The next day, Natalie arrived at her office. The moment she stepped out of the car, reporters swarmed around her. John immediately positioned himself beside her, his cold and menacing gaze warning the crowd to keep their distance.
The reporters, sensing the tension, maintained a safe space but bombarded her with questions as if she had committed a crime.
"Ms. Natalie, is it true that you created the perfume for the new company and made Victor the face of it? What are you trying to accomplish?"
"This new perfume of yours is called Spark of True Love. Are you qualified to name it that when you have no connection to true love and are known to betray your lover?"
"Ms. Natalie, where did you steal this perfume formula from this time? Was it your sister’s, or someone else’s?"
"As a plagiarist, why should we trust you to sell anything?"
"Are you using Victor’s image to sideline your scandal of plagiarism in the past and make people believe in you?"
"Just because it’s Victor who is representing this perfume, do you believe no one would question your credibility?"
"Even though you’re a model for the official photoshoot, what makes you think you deserve to be the face of it? Aren’t you worried about enraging Victor’s fans and cause yourself a loss?’
"Do you think you’re better than professional models now that so many rich men seem to be chasing after you?"
"Who’s giving you this confidence? Which rich man—or should we say men—are you pleasing these days to gain support?"
"Is your husband okay with your behaviour?"
Despite the barrage of questions, Natalie remained calm, her expression unbothered. Meanwhile, John, though seething with anger, restrained himself, having been ordered not to intervene unless Natalie was in physical danger.
"Ms. Natalie, we’re waiting for your answers," a reporter pressed as they finally quieted down.
Natalie looked at him with a composed gaze, as if all their ridiculous questions were insignificant. "Do you think I have ten mouths to answer all of you at once? Instead of rushing at me like starving dogs, as if I’m running away, try being civil and ask one at a time."
The reporters were taken aback by her calm yet sharp response. She wasn’t wrong, after all.
"Well?" she asked, scanning the crowd before pointing to one reporter. "You. Ask your question."
Her response clearly got them. She was clearly not afraid of being questioned. but instead proved all of them a nuisance.
The reporter regained his composure and repeated his question, "Ms. Natalie, you’ve been accused of plagiarism in the past. How can we be sure that this product is yours and not stolen from someone else?"
"I’ve been creating perfumes for Brown Industries’ cosmetics department for over two years, and none of you ever questioned my work then," Natalie replied calmly. "Wasn’t it my creation that saved Browns from going bankrupt? Are you only questioning me now because this perfume is for a small, lesser-known company?"
"We trust Brown Industries’ credibility, but how can we trust you and this new company?" the reporter pressed.
"You’ll know once the product is out," Natalie responded coolly.
"Who did you plagiarize from this time? Your sister Briena, who’s known as the young perfume prodigy Aroma, or someone else?" another reporter sneered, clearly trying to provoke her.
Natalie turned to face him, recognizing him as one of Sephina Ford’s lackeys. "Are you sure she’s Aroma?" Natalie asked, her voice sharp.
"During that competition, it was made clear she was the one. Don’t pretend you don’t know and make me repeat what we all already know," the reporter shot back smugly.
"Then let me tell you what you don’t know," Natalie said, her eyes icy, the bitter memories of the past still fresh. "What if she was the one who plagiarized my formulas and declared herself as Aroma?" She turned to the camera, her gaze unwavering. "If Briena Ford is truly Aroma, the young perfume prodigy, why hasn’t she created any new perfumes all these years? Was it because I wasn’t by her side to steal from? Aroma was known for her dedicated love towards perfume creation, constantly creating new fragrances, so why did this so-called prodigy suddenly stop?"
The reporters buzzed with questions, but one shouted above the rest, "Ms. Natalie, are you claiming you are Aroma, and that your sister plagiarized your perfume formulas?"
"Do I need to make it clearer?" Natalie replied, her tone unyielding.
"Do you have any proof for this claim?" the reporter who had smirked at her earlier asked, challenging her. "Without proof, you’re slandering Briena Ford. She could sue you for defamation."
Natalie raised an eyebrow. "If it’s so easy to sue someone for speaking their mind, then perhaps I should sue all of you first for asking baseless questions and accusing me without proof, suggesting to the world that I’m ’pleasing rich men.’ What proof do you have to support those claims?"
The reporter went silent, stunned by her boldness, while the others exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
"That’s our job—to ask questions and find the truth, so the entire world knows who is wrong and who is right," the reporter argued.
"And my job is to defend myself," Natalie said, looking directly at the camera. "I’ve never plagiarized anything. I don’t care what others believe, but that’s the truth, and I’m sticking with it."
"How do we know you’re telling the truth?"
"As you said before, isn’t it your job to find the truth and report it? Go investigate for yourself," Natalie shot back.
"You’ve been a model in the photoshoot with Victor. What are you trying to prove by doing this? Were there no professional models available?"
"There was an emergency, and we didn’t have a model available at the time, so I had to step in," Natalie explained calmly.
"But don’t you think you’ve upset his fans again? They might not want their favorite star to be associated with someone who has so many scandals and has posed with him like a couple."
"The moment Victor signed a contract with my company, he became associated with me as I am the CEO. It’s not like I forced him to sign by putting a gun to his head. He’s a smart and powerful enough figure to make his own decisions," Natalie replied firmly. "As for his fans being angry, they’ll just have to accept with it whether they like it or not. Those photos are what we’re going to use for promotions."