•Juliet POV•I crouched to Jace’s level and brushed my hand against his curly hair that fell to his forehead before pulling him close for a hug. He wrapped his hands around my neck.“Be good for Mommy, okay?” I whispered.Jace smiled when we pulled out of the hug, nodding softly. “Okay, Mommy.”I smiled back and then turned to Mila, who was standing close to us with her backpack hung on her shoulder. “And you too, Mila,” I said, taking her hand softly.“Okay, Miss Ryder,” she said cheerfully, and I straightened up, watching as Jace and Mila walked down to the entrance of school.I kept my eyes on them until I could no longer see them. My chest tightened a little before I finally turned toward Vera, who was standing by the car, leaning against it while scrolling through her phone.“I can’t say this is good, after the government shut down the company for investigation,” Vera mumbled, staring at her phone screen. “The comments online have finally died down.”I walked over slowly, my hand
•Edward POV•I pulled Juliet close in a cuddle as I kissed her on the forehead. She was still fast asleep, and seeing how peaceful she was sleeping made me smile.I gently shifted from her and stood up from the bed, thinking of what to do. It’s been days since Jace’s perfume incident, and even though it seems like we're getting close to figuring things out, I feel uncertain about it.I shoved my hand through my hair and walked over to the nightstand. I picked up my phone and checked the time before dropping it back. I needed to get dressed and check on how far Eric had gone with investigating.By the time I got out of the bathroom and pulled on a black shirt and black pants, Juliet stirred from sleep and sat up, staring at me with sleepy eyes.“Good morning, my love,” she mumbled as she stretched her hand to the nightstand to grab her phone.“How are you feeling this morning?” I asked as I walked over to meet her. I placed a soft kiss on her forehead and lips before walking over to ge
•Edward POV•I picked up the perfume bottle from the table and stared at it for a while before dropping it back on the table. “James is smart, I mean, how did he come up with this idea?” I muttered as I took a step away from the table, now facing Eric. “Isn't this against the law? Can’t we sue James?”Eric who was scrolling through his tab and writing something down, looked up at me and shook his head slightly. “We could’ve done that, but it’s just that we don’t have solid evidence against him. He might deny it in court.”“Yeah, James has a way of manipulating things,” I said, walking towards the door. “I have to go home now. Keep up with the investigation. If you find anything else, please reach out to me.”Eric nodded, and I walked out of the storage room, making my way down the hallway. I shoved my hand through my hair, thinking about how the day had been. I could feel it in me, we were close to getting rid of James for real this time.When I got to the last floor of the building a
•Juliet POV•My eyes widned in shock as the realization hit me. My voice shook as I muttered, “That means... the perfume out there is just a replica of Jace Perfume.”Vera’s face tightened. She let out a slow breath and nodded. “This must’ve been how James did it. He took the original and replaced it with fakes. No wonder people were getting burns and rashes. It wasn’t ours.”My stomach knotted painfully. I felt dizzy for a second, but I pushed through it and stepped closer to the cartons stacked in front of me. My hand touched one of the bottles again, fingertips trailing over the label. “Vera, please get Dora and Eric’s attention right away,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.Vera didn’t waste a second. “Okay,” she said, turning and rushing back into the building.I stayed there, picking up another bottle. The changes were clearer now. The color wasn’t right. The scent was off. And the tiny details, our rose design, the little spark words wasn't there. My chest tightened as
•Juliet POV•I stood up slowly from the couch, pulling myself together as much as I could. Vera waited quietly by the door while Edward, still flipping through the files on the table, paused and glanced at me. Without saying anything, he dropped the files where they were and joined us.The three of us walked down the hallway, our footsteps echoing lightly in the quiet hallway. When we reached the conference room, I pushed the door open, my heart heavy but I try as much as possible to keep my face calm as I stepped into the room.The staff were already seated, looking up at me with expectant eyes. I walked to the head of the table, pulling out the chair slowly before sitting down. Edward and Vera both took seats on either side of me, their presence giving me a small ounce of comfort.I cleared my throat lightly, my hands resting on the table. “Good afternoon,” I started, with a steady voice despite the weight sitting on my chest. “First, I want to thank all of you for being here... and
•Juliet POV•I stood up from the bed, pacing around the room, my arms wrapped around my chest as if holding myself together would somehow make everything better. The weight on my chest felt heavier with each step, like it wanted to pull me down.I shook my head, biting my lower lip hard. “What can I do now, Vera? My mind just can’t come up with anything... only thoughts of what more terrible things might happen.”Vera’s eyes softened as she watched me. “I understand how you’re feeling right now, Jules. But since Jace Perfume is closed down by the government for investigation...” She placed her hand under her chin, her brows furrowed deep in thought. “I think you should lay off the staffs.”My eyes widened. I stopped pacing and stared at her.“If James’s insider is still within the company, there’s no way we’ll figure out anything,” Vera continued quietly. “They’ll just keep covering things up and drawing our attention elsewhere.”I exhaled sharply. “Hm... you’re right. But what does t