Chapter 6

Chapter 6 Why Betray Me?

Seraphina was adorned in a simple yet elegant white dress. The lights cast a radiant glow upon her, creating an almost angelic presence as she strolled into view. The onlookers even felt Seraphina was enveloped in a halo.

Seraphina’s attire was understated, complemented by subtle makeup and the absence of jewelry.

Despite this simplicity, her natural beauty radiated even more charmingly, enhancing her captivating allure.

“Seraphina?” Julian couldn’t believe his eyes. He hadn’t figured out what was going on yet.

Julian went forward subconsciously to Seraphina and asked in a low voice, “What are you doing here?”

“Of course, I came to participate in the competition,” Seraphina said.

Glancing at Julian, Seraphina smiled sarcastically and continued to walk forward.

“Seraphina!” Julian grabbed Seraphina’s wrist and said in a low voice, “Don’t be silly! You don’t want to make a fool of yourself on such an important occasion!”

Dashiell in the VIP room squinted and looked at Julian’s hand on the screen. His eyes suddenly turned cold.

The next second, Seraphina pulled out her arm vigorously and said, “Mr. Brown, since you know this is an important occasion, please be respectful!”

After saying that, Seraphina went on the stage.

Julian was so surprised that he turned around and looked at Seraphina standing on the stage.

He wondered, ‘Seraphina is always obedient. Why does she suddenly behave like another person today?’

“Good evening, distinguished guests. I’m Seraphina Jones, a perfumer of Aroma Delight. I am the creator of First Love.”

Seraphina spoke every word so clearly that everyone present could hear her.

Looking at Seraphina on the stage, Vivian clenched her glass and gritted her teeth to maintain her fake smile. However, Vivian glanced at Julian from the corner of her eye and motioned him to turn the tide quickly.

But at this moment, Julian’s gaze was firmly fixed on Seraphina. He wondered uneasily, ‘What is she going to do?’

“Just now the organizers informed me that there was another work whose creative concept was the same as First Love, which surprised me. But I’m confident the judges will make fair judgments and that I am willing to cooperate with all the investigations,” Seraphina said.

With that, Seraphina took two steps back and stayed away from the microphone.

Seraphina looked decent and elegant, which made people want to believe her.

However, someone noticed something strange.

“Seraphina? Why do I feel it’s a familiar name?”

“That’s right. I remembered that she won the Rising Star Award in the provincial perfumery competition before, but there has been no news about her since then.”

“That’s an old story. She made a scene in Finlando two years ago. People said that she was a noseless perfumer!”

“Oh, it’s her. I know who she is now!”

Suddenly, the way everyone looked at Seraphina changed.

Their eyes were full of teasing, disdain, and gloat.

The competition was not large in scale. Many well-known major companies in the industry did not participate in it, and only small and medium-sized enterprises were enthusiastic about it.

However, whether the prizes were important or not, only by winning more could the perfumers and the companies gain popularity and gradually grow.

Although Aroma Delight relied on Apex Corporation, it had just been founded and didn’t hire senior perfumers from the headquarters of Apex Corporation for the sake of fairness.

Hearing the discussion around, Vivian calmed down and walked onto the stage with a smile.

“I’m so sorry to take up your time. I am Vivian Garcia, a perfumer from Prosperian Company. It is my great honor to meet so many excellent perfumers here.”

Vivian smiled and continued, “In fact, I have been in this industry for more than three years. But I’ve learned how to make perfume for a long time. For so many years, I never thought that my work would be plagiarized someday. This is really shocking…”

Vivian smiled and shook her head. “I can do nothing but thank the person who stole my idea. Maybe this is another way to show her appreciation for my work.”

Then Vivian turned around and blinked at Seraphina happily. Vivian didn’t feel guilty at all.

Seraphina stood there, calmly watching Vivian make a face at her. She had to change her view of Vivian who was so shameless that she could tell a lie so confidently.

Although Seraphina and Vivian were both smiling and talking gently, the atmosphere between them was tense.

The host interposed, “It seems that both sides make good sense. Is it really a coincidence?”

The people downstage began to discuss, “In all these years, I’ve never heard of such a coincidence.”

“That’s right! The names of the works may happen to be the same, but even if the tastes are similar, there will be a difference. How could they be exactly the same?”

“Plagiarism! It must be plagiarism!”

“We can’t tolerate plagiarists. It is a shame on the industry!”

Vivian held the microphone again and said, “Personally, I hate plagiarism. But I believe that the competition will give me justice!”

Vivian was very confident as if she was the victim of plagiarism. However, Seraphina seemed to be too calm.

“What about you, Ms. Jones?” asked the host.

“I believe in the organizers, and I also believe in my work,” Seraphina said calmly.

She smiled faintly, and her eyes were full of determination.

The host smiled and said, “In that case, then…”

Before the host could finish his words, he frowned and sniffed. “Well…”

Others soon understood the change of the host, because most people sniffed and smelled a strange smell.

It was an unpleasant smell, to be exact.

The odor was not just unpleasant but also slightly fishy, with a nauseating blend of foulness and artificial fragrance that made people feel queasy.

‘What is it?’ everyb*dy wondered.

All of the people here were in the industry. They were used to smelling all kinds of fragrances, but they really felt uncomfortable when they suddenly smelled this odor.

“Sir, did you clean the venue? Why is there a stink?” someone questioned the host.

The host hurriedly explained, “The venue was thoroughly cleaned yesterday. It’s absolutely impossible…”

Before the host could finish his words, he stepped aside and looked at Vivian with mixed feelings.

Vivian wanted to say something, but before she could get the microphone, the host avoided her suddenly.

Vivian was stunned for a moment and looked confused.

Seeing the host’s behavior, the others immediately understood. They looked in Vivian’s direction and withdrew their heads at once.

“Oh, it’s her,” someone shouted.

“What’s that smell? Open the windows!”

Hearing the discussion, Vivian stood on the stage with an awkward expression. She was extremely embarrassed.

Vivian had also smelled something strange, but she didn’t think it was coming from her.

Now Vivian wanted to smell it with her head down, but it would make her more embarrassed, so she could only stand there helplessly.

“Seraphina!” At this moment, Julian suddenly called Seraphina’s name with a sad face. “Why did you betray me?”