Chapter 417 As Frightening As A Nightmare âShouldnât you congratulate me, President Morgan? It feels great finding a backer whoâs even more powerful than you are,â
Melanie said, grinning wickedly.
She had a precious baby inside of her right now; Jeffrey couldnât bear to say a harsh word to her, even jokingly.
He admitted defea and turned back to ask William, âIs the orange juice ready?â
âRight away, sir!â
William had instantly transformed into a kitchen assistant, and hurriedly served Melanie a glass of orange juice without delay. âMrs. Morgan, enjoy.â.
âThank you.â Melanie sipped on the juice, and looked up at William. âItâs been tough on you, William. Your job description probably doesnât include serving the presidentâs pregnant wife, does it?â
âCough, cough.â William choked on his saliva, and responded in between coughs, âPlease donât say that. This is what I am supposed to do.â
âYou donât need to fear him that much. Annie and I are best friends. With me around, you donât need to be treading on thin ice with a despot breathing down your neck,â Melanie said, ready to stand up for William at the appropriate time.
William chuckled awkwardly, and even thanked Melanie sincerely.
Not only was he living under the rule of President Morgan, but he was also being threatened by Ms. Snow to take good care of Melanieâor face her wrath if he failed!
William took his leave to give them space to themselves, but Melanie suddenly stood up and pushed Jeffrey aside, making a move to leave.
âQuick, leave. Iâm very busy and donât have time to keep you company.â
âWhat are you busy with?â
âI need to go to the fragrance blending room.â
âYouâve already won the award. What do you still need to do in the fragrance bleeding room?â Jeffrey asked with suspicion.
âThe fragrance blending room will be torn down tomorrow. I want to hurry back to revisit the entire fragrance blending process throughout this competition. I was angry during the award ceremony today, but now that Iâve calmed down and thought about it, what Aiden said made some sense.â
âHe was deliberately picking on you!â Jeffrey said. His blood boiled at the thought of that man who made things difficult for Melanie.
âNot entirely so,â Melanie insisted. âEven if he was picking on me, the fact remained that he had something legitimate to say. Iâll be back soon. You should leave, too.â
With that, she went to freshen herself up, get changed and crossed the road to the fragrance blending room.
1/3:
+15 BONOS The sun set five hours later.
Jeffrey glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. His brows were furrowed and he was antsy, but he couldnât rush Melanie to hurry back. The only thing he could do was to engage in roundabout tactics.
He called Cyrus, who seized the chance to tease him. âWow, the sun is rising from the west! Are you calling me because you upset my disciple and are asking me for mercy?â
âI really am calling for Melanie and I do need a favor from you, but for a different purpose.â
Jeffrey hurriedly explained, for fear that the talkative Elder Gibson might continue making things difficult for him.
âSheâs already been in the fragrance blending room for more than five hours. She hasnât been well recently.. Iâm worried that if this goes on, it might take a toll on her health.â
âGot it!â Cyrus said, and hung up.
Before ten minutes passed, Jeffrey saw Cyrus leave the hotel and swipe his access card at the fragrance blending room opposite.
âWhat are you doing here? Are you meditating, or helping them tear this place down?â
Cyrus opened the door to Melanieâs fragrance blending room, his hands behind his back and a puzzled look on his face.
âMaster! What brings you here?â Melanie asked in shock. This place was empty when she first arrived.
âI passed by and decided to come in to take a look. I didnât expect to see you here,â Cyrus said, coming up with an excuse.
âOh.â
Cyrus surveyed her from head to toe. âYouâre not very talkative. Are you in a bad mood?â
Melanie said nothing, but forced a smile on her face.
âIâm all ears,â Cyrus said. He pulled a chair over, signaling for Melanie to share her thoughts.
Melanie sighed heavily. Her fragrance blending insights were things she couldnât even share with someone as close as Jeffrey, but it was different with her master. It was as if she finally found release and began offloading her thoughts to Cyrus.
âI thought about it for a long time just now. Aiden was right. My fragrances arenât commercially practical. I use more expensive ingredients, and it certainly appears as though I know little about business operations and didnât consider factors including cost, sales and marketing issues.â
âDo you want to hear my thoughts?â Cyrus said in a rare show of friendliness.
Melanie nodded.
+15 BONOS âSome base notes are intense, some linger, some are refreshing, some are cloyingly sweet. All of them are different, which is what makes it possible to blend an intriguing variety of fragrances, right?â he said.
âI know what you mean. Youâre trying to say that every perfumer has his own way of doing things, and that is part of his personal style. But I think itâll definitely be beneficial if we can break out of our comfort zone at appropriate moments,â Melanie offered.
âHmm...â Cyrus nodded. âYouâre right, but itâs getting late. Have a meal with me. You canât just rush things in trying to break out of your comfort zone.â
âAll right.â
Melanie did feel slightly hungry, so she followed him out of the fragrance blending room, into his car and to a nearby restaurant for some food.
Jeffrey finally heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing their car drive off.
Before going back home, Melanie wanted to go to Medoniaâs spice market to buy some specialty spices back home. Jeffrey was worried about her safety, and arranged for a driver to send Melanie there. He also had an entire vehicle of bodyguards to watch over and protect her.
On her way back from the spice market, they drove past a newlyâbuilt luxury estate.
Melanie glanced casually at the estate, and was surprised to see someone she didnât expect to see.
âStop the car!â she instinctively yelled.
The driver stopped the car by the roadside. She looked at the pedestrian crossing right opposite them. Although it had been a few years, that manâs face remained as frightening as a nightmare.