Chapter 1
She was over the moon because she had finally created the “First Love” formula, the perfume she had worked on for many years. After winning the upcoming competition, Lily and Nathaniel Hall’s wedding would be on the agenda.
The couple met in university, known each other for five years, and dated for three. Lily left everything behind to focus on perfume formulas and finally managed to help Nathaniel expand his company. Thinking of the beautiful future ahead, she indulged more in drinking.
She rubbed her temples, wanting to get some water to quench her thirst. However, she heard strange noises coming from the adjacent room.
Lily lived alone in a rented apartment. Occasionally, Nathaniel would stay overnight, but he typically slept in the other room.
The noise Lily heard made her worry if Nathaniel was feeling unwell. When she got closer to the source, she heard a woman’s voice instead.
“Nate, won’t Lily hear us?”
Although the woman’s voice was unclear, Lily was sure it belonged to someone she knew. She instantly felt disheartened.
Lily had developed insomnia due to her extensive research on perfumes. She started relying on sleeping pills over the past few years, making her somewhat resistant to its effects.
“I’ll become a top perfumer tomorrow after my new product wins an award. It’ll secure my status in this industry, and you’ll have tons of investment opportunities knocking on your door. Then you can recruit as many people as you want! How could Lily compare to me?”
By now, Lily identified who was speaking as she clenched her fists. It was Melanie Thayer, Lily’s good friend from college. She was having an affair with Lily’s fiancé. Lily had heard the rumors before but chose not to believe them blindly. Despite that, the truth was hurting and tearing Lily apart.
even named the company after us. Can’t you see how much I love you? Lily is just a stepping-stone in the grand scheme of things. Do you think I would’ve tampered with
to hear you say her name. I only want to know if you love her or me,” Melanie’s voice was delicate, and she sounded sensual whenever she stretched her words to a higher pitch. However,
she could see the shameless couple right through the door. The sounds she soon heard made her nauseous. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms till they bled. Doing that helped Lily stop herself from barging into the room. She never expected her wholehearted efforts
perfumery competition. She received countless offers, including one from one of the prominent
ago, there was a problem with her perfume. Everyone ridiculed her, calling her a perfumer without a sense of smell. Back then, she could not figure out
“by her side” out of concern. He suggested Lily work behind the scenes while Melanie joined the competitions and attended the public
life’s hurdles together, yet she was just one of Nathaniel’s many pawns in
his company MN Inc. and told Lily it was just two random letters he picked. Lily believed his foolish excuse, but it was Melanie
Nathaniel expand his company unconditionally. It was ridiculous now that Lily thought about it. Lily’s fury gradually diminished as calmness took
Lily his name card personally. She wondered if his phone
up the call, so she continued, “We met at the regional perfumery competition three years
that.” The man’s deep voice and three simple words
I figured you might
at my office
about to hang up when she quickly stopped him. “W-Wait, Mr. Russell, it might be too late tomorrow. What about today? Plus, it’s inconvenient for me to meet you at your office. Could we
out her words, she could not help but
67% of the market share in the beauty industry nationwide, not to mention its vast range of
Alexander Russell, was simply a legend in the business world. It was a miracle for Lily that he agreed to