Chapter 77

“Frederick, can I have a word?” Yuna Lockwood cautiously stepped forward, reaching out to lightly grasp the sleeve of Frederick Winston’s suit.

The look on Frederick’s face immediately darkened, and he coldly shook off her hand.

Marguerite Lockwood had just had an altercation with Yuna, and her anger was still simmering.

She knew that despite Frederick’s recent aid, it didn’t mean that their relationship would change substantially.

Frederick had never acknowledged her as his wife, and in three months, he would divorce her and marry Yuna.

This was an unchangeable fact.

Marguerite knew her predicament. Now that Yuna had came to him, the dispute between her and Frederick was their business.

She had no obligation to intervene.

Lifting her head, Marguerite found an excuse to leave. “The patent for Polar Radiance perfume needs to be resubmitted today, I need to check on it at the company. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.

You two can continue your chat.”

Frederick’s face immediately darkened, but before he could say anything, Marguerite had already turned to leave.

Seeing this, Yuna hastily clung to Frederick’s arm, pleading in a low voice:

“Frederick, please, just hear me out. I’ll leave as soon as I’ve said my piece, I swear…”

The crowd around them was growing.

Not wanting their dispute to become public, Frederick had no choice but to lead her to the parking lot.

Seeing this, Yuna quickly hopped into the passenger seat.

“If there’s anything you wanna say, just say it.” Frederick’s voice was cold.

“Frederick, don’t you care about me at all? I’m being backed into a corner by Marguerite. How could I have ended up working as a fitting model in that store if it wasn’t for her?

I know you’re angry, and I don’t expect you to believe me, but things aren’t what they seemed yesterday. That perfume was my design, and I was the one who gave the formula to Marguerite.

From the beginning, the perfume was meant to be a deep green. Marguerite’s light green perfume was a modification of my original formula.

I have no idea how Marguerite managed to convince the judges, and now everyone online is bashing me, painting me as the villain. Frederick, I feel so helpless and wronged.

Frederick, you’re all I have left. Can you trust me just this once? Please.”

Tears slid down Yuna’s cheeks, and her breath hitched with the intensity of her emotions.

Looking at the crying woman in front of him, Frederick felt nothing but disgust.

“Who the creator of the perfume is doesn’t matter.”

After yesterday’s competition, Frederick had made a point to smell the perfume that Yuna and Marguerite had created.

He could still only smell Marguerite’s scent.

So no matter what Yuna said, to Frederick, it all sounded like excuses.

Each time Yuna attempted to justify herself, Frederick’s disgust only grew.

He couldn’t help but wonder, if Yuna couldn’t produce the scent of the Polar Radiance perfume, then whose scent was it that he smelled that night?

Frederick’s hand tightened on the steering wheel, and turning to Yuna, he suddenly asked, “Tell me, has Marguerite’s appearance ever changed?*

Yuna was taken aback, her body going limp with fear.

Had she slipped up, revealing something to Frederick?

Why was he asking her this all of a sudden?

Yuna was so frightened that she forgot to shed tears. She sniffled and put on an innocent look.

“Frederick, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t remember what Marguerite looked like when we were kids, I only remember that the first time I saw her as an adult, she looked the way she does now.”

Had Marguerite undergone plastic surgery?

Frederick mulled over this in silence, eventually discarding the thought.

The timeline didn’t add up.

His encounter with Marguerite had been the day after that night. A plastic surgery, including recovery time, would take at least half a year. It couldn’t have happened overnight.

Besides, the face in the surveillance footage and the name on his list of impoverished individuals both belonged to Yuna.

The woman beside Frederick noticed him deep in thought and was afraid he might ask more questions, so she quickly redirected the conversation to herself.

“Frederick, I was the one who gave you bread when you were at your lowest, saving your life. Can’t you forgive me just this once?

I’ve been miserable enough. I grew up with my grandma, never having enough to eat or wear. It was through her hard work that I grew up.

My parents finally found me, but then my grandma disappeared. I wanted to repay her, but never got the chance. Frederick, both my grandma and you are very important to me. I’ve already lost my grandma, I can’t lose you too.”

Remembering the past fifteen years, Frederick’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

If Yuna were still the innocent, lovely, and kind girl from his childhood, he wouldn’t feel such disgust for her.

She had crossed his line time and again, but each time, she was forgiven because she had once saved his life.

He was tired.

Just then, a call from Chuck came through Frederick’s phone. He answered immediately, hearing the unmistakable joy in Chuck’s voice, “Mr. Winston, we’ve found Ms. Yuna’s grandmother, Laverne.”