Chapter 4

In my past life, to stay by Julian Lancaster’s side, I gave up the opportunity to further my studies at the Cymbell Academy of Perfumery in Caelus. It is the holy land for all aromatherapists and has been my dream since childhood. In this life, I only wish to stay far away from him, to pursue what truly belongs to me. I bought the ticket for the next flight to Solara. Returning to the villa, I packed up everything related to Julian Lancaster. The hundred exclusive men’s fragrances I crafted for him, the cufflinks he casually tossed away, the birthday gifts he gave away and then resold, which I later bought back at a high price from others... I met him at fifteen, fell in love with him at twenty, and died at his hands at twenty-nine; these things I once treasured filled an entire room. It took me a whole day to finally clean it out. I called the recycling company, intending to treat all these dozens of boxes as garbage and get rid of them. Just as I instructed the workers to move them to the door, I saw Julian Lancaster’s car parked outside the courtyard. The car window rolled down, and he looked sideways at those boxes, his gaze frozen with ice. "Serena hasn’t been well lately; she needs rest here. I’ve told you, without my permission, you’re not allowed to leave the villa casually." I hesitated, followed his gaze, understood his misunderstanding, but couldn’t be bothered to explain. "These are things I don’t want, I’m not planning to go anywhere..." "As long as you don’t run around, I don’t care what you throw away. Get in the car." Julian interrupted my words coldly, signaling the driver to open the rear car door. I was puzzled, a slight confusion appearing on my face. "Where to?" "The ’First Love’ you sent last time was smelled by an editor of an industry magazine, creating quite a buzz. There’s a perfume industry banquet tonight, and Serena will also be there. You’re going with me to explain things clearly; don’t let Serena think you’re competing for credit with her." Only then did I remember, indeed, this happened in my past life. That time, I couldn’t hold bachintedinteat d a few things to that editor over the phone, and the next day, the gossip about "Serena Sullivan’s inspiration has run dry, with a hidden talent behind her" spread like wildfire, leading Serena to cry and fight with me. In this life, I did nothing, yet I was still misunderstood. Just as well, I also want to see some drama. The car drove to the hotel hosting the banquet, and Julian took me to the entrance of the banquet hall, emphasizing coldly again. "Once you get in, tell everyone you’re just an ordinary supplier for Everard Fragrances, and say nothing else, or else, you know the consequences." Looking at the warning in his eyes, I nodded silently. "Do not worry, I will explain clearly, and won’t let anyone misunderstand that we have any relationship." After all, soon I will completely sever the ties between ’Aethel’ and the Everard Family. I’m merely speaking the truth. Only then did Julian feel assured, raising his chin slightly, signaling me to go in alone.