Chapter 629
Justin's attitude spoke volumes; his answer was no longer necessary. Returning to her room, Lily found Alexander absent. She had no idea where he'd gone, though he'd assured her they were on the safe, albeit sometimes perilous, Lodge family grounds. She shouldn't worry, he'd said.
Needing to attend to something urgently, Lily called Olivia. "Liv, there's a candlestick in the safe in my lab. Could you send it to the FDA for testing?" Olivia, having not seen Lily for days, was overjoyed to hear from her, but before she could ask how Lily was, the request landed. "Why?" she asked.
"I need it urgently. Please help me," Lily insisted. "Don't tell anyone. Do it personally, and when you have the results, photograph them and keep the report safe."
"Okay," Olivia promised, though slightly confused. As perfumers, they were trained to identify raw materials; a third party wasn't usually necessary. But Lily's urgency implied something was wrong with the candle. Olivia forbore further questioning, instead asking, "Are you still in Kingsland?"
"Nope, I'm back at the Lodge family home," Lily replied.
"Oh, then... are you with Mr. Russell?" Olivia inquired.
"Yeah," Lily answered, then asked, "How are things there? Any new projects while I was away?"
"Fine. Just regular orders—easy to handle, a bit boring. When are you coming back? I'm waiting for you so we can start new products," Olivia said half-jokingly. A perfumer's work was the continuous development of new formulas; the most fulfilling aspect was infusing new materials to create unique perfume combinations.
Olivia had been attempting to create her own product, but it proved challenging. She'd found that a natural gift was essential for creating something truly amazing. No matter how hard she tried, her perfumes fell short of high-end brands. Lily, however, could always improve them with a few additions.
"Yeah," Lily said, unsure of her stay's duration. The three-day agreement with Jonathan was merely to avoid a scene; she also needed to investigate her grandfather's sudden death.
Sensing Lily wasn't herself, Olivia asked, "Are you alright? Is this related to Kingsland? Don't be disheartened about the Perfumers' Society. It's not easy to join; talent and experience are both necessary. Whether we join or not, let's focus on better products and international recognition. That'll show them!" Then, probing further, "Why did you return home after Kingsland? To visit your grandfather?"
Olivia assumed Lily was upset about the Perfumers' Society. Unknowing of Lily's Kingsland experience, she tried to comfort her. However, Olivia's words made Lily realize something strange. Her grandfather's passing hadn't been mentioned; was it even public knowledge yet?
"Something happened at home," she paused, then said solemnly, "My grandfather passed away."
"Your grandfather passed away?!" Olivia's yell was audible through the phone's speaker. Lily quickly moved the phone away, but still heard clearly.
"How could this be?! When we last spoke, he wasn't sleeping well but was still energetic, right? This is so sudden!" Olivia paused, then exclaimed, "Wait, that's impossible! Isn't your grandfather Mr. Lodge? His passing would be all over the news, but I haven't seen or heard anything!" As an avid follower of gossip news, Olivia knew she would have heard if Wilfred Lodge had died.