chapter 96
Elena's POV:
"I know nothing." The words were flat, final, and so unlike the warm, encouraging teacher I remembered.
"The Madame Flower series was developed by Vivienne Sterling in my lab." The lie fell from his lips while he stared at the floor, at the wall, at anything but me.
I'd long since learned how complex human nature could be, but watching him now still stung.
This was the same man who'd offered me lab access when we were practically strangers, who'd encouraged my work and guided me through countless failed attempts. Yet here he stood, unable to meet my gaze, his integrity crumbling under whatever pressure had been applied.
Human nature, I'd learned, always proved so fragile when tested against profit and self-preservation.
"Did Vivienne come to see you?" I asked quietly, already knowing the answer.
Professor Chen said nothing, his face a canvas of conflicting emotions. He simply lifted his coffee cup and took a slow sip, but that silence told me everything I needed to know.
"Whatever she offered you," I said, leaning forward slightly, "I can match it. More than match it, actually. You know perfectly well that my position in the perfume industry is far higher than hers now. I can ensure your daughter gets opportunities Vivienne could never—"
"Oh, how touching." The mocking voice came from behind me, dripping with false sweetness. "Little Elena, trying to buy loyalty with promises she can't keep."
I didn't need to turn around to know Vivienne was standing there, probably smirking in that way she'd perfected since childhood.
Our eyes met as I slowly turned, and her smile widened into something predatory. "You can barely save yourself, and you're making grand promises?"
She laughed, the sound sharp as breaking glass. "Maybe yesterday you were the celebrated Onyx, the perfume world's darling. But today? You're just a murder suspect who hasn't cleared her name yet."
So Vivienne wasn't as foolish as I'd thought—she'd anticipated I would seek out Professor Chen. This wasn't a coincidence; it was an ambush.
I watched her, my hands unconsciously clenching into fists at my sides. The triumphant gleam in her eyes made it clear—she wouldn't let me win this time. Not again.
"You had Lucas post that accusation, didn't you?" I kept my voice steady despite the anger building in my chest. "Slander has consequences, Vivienne. The truth always surfaces eventually."
"You should worry about yourself first," she shot back, examining her manicured nails with theatrical boredom. "After all, you're the one trending as a murderer."
"How does it feel, Elena? Watching your reputation crumble?" Vivienne circled closer, her heels clicking against the café floor like a countdown.
"Instead of dealing with the murder case trending all over social media, you're here chasing after me. Such a pity." She tilted her head in mock sympathy. "Heaven isn't always on your side, is it?"
"Don't celebrate too early," I said, my voice low but steady. "The Madame Flower series—I will get it back. What you've stolen will never truly be yours, no matter how many lies you tell."
Vivienne's laugh was bright and cruel.
"So what if you created it? " She leaned against Professor Chen's table, her confidence radiating like perfume—cloying and artificial. "Everyone knows I'm the face of Madame Flower. The media, the industry, the customers—they all associate it with me."
Her smile sharpened. "I must say, getting something for nothing feels absolutely wonderful."
She straightened, smoothing down her designer dress as she took in my clenched jaw and rigid posture.
With one last delighted laugh at my obvious fury, she sauntered toward the door, her heels clicking a victorious rhythm against the floor.
"Good luck clearing your name, dear sister," she called over her shoulder, the words dripping with mock concern.
The café felt suddenly quiet in her wake, leaving just Professor Chen and me. He hadn't looked up once during the entire confrontation, his shoulders hunched over his cooling coffee.
"So," I said softly, retaking my seat. "Are you certain you want to side with her?"
When he finally met my eyes, guilt was written across every line of his face. "I'm sorry, Elena. My entire career, my daughter's future—Vivienne holds them both in her hands.""
He rubbed his temples, looking suddenly older. "We've been tied to the same ship from the very beginning. "
He sighed. "When Vivienne first rose to fame with Madame Flower, I actually considered speaking up for you. I knew it was your painstaking research, your formulas."
His voice dropped to barely above a whisper. "But my daughter had just graduated, was at such a crucial point in her career development. Vivienne promised her everything—internships, connections, a guaranteed position at Hermès."
Professor Chen's hands shook as he lifted his coffee cup. "I was blinded by greed, by the opportunity she dangled in front of me. And now?"
A bitter laugh escaped him. "Now I can only continue down this dark path. If I expose Vivienne, I'll go down with her. My reputation, my research, twenty years of academic credibility—all destroyed."
I stared at him for a long moment, taking in the deep lines etched around his eyes, the way his shoulders curved inward like a man carrying an unbearable weight.
Then I sighed, the sound heavy with something between pity and disappointment.
I reached into my purse with deliberate slowness.
My fingers found the small device I'd activated the moment I'd sat down. I placed the digital recorder on the table between us, its red light still blinking steadily.
Professor Chen's face went pale.
"And now?" I asked quietly, tapping the recorder with one finger. "Still certain about which ship you want to sail on?"