Chapter 548: I’ll Give You One Chance to Regret
It was, in a way, a coincidence. She had only ever heard of Ronald by name, but she’d never had the slightest interest in his perfumes.
So even though Ronald was famous, she had never once bought one of his fragrances, let alone smelled them firsthand.
Only sometimes, when passing by others or attending some high-end gatherings, she would catch familiar scents lingering on wealthy ladies and socialites.
Those scents—were unmistakably hers. Her perfumes.
Scents she hadn’t even released yet, and yet she smelled them on others.
Back then, Selina hadn’t thought much of it. She hadn’t been focused on perfumery, nor paid attention to the industry, so she chalked it up to coincidence.
But she hadn’t expected—
Selina toyed with a bottle of Ronald’s perfume, the corner of her lips curling into a faint smile.
"Logan, just wait. After this competition, everyone claiming that Country M’s perfumes are inferior to Country Y’s will shut their mouths."
After all, if the most celebrated works of Country Y’s chief perfumer—the very ones idolized by the people of Country Y and their royal family—
turned out to be plagiarized from a perfumer of Country M?
Logan understood immediately. His lips curved slightly. "Then I’ll wait for your good news, Master Perfumer."
...
The next day.
Selina hadn’t gone to bed until past two a.m. The reason she insisted on using that particular formula was because she was certain Ronald, by some means, had already gotten his hands on it.
She intended to make him expose himself.
Since she’d slept late, she didn’t wake until after ten in the morning. With no need to go to SL Group today, she planned to stay home and refine the formula further.
But as soon as she came downstairs, she heard a man’s stern voice:
"Logan, if you ask me, Selina is far too disrespectful. Look at the time—it’s already late, and with elders here, she’s still in bed?"
Logan’s tone was calm, almost indifferent. "You’re free to leave. I won’t stop you."
"You—" The man’s voice faltered.
Then a woman’s voice followed, dripping with false sweetness. "Logan, we’re all family. We only say this for your own good. You’re already up, and yet your wife doesn’t get up to serve you, doesn’t even come down to serve us elders. If word spreads, won’t it look like you don’t respect your elders?"
Logan’s lips curved faintly as he cut her off. "If I recall, Mrs. Perry the Second’s family has been begging SL Group for a collaboration. Should your family find out that you expect SL Group’s head to personally serve you, I wonder if your father and brothers might feel like throwing themselves off a roof."
Mrs. Perry the Second was instantly silenced.
The living room fell into an awkward, eerie quiet.
Selina raised her brows, walking down the stairs. She asked knowingly, "Logan, do we have guests?"
Mrs. Perry the Second seized her chance. "Selina, let me just say—you knew guests were here, and yet you slept in so late. Is this how a lady of the house should behave?"
Selina blinked. "And when exactly did Mrs. Perry the Second decide to visit? Was there an invitation card?"
"We’re family, you—"
"Well, if there was no card and no notice, then how could you blame the host for waking late?"
After saying this, Selina turned to Logan. "Logan, I think Mrs. Perry the Second has forgotten what it means to be a guest. Don’t you agree?"
Logan smiled faintly. "Mr. Perry the Second and his lady barged in uninvited, ignoring Butler Miller’s attempts to stop them from entering the inner residence. I couldn’t very well throw them out."
Mrs. Perry the Second’s face turned white on the spot.
Selina couldn’t hold back a laugh. "Oh... so you’re not guests after all."
"Logan, Selina, don’t push it too far!"
Mrs. Perry the Second finally snapped. "I came here out of good will!"
Selina cast her a sidelong glance. "Oh? And what exactly was your so-called ’good will’?"
Mrs. Perry the Second snorted coldly. "Selina, your wager agreement with Miss Paula has already blown up everywhere. You’re the one acting recklessly, but you’re dragging us down with you. What do you take us for?"
Selina had already guessed it was about this.
Feigning curiosity, she asked, "And how exactly have I harmed Mrs. Perry the Second? My wager with Paula—what does it have to do with you?"
Mrs. Perry the Second’s face flushed red with anger. "How could it not? Do you really have twenty billion on your own? In the end, won’t Logan have to bail you out? When that happens—"
"But even if Logan helps me," Selina interrupted slowly, "what does that have to do with you?"
She tilted her head, voice calm but cutting. "Why are you so anxious about Logan’s money?"
Without thinking, Mrs. Perry the Second blurted out, "Why shouldn’t I be anxious? Logan’s money—"
"Could it be," Selina cut in, her tone layered with meaning, "that Mrs. Perry the Second has mistaken Logan’s money for her own?"
Mrs. Perry the Second’s voice cut off abruptly.
Selina looked mockingly surprised. "But why would that be? What connection does Logan have with Mrs. Perry the Second? No matter whose resources you’re eyeing, surely Logan isn’t one of them."
Logan chuckled. "Selina, that’s not strange at all."
Selina nodded. "True. Perhaps in Mrs. Perry the Second’s family, the rule has always been: share the blessings, share the hardships, everyone makes money and the whole family spends it. In that case, I suppose Mrs. Perry the Second’s fortune must also be shared with the Perry Family—and your maiden family as well. I should give them a call to confirm whether you’ve truly done that."
"You—you—!" Mrs. Perry the Second sputtered furiously.
Mr. Perry the Second glared at Selina and, taking on the air of an elder, scolded, "That’s not the point. If Logan runs into trouble, how could the Perry Family not help? A twenty-billion hole isn’t something just anyone can fill. Even if Logan can cover it, we won’t just stand by without supporting him."
"So Miss Clark, do you realize you’re causing trouble for us?"
Selina let out a derisive laugh. "Mr. Perry the Second, you underestimate Logan."
How could Logan possibly be unable to cover twenty billion? And besides, even if they lost, Selina herself could pay.
And more importantly...
Selina’s smile turned faint, almost mocking. "The competition hasn’t even begun. The outcome isn’t decided. Why is Mr. Perry the Second so sure I’ll lose? Or is it, in your heart, that Country M could never compare to Country Y?"
Mr. Perry the Second laughed in anger.
"Do you even know who you’re challenging? That’s Country Y’s chief perfumer. Even if Mr. Ronald doesn’t compete himself, do you think you can surpass his students? Selina, I’m saying this for your own good! Go to Miss Paula now, beg her forgiveness, withdraw from this wager—hurry!"
"Mr. Perry the Second, what do you take us in Country Y for? We don’t go back on our word."
At that moment, Amelia arrived with Paula at her side. Butler Miller had tried to stop them but failed, rolling his eyes in exasperation.
Logan asked coolly, "Do people from Country Y not recognize the crime of trespassing?"
"Logan, hold your tongue." Amelia pretended to be flustered, as though she were the most selfless mother in the world.
"Luckily I’m acquainted with Miss Paula. I can persuade her to call off the wager. But you—you can’t spoil Selina this much. If you keep indulging her, she’ll be the death of you!"
Paula’s face was full of triumph and delight, her eyes glinting with scorn and superiority, looking down on everyone else.