"You claim it's your concept," one of the judges said, turning to Trey. "Do you have any proof?"

"I... I can recreate it on the spot," he replied, taking a deep breath. "If you give me the chance."

"I disagree," Milly interjected, her tone sharp. “How will you verify his claim? What if he realized his original concept was flawed and wanted to create something new on the spot? It's unfair to me and the other contestants. Don't you agree?"

She continued, her tone growing more agitated, "Besides, I lost a file folder containing all my fragrance data, including the formula, half an hour ago. What if he found it and plans to use it now? I would be devastated and unable to defend myself."

Lilah's suspicion deepened. Milly had likely stolen another contestant's work.

Remaining composed, Lilah glanced at Karol, who continued to watch impassively.

It dawned on her that Karol might be complicit and had possibly encountered Milly backstage.

"I didn't expect to see such drama at this contest. Lilah, any guesses on what's happening?" Effie said.

"You want me to guess?" Lilah gazed at the stage, chuckling softly. "I suspect someone has resorted to deception. The sponsor is fully aware of what transpired."

Effie, taken aback by this response, pondered over Lilah's words for a long while but couldn't decipher any clues. She nodded blankly and asked, "Do you think there's something amiss with Milly?"

"Absolutely."

"Stop being so cryptic," Karol interjected with a snort.

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by her.

"If the sponsor knows what happened, how could they allow a contestant to steal someone else's work?"

"It depends on how much profit the contestant can generate for the sponsor,"

Lilah remarked.

She hadn't anticipated Milly's actions, but she understood them. Milly had been cornered and felt compelled to act this way.

Lilah realized that Milly was obsessed with securing the so-called big project. She didn't care about the quality of the product, only about gaining fame through the project.

"Well..." The judges found themselves in a dilemma.

With a pale face, Trey offered, "I can submit my current work for inspection. The fragrance might differ slightly from Miss Vasquez's, but I can enumerate all the ingredients and guarantee I can recreate it."

His words seemed to ease the judges' tension. They nodded in agreement, allowing Trey to present his work.

Trey exhaled in relief as he handed over his perfume bottle. To his surprise, the judges' expressions turned grave after sniffing it.

"You present such a subpar perfume for the contest. You don't respect us at all."

"What? I beg your pardon?"