Celia had spent ten days at the Sapphire Shores facility.

"I thought Aunt Adeline would have planted the entire area with the rarest fragrance ingredients. I didn’t expect two-thirds of it to be used for medicinal plants."

After Adeline Lowell finished showing Celia Sterling around the last section, Celia remarked with sincere admiration, "Perhaps this is the difference between a legendary family like the Lowells and an ordinary fragrance brand. In the eyes of a merchant, profit is everything. Even for my family, the Sterlings, if we had a super-facility like this... forget medicinal plants, I’d consider even common raw materials a waste. We would definitely plant only the most precious varieties."

"I’m not that noble or selfless either," Adeline Lowell said with a smile. "The value of perfumery ingredients comes from a few things. Some require extremely specific environments, some require massive quantities of raw material to extract the essential oils, and others have excessively long growth cycles—often ten or twenty years. For something like agarwood, the cycle can be a century long. My contract with Mr. Trenton is only for ten years. We can’t wait that long."

Celia Sterling nodded. Ten years was a bit short.

Adeline Lowell glanced at her. If not for Celia, let alone ten years, this facility would likely have had nothing to do with the Lowell Family at all. "So, after much consideration, the Lowell Family only selected a few precious varieties that are demanding in terms of environment and soil but have relatively short growth cycles. We decided to use the large, empty areas for experiments to see if different growing environments would result in significant differences in the medicinal ingredients. It’s not just here—many of the Lowell Family’s facilities have also planted medicinal herbs. We plan to launch our first batch of medicinal essences within three months."

"So the Lowell Family plans to focus on the medicinal route for the long term?"

"For the next few years, our main focus will probably be medicinal. Besides, the world of daily-use fragrances has plenty of Perfumers like you to hold down the fort. We’ve already assembled dozens of the nation’s top traditional Chinese medicine masters to develop over three hundred different formulas, and we’ll continue to add more. Once the medicinal essences are on the right track in a few years and our services are more widespread, the Lowell Family will return to daily-use fragrances."

"Aunt Adeline, your dedication to serving the public is admirable," Celia Sterling said sincerely. "If you’re short-staffed when the time comes, I’ll have Delia Caine’s Perfumers join your team from time to time."

"Having Delia Caine’s Brightmoon lead a team to join us? That would be a godsend," Adeline Lowell said, genuinely surprised and pleased.

Celia Sterling froze. "You know I’m Brightmoon?"

"Those old masters in my Lowell Family aren’t blind. They’re as sharp as they come and figured it out long ago. Who else but Brightmoon, the Chief Perfumer of Delia Caine, could have that kind of talent? Even in my own Lowell Family... sigh, we have a shortage of new talent. Let’s not talk about it. We’ve seen you win the gold medal at the Scent-Seeking Cup year after year for the past two years. Even Rosalie is envious."

"You flatter me, Aunt Adeline."

"You keep calling me ’Aunt Adeline’," Adeline Lowell couldn’t help but ask. "You didn’t used to. Why the sudden change in address?"

Celia Sterling looked at her and said softly, "Perhaps it’s because... I want to be closer to you, Aunt Adeline."

Adeline Lowell didn’t quite understand. She wanted to ask more, but she saw a wave of inexplicable sadness wash over Celia after she said this.

Adeline Lowell patted her shoulder. "I’ve noticed you’ve been getting suddenly downcast lately. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but if you need anything from me, just say the word."

Celia Sterling nodded.

"Pull yourself together. This afternoon, you’re coming with me to meet Mr. Trenton."

"Miles Trenton? He’s coming here?"

"I just got a sudden call from him this morning. He said he has a new contract he wants to discuss with me and specifically instructed me to bring you along."

Celia Sterling was familiar with both Mr. Trenton and the Rivermoon organization behind him, so she didn’t stand on ceremony. "In that case, I’ll tag along with you, Aunt Adeline, and see if I can’t pick up a few projects for myself."

Since she had a guest to meet in the afternoon, Celia showered at the hotel at noon, changed her clothes, and rested with a face mask on.

She casually dialed Director Linden’s number.

"President Sterling!" Director Linden sounded both excited and surprised. "Chairman Sterling said you were traveling the world and wouldn’t be back for three months. I thought you had abandoned us..."

"Didn’t I have the VPs take over?"

"The VPs are a parachute team sent from headquarters. It’s not as comfortable working with them as it is with you, President Sterling."

Ignoring whether Celia Sterling was listening or not, Director Linden launched into a rambling report, filling her in on all the company’s matters, big and small. Finally, the director brought up that Eldest Young Master Warren:

"President Sterling, how did you end up recruiting such a weirdo?"

Celia Sterling: "Hm?"

"Ever since the Warren Family’s Crown Prince joined us at Delia Caine, he’s really gotten into character. In the days since you left, he joined the marketing department and has been using an endless stream of tactics. He’s picked fights with several of our competitors and even launched an attack on his own home base, the Hale Group, which really ticked off the Warren Group’s team..."

Celia Sterling: "..."

’That Eldest Young Master Warren really is a ’great’ assistant Silas Norwood found for me,’ she thought.

After a bit more casual chat, Celia Sterling got down to business. "Let him be for now. If he causes too big of a mess to clean up, just have my brother dump him on Silas Norwood. Also, take a look at Delia Caine’s schedule for the next year and find a slow period. I’m getting you guys a side gig."

"A side gig?"

"Formulating medicinal essences. It’s not difficult, just very basic stuff." Celia Sterling got to the main point. "Double pay."

Director Linden hung up, beaming.

Celia Sterling saw that it was still early, so she called Silas Norwood next.

Silas Norwood answered instantly. "Wife."

"That was fast."

"I was just about to text you," Silas Norwood said, his tone cheerful. "But I didn’t dare to disturb you first."

"I’m just getting some air, not cutting you off completely," Celia Sterling said softly.

「Norwood Group, Chairman’s Office.」

In front of Silas Norwood were three phones.

One was open to a digital contract, another was for his call with Celia Sterling, and the third displayed a red social media app, open to a search for ’flirting techniques for married couples’.

Over the phone, Celia Sterling asked him, "What are you doing?"

Silas Norwood flipped through a few pages of the guide, then replied hesitantly, "I’m... thinking of you, baby."

On his phone, the original phrase was: *Thinking of you with my body, baby.*

He had struggled with it for a few seconds before settling on a compromise. Even so, he still felt a little awkward. Long before they’d gotten their marriage license, he had ’thought’ of his wife with his body more than once. Some things could be done in secret, but they weren’t suitable to be said aloud. Even terms of endearment like ’darling’ or ’baby’ were only ever whispered when he held her in the dead of night. In public, he always addressed her formally as "Wife."

This was the first time he had ever so openly called her ’baby’ over the phone.

There was a long moment of silence on Celia Sterling’s end before she let out a soft "mhm." "It’s only been a few days. Since when did my hubby get so sweet-tongued?"

He rarely called her ’baby’, and she rarely called him ’hubby’.

Silas Norwood’s breath hitched for a moment.

Apparently, Celia Sterling liked hearing these occasional sweet nothings. Not only did she like them, she was even giving positive feedback.

And once a term of endearment was said aloud, the second time seemed to become much easier. "If I’m not a little sweeter, what will I do if you decide to ’become a widow’ after your months of travel, baby?"

"That’s not something sweet talk alone can decide," Celia Sterling reminded him, half-joking. "Just keep being your aloof and unattainable self."

Silas Norwood knew what she was referring to and replied very seriously, "Baby, I’m not a promiscuous person."

Celia Sterling naturally believed him.

’After all, a man who got the wrong size the first time and had to eagerly search online for a tutorial on how to put it on... forget among the wealthy elite, he’d be considered a god of pure love anywhere in the country.’

"But being celibate for three months is truly painful," Silas Norwood continued. "Baby, would you consider... going on a date once every ten days or so?"