Sophia Sullivan finished blending the perfume and headed to the restroom.
The moment she entered a stall, hushed whispers drifted in from outside.
"Did you hear? That new executive looks respectable but is actually disgusting behind closed doors!"
"Manager Vance said Sophia Sullivan's an orphan with no supervision. No wonder she went down the wrong path."
"Who knew she'd be so shameless?"
Sophia's eyes turned icy.
Her first encounter with rumors about herself happened in a restroom.
This place truly lived up to its reputation as a gossip hub.
The chatter continued outside.
"Why would Mr. Sullivan fancy such a woman?"
"Free offerings are hard to refuse—just some casual fun—"
The stall door swung open with a sharp bang.
Sophia stepped out with composed elegance.
Without glancing at the girls, she walked straight to the sink.
The vanity mirror lit up.
She retrieved her lipstick and began reapplying it with deliberate precision.
"M-Miss Sullivan..."
The girls huddled together like frightened mice.
Sophia finished touching up her makeup and pinned them with a glacial stare through the mirror.
"Don't stop on my account."
Her gaze pierced like icicles, chilling them to the bone.
"Were you hired to work or spread vile gossip?"
"Such pretty faces shouldn't match such foul mouths."
"We're sorry, Miss Sullivan! We didn't mean it!"
The once-chatty girls now wilted like frostbitten plants.
Sophia held power over their employment fate.
"It's just rumors going around! We had nothing to do with it!"
Sophia turned with a derisive laugh.
"Spreading rumors counts as nothing?"
Her tailored suit, cascading curls, and crimson lips radiated authority.
"Leaving your posts during work hours to spread slander. All bonuses revoked this month."
These were mere pawns.
The real puppet master was Caleb Vance.
"What?"
The girls looked thunderstruck.
Breeze Perfumes' monthly bonuses totaled three thousand dollars.
This punishment hurt more than any scolding.
Sophia's indifferent expression deepened their panic.
Would termination follow tomorrow?
Why did they have to get caught?
They dropped to their knees.
"Miss Sullivan, we've learned our lesson!"
But only silence answered.
When they looked up, Sophia had already left.
As if nothing had occurred.
This uncertainty tormented them most.
...
Back in the lab, Caleb Vance waited behind his glasses.
He spread documents across the worktable with a smarmy smile.
"Miss Sullivan, could you recreate this perfume?"
Triumph gleamed in his eyes.
This client was notoriously difficult.
Demanding midnight revisions and endless formula tweaks.
His name alone gave the entire company headaches.
The client had only provided a tiny sample.
The formula contained over forty ingredients without precise measurements.
Requiring pure perfumer's intuition—an extreme challenge.
Caleb deliberately tossed this hot potato to Sophia.
"A VIP client. We're stumped, so we're counting on you."
Sophia scanned the documents and sampled the scent.
"Leave it here."
Caleb blinked.
This wasn't the reaction he'd anticipated.
She accepted without hesitation? Surely pretending!
The lab staff gaped.
No one expected such immediate agreement.
Caleb stumbled over his words.
"Then... we'll trouble you, Miss Sullivan."
He'd prepared a arsenal of taunts.
Ready to unleash when she protested.
Instead, she'd taken the bait!
His rehearsed lines stuck in his throat, leaving him flustered.
Sophia opened the essence cabinet and gave him a sidelong glance.
"Anything else?"
"N-no."
Caleb slunk away.
Sophia focused on the perfume.
Each base note held subtle variations.
Tedious but not impossible.
She swiftly uncapped dozens of vials.
A single whiff told her what worked.
Within two hours, the sample perfume was complete.
No assistants required.
Through the glass partition, Caleb watched Sophia's fluid movements, grinding his teeth.
"Who does she think she's fooling? Tomorrow's humiliation will be glorious!"
He signaled a colleague outside.
"No way she finished so fast! That client's last order took us half a month!"
Caleb smirked.
"When the client collects tomorrow unsatisfied, Sophia Sullivan's reputation will shatter!"