Chapter 153

"You..." Vanessa Blake was stunned and opened her mouth to lash out. Lucien Dubois beside her raised a hand to stop her.

"Vanessa, this must be Evelyn Carter—the one you've mentioned before."

Vanessa blinked, then nodded. "Yes, it's her."

"Ms. Carter," Lucien began, his tone measured, "removing a single ingredient from an essential oil formula while keeping the rest intact may seem insignificant, but the results are entirely different." He paused, lips curving into a faint smirk. "You're quite clever."

Evelyn arched a brow, studying him before realization struck. "You're the one Dominic brought in to fix the formula?"

No wonder Dominic had suddenly stopped panicking. According to the latest reports from Veridian City, DR Holdings' factory had resumed operations. That could only mean the formula issue had been resolved.

Of course, Evelyn knew DR Holdings couldn't have solved it with their existing team. Dominic must have outsourced help. Still, she had been preoccupied in Silverpine Valley and hadn't given much thought to who he might have hired. She hadn't expected to meet the man face-to-face here.

Evelyn didn't recognize Lucien, but given the VIP treatment he'd received from the organizers last night and his sharp deduction about the formula, he was clearly someone of significance. The real question was—why would someone like him help Dominic?

Ignoring the sarcasm in his tone, Evelyn simply smiled. "Thank you for the compliment."

She had no intention of engaging in a pointless argument, but Vanessa wasn't one to let things go. Especially not after seeing Evelyn in the first-class cabin during their flight from Veridian City. Vanessa had suffered nothing but setbacks because of Evelyn—she wasn’t about to miss this chance to humiliate her now that she had the upper hand.

"Are you stupid?" Vanessa scoffed, rolling up her sleeves with exaggerated disdain. "Who do you think you are, fishing for compliments from Mr. Dubois? Compared to him, you're a child playing with toys. Your little tricks are pathetic. Stop embarrassing yourself."

She smirked, eyes gleaming with malice. "Evelyn, you must think you're untouchable now that you're with Phoenix Labs. But Phoenix isn't Celestia Group! And even Celestia wouldn’t waste time protecting someone like you. Know your place and stop deluding yourself."

Victoria Sterling, who had been watching silently, finally stepped forward. Her expression darkened as she positioned herself between Evelyn and Vanessa.

"Regardless of where Evelyn stands, she’s earned everything herself," Victoria snapped. "Unlike some people who steal others' work and still have the audacity to act superior. Shame must be a foreign concept to you."

Vanessa's face twisted, flushing red with fury. She glared at Victoria. "Who the hell are you? This is between me and Evelyn. Stay out of it!"

"Evelyn is my colleague and friend," Victoria retorted, lifting her chin. "Her business is my business."

The declaration warmed Evelyn’s chest.

Vanessa let out a mocking laugh. "Oh, another Phoenix lackey. No wonder you’re so arrogant. Let me give you some advice—Evelyn is a two-faced snake. You’ll regret defending her when she stabs you in the back."

Victoria didn’t flinch. "Save your breath. I have eyes—I can see exactly who the real snake is."