Ch. 71..80

Spoiled by Mr. Russell Chapter 71

Lily stayed in the laboratory the whole afternoon and barely spared time even to drink water. She was a very enthusiastic worker and would block out all external distractions once she was engrossed in her work.

Lily only realized it was already dark when someone knocked on the laboratory door, urging her to leave. The task was more difficult than expected, and she miscalculated the time it would need.

Jenny had given her three days, and Lily made her plans according to her habits in the old laboratory. She had not considered not being able to stay as late as she had wished.

She had to leave on time. No one was allowed to stay overnight at the company except for the staff on duty. After all, there was a concern for information confidentiality. She was only permitted to be in this laboratory, for example.

Lily took off her coat, headgear, and gloves before she washed her hands several times. It was already past eight, and the sky was dark. Jenny was long gone. She had informed Lily of the task and only needed to wait for the result. She did not need to wait for Lily.

Lily stood in front of the building and saw most of the lights in the building were off. The nearby street lights were dim, and the road looked dark. There were not many cars passing by, let alone cabs.

With a sigh, Lily pulled out her phone and tried booking a car through an app. Considering there were no drivers nearby, it was difficult to find one. Looking at the map, Lily found a small town two kilometers away where getting a car could be more accessible.

With no other option, she could only walk there. The pavement made walking easy, but with the dark sky and no one around, it felt pretty deserted.

Lily only took a few steps when she heard a faint car engine behind her. She turned around and could vaguely see a dark–colored vehicle that looked like a private car. Lily moved to the side to give way.

The car unexpectedly drove right next to her, stopping with a screeching sound.

“Ouch!”

Lily instinctively jumped to the side but lost her footing when she landed. She fell to the ground and felt a piercing pain in her ankle.

Damn!

The car stopped, and someone opened the door to step out of the vehicle. Lily felt nervous, angry, and scared

She could not help but reprimand the person approaching her as she looked up, “Don‘t you know how to drive?”

“Why‘d you jump to the side?”

Lily was stunned when she saw Alexander standing before her. Lily pouted as she was unsure if she should cry or laugh, ww–why are you here?”

It was his fault for not notifying her, making her panic for nothing

“Who else do you think it is?”

Alexander crouched in front of Lily to check her feet under the light from the car‘s beadiate Are you injured?”

“I‘m fine. It‘s just a sprain.” Lily managed to stand up with help from Alexander She bordet into the car and felt more at ease.

Alexander sat inside the car and closed the door before telling Edward, the driver, let‘s ga” “Which leg did you sprain?” Alexander asked as soon as the car started moving Lily was speechless at his question. Did he want her to show her feet when others were in the car?

“It‘s okay. It can wait until we‘re back,” Lily subconsciously touched her ankie as she replied in a soft voice.

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It was just a small gesture, but Alexander caught it. He quickly pressed the button to raise the car‘s partition that separated the driver and the back seat. Without waiting for Lily‘s consent, he picked up her injured foot and placed it on his lap. With the interior light on, he could see that Lily‘s ankle was red and swollen.

Alexander frowned at the sight and asked, “Why are you so easily injured?”

“How would I know?” Lily replied in a low voice.

It was as though she was fragile when all she had was a sprain. Alexander was the one who caused this, or more accurately, the way Edward drove the car.

“Your bones are fine. You just need to apply some cream on it after we‘re back. Reduce walking for a few days.” Alexander made his conclusion after checking her foot.

“You know how to check for injuries?” Lily was surprised.

“Checking on simple bruises and sprains is not hard.” Alexander raised his head to look at her, and his frown deepened.

“Your body...” Alexander said hesitantly after taking a whiff.

Although he did not finish the sentence, the look on his face was obvious.

“Me?” Lily was stunned for a moment as she looked at herself before asking, “Oh, do you mean the scent on my body?

“...” Alexander did not reply.

“I was doing some experiments in the lab, and the smell got on me.” Lily wrapped her clothes closer to herself, but there was nothing she could do about it. This kind of odor adhered easily and was difficult to get rid of. She still had it on her, despite having washed her hands repeatedly.

Lily had gotten used to it after smelling it for so long, but as expected, others could still smell it on her. It made sense that Edward looked at her hesitantly when she got in the car, but he said nothing “Lab?” A surprised look flashed across Alexander‘s eyes, and he asked, “If I‘m not wrong, you‘re supposed to make nice–smelling perfumes, right?” Lily almost laughed out loud, seeing his expression. His face seemed to ask, “Are you playing me?”

“Yes, I‘m supposed to be making nice perfumes! However, there are thousands of various complex ingredients available. Even a peculiar smelling one can be analyzed and differentiated. My task was to do so on forty–eight different components of a particular mix. This will be helpful in the future.”

Making perfumes may seem simple, but it‘s not. It‘s a lot more complicated, needing a wide range of chemistry expertise. One could not persist in this field without deep interest.

“...” After a while, Alexander kept silent.

Lily assumed he was silent because he could not stand the smell, so she stopped explaining

Instead, she moved further away and rolled down the window to let fresh air in. It was a little embarrassing

Lily had not expected him to come pick her up from work, so she could not get rid of the foul odor in time. Which was why they were currently in the embarrassing predicament.

Suddenly, Lily felt a hand on her shoulder. Before she could turn around, she was pulled into a warm embrace.

“Why did you sit so far away? Were you afraid I would eat you up?” Alexander said in dissatisfaction as he hugged her tighter. “I‘m afraid I would stink you up, too.”

“It doesn‘t stink!” He got close to her hair and took a deep breath to make his words more believable. “This smells so...cough...cough....”

Alexander still choked at the smell and coughed several times. His bodily reaction betrayed his words.

“I–I’ll shower once we get home.”

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The first thing Lily did upon reaching home was to take a shower. After an hour, Lily finally came out in her pajamas when she was satisfied with how great she smelled from head to toe, thanks to the mix of body wash and fragrant essential oil she created herself. Alexander had already showered in another bathroom. He walked over with a prepared towel when he saw Lily coming out. “You didn‘t dry your hair?” He realized Lily did not have the habit of blow–drying her hair after her shower. Even though there was a hairdryer in the bathroom, she always came out with wet hair.

“I don‘t like the feeling of hot air blowing on my scalp,” Lily explained and stretched out her hand to take the towel from Alexander. However, he moved his hand and covered her head with the towel instead. Then, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “Sit down.”

“I–I...”

Lily could not convince Alexander to stop, so she could only listen to him, sitting down obediently. Alexander pressed his hands on the towel and gently wiped her hair. “This is great service,‘ Lily thought, hesitating for a moment before she allowed Alexander to do whatever he wanted with her hair. Initially, she could not get used to how nicely he treated her but slowly, she started to adapt to it. Now, Lily learned to enjoy his kind acts. Alexander was so sweet toward Lily that she felt like she had fallen into a pool of honey. The way he dried her hair was so comfortable that Lily closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

When Alexander heard no sound, he tilted his head and saw Lily‘s eyes closed, her head slightly lifted, looking like she was enjoying it. Alexander‘s lips curved into a smile, and he tried to lighten his hands‘ movements on Lily‘s hair, patting her hair dry slowly from the roots to the ends.

Sleeping with wet hair would be bad for her. Alexander could only dry her hair with a towel because she did not like using the hairdryer. Before she fell asleep, she murmured, “It doesn‘t smell anymore, right?”

“Yeah.” Alexander did not know what he should say about her now that she brought this matter up. It was his first time seeing a perfumer who made herself stink all over. ‘She‘s indeed different from the rest,‘ he thought.

Unaware of his internal complaints, Lily continued with her eyes closed, “With my exclusive essential oil, I can‘t stink! Still, it doesn‘t smell that bad. It‘s just that I used a little too much today, and it might be too strong when mixed, so...”

“Don‘t go there tomorrow,” Alexander interjected. “Huh?” Upon hearing that, Lily immediately opened her eyes and turned around to look at Alexander. “I can‘t. Ouch!”

As a result of turning her head abruptly, Lily pulled her muscle, making her yell. Alexander let go immediately and reprimanded her, “Careful there. Why’d you have to turn so fast?” “This is my job. Since I agreed to do it, I can‘t stop halfway. Plus, I promised...”

Promised what he asked keenly

“I promised my superior I would have the results within a day.” “One day? All 48 types of sınells?” “Yeah Wait.” Lily paused for a moment, slightly surprised. “How did you know it‘s 48 smells

“You need to have a detailed analysis of the 48 types of sources for bad scents. Who told you to complete it in a day?” Alexander asked in return instead of answering her question

“I did”

“It was you?”

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“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 company distributed tasks systematically, so it would not stress the employees out too much, but it would also not be too easy for them. Since the management team gave the team ten days to complete the task, they had determined that the task needed that long to be completed flawlessly. “That means you‘re going to that stinky place again for an entire day tomorrow?” Alexander asked, sucking a deep breath.

‘Is he worried that I‘ll come back smelly again tomorrow?‘ Lily thought for a moment, then said, “Don‘t worry. I‘ll bring the essential oil and fragrance over tomorrow. I‘ll come back after cleaning myself up there.”

“That place is far from the city, and you need to work for long hours. Don‘t go tomorrow.” For the first time, Alexander felt that the company had made a stupid decision to build the labs that far away. It was difficult to call for cabs after working hours, and Lily sprained her leg there.

“Why do they need to work till 8 p.m.? The working hours are too long!‘ Alexander thought.

“I...” Lily wanted to refute, but she noticed Alexander‘s solemn expression. He seemed upset, and she suddenly realized that this was his way of caring about her. Warmth filled her heart up, but she found it funny too.

She stood up from the couch before kneeling on one knee. As she was leaning forward, Alexander could only stretch his hands out to hug Lily to prevent her from falling

“Dear boss, you were the one who set the working location and hours. Why are you getting upset about it now? Everyone else works this way, so why can‘t I do the same? Plus, the working hours aren‘t that long. I could have left at 6 p.m., but I was so focused on the experiment that I forgot the time. How about this? I promise to finish my work quickly and return earlier, okay?”

Alexander knitted his brows tightly together, obviously still disapproving of Lily‘s plan.

“This side of Alex is so adorable!‘ Lily chuckled and leaned in to kiss both sides of Alexander‘s cheeks. Then she held his face, leaving feather–like kisses on the tip of his nose and his lips.“ Pretty please! It will end tomorrow anyway. You promised to let me work freely.”

Alexander, who was sullen initially, succumbed to Lily‘s coquettish coaxing. He was helpless when she was like this. After heaving a sigh, he held her head and pressed their lips together harshly. Alexander would always give in to her in the end!

At 11.30 p.m., a call from the factory woke Nathaniel. He was displeased that his sleep was interrupted, but the words he soon heard displeased him even more. “What? Repeat that!” As his voice was too loud, Melanie also awoke from her sleep. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up.” What happened? How am I supposed to sleep when you‘re so loud?” Nathaniel pushed her to the side and got out of bed, roaring, “Can‘t you restock when you run out of ingredients? What‘s the Purchasing Department doing? Look for a supplier. Can‘t you guys do that?” “Mr. Hall, but the ingredient is... the essential oil from the lab.”

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“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 got dressed. Melanie exited the room in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes as she asked, “Where are you going in the middle of the night? Who was that on the phone?” He threw her a glance, and something seemed to hit him “Get changed. You‘re coming with me. Hurry up!”

“Me?” She pointed at herself; her drowsiness gone in an instant. Confused, she asked, “Where are we going?” “The factory! There‘s something wrong with the essential oil!”

No matter how reluctant Melanie was, Nathaniel still managed to drag her with him to the factory in the end. The factory was bright, and the factory‘s manager immediately greeted them as soon as he saw them. “Mr. Hall, you‘re finally here. Come and have a look!”

There was a box of essential oil in the corner, so Nathaniel bent down and removed a bottle from it. Frowning, he put the bottle closer to his nose and took a whiff. “It smells fine!”

The manager said nothing but went ahead and took a finished product for Nathaniel. *Try this.

The strong scent made him cough. Covering his nose, he asked, “Why is the smell so choking? Did something go wrong during its dilution?”

“Everything is automated now, and I’ve checked it thoroughly. There’s no problem on my end. From my experience, I would say that the problem lies within the essential oil, which is why there’s a huge difference in the end products. Mr. Hall, can I ask if your lab produces this batch of essential oil?”

Nathaniel glanced at Melanie in the face of the manager’s doubts.

Melanie was watching them from the side, so when Nathaniel glanced at her, she asked innocently, “What? We produced it based on the formula we used last time. Even if there‘s a problem, it’s because of the formula and not because of me.”

Her words made both the factory‘s manager and Nathaniel speechless. Suddenly, she realized there was a problem with what she blurted earlier when the two stared at her. To everyone else, she was the one who created the formula. When there was a problem with the formula, that should be her problem, too, right?

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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

nts? 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 lí 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 riled Melanie up right away. “Help you find the root of the problem? Do you think i have a lot of free time on my hands? Why are you trying to burden me with your problems? That‘s your job! I‘m telling you there‘s nothing wrong with whatever the lab produced You need to figure out a way to solve this problem!” She was harsh, and that angered the factory‘s manager. He then looked at Nathaniel and said, Mr. Hall, what is your take on this? We have many orders, and the workers have to rush to complete their tasks day and night. If we don‘t solve this issue soon, we won‘t be able to complete our orders on time.”

“Oh? I guess you were trying to blame us earlier because your side couldn‘t complete the orders on time. What do you think you‘re doing? Your workers were careless in their work, and you wanted to blame the lab for this. I think you—“ “Enough!” Nathaniel roared suddenly, stunning Melanie, and it made her stop talking “What‘s the point of arguing whose fault it is right now?” Tensely, he stuffed a bottle of essential oil into Melanie‘s hand. “Ms. Thayer, bring this back to the lab and check it carefully Find out if there‘s anything wrong with it!”

“I...”

Melanie wanted to speak, but Nathaniel had already turned to the factory‘s manager. “You did the right thing. We should solve the problem as soon as we discover it, but you should not put all the blame on the essential oil. Check thoroughly on your end and see if there are any remaining essential oils from past batches. If you find any, send a bottle of it to the lab immediately, and we‘ll recheck the oil.”

At this point, the manager could only nod. “Okay then. Mr. Hall, we must be quick to act. Otherwise, it‘ll delay the completion time.”

“I got it. Thanks for the great work!” Nathaniel patted the manager‘s shoulders before pulling Melanie, who stood frozen on her spot, to leave.

In the car, Melanie mumbled as she stared at the bottle in her hand, “Why did you ask me to check this? What‘s there to check? I‘m sure the factory is the one with the problem.” “You‘re sure the lab is doing fine?” Nathaniel asked while driving

“Of course. This isn‘t a new product, but one we‘ve produced for a long time. I mixed the oil according to the formula, so how could there be a problem on my side? Unless...” Melanie trailed off before she said again, her voice suddenly raised in pitch, “There‘s something wrong with the formula!”

The car came to a screeching halt before Nathaniel turned to look at her.

The inertia pushed Melanie forward, but the safety belt managed to pull her back. Holding the bottle of essential oil in her hand tightly, she took a whiff. Frowning, she said, “Nate, did we... get tricked?”

Nathaniel just squeezed his lips into a thin line and said nothing “Lily left the formula behind. Do you think she changed certain things in the formula? I wondered why she‘d been staying low recently and didn‘t even bother to explain herself. It seems like she had this trap set up for us!” Nathaniel stepped on the pedal again. “Let‘s head to the lab first.”

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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 make arrangements with the current personnel through an assessment. He told the employees they needed to take a test to differentiate the essential oil components from the previous and current batches.

The employees were unsure why they had to take such an assessment but simply obeyed Nathaniel‘s orders. They were busy working on the task, but none had yet to make any discoveries. Nathaniel did not have much hope for the outcome of this assessment because most of the employees were fresh graduates. Back then, the company had Lily handle everything, so he was not in a rush to train more talents.

Moreover, training these talents needed a considerable sum of money. Few people could succeed as perfumers, and only the capable ones would get hired with high pay Nathaniel‘s company was just a medium–sized one, and he did not see the need to spend on hiring so many talents back then. Lily, who was capable and worked free of charge, was enough for them.

However, he did not expect the woman he thought he had controlled to leave them overnight!

While looking around the labs, Nathaniel had his brows locked in a frown. Time was running out, and if they failed to find the problem as soon as possible, the factory would not be able to complete the orders on time. If the finished products did not meet the requirements, they would need to compensate a vast amount of money for breaching the contract.

As Nathaniel walked toward Melanie‘s lab, his mind was full of thoughts. He looked inside, she was alone, frowning as she concentrated on her research. Something felt off to Nathaniel, so he walked another round and looked into all the lab. Finally, he knew what was wrong.” Where‘s Olivia?”

“I–I don‘t know.” The other employees were unsure of Olivia‘s whereabouts too. “We didn‘t see her around.”

“Did you guys inform her to come in?”

“I‘ve informed everyone who works at the lab. I texted and called everyone on WhatsApp just in case I missed out on anyone, but... I couldn‘t get through to Olivia.”

“What? Call her now! Call her until she picks up! This is crucial... I mean, an important time for the company! How could she be so aloof? Get her here, even if you have to drag her out of her house!” Nathaniel roared angrily.

“Uh…”

“Get it done now!” he roared again. Then he heard a lazy voice behind him. “Hey! I‘m here early today! Wow, all of you are early too!”

Slowly, he turned around, and sure enough, he saw Olivia walking into the lab energetically with a smile. She seemed to be in high spirits. The sight of this only made Nathaniel‘s anger grow.

“Do you know what time it is now? Why are you here so late?!”

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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 had always been Lily‘s assistant, after all. From composition, recipe, or other steps, Olivia was the one who understood most things. However, this woman seemed to have other thoughts these days and was likely to go to Rebirth.

Fortunately, Olivia was different from Lily because Nathaniel still had Olivia‘s employment contract in his hand. He could keep her at MN Inc. longer if he disapproved of her leaving. “What‘s wrong with the essential oil? Don‘t you have all the recipes, Mr. Hall? What could go wrong?” Olivia walked in slowly with a smile after she put down her bag, “Besides, Ms. Thayer is here, isn‘t she? So, why do you still need me?” She said when she saw Melanie looking at her.

Melanie felt humiliated hearing Olivia‘s sarcasm. She immediately rebutted, “Olivia Hart, stop bullsh*tting! It‘s the company assessing you now, not the other way around. Who do you think you are?! Do as you‘re told!”

“How am I bullsh*tting? Did I say something wrong? Ms. Thayer, you‘re capable and have made many popular products for the company, so this is just a small problem. I am sure you don‘t need our help. If you think I am putting on airs and talking nonsense, fine. Just fire me!” Olivia had nothing to fear. She had been waiting for Nathaniel to be fed up with her and fire her. Then she could be free again.

“How dare you?!” Olivia‘s words angered Melanie. She was about to retaliate when Nathaniel held her down.

“Olivia, please understand Ms. Thayer‘s words. This time around, it is indeed the company‘s assessment. The company will give a promotion and a raise to anyone who can deal with this issue. I give you my word,” Nathaniel swore, “However, you only have half a day to do it. I need results!”

Everyone was shocked when they heard Nathaniel mentioning a raise and a promotion. All except for Olivia. “Wow! You‘re so generous, Mr. Hall. We‘ll do our best,” she said with an insincere smile and lazily rolled up her sleeves. Then she turned around and took a seat.

Although Nathaniel could sense the sarcasm in Olivia‘s words, he could only swallow his dissatisfaction. After all, he just hoped to get a result as soon as possible.

“Are you still unable to figure out the difference, Mel?” Nathaniel turned around and asked Melanie in a low whisper.

Melanie‘s face turned sullen, “How would I know?! You know that the formula is… Why don‘t we go and ask Lily instead?”

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“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 this on purpose! How long has it been? How dare she pretend not to know me?!‘ Nathaniel clenched his phone as he tried to calm himself. “Lily, it‘s Nate. I have something to discuss with you. Can we meet?”

Lily looked at the phone when she heard Nathaniel say his name. The call was from an unknown number. ‘He must have used a different number to make the call.‘

“No,” she replied decisively and wanted to hang up. “Don‘t hang up!” Probably sensing something, Nathaniel hurriedly said, “I asked you out just to talk with you. Now that we have come to this point, must we really continue down the road? We are still friends, right? I know we have a lot of misunderstandings, but we can talk it out, can‘t we?”

“Friends?” Lily laughed at his words, “Mr. Hall, you must be dreaming.” Before she could hang up, a female voice suddenly cut in. “Lily, are you afraid to meet us? You should say it out loud if you have any dissatisfaction or resentment. Must you play tricks on us?” Melanie said in a very sharp tone. “I think you are more skilled in playing tricks. I‘m not interested in whatever you want to discuss,” Lily picked up the phone and spoke directly into the microphone, “Whether or not we meet has nothing to do with me being afraid of you. You two may have forgotten that your company has sued me. We are now plaintiffs and defendants, so a private meeting is not a good idea.”

Lily smiled sarcastically and continued, “If you keep making harassment calls like this, I will record it and use it as evidence in court.” She hung up immediately after that, throwing her phone back into her locker. She was stunned to see Jenny standing by the door when she looked up.

Jenny hurriedly raised her hand when Lily discovered her. “I didn‘t mean to eavesdrop. I came over because I learned you were in the dressing room. I didn‘t hear much of your conversation.”

Lily did not mind how much Jenny heard. She took out a comb and started combing her hair.” It doesn’t matter. It’s nothing important anyway.”

Jenny laughed at her words. “It seems like you are full of confidence. If so, I am relieved. At the very least, your personal affairs will not affect the company.”

Lily looked at Jenny and said, “Ms. Gray, you have confidence in me now?”

“That was before. After seeing your recent work performance. “Jenny paused briefly before changing her sentence, “Oh, right. I have read your recent analysis report. You did a good job.”

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“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 consider MN Inc. one of the stronger companies due to Melanie‘s award–winning products, Telling me to trust a nobody like you was far–fetched.”

Jenny continued to laugh light–heartedly. This time, her laughter was sincere and did not contain any mockery, only relief. “That‘s it? So, why would you trust me now? What if I was really the one who plagiarized Melanie‘s work?” Lily tilted her head to the side while looking back at Jenny.

Jenny laughed loudly, “If you‘re the actual thief, then all I can say is ‘what a shame!‘ You can do so much more with your abilities and talent. Why even plagiarize the work of others when you‘re already so good? Besides, I believe you‘d never do something like that.” Jenny‘s reassurance and unfaltering gaze made Lily feel warm inside. “Thank you,” Lily meant it sincerely this time. Both women did not have a very close relationship from their first hostile encounter. However, Jenny‘s newfound unfaltering trust and sincerity touched Lily.

Jenny patted Lily on her shoulder. “I heard your chance of winning this lawsuit is low, but judging from the phone call you had just now, I‘m sure you‘ll be able to pull through. Don‘t be afraid. Something that isn‘t true could never win.”

“Yeah.” Lily nodded and grabbed her handbag and cell phone from her locker.

“Still, you shouldn‘t drag this case on for too long. Those rumors have already affected your reputation, so you must win! Also, you need to end this to join my team.”

Lily smiled, “Of course!” “Let‘s go! I need all the rest I can get after finishing this project.” Jenny put her arm around Lily‘s shoulder, and the duo exited the building together. “Do you typically take a cab to work? Isn‘t that annoying? Why don‘t I give you a ride home?” Lily shook her head, “It‘s all right.” “Why are you being shy now? Is this because of our previous feud?” Jenny asked.

“Not at all. You‘re responsible for the team as the manager, and I understand you‘d have to be strict,” Lily clarified.

“Then, what‘s the problem? Does my car creep you out, or do you actually prefer taking a cab?” Jenny inquired curiously.

Lily could not help but laugh at Jenny‘s silly remark, “No, it‘s just that someone‘s coming to pick me up. Thank you for your offer, though.” “Ahh a boyfriend, huh?” Jenny smirked playfully