At that moment, it was difficult for her to back down. Melanie, conscious of the audience's eyes on her, forced herself to recall the process and to keep a level head.It was not only a matter of taking a sample, stating a few words, or even figuring out the general formula and ingredients. What if Melanie said something wrong that she could not take back? Due to the overwhelming tension, even holding a test strip made her hands tremble.After she completed a series of procedures, there was still a faint lingering aroma on the tip of her nose. She thought long and hard about the ingredients so that she could give a brief description of them. That would be preferable to saying nothing at all. "Ms. Thayer?"As soon as the host spoke, she responded quickly, "I like this fragrance. Light and elegant scents are my go-to, and this one has won me over. Whoever the perfumer is, I imagine they value peaceful silence and enjoy a serene garden view with birds and blooming flowers.

It was an eventful day for Melanie, filled with turmoil and excitement. She initially thought she was about to fall into a bottomless pit, but at the most crucial moment, Frank appeared and extended his arm to catch her.On the way back to the hotel, her mental state was in such a mess that she did not even struggle to break free when Frank held her hand without asking. There was only silence. A sense of edginess filled the air, making them feel restless.Frank led Meanie to the elevator when they arrived at the hotel lobby. When the elevator doors closed, he pushed Melanie against the wall and trapped her with his body.“Mr. Moreau!” Melanie yelped in surprise.“Melanie, I’ve done a huge favor for you today. Shouldn’t you be grateful?” Frank said as one of his hands grabbed the back of her head.“I-I,” Melanie hesitated and wanted to speak, but Frank ignored her and kissed her abruptly. Melanie could not even breathe, less tried to stop him. Though her hands were on his chest, it

It felt nice to be in Alexander’s embrace. Lily lifted her head to look at him, saying, “When did you get here?”Alexander planted a kiss on her forehead, “Take a guess.”‘Now, he wants to play games!’ Lily thought as she gave Alexander a playful glare. Afterward, she said, “You left on the same day as we did, didn’t you? Even though we got here first, you weren’t far behind.”Alexander smiled and gave her cheek a peck, “You’re such a smart girl!”“That’s because I tried calling you but couldn’t get through. You never turn off your phone, even during a meeting. I’m guessing that was because you were on the plane, right?” As Lily recalled the details of that day, she could piece together a chronological timeline. However, she never thought it was because Alexander was coming to see her.“Well done. I should probably reward you for being such a clever girl, right?” Alexander smirked cheekily as this only made him love Lily more. He carried Lily to the sofa, sat down, and held her cl

Just as things were about to get into a heated mess, Lily's phone rang. She fumbled for it and answered the call, "Hello?""Lily, I'm almost back. I'm getting something to eat. Do you want anything?" Jenny's voice rang from the other end. In a flash, Lily was awake. She pushed against Alexander and jolted up, "N-No, thank you. I'm not hungry." "Okay, were you already asleep? I'll be back soon," Jenny promised."Right, yeah!" Lily hung up and dragged Alexander. "Hurry, Jenny is about to come back! You must leave now, and don't let her see you!" Lily warned as she struggled to tidy her clothes and handed Alexander his coat. This was when she noticed he was just sitting on the sofa with a dark expression on his face.Oops. "Okay, I know it's my fault, and I'm sorry, but it can't be helped. You know we can't expose our relationship for now, and Jenny knows you!" She continued to coax him into giving in. Alexander huffed in annoyance, "You're making it sound like I'm a nobod

“Oh, really?” Jenny emphasized that Lily had not convinced her in the slightest.“Yup, that’s what happened.” Lily took a deep breath and lightly nudged Jenny. “Aww, I missed the cold and arrogant you. I didn’t know that you were this noisy. Hurry up and take your shower. I’m still waiting for my turn!”“This is exactly how a person would react when exposed, but it’s fine. I won’t bicker with a child” Jenny waved her hand to dismiss Lily and turned toward the bathroom.Lily rolled her eyes but sighed in relief. She was glad that Jenny had let her off easily, but Lily knew she needed to be extra careful when meeting Alexander the next time.When she thought of Alexander, Lily took her phone and noticed she had received a text from him, saying, “1808.” It was Alexander’s room number. Lily smiled and sent him a cute emoji before cleaning up the leftovers on the table.After clearing the table, she removed her clothes from the luggage and saw Jenny leaving the bathroom with her hair s