By the way, I also want to report someone.""Who do you want to report?" The officer frowned as he thought the Tanner family was going in circles with this incident. It was so troublesome."I want to report Ms. Arianna, the Tanner Corporation’s vice president, for threatening Damian to give a false testimony."The surrounding police officers looked at each other in surprise.…After a while, Damian saw Nathaniel and smiled. When Lily exited her interrogation room, she saw those two and was shocked. However, everything made sense to her after some thought. Nathaniel had joined Tanner Corporation, so it was not unusual for him and Damian to get together. It was not a strange thing at first, but suddenly a light flashed in her mind, and many things came together. Everything connected as Lily became more aware of the situat
Although Lily did not have a great impression of Arianna, she knew Nathaniel was not a reasonable person either.“I see. That’s how it is.” She appeared to have come to a sudden realization and smiled at Damian. “The Tanner family sounds complicated.”Damian did not know how to respond to that.“As for you…” Lily looked at Nathaniel and took a step closer to him. While looking into his eyes, she asked, “What’s your role in all of this? A helper? An accomplice? Or are you merely seeking justice for him because of the unfairness he went through?”“I found out about this after getting the evidence, and I don’t want to see so many innocent people get dragged into this. That’s all. I know you have a deep prejudice against me, but trust me, this time. Arianna was the one who planned this.”“He’s right!” Damian nodded fervently by the side.‘It’s all because of that woman! If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have suffered so much and fallen from the top of the pyramid overnight. I wouldn’
Arianna was expecting news, so she quickly answered her phone, but her expression changed before she could say much. “What did you say?”“What happened?” Joseph noticed his daughter’s expression and asked, “Is it about your uncle?”Arianna ignored him, grimly finished listening to the call, and smashed the phone. “That f*cking asshole!”That was the first time her parents had seen her lose her cool since she was young. The phone got smashed to smithereens, and Arianna looked pale as a ghost.“What’s wrong, Ari?” Eloise stopped what she was doing and asked carefully.“You’ve raised a f*cking…” She lifted her stare at Eloise and let out a cold smile. Stunned by her glare, Eloise suddenly panicked. “What are you talking about?”Eloise was alarmed by what her daughter said and stole a glance at Joseph. As she had expected, Joseph was looking at them suspiciously. “Ari, what were you saying just now?”Arianna did not answer—instead, she glared at Eloise, her gaze filled with resentme
If Joseph had not caught on to what Arianna said earlier, he now heard her last words clearly and became utterly shocked.Eloise moved her lips and tried to say something but could not. She knew it was useless to explain. “Just now, Ari said, “your son”? Which son was she talking about?” Joseph fixed his stare on her.“If I tell you I had given birth to him before I met you, would you still be so angry?” Now that Arianna had exposed her secret, Eloise knew she had nothing to hide and sat down calmly.“Before we met? Well, Eloise Neville, you’re something else, aren’t you? After so many years, you’ve kept your secret so well. What else are you hiding from me? How many other sons and lovers do you have? No wonder people say not to marry women from your circle. Oh, Eloise, you truly have amazed me. You truly did!”As he spoke, he took two unsteady steps back, looking like he had aged more than ten years in a few seconds.Having been his wife for years, Eloise could not bear to see
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