Chapter 30
Lily walked over and sat down gracefully. Melanie had arrived at the venue earlier. Once Lily was seated, Melanie glanced at Nathaniel, who responded with an “okay” gesture. Seeing this, Melanie felt slightly more at ease.
The press conference soon commenced, and Nathaniel went straight to the point.
“I’m sure all of you heard about the incident during the perfumery competition last night. There were some misunderstandings. Hence, we arranged this press conference to clarify these misunderstandings, with the media’s help.” Nathaniel paused before continuing, “The product ‘First Love,’ one of MN Inc.’s entries, was well-received. However, two companies submitted the same work, raising concerns about plagiarism and intellectual property theft. The people involved are already here, so I won’t say more. Now, I’ll pass the floor to the two perfumers to explain.” Nathaniel then passed the microphone to Melanie.
Melanie wore a black Bardot dress, giving her an imposing presence. Her black dress contrasted sharply with Lily’s white one. Accustomed to such situations, Melanie smiled brightly. “Hello, everyone. I’m Melanie Thayer, MN Inc.’s chief perfumer.” Lily lowered her gaze and smirked at Melanie’s introduction.
“As Mr. Hall briefly explained, I won’t repeat it. I just want to say that, since starting my career, I’ve known hard work is more important than talent. I believe a great perfume results from a perfumer’s dedication to lifelong learning through continuous research and experimentation. We must put our minds to doing the right thing. Playing tricks may offer short-term benefits, but will never help in the long run. Am I right, Lily?” Melanie concluded, casually throwing a question to Lily.
Sure enough, everyone’s attention turned to Lily. They waited to hear her response. Although Melanie didn’t directly denounce Lily, everyone understood the implication of her words: Melanie was the victim; Lily, the thief.
The microphone was before Lily, but she was in no hurry to speak. She looked around the venue, her gaze sweeping across the room. Just as Nathaniel was about to remind her to speak, she said, “I agree with Ms. Thayer. It’s indeed most important to put our minds to doing the right thing. And Ms. Thayer is right: hard work is more important than talent.” The reporters clicked their cameras wildly, but Lily didn’t flinch. She remained calm under the bright lights.
Nathaniel and Melanie maintained professional smiles, but a thought occurred to them: Lily was repeating Melanie’s exact words. Everything sounded the same, but why did it seem suspicious coming from Lily?
“Ms. Christian, are you admitting you stole Ms. Thayer’s work?” one reporter asked. Lily smiled lightly. “I did not say that.”
“Oh?” An uproar arose. The cameras flashed again, and more reporters eagerly questioned Lily.