Chapter 76

Melanie cleared her throat. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with the formula, so it's not my problem," she said.

Turning to the factory manager, she continued, "We produce everything in the lab strictly according to the formula. If there were a problem with the formula, we would have discovered it long ago. It must be a factory issue. Have you checked all the other components? Have you checked for worker error? Don't just blame others whenever there's a problem."

"Ms. Thayer, be careful with your words. We're merely reporting the problem to Mr. Hall after discovering it. We want to find the cause, and after our initial checks, we believe the problem lies with the essential oil. If you disagree, help us find the root cause—you're a professional in this field. This will help us resume production as soon as possible," the manager replied.

Melanie bristled. "Help you find the root cause? Do I have that much free time? Why burden me with your problems? That's your job! I'm telling you, there's nothing wrong with the lab's output. You need to solve this!"

Her harshness angered the manager, who turned to Nathaniel. "Mr. Hall, we have numerous orders; the workers are working day and night. If we don't solve this, we won't meet our deadlines."

"Oh? So you were blaming us because you can't meet deadlines? Your workers were careless, and you want to blame the lab? I think—"

"Enough!" Nathaniel roared, silencing Melanie. "What's the point of arguing about blame?" He thrust a bottle of essential oil into Melanie's hand. "Ms. Thayer, take this back to the lab and check it thoroughly. Find out if anything is wrong."

Melanie remained silent.

Nathaniel turned to the manager. "You did the right thing reporting the problem, but don't assume it's the essential oil. Check your end thoroughly; look for leftover essential oil from previous batches. If you find any, send a sample to the lab immediately."

The manager nodded. "Mr. Hall, we need to act quickly to avoid delays."

"I understand. Good work!" Nathaniel patted the manager's shoulder, then pulled a still-frozen Melanie away.

In the car, Melanie stared at the bottle. "Why did you ask me to check this? I'm sure it's the factory's problem."

Nathaniel asked, "Are you sure the lab is faultless?"

"Of course! This isn't a new product; we've produced it for years. I followed the formula, so how could there be a problem? Unless…" Her voice rose. "There's something wrong with the formula!"

The car screeched to a halt. The inertia threw Melanie forward, but her seatbelt held her. Clutching the bottle, she sniffed it. Frowning, she said, "Nate, were we… tricked?"

Nathaniel’s lips tightened. "Lily left the formula behind. Do you think she altered it? I wondered why she's been so withdrawn and didn't explain herself. It seems she set a trap!" He accelerated. "Let's get to the lab."