Chapter 857
Lily picked up the phone, glanced at it, and rejected the call, resuming her meal. The phone rang again almost immediately; she rejected it again. This pattern repeated several times.
"Well, that's annoying," Alexander observed his wife's impatient expression. "I'll teach them a lesson for you, if you want," he added, half-jokingly. He'd been ready to answer on her behalf each time the phone rang. Lily rejected the next call, shaking her head. "Then you'll need to teach a lot of people a lesson."
After a moment's thought, Alexander raised an eyebrow. "Is it a reporter?"
The calls were incessant, from numerous callers simultaneously. The only logical explanation was a swarm of reporters, hungry for news.
Lily shrugged, stood, and cleared the dishes. She was full and had no appetite to continue eating.
"Leave it," Alexander said. "I'll do the dishes."
Lily ignored him this time, carrying the dishes to the kitchen and loading the dishwasher. The phone in the living room continued to ring; she glanced at it but ignored it.
"It's because of Mr. Adler," Alexander surmised, his deduction as accurate as ever.
Lily nodded. "I know once this news breaks, I'll be dealing with this for a while."
There was no concrete evidence proving she'd leaked the news. However, her recent, highly publicized conflict with the Perfumers' Society made her an obvious target. When scandals surrounding the Society began to surface, suspicion naturally fell upon her.
"It doesn't matter who exposed the news, as long as it's the truth. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"I'm not afraid," Lily said, leaning back against the countertop, hands resting on the surface. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "It's just… annoying." Her initial dream had been simple: to quietly be a perfumer, creating fragrances she and others enjoyed, scents that might differ in style and aroma but always brought a sense of freshness and happiness.
Everything in this world was fleeting, she mused. Life was full of transient encounters and secrets impossible to keep. She’d only wanted to leave a lasting, memorable scent, a fragrant footprint for someone to recall. It sounded rather poetic, she thought.
Little did she expect such a seemingly small dream to be so challenging to achieve. Nathaniel had chased fame and fortune, taking credit for her achievements and conspiring with Melanie to deceive her. Even after finding success with Rebirth, the Perfumers' Society set its sights on her, their invitation a thinly veiled form of coercion. They believed it an honor she couldn't refuse.
She refused, of course, leading to a vicious counterattack. They scrutinized her work, found fault, and even attempted to discredit her as a perfumer. Meanwhile, the Tanner Corporation leveled various accusations against her.
"I don't understand why it has to be so difficult just to pursue my passion! Why can't they concentrate on their own careers instead of plotting against me?!"