Chapter 122: A Familiar Scent
That night.
It was already past eleven when Vivian and Julian returned home. Vivian yawned as she walked upstairs. Exhausted and thoroughly drained, she washed up and went straight to bed.
Early the next morning.
It was past eight when Vivian woke up. She was still a little groggy.
It was Saturday, a rare day off from the company, and she really wanted to...
Before the words "sleep in" could even surface in her mind, she jolted upright, remembering something much more important.
"Right, how is the little white kitten doing?" she thought.
She immediately grabbed her phone. Eleanor Rhodes had replied.
Last night, when Vivian brought the kitten back to the pet hospital to find it a wet nurse, she had told Eleanor about it. Eleanor assured her it wouldn’t be a problem. Relieved, Vivian asked her to help take care of the kitten while she wasn’t around.
This morning, Eleanor had sent Vivian a message to report on the kitten’s condition.
"Vivian, the white kitten and the orange tabby are getting along great. I just got here this morning, and the kitten was snuggled up in the tabby’s arms, fast asleep! Look!"
Eleanor also sent a picture.
Vivian felt completely at ease seeing it and smiled softly. This was good.
"Thank you, Tanya."
Vivian sent the message and was just about to get up when she heard Julian’s groggy voice from beside her. "You’re awake?"
"Yeah..." Vivian replied, rolling over to look at him. He was still half-asleep.
Come to think of it, Julian probably hadn’t finished dealing with some business affairs before they went to Aethelburg University for dinner last night. After they got home, Vivian had gone straight to wash up and sleep, while Julian was still busy with work. She didn’t know what time he finally went to bed, but he still looked a bit tired now.
"Did I wake you?" Vivian shrank back a little.
Well... she didn’t know what happened last night, but she seemed to have slept quite close to him!
Julian closed his eyes as if putting up a final struggle against exhaustion. "No, it’s just getting late, so I woke up naturally. Are you going to the pet hospital today?"
Vivian nodded, explaining that she wanted to check on the white kitten and bring some extra food for the orange tabby.
"I’ll drop you off," Julian said, sitting up. "It works out perfectly. Once you’re at the pet hospital, I’ll head to the company, and then I’ll come back to pick you up at noon. How does that sound?
"Also, the legal department will need to verify some information with you when we get back. Once that’s sorted, we can start legal proceedings against the Lowell Family."
The legal department. Vivian knew what that meant.
The Lowell Family had secretly photographed her and Julian, maliciously edited the footage, and posted it online, on top of all the mudslinging they had previously directed at her. Adding all this up, Vivian had more than enough grounds to sue them.
And more importantly, the last two pages of the Lowell Family’s "Swan Design Drafts" involved suspected plagiarism!
Vivian was going to sue them! She would sue the Lowell Family until they were bankrupted by compensation payouts!
"Okay." Vivian agreed. She and Julian took turns getting dressed and washing up before heading downstairs together for breakfast.
It was past eight. By this time, Grandma Faulkner had already returned from walking the dog and was watching TV in the living room.
"Oh, you’re up?" Grandma Faulkner was in a good mood when she saw them. As her gaze swept over Vivian, her face was full of maternal affection. But when she looked at Julian...
Grandma Faulkner looked him up and down, then cleared her throat. "Ahem. Julian, take care of your health!"
For a moment, both Vivian and Julian froze.
Take care of his health? What did Grandma Faulkner mean by that long, meaningful look when she said that to Julian?
Julian had stayed up late last night because of work!
It wasn’t, it wasn’t...
"Grandma Faulkner, Julian was busy with work last night!" Vivian instinctively tried to explain.
Grandma Faulkner merely chuckled, a teasing tone in her voice. "Vivian, I know Julian is a workaholic! That’s exactly why I told him to take care of his health! Where did your mind go?"
Where did her mind go?
Vivian felt a wave of self-reproach and reflected on her thoughts. Why was her mind suddenly in the gutter? Grandma Faulkner didn’t mean it that way at all!
Julian, however, had already seen through his grandmother’s teasing. Feeling a bit helpless, he turned to Vivian. "Alright, let’s have breakfast first. Don’t you have things to do?"
"Oh, right, right!" Vivian nodded, giving Grandma Faulkner a slightly embarrassed smile before sitting down with Julian to eat.
Breakfast was sumptuous. There was a bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest soup, a bowl of steamed egg custard, and four little milk buns—all Vivian’s favorites.
Ms. Shaw was an excellent cook. The egg custard was topped with a layer of minced meat that had been stir-fried in advance. It wasn’t tough or overly salty at all; instead, it perfectly complemented the fragrance of the eggs, making it absolutely delicious.
Vivian finished everything. She drank the last sip of milk, leaned back in her chair, and wiped her mouth.
Just then, Rachel returned. She came through the front door carrying a bag and yawning as she walked in.
Huh? Vivian was a little surprised to see Rachel coming back at this hour. She knew Rachel fairly well and knew she loved her "beauty sleep," usually only waking up after nine in the morning.
Why was she coming back from outside so early today? Had she gone out to run errands?
As she was wondering, Grandma Faulkner turned around from the sofa where she was watching TV. She glanced at Rachel and sighed, "Why are you only coming back now? Rachel...
"Go to bars less often from now on. There are all sorts of shady characters there, and I’m worried you’ll get taken advantage of!"
Finishing her yawn, Rachel smiled at Grandma Faulkner. Unfazed, she replied, "Don’t worry, Grandma. I went with friends.
"We had some drinks last night, and then we booked a few rooms to play Werewolf and sleep. It was nothing."
"..."
Grandma Faulkner looked like she wanted to say more, likely out of genuine concern for Rachel, but Rachel cut her off. "Grandma, I’m still a bit tired. I’m going upstairs to catch up on some sleep.
"Ms. Shaw, could you make me some porridge later? Something light. And prepare a bowl of hangover soup, too. I still feel a little dizzy."
"Right away, Miss," Ms. Shaw agreed respectfully, asking if Rachel needed help walking.
Rachel shook her head to signify she didn’t and walked toward the elevator on her own.
She passed by Vivian. Vivian subconsciously glanced at Rachel. Although Rachel didn’t look back at her, Vivian caught a whiff of a familiar scent on her.
It was perfume. Men’s cologne, to be exact.
A thought flashed through Vivian’s mind, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. Where had she smelled this scent before?
Just as she was pondering, Rachel, who had already reached the elevator doors, suddenly turned around. She gave Vivian a radiant smile and asked, "Vivian, what are you thinking about?"
Rachel’s words interrupted Vivian’s train of thought. Vivian looked up at her, composed herself, and said, "Nothing.
"Just thinking about work, that’s all. Rachel, you’re tired, so you should get some rest. You could light some aromatherapy candles to help you sleep well."
"I should." Rachel nodded. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she added, "Perfect timing, actually. A friend gave me a really nice-smelling sleep-aid aromatherapy candle last night. I can light it in a bit."
Why would she tell her that?
Vivian found it baffling, but she didn’t want to dwell on it any longer.