Noah quietly moved aside to avoid her legs and said, "To be honest, Ms. Tanner, I'm hardly surprised by your gift."

"Why don't you read it first?" Arianna smirked, pulling out her phone. She opened it and placed it in front of Noah.

He glanced at it. The draft accused Lily of masterminding the Tanner perfume incident and colluding with Damian Tanner.

"Do you think this is enough to convict Lily, or sue her for defamation?" Noah raised an eyebrow in disapproval.

"Of course it is! Lily has a bad record regarding this incident. La Beauté Group helped her settle it, but if we bring it up again, everyone will believe she's guilty! Plus, the Perfumers' Society is launching a counter-offensive. Lily shouldn't be a perfumer; she doesn't even have a certificate."

Arianna possessed all the necessary information to connect the dots and bring Lily down. Noah remained silent, studying her.

She was undeniably beautiful, with sparkling eyes and cherry-red lips that belied the shrewdness of a mature woman. Her business acumen made her a force to be reckoned with.

Except…

Noah folded his hands and said lightly, "You seem to have a deep-seated hatred for Lily."

"That's not true," Arianna said with a smile, rising to her feet. "I don't interact with her much. But you seem interested in her."

Arianna saw it in him, even without a response. He was interested in Lily and had spared her at every turn of this investigation. Otherwise, with the Perfumers' Society's power, Lily wouldn't still be standing.

As Arianna considered this, her animosity toward Lily intensified. There was no reason for the man she liked, her chosen partner, to show Lily any consideration. How dare she!

"If you don't harbor a deep-seated hatred for her, why frame her like this?" Noah said thoughtfully. He didn't answer her question; it felt unnecessary. But this woman was undeniably calculating.

"Framed?" Arianna laughed, sliding off his desk and facing him. "Mr. Richards, compared to you, I'm hardly worthy of that accusation. How are you any better, given what you've done to Lily? We have different goals, yes, but a common enemy. We'll be the most compatible partners!"

She moved closer, whispering her final words in his ear.

Noah remained motionless as he felt her warm breath. He smiled and pulled her close. Arianna stumbled into his arms.