Semua Bab Ex and Son Beg, But I Never Turn Back: Bab 81 - Bab 90

Willow's POV“I’m Emily,” the woman said, thrusting out her hand towards me. “I own Sheer Chique? Like I said, sorry for the intrusion. I just…I’ve been following your work and I’m a big fan. The way you layer your notes, AH! Pure brilliance.”Emily’s smile was sincere and she looked just as excited as she sounded. Her green eyes sparkled as she talked, and her curly, brown hair bounced off her shoulders. “I just HAD to come over and introduce myself. I was thrilled when I heard you were competing here. Honestly, I can’t wait to see, or smell rather,” she winked, “what you’ve created.”“I LOVE your perfumes,” I told her. Her studio was a boutique studio, only putting out a few perfumes per year. But the perfumes were lovely and original. “Really, I have a couple of your latest perfumes at home right now. I’m a big fan, too. It’s so nice to meet you.”I was touched that Emily had sourced me out and made the time to come over and introduce herself. Her studio had been around for a while,

Willow's POVWith the cameras aimed at Beatrice and her meltdown, Beatrice continued her rant, seemingly oblivious to both the cameras and the spectacle she was making of herself.It was quite the scene. For a brief moment, I wondered if the reporters would turn their cameras away when they realized it was Beatrice, just like they’d done outside the competition when she and I had argued. Beatrice was nothing if not thorough, so I could only assume she’d bribed every reporter in attendance. However, I was surprised to see that the reporters kept filming. Apparently Beatrice’s luck had run out and these weren’t the same reporters that Beatrice had bribed. On the contrary, these reporters seemed intent to film every single moment of Beatrice’s little outburst.Still wagging her finger in the air, she yelled at the judges for a recount of the votes.“There’s nothing to recount,” one of the judges said. “There are only five of us and we all cast a verbal vote. You won’t find any discrepan

Willow's POVWith Beatrice gone, the noise at the competition venue gradually died down. With Adonis at my side, we were approached by several influential people in the industry and happily exchanged business cards. Some of them were distributors who expressed interest in potentially carrying my perfume.Glowing from my win, and overcome by all the attention I was receiving, I let Adonis do most of the talking. I could barely find my voice anyway, since I still couldn’t believe this was happening. I’d always known, deep down, that my perfume was good. But by winning the competition, everyone else knew it now too.Adonis was charming and funny. He worked the room like a pro, knowing exactly what to say to each potential new client. Once again, I found myself very grateful to have him at my side.We’d just finished a conversation with a CEO from a purchaser when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Luigi standing in front of me, a proud smile on his face.“Congratulations,”

Willow's POVWalking out of the venue, I filled Luigi in on the situation. He was appalled that Alex had physically removed the tires from my car, and supportive that I wanted to settle the score.Luigi drove me straight to Alex’s, and as he put the car in park, he asked me:“Should I go up with you?” His voice was full of concern, but I shook my head, touching his hand lightly.“No, I think it’s best that you wait outside. This is between me and Alex and I don’t want to drag you into it,” I told him.Luigi nodded and we walked up the front steps. I rang the doorbell and knocked several times before I heard movement coming from inside.The door opened and Alex appeared, his face groggy.“What?” he asked in a tired tone. But the moment he saw that it was me standing at his door, his expression instantly changed. With wide eyes, he immediately tried to close the door.“Not so fast,” I hissed.I’d come here to confront him and I wasn’t about to let him slam the door in my face, so I react

Willow's POVOne of the men was standing in front of the other two, the man that had spoke. I glanced up at him but then quickly looked away. His face was fierce and tattoos snaked their way over his arms, covering almost every inch of skin in black ink. Everything about these men screamed ‘menacing’ and I saw Alex backing away, trembling, into the corner of the room.They paid no attention to me, their eyes locked on their target – Alex. They came at him in large strides, cornering him.“You owe money,” the front man said as Alex cowered in the corner. “Your debt is overdue.”“I know,” Alex said in a shaky voice. He wrung his hands in front of him. “I just need a few more days. My brother is sending me some money and I can pay off the debt with it. I promise,” Alex pleaded.“That’s what he said last time, Big D,” one of the men said to the man speaking to Alex. Big D gave his henchmen a sly smile.“Please, just a few more days,” Alex said.“I’m out of patience,” Big D replied, his voi