Chapter 413

"You saw him?" Eloise frowned, struggling to believe Nathaniel's words. "Alexander Russell? The CEO of La Beauté Group?"

Eloise knew of Alexander. The Russell family was prominent, not only in Sapphine but throughout Hyderland. Alexander was considered the family's most talented heir and admired by many women nationwide. "Why would he be involved with Lily?" she wondered. It wasn't entirely impossible, however.

If Lily were any other woman, Eloise might have dismissed it as a fling. But Lily was a Lodge. A marriage between Alexander and Lily would unite the Russell and Lodge families—a significant event.

"Mom, I don't think Lily has feelings for me anymore. Anything I do is useless. What should I do?" Nathaniel looked dejected. Facing Alexander, not Edward, as his rival, left him hopeless. His attitude angered Eloise.

"What should you do? You're asking me that now? I've told you repeatedly to treat her well! Now that she's gone, you regret it?"

"I—I was blinded back then…" Nathaniel admitted his mistake, though the admission felt pointless.

Eloise understood. She reprimanded him briefly before sighing. "Forget it! She's not the only woman in the world. You have other choices. Listen carefully: you can date whoever you want next time, but be smart! Someone like Melanie is fine for dating, but not for marriage!"

In the past, Nathaniel would have retorted, but now he knew better. He nodded. "You're right, Mom. I'll listen next time, but what should I do now?" He wanted to impress Eloise, but knew she was often more insightful. He was at a loss, and sought her help.

After a moment, Eloise said, "You need to stop selling those two new perfumes."

"What?" This was a massive blow to his company's profits, as those perfumes were their main revenue source.

"What kind of response is that? Do you want your company to fail? If so, forget I said anything!"

Nathaniel quickly grabbed her arm. "No! Mom, please. I said I'd listen. But if we stop selling those two, we'll only have older perfumes. We can't expand our market share!"

Eloise scoffed. "What are you thinking? Do you think you can expand market share now? The priority is retaining what you have!" She paused. "Besides removing those perfumes, you need to make an immediate public announcement. Hire the best PR person you can find; only release the statement when it's perfect. Choose your words carefully. First, apologize to consumers, explaining that your company was also deceived. Emphasize your principles and MN Inc.'s commitment to not working with problematic perfumers. Then, pledge to produce a better line of perfumes soon. Finally, express sympathy for Melanie. Show them you're committed to excellence. Oh, and don't forget to mention that you and Melanie broke up two months ago."

"This is private. I don't think I need to mention it," Nathaniel hesitated.