Chapter 706

Lily's performance was worse than her predecessor's; she would have been better off claiming she was joking or boasting. Instead, she offered a serious admission. Did she believe this made her heroic or majestic? What was she thinking?

Mr. Russell, meanwhile, showed no sign of stopping her. His gaze remained fixed on her, as if she were his entire world.

Rose muttered, "Crazy! The world is crazy! Mr. Russell is crazy too!" She stared speechlessly at the ceiling, unsure how the press conference would end. Having come this far, she decided to simply listen.

"Ms. Christian, do you mean the recording was edited? That it doesn't reflect what we heard?" The reporters, astutely picking up on the key issue, pressed further.

"The recording does sound edited," someone countered. "However, Ms. Christian's words are clear and unaltered."

Despite the mounting doubt, Lily remained unhurried. Smiling slightly, she nodded. "You've listened and analyzed thoughtfully. I've listened to the recording too. It was edited.

"However, you may have overlooked something. Our culture is rich and nuanced; words can share pronunciation but have different meanings, depending on context," Lily said, rising abruptly.

The reporters watched, uncertain of her intentions. She picked up a marker, walked to a whiteboard, and wrote a single word: Poison.

The rest of La Beauté Group's employees, equally puzzled, watched with bated breath.

Shock rippled through the room. What was Lily doing?

Rose felt faint. She believed La Beauté Group was about to be destroyed by Mr. Russell's prioritization of beauty over power. She looked sadly at Alexander, who remained impassive, his gaze fixed on the whiteboard.

"What does this word evoke? What do you think it means?" Lily asked, turning to the board and pointing at the word.

"Poison," someone read aloud. "Ms. Christian, what do you mean?"

"You're suggesting you poisoned the candles? That poison can be added to perfume?"

With a faint smile, Lily didn't answer directly. Instead, she added four strokes with her pen, enclosing the word "Poison" in quotation marks. The word, now "“Poison”," seemed to take on a new, more ambiguous meaning.

"Now?" she asked.

A hushed silence fell, punctuated by whispers. Some understood; others remained confused.

Rose, enunciating slowly, as if testing the word’s weight, murmured, "Poison. “Poison”? Is there a difference?"

"Quotation marks can indicate emphasis, citation, a special title, or irony and negation," Lily explained clearly. "Therefore, “Poison” doesn’t necessarily mean the poison you all assume. This usage isn't common in everyday speech.

My point is, I said the words, but not with the commonly understood meaning."