Gerard had ordered a suppression of all news to lure the manipulator behind Adaline's incident into the open.

Thus, Absolon remained unaware of the details.

The deceased were honored, and so too was one nearly deceased.

Since Matthew had taken a bullet for Lilah, the scales of love and hate between them were now balanced.

"If there's nothing more, I must be excused," Lilah said courteously and turned to leave, with Gerard following her.

Lilah got into the car, and Gerard joined her. Immediately, he caught her puzzled look.

“Why did you get in?" she asked.

“Aren't you going home?"

"I'm heading to work," Lilah, unsure whether to laugh or cry, responded. "Did you think I was making that up earlier?"

Gerard's expression revealed his thoughts. He looked at her quietly, as if to challenge. "Or what?"

“Why are you going to the office now?"

"Something came up." Lilah simply explained, "Windy is highly regarded, but there's been some backlash. A bunch of online trolls think Windy's all hype and no substance. Many even complained about feeling dizzy from our products. I need to handle this before it affects the launch of our new line."

After a moment, she added, "Are you sure you want to come to my company with me?"

"Definitely."

Gerard was not much for words but thought he would enjoy accompanying Lilah.

Lilah was at a loss for words but did not turn him down. She had observed his clingy nature, and at the moment, he was behaving appropriately.

“Mr... Mr. Harris seems to be at our company now."

Within ten minutes of their arrival, news of Gerard's presence had spread throughout the company. Soon, everyone was watching him as if he were an exotic creature.

Lilah had anticipated such a scenario and was relieved to have a moment to handle the brewing online public opinion.

"Janelle," said Lilah. She called the director of the sales and marketing department. "When did the negative news start spreading online?"

"It began the day after the perfume-making competition. First, netizens discovered that our company is owned by you. Then, rumors spread that our new products were linked to fragrances. Initially, a few netizens raised suspicions. We overlooked those concerns, but soon a significant number of complaints about our fragrances being too strong and causing dizziness emerged. That's when we suspected foul play," Janelle Clark said.

Lilah nodded and said sternly, "You ignored the trend of public opinion online, which caused significant damage. This is your last warning. If this happens again, you'll have to face the consequences yourselves."

After Adelynn went missing, they had struggled mightily to keep their brand afloat. Now that things were running smoothly, Lilah was determined to avoid any further setbacks.

Janelle nodded gravely and handed a file folder to Lilah.