With Colton questioning Allison, the one who was most rattled wasn’t the accused, but Melany.
She had never explicitly claimed to be Scarlet Snake, but over the years, she had allowed others to believe it. Correct them? No one could prove otherwise, not when the real Scarlet Snake had vanished from the public eye long ago, rumored to be over sixty now, possibly dead. Melany had quietly basked in the praise and the mystique attached to that name.
“Colton, please… let it go,” she whispered, her voice tight with anxiety.
In her mind, coming in third was good enough.
She hadn’t aimed for the top-she’d played it safe. After all, she’d taken Scarlet Snake’s formula, added her own tweaks, and used it to rake in accolades. Only after double-checking the participant list, confirming Scarlet Snake’s absence, had she dared to compete. But now, Colton was relentless.
“Let it go? No way. She’s not walking away after stealing from you!”
A knot of fear tightened in Melany’s chest as she watched the crowd, their curiosity stoked. The air felt thick, like a storm about to break.
This couldn’t come to light. It couldn’t!
She had to act fast.
“Please, everyone, this isn’t what it seems…”
Her voice wavered as tears brimmed in her eyes, and she looked desperately around.
“I gave Colton a similar perfume once, as a gift. Maybe… maybe Allison happened to smell it. Or perhaps she drew inspiration from it. That would explain why our perfumes share certain similarities.”
Her tone was careful, deliberately veiled. She didn’t directly accuse Allison of copying, but she planted the seed of doubt, hinting that Allison had copied her perfume to get inspiration.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Rebecca’s voice sliced through the tension, fiery and indignant. “You’re suggesting Allison copied your perfume? The audacity! Do you honestly believe the judges here can’t tell the difference between an original and a stupid imitation?”
Rebecca’s outburst drew more people in, eager to see what the fuss was about. Several leaned forward, intrigued, to compare the two perfumes.
Before long, a few experts emerged from the crowd, nodding in agreement with Rebecca. “It’s true. There are some similarities in the base notes, but number five is leagues ahead. The complexity… the depth is incomparable. Number three, on the other hand, is… well, it’s quite basic.”
Another chimed in, “It could be a coincidence. Similar base notes happen sometimes. But there’s no question, number five is far more sophisticated.”
Their words could’ve seemed diplomatic, but everyone knew better. In an industry as meticulous as perfumery, two creations built on entirely different concepts shouldn’t share such striking similarities.
Perfume number five was like an intriguing story with highs and lows, while number three, though pleasant, felt dull and unoriginal, as if its perfumer was hesitant to take risks.
“It feels… like number three was… borrowing from number five.” Finally, someone voiced the unspoken thought lingering in the room.
Colton interjected, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “Impossible. Melany’s style has been established for years. It’s Allison who’s clearly doing the mimicking here – and not very well, I might add.” His words were cold, cutting. “It’s laughable how anyone can enter these contests these days. Maybe when the lies catch up with them in court, they won’t find it so amusing!”
Kellan retorted, his conviction unwavering. “Lies? If you’re so confident number five’s a fraud, where’s the proof? Because if not, I would be more than happy to assist Ms. Clarke in taking this to court. Let’s see how you defend Melany and yourselves there.”
The atmosphere turned cold. A shiver of dread swept over the crowd, and all eyes flickered toward Colton.
Kellan’s company had a legal team with a reputation – a terrifying one. Their lawyers could crush their opponents with ruthless efficiency, leaving them bankrupt without batting an eye.
Allison, however, remained calm, her focus not on proving herself to Colton but on Melany. Her gaze was steady, and a slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Earlier, Colton claimed you were Scarlet Snake. You didn’t say yes, and you didn’t say no. Now that the contest is over, with everyone watching, I’ll ask you again, Melany- are you Scarlet Snake?”
The room buzzed with anticipation, the crowd hanging on every word, waiting for Melany’s response. Melany’s lips trembled, her composure crumbling as the weight of Allison’s question pressed down on her. She had avoided answering, but Allison was leaving her no escape now!
Just as Melany stammered for an excuse, Colton stepped in front of her.
“Of course she is!” he declared, his voice firm. “Melany’s just modest. She’s used plenty of aliases in these competitions, unlike some people who shamelessly cling to their connections.”
Rebecca laughed, her voice dripping with scorn as she retorted, “You can’t be serious! Allison is the real Scarlet Snake. Some people should be more careful before they go around pretending to be someone they can’t even measure up to!”
Her words dropped like a stone into the room, and everyone froze. No one dared to breathe. The silence loomed before them.
Who was the real Scarlet Snake?
Melany’s heart skipped a beat as the words sank in.
No way!
Years ago, she had invested a fortune into tracking down Scarlet Snake. Everything pointed to Scarlet Snake being an elusive figure in her sixties, someone who had vanished from the spotlight. Besides, back then, Allison had been nothing more than a penniless orphan stranded on a deserted island. There was no way she could have afforded to travel to Leswington for some grand contest, let alone learn the art of perfumery.
“I’m not Scarlet Snake,” Melany admitted. “But I did learn from her. Over time, people started confusing me for her, and it became impossible to clear up. She’s been like a mentor to me.”
She had to reveal this now. There was no other choice, with everyone watching!
If her carefully constructed facade collapsed here, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
Melany tried to stay composed, avoiding looking at Colton beside her. She dug her nails into her palms, using the pain to stay calm and resist Allison’s provocation.
“Allison,” she said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, feigning calm. “Don’t go throwing around wild accusations without proof. I have too much respect for my mentor to let you slander her name. I have no idea why our perfumes share similarities, but let’s not forget Scarlet Snake won the first perfumery competition when you were sixteen. Forgive me, but back then, you were a destitute orphan. There’s no way you had the means to travel abroad, much less study the craft.”
Her words stirred the crowd.
The rumors had always painted Allison as nothing more than a girl from the countryside, someone far removed from the world of luxury and high-class perfumery. Colton remained silent, but his thoughts were loud in his mind.
For as long as he remembered, he had believed Melany was Scarlet Snake. His friends had even praised her as a young genius on par with the legend herself after the cruise.
After all, she’d never outright denied it.
Modesty, he thought. He had admired her modesty, her humility.
But now…?
Colton clenched his fists, the memories flooding back – the time Melany had saved him five years ago, the trust he had in her. Could it all have been based on a lie? Was she just mimicking the real Scarlet Snake, riding on someone else’s legacy?
“Melany is right,” he finally spat, his voice laced with disdain as his gaze shifted to Allison. “You were nothing back then. You couldn’t afford a plane ticket, let alone lessons in perfumery. And now you stand here, trying to discredit Melany? You’re just a thief and a liar, but too proud to admit it!”
But before Allison could respond, a booming voice erupted.
“Enough of these baseless accusations!”
Heads turned, and the crowd parted to reveal an elderly man holding a thick stack of papers.
Mack Lloyd, one of the most respected names in the perfume industry, stepped forward. His presence alone silenced the crowd. A legend in his own right, he had mentored countless perfumers, many of whom were now standing in that very room.
“I hear there are doubts about our contest results,” Mack said, his deep voice reverberating through the hall.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.