Chapter 25

"It's fine, Liv. Listen, you've been working too hard. You should take a break; you'll be busy again in a few days, and then you won't be able to rest even if you want to," Lily said, half-jokingly.

Olivia, accepting Lily's insistence, stopped trying to persuade her.

"Okay. Oh, and I have two phones. I've turned off my work phone. If you need me, call my personal number."

"Yeah. Have fun!" After hanging up, Lily noticed Alexander giving her a deep look. She checked her appearance, but nothing seemed amiss.

"What's wrong?" Alexander asked. "Are you asking her to leave because you don't want her involved?" He hit the nail on the head, stunning Lily before she smiled. "Not entirely. Liv was my assistant at MN Inc., so she knows all about my products and research. This time, Nathaniel is determined to pin everything on me, so Liv would be the first person he'd try to use to bring up the past. If so, she'll have no choice but to tell them everything, regardless of whether she wants to, because she's still an MN Inc. employee. It's better for her not to be around." Lily ate as she spoke.

The meal was expensive for a reason; it was exquisite and delicious. It had been a long time since she'd had time to sit down and enjoy a meal. She paid no attention to her appearance or to Alexander sitting opposite her; she simply ate as she usually would when alone.

With a faint smile, Alexander watched her eat, as if he could be satisfied simply by watching. He was initially apprehensive about Lily's plans.

"You seem pretty confident," he said. However, after hearing her explanation, he realized she wasn't acting impulsively. She had clearly thought her plan through carefully.

Lily stopped eating, looking up at Alexander. "There's one more thing I hope you'll agree to."

"What is it?" Alexander seemed satisfied. He put down his utensils, gently wiping his lips with a napkin, waiting for Lily to continue.

"I want to bring Liv with me to Rebirth," Lily said after a pause. "I'm doing this for myself, but Liv is competent, and I'm used to working with her. We'll deliver great results. If not, I will" Lily raised a hand, as if making an oath.

"What will you do?" Alexander interrupted.

"Give us half a year. In that time, I can create a hot-selling perfume that will significantly benefit the company," Lily promised.

Alexander chuckled. "You only took three months to develop the formula for First Love. Why do you need half a year at my company?"

Lily put her hand down slowly, hesitating before saying, "Actually"

"Yeah?"

"First Love is flawed."

"Oh?"

"A great perfume takes time—inspiration, planning, experiments, and testing. We rushed First Love; we had no choice. Nathaniel needed a new product for the competition, so" The creation of First Love had been rushed. "That's why its base note changed completely with just a slight ingredient modification," Lily said playfully, holding her thumb and forefinger close together to show the small amount of the new ingredient.

Alexander absorbed Lily's liveliness and every expression. His eyes darkened, and he leaned closer. Before she could react, he wiped the corner of her lip with a napkin.

"You had a bit of oil on your lip," he said indifferently, as if it were commonplace. However, his words made Lily blush instantly. He had been so serious and focused while gently cleaning her lip.