Devil's Prisoner of Love by Prefer

Chapter 516: The Competition Early the next morning, Aurora woke up feeling refreshed and went to work with Julian. The moment she stepped into the office, every employee was stunned.

Since the company's founding, Aurora had rarely shown her face. For months, she had been absent, and if not for their salaries being paid on time, many employees would have assumed the company was in trouble.

lan, however, no longer looked at Aurora with the affection he once had. Over the past two months, his relationship with Heather had flourished.

The two shared similar backgrounds and personalities, making their connection feel natural and inevitable.

During this time, Mona had not been idle either. She had brought in numerous advanced resources from abroad, and the company had begun developing its own skincare products.

Heather had been assigned to the fashion department, where several foreign designers had been hired. Everything had started to fall into place.

Even without Aurora's presence, the company had been running smoothly. However, since most of the resources were still in the investment phase, the company had yet to turn a profit.

Fortunately, the company's benefits and resources were excellent, and the employees were motivated. Everyone, that is, except for Gemma, who was constantly fuming.

She had thought that with Aurora gone, she and lan would finally have a chance to be together. But to her frustration, lan had inexplicably ended up with Heather.

This was driving her crazy.

Gemma's face was perpetually sour as she watched lan and Heather constantly exchanging shy glances. Both of them were inexperienced in relationships, which made their interactions all the more awkward and sweet.

In the morning, lan would stop by to bring Heather a coffee. "Um... I picked this up on the way," he'd mumble. Heather's cheeks would flush. "Thank you. This is my favorite flavor." They'd exchange a quick glance, blushing, before looking away just as quickly.

In the afternoons, Heather would return the favor and bring lan a milk tea. "I happened to buy two," she'd say. "Thanks," Ian would reply, his face reddening once again.

The sight of their innocent interactions made Gemma seethe. She was convinced Heather was faking her innocence. In this day and age, what kind of woman blushes just from exchanging a few words with a man? To Gemma, Heather's demeanor screamed pretense. She was sure the woman had been with countless men in secret.

As their relationship deepened, Gemma grew so impatient that she began digging into Heather's past, hoping to uncover sdirt.

To her dismay, Heather's background was spotless. She was a blank slate, pure and unsullied. Gemma had been planning to use anything she found to expose Heather's so-called scandals to lan.

Heather's unblemished past only made Gemma more annoyed. In a world where few women were truly simple, Heather stood out as an exception.

Watching the two exchange shy looks in front of her every day was driving her insane. But soon, the fashion and cosmetics departments would be moving to separate offices, meaning she wouldn't have to see Heather anymore. The thought of it brought her immense relief.

Just as Gemma was starting to feel better, Aurora returned.

Unlike her casual and sweet style at home, Aurora's work attire exuded dominance.

She wore a perfectly tailored black wool coat over a crisp shirt, paired with slim black trousers. In her hand was the latest season's designer bag.

Her every step carried an air of authority.

Mona, having heard in advance about Aurora's return, greeted her at the door.

Aurora went on a tour of the departments. "Mona, it's a good thing you've been here. The company is finally getting on track." "How's the perfcoming along? I heard Marcos is about to launch his," Mona inquired. Back then, Aurora had been somewhat motivated by rivalry.

"Is that so? He hasn't launched it yet? It's been months," Aurora replied with a faint smile.

Back then, if it hadn't been for that particular perfume, she wouldn't have gone to New York, nor would she have met Denis Vukic. In a way, she had Marcos to thank for teaching her a new skill.

"After you left, many companies refused to work with him because of the spokesperson issue. Even when Marcos lowered the price, no one wanted to take the risk.

Everyone had the scondition as you-buying the perfwas fine, but Susan couldn't be the spokesperson. Marcos had no choice but to pull the perfback to his own company.

When he was about to launch it, the scandal with Susan broke out. People accused Marcos of being the third party in Susan and Hayden's relationship.

The intewas in an uproar over the affair. With such a scandal, how could Marcos dare to put the perfon the market? So, he's been laying low for a few months, waiting for the matter to blow over before relaunching.

I've heard he's planning to release it on Christmas." Mona laid out the details. "Christmas, huh? Perfect. I'd like to see whose perfbecomes more popular-mine or his," Aurora said, her lips curling into a competitive smile.

Clearly, Marcos had thoroughly angered her, prompting Aurora to go head-to-head with him.

"You've already created a perfume? That fast?" Mona asked, her face incredulous.

It typically took years to bring a classic perfto market. Even the shortest timelines required at least a year or two for formulation, testing, and refinement.

Aurora had gone from a beginner to completing a perfin just a few months-it seemed almost reckless.

Aurora hadn't done any large-scale testing yet. The perfwas in its final stages, but she hadn't had tfor widespread trials.

Generally, testing was conducted in multiple rounds. After gathering feedback from each round, adjustments would be made to the formula.

Only after rigorous testing and adjustments would a brand finalize a Wan finalize a perfume's scent this was why classic fragrances could remain timeless for decades. "It's quick, I admit. I haven't done any testing yet," Aurora confessed.

"So, you haven't done any market research? What if it's not well-received?" Mona voiced her concern.

Without pre-release testing, there was no way to gauge public opinion on the fragrance.

So far, only Aurora and Denis Vukic had tested it. To Mona, it seemedh uncharacteristically impulsive for Aurora, who was typically calculated and strategic. "I trust him." Aurora's confidence cfrom her trust in Denis Vukic.

This perfume's main ingredients were her design, and Denis had only made minor adjustments to harmonize the scent.

Since even Denis Vukic thought highly of the perfume, there was no reason for it to fail. To doubt it would be to doubt Denis Vukic's expertise. "You trust Lockman?" "No, someone else. Mona, don't worry about this. I heard Julian prepared a lab for me.

Where is it?" Aurora changed the subject.

"Follow me. I'll take you there," Mona said, leading her to the lab. Aurora had never been to this particular facility before.

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