Chapter 357

Alexander had done everything possible to keep Evelyn's kidnapping under wraps.

While domestic media remained silent, whispers spread through Laurentia.

Industry insiders, particularly those who attended the perfume sampling conference, were already buzzing with the news.

Serena was beside herself with worry. She would have rushed to Evelyn's side immediately, but her father stopped her when she tried to leave so late at night.

Adrienne, however, was the most bewildered of them all. She had been kidnapped too—yet she had slept through the entire ordeal.

She only learned what happened after the doctors examined her.

Even after watching the news reports, she couldn’t wrap her head around it.

"Is this real?" she asked Evelyn repeatedly, her voice trembling. "Did we really get kidnapped?"

Her jaw dropped when Evelyn nodded.

"How is that possible? I don’t remember any of it!"

"You were drugged," Evelyn explained gently. "You were unconscious the whole time. It’s not surprising you don’t recall anything."

She hesitated, then added, "The dosage was strong."

Adrienne frowned. "You said we were exposed the moment we got into the car. Was it in the air freshener?"

Evelyn nodded again. "They only meant to take me. But since you insisted on coming along, they took you too. I’m sorry you got dragged into this."

Guilt weighed on her. Adrienne had suffered because of her.

"That’s not what matters," Adrienne said firmly. "What I don’t understand is—how are you okay?"

She wasn’t upset about being kidnapped.

What confused her was that she felt like she had simply taken a long nap—while Evelyn had clearly been awake through most of it.

"I—"

Alexander had asked her the same thing yesterday. Evelyn cleared her throat.

"You know I’m a perfumer. I’m sensitive to scents. I held my breath when I realized something was off."

She paused. "I still got affected, but my tolerance is higher. I’ve built up resistance to certain compounds. That’s why I woke up faster than you did."

She gave Adrienne a reassuring smile. "Don’t overthink it. What’s important is we’re both safe now."

Adrienne fell silent, her brow furrowed in thought.

Then she asked, "Why did they take you?"

Evelyn sighed. "Maybe to stop me from competing in the finals. Or for other reasons. I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait for the investigation."

Not wanting Adrienne to dwell on it, she quickly changed the subject.

"At least the police caught them. That’s something to be grateful for."

She forced a nervous laugh. "We still don’t know the theme for the final round. Aren’t you anxious?"

Adrienne’s expression shifted at the mention of the competition.

"Don’t be nervous," she said, patting Evelyn’s arm. "You’ve already proven yourself. The fact that someone tried to stop you just confirms how good you are."

She grinned. "Besides, making it this far is already a win. The company isn’t expecting perfection."

Then her smile faded slightly.

"Actually… if they wanted you out of the finals, it’s probably someone else in the competition. Or connected to a contestant."

She looked at Evelyn intently. "Did you tell the police to look into that?"