42 The Three Contenders

Chris' disgruntlement evaporated as soon as he caught sight of Leah Mitchell, the goddess who he met briefly during the dinner event.

The unfortunate ending of the night successfully drove away his good impression of the beauty.

Had Leah Mitchell always been this bewitchingly beautiful?

Mesmerizing.

Busy ogling at another woman, Chris let June do all the talking. It was her extraordinary talent, anyway. He was not going to steal the spotlight from June. Or better said, he did not dare to.

"... Our company is thinking of appointing you to be our next R&D Manager," June beamed at the undisguised Irene Gallagher.

"Oh!"

Irene made a surprised face.

"Oh, my," she said. "This is such a pleasant surprise. Are you sure?"

"Of course, in order for that to happen, we want you to represent Primavera at the competition," June said while baring her teeth at Irene. The latter had to restrain herself from sneering. Representing Primavera, hmm?

"But I am not a Primavera employee," Irene pointed out. "Besides, I registered myself as an individual participant."

"Oh, no worries."

June took out an envelope from her handbag and slid it across the table toward Irene.

"This is an employment offer for the position of R&D Manager in Primavera. Read and sign it. If you win the competition, you are hired. If you don't, well."

June's smile widened.

"Then I won't have the position?" Irene completed June's sentence.

"Unfortunately, no," June confirmed. "That's why you must win at all costs."

Irene bowed her head and smiled, more to herself than to June and Chris.

"I am not arrogant enough to be 100% certain of the possibility, but I would love to take the chance."

Inside the envelope was an employment contract between Primavera and Ms. Leah Mitchell, but it was not signed from Primavera's side.

"If you are willing, you can sign it today and we will keep it until the day of the competition. As soon as you win, we will also sign it and announce your appointment as the R&D Manager during the night gala."

Irene casually scratched her signature on the last page of the contract.

"Will this do?"

"Perfect," June sweetly said.

She collected the signed papers and carefully tucked them back into the envelope.

"Then, let me wish you good luck with the competition."

June extended her hand and Irene took it.

"Thank you."

Irene could barely suppress her smile when she waited in front of the elevator.

Fun, fun.

Now, three candidates were fighting for the R&D Manager position -- Laura Higgins, Janine Mayer, and herself. To her advantage, she knew what the other two planned to cook, especially Janine Mayer. She gave Janine Mayer a complete recipe, and she knew that the woman did not like to innovate.

The question was rather -- what kind of perfume was Laura Higgins going to make with Charpillon Cherry Extract? Laura Higgins was a great researcher, so Irene expected a masterpiece in terms of perfumes. She was not going to be easy to beat.

Either way...

If Laura became the next R&D Manager, it was not a bad choice either. Irene knew that she could worm her way into Laura Higgins.

The only problem was...

Ding.

Irene looked up when the elevator door opened.

The man inside just happened to raise his face at the exact moment.

The pair of emerald eyes met with the pair of blue eyes.

"Hello," Damian Henderson said with an unconcealed smile.

For some reason, he seemed to be amused to see Irene there.

Irene commended herself for not forgetting herself when she stared into Damian's eyes.

"Hello to you too. Mr. Damian Henderson, if I am not mistaken?"

Damian stepped into the elevator. The door closed soon enough, leaving them alone in a confined space.

"Unfortunately, I did not have the pleasure to learn your name that night, Miss..."

"Leah Mitchell."

Irene extended her hand in Damian's direction. "Pleased to meet you again."

Damian shook Irene's hand, but he did not let go.

"Likewise. May I invite you to lunch, Leah?"

The invitation caught Irene by surprise. The latter arched her eyebrow and stared at Damian.

"Why, such a spontaneous invitation."

Damian grinned.

"Shall we?" he asked as he offered his arm to the lady next to him.

"We shall," Irene responded by looping her arm through Damian's and walked out of the elevator together with him.