Chapter 257

Mr. Frost pointed to the two bottles of perfume, labeled Nora and Eleanor.
“What’s going on here?” Warner demanded.
Eleanor stepped forward and sniffed one of the bottles. “This is the one I made.”
She paused, thinking, then left briefly for her room. When she returned, she held an empty glass vial.
“Nora, you cheated.”
Nora lifted her chin, a cold smile curling on her lips. “And what makes you say that?”
Eleanor raised the empty vial for everyone to see. “When I was mixing my fragrance, I made a little extra and put it in this bottle. Now it’s empty. The perfume you submitted is identical to mine. Are you really going to stand there and say you didn’t cheat?”
Her accusation rang out, clear and forceful. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ
After all, the chances of two different people creating the exact same scent at the same time were zero.
Everyone in the room seemed to silently agree with Eleanor’s logic. The so-called “rooms” were only separated by curtains, and the two women had worked side by side. Plus, Eleanor had finished before Nora, giving Nora both motive and opportunity.
Nora’s eyes fixed on the bottles, her voice defensive but weak. “It wasn’t me.”
Those words carried little weight.
After her outburst, Eleanor’s tone softened a little. She sighed. “Nora, I know you want to become Mr. Frost’s apprentice, to make a name for yourself as a perfumer, but this isn’t the way to do it.”
The implication was obvious: Eleanor was accusing Nora of stooping to anything to get ahead.
“That’s enough,” Daniel interjected quietly, a hint of warning in his tone.
Eleanor bit her lip, but said nothing more.
Daniel looked at Nora. She stood tall, surrounded by a chorus of whispered accusations, but she didn’t waver. Her back was straight, her expression utterly fearless.
Daniel hesitated, torn by a pang of sympathy-especially remembering her pregnancy. He spoke gently, “Aurora, come here.”
Nora shot him a frosty glance and ignored him.
“Eleanor,” she said coolly, “maybe you’re the one who stole my formula. Waving around an empty bottle isn’t proof of anything.”
Eleanor’s fist clenched. “I finished before you did.”
“Or maybe you bribed someone here to switch out my perfume when no one was looking.”
After all, the security cameras had been turned off that day for privacy-so anything was possible.
Eleanor’s face flushed an angry red. “Nora, you’re twisting the truth!”
Compared to Eleanor’s growing agitation, Nora remained calm and composed. Her unruffled manner only made Eleanor look more flustered, as if she’d just been caught red-handed.
But in the end, accusations needed evidence.
Most people sided with Eleanor-after all, she was the Chambers Group’s chief perfumer. She’d never risk her reputation or career over something so petty.
Warner stepped forward, trying to mediate. “Both of you are talented, and this situation’s unfortunate. Why don’t we settle it with a live competition, right here and now?”
A small smile flickered at the corner of Nora’s mouth. “I have no objection. It’s up to Ms. Quinn.”
Even Eleanor, slow as she sometimes was, sensed something was off. Her head snapped up, eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
This was a setup.
Nora had orchestrated the entire thing.
“I Eleanor faltered, nerves getting the better of her.
Nora didn’t give her a chance to back out. “What’s the matter, Ms. Quinn? As chief perfumer and head of development at the Chambers Group, are you afraid?”
The challenge was clear: Would Eleanor protect her pride, or back down?
Daniel’s expression grew even more complicated. Whatever Eleanor had realized, he had too—and more. Nora had probably planned all this from the very start.
Sensing he was about to speak, Nora turned and met his gaze, her tone icy. “What do you think, Mr. Chambers?”