Chapter 41

Dominic wasn't bluffing. Within hours, a cease-and-desist letter from DR Holdings' legal team was plastered across their official website.

The document demanded Evelyn Carter issue a public apology and pay substantial damages for the financial losses incurred by the company.

It didn’t stop there. The same legal notice was aggressively circulated on Twitter, Reddit, and every major social platform. DR Holdings was making it clear—they weren’t backing down.

With DR Holdings taking such an uncompromising stance while Phoenix Labs remained eerily silent, public opinion swiftly turned against Evelyn.

Though the press conference had left some questioning the accusations, the lack of response from Phoenix Labs made doubters reconsider.

If Evelyn was innocent, why wasn’t she fighting back? Why hadn’t she presented any evidence to refute the claims?

Evelyn, however, wasn’t cowering. Instead of issuing a lengthy rebuttal, she simply reposted the legal notice with a single, biting caption: "Try me."

Two words. That was all it took.

Her response dripped with defiance, as if she found the entire legal threat laughable. The internet erupted. Within hours, the hashtag #TryMe was trending.

Perfume scandals rarely made headlines, but this feud had gripped the public’s attention. The back-and-forth accusations, the bold defiance—it was drama at its finest.

While netizens feasted on the spectacle, Evelyn remained unnervingly calm. She was on her way to Phoenix Labs when Sophia Grant called.

"Back from your vacation?" Evelyn asked, her tone light.

Sophia, however, was anything but relaxed. "I just saw DR Holdings’ legal letter. Are you okay? Do you need me to testify for you?"

Evelyn laughed. "No need."

"Don’t worry about me," Sophia insisted. "Even if I stay quiet now, Dominic won’t let me keep my job anyway."

Sophia had deliberately gone off-grid, switching to a personal phone to avoid the chaos. When she finally turned her work phone back on, she was bombarded with frantic messages demanding her immediate return.

She could guess why.

"It’s not about protecting you," Evelyn said after a pause. "I just don’t need it yet. If I do, I’ll let you know."

Sophia sighed. "Fine. Just… be careful."

She admired Evelyn. After working alongside her for years, she knew firsthand how brilliant she was. But this wasn’t just about talent—Dominic held all the power.

Evelyn had spent most of her time in the lab, isolated from the rest of the company. Sophia was the only one who could confirm the perfumes were truly hers.

And with the stolen materials, Evelyn had even less to work with.

So where was this unshakable confidence coming from?

Did Phoenix Labs have something up their sleeve?