Sophia Sullivan realized she was being threatened by both of them. Her entire body trembled with rage.
Suppressing her fury, she feigned vulnerability. "Since Mr. Sullivan and the judges have spoken, I must have overreacted. Continuing this argument would be unseemly. I concede defeat today. Let's all agree that Crimson Serpent is my sister, and end this matter here."
The subtext in her words couldn't be clearer.
Her slightly reddened eyes made her appear even more pitiful, as if she'd been forced to submit under pressure.
"Don't be afraid, Chloe. I won't let anyone bully you."
Liam Winston grabbed her wrist and glared at Sophia with undisguised disgust.
"Are you still lying at this point? If you admit your mistake and apologize properly to Chloe, I'll let this go."
Chloe whispered, "Don't antagonize them for my sake, Liam. Mr. Sullivan dominates this industry. I'll accept defeat. No apology is necessary."
Isabella Robinson could hardly believe her ears. Their coordinated performance was practically confirming the accusation of cheating.
"Have you lost your mind? You demanded evidence earlier but can't produce any yourself. With nothing but baseless accusations, anyone would think Sophia was your parents—someone you could blame for everything!"
Sophia gave Liam a cool glance. "I never realized you were this blind."
Her calm, mocking tone made Liam feel utterly dismissed. No matter what he did, she seemed to regard him as a joke.
Under everyone's gaze, Sophia picked up Chloe's perfume and inhaled lightly.
"Cedarwood, musk, violet. The base notes do resemble mine. But I added rosemary. Do you understand now?"
Chloe paled, finally realizing why she'd never been able to replicate the original scent.
Sophia continued her analysis unhurriedly. "Cedarwood is cool, musk is heavy, violet is flighty. The combination isn't bad, but the key is rosemary—it outlines the structure while allowing violet to balance musk's weight and enhance cedarwood's crispness."
When discussing perfume, Sophia became intensely focused. With just one sniff, she could identify the components and pinpoint flaws in the formula.
"Your ratios are off. As a base note, musk needs other elements to soften its heaviness, not just reduced quantity. This makes the perfume feel cheap and shallow."
Her expert analysis earned nods from those who understood perfumery.
Even Chloe was secretly stunned. Sophia not only mastered fragrance blending but also knew exactly where she'd struggled.
Listening to her, Chloe almost felt enlightened.
Maintaining her composure, Chloe said, "So what if you know perfumes? At most, it proves our base notes are similar, our techniques alike."
She reassured herself: Sophia couldn't possibly be Crimson Serpent. Her intel confirmed the master perfumer was in their sixties!
"Sister, I've already said I won't pursue this. Consider it your win, okay? We must share a connection. I don't want to argue anymore."
Her implication was clear: similar base notes didn't prove who came first. Many masters had refined formulas years later to create classics.
As long as Sophia couldn't establish chronology, the waters would stay muddied.
Sophia smiled faintly. "So you think similar base notes mean plagiarism?"
"I never said that." Chloe maintained a gracious smile. "I just feel a kinship with you. It's unfortunate some insist on crying copycat."
Under anonymous competition rules, the real Crimson Serpent wouldn't reveal themselves. Proving ownership of the perfume's base notes would indeed be difficult.
Chloe was determined to obfuscate to the end.
"Fortunately, I keep records—especially of fragrance ratios."
Sophia lifted her gaze, her eyes laced with derision.
"This perfume was created using a contrast of warm and cool notes. I documented every step from creation to submission. It's been in my phone for eight years, just unpublished."
"I have evidence for the timeline and technique. Would you like to see it?"