Chapter 541: Let Me Help You
Riley noticed the stares around her, her eyes almost splitting with rage, wishing she could strangle Selina right then and there!
These were clothes meant for Selina... all that scheming, all that effort, and in the end she had only made wedding clothes for Selina?!
Grandma Perry had been picking out clothes for Selina from the very beginning! She had spent a million dollars only to make Selina shine—ahhh! Why?!
Grandma Perry glanced at Riley, her voice calm but firm. "Mm, yes, we should return the money to Riley. Take it from my account. This was always meant to be my gift to Selina."
Riley snapped out of her fury, as if waking from a dream. "No... Grandma, that’s not what I meant. I was just... a little surprised."
She quickly put on a nonchalant smile, pretending nothing had happened. "Selina, Grandma really does treat you well."
The sales assistant, sensing the tension, stepped in with a smile. "Well, Mrs. Reid and Madam are family after all."
Selina nearly burst out laughing.
That "family" was like stomping straight onto Riley’s landmine—dancing on her minefield.
Riley forced a smile, but it looked worse than if she hadn’t smiled at all.
Selina’s lips curled in a slow smile. "That’s right. Grandma and I are family, so of course she buys me clothes. But I didn’t expect Miss Nelson would also be willing to spend money on me. Maybe... Miss Nelson wants to be family with me too?"
The onlookers hid their laughter: "..."
Well, wasn’t that true? Riley did want to become family with Selina—because what she coveted was Selina’s husband!
"All right, I’m tired. Let’s go home," Grandma Perry said to the butler at her side. At that moment, Riley’s phone chimed with the crisp sound of a bank transfer.
Only after settling everything did Grandma Perry wave at Selina. "Selina, let’s go. We’re heading home."
Then, as if suddenly remembering Riley, she added, "Riley, I’m old and my energy’s running low. I’ll head back to rest, so I won’t keep you for dinner. Take your time, buy whatever you like, and charge it to my account. Butler, make sure Riley’s taken care of."
"Yes, Madam," the butler replied respectfully.
Riley’s face drained of color, inch by inch.
Not only had Grandma Perry restored Selina’s dignity, but she’d also ordered the butler to accompany Riley and let her shop freely.
When word got out, people would only say that although Riley had helped Madam Perry drive Amelia away, Madam Perry had repaid Riley generously—hadn’t she spent plenty of money on her too?
In the end, that favor she thought she’d secured... vanished just like that!
Riley’s teeth ground together furiously, but all she could do was watch the two figures walk away—while forcing a stiff smile.
...Selina!
Her eyes flickered, and suddenly a thought struck her.
—Who said she was the only one who wanted Selina dead?
That duchess’s daughter from Country Y... wasn’t she the perfect blade to use?
...
Selina returned to the Perry estate and found Logan still sitting in the courtyard, sipping tea.
Beside him lay what looked like an invitation.
Grandma Perry had already gone to rest. Selina stepped closer and glanced at the paper.
"A Perfume Symposium?"
Logan gave a faint nod.
"Yeah. Country Y has proposed a collaboration with the Reid Group—to launch a new line of perfumes and sell them in both countries as a cross-national product."
Country Y, known as the Kingdom of Perfume, boasted countless master perfumers, global prestige, and its own unique flower fields—making it unrivaled in the fragrance world.
A partnership with Country Y would certainly benefit the Reid Group.
Selina arched a brow.
"But judging by your expression, it looks like you’re not too eager to accept their proposal?"
Logan’s voice was calm. "Working with Country Y isn’t impossible—after all, it’s the royal family’s request. But I made two conditions."
"First, an open bidding process. Whether the perfumers are from Country M or Country Y, everyone can submit their creations to Reid Group. Each perfume will be publicly judged, and the best ones will be selected."
"Second, Reid Group must hold more than half of the shares and retain the majority of decision-making power."
Selina let out a soft "oh." "So... it’s the second condition that the Country Y royals won’t agree to?"
As for the first demand, the royals of Country Y wouldn’t take it seriously.
After all, Country Y was the kingdom of perfume. Though small, no other nation’s fragrances surpassed theirs. Even if Country M perfumers competed alongside them, Country Y had nothing to fear.
But the second demand—that was something the royals would hesitate over.
Giving Reid Group more than 50% of the shares meant the partnership would be led by Reid Group, not by Country Y.
On a larger scale, it meant that Country M, not Country Y, would be in the driver’s seat.
Logan’s tone carried a subtle meaning. "They’re royalty, after all. Pride still matters to them."
Selina nodded. "But I think they’ll agree. Their queen isn’t unreasonable. By the way, who’s representing the royal family in this partnership?"
Logan took a sip of tea. "Princess Ella."
Princess Ella... Selina suddenly recalled something. "Isn’t she that ’cousin princess’ Paula kept talking about?"
Logan didn’t deny it.
So that was the case...
Selina asked again, "And what about you? Who do you want to come out on top—the perfumers from Country Y, or from Country M?"
She knew that, in the eyes of the world, Country M was considered barren when it came to perfumery.
Not a single perfume from Country M had ever swept the globe. People thought those from Country M lacked artistry, lacked taste, lacked refinement.
That was why, at international exhibitions, Country M was always looked down upon in fields like fragrance and art.
The very reason Logan had agreed to this collaboration must have been his hope that Country M’s perfumes could finally step onto the world stage.
Logan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he said, "The world doesn’t understand Country M’s fragrances. But I do. Their subtlety and depth aren’t something synthetic essences can replicate. The problem is, most people can’t appreciate it. Or rather—"
They just weren’t famous enough.
No major awards. No world-class celebrities endorsing them. Packaging that didn’t feel ’international.’
So, to outsiders, Country M’s perfumes seemed ’provincial’ at best.
Logan wanted to change that perception. That was why he’d taken the risk of collaborating with Country Y—the perfume capital of the world.
But some things couldn’t be changed by him alone.
Even so, Selina wanted to do her part.
She looked at him. "I want to join too. Is that allowed?"
Logan’s lips curved faintly. "Of course. Perfumers are all welcome—no restrictions on status, nationality, gender, or age."
"After submission, there’ll be an open audition. A month later, fifty works will be chosen to enter the final evaluation."
"All the perfumers under the Reid Group will be involved. I’ve also reached out to perfumers from several major domestic fragrance brands, as well as those from niche perfume studios, to join in."
It wasn’t that domestic perfumes lacked quality—what they lacked was a stage to truly shine.
Selina understood.
"Logan, let me help you."
...
After returning home, Selina reached out to a few friends she had gotten to know back when she first entered the world of perfumery.