Chapter 43 Liam, She Set a Trap for Us
"Essential oils..." Liam paused. "Didn't they already send them this morning? Is it not enough?"
"Mr. Scott, the batch of essential oils did not pass the quality test, so we cannot use them."
"The quality didn't pass? The essential oils were sent directly from the lab. How could the quality not pass?" Liam paced back and forth in the living room, feeling anxious. "Did you guys mess up? Are you trying to shift the blame?"
"How could that be, Mr. Scott? We've had an increase in orders recently, and our workers have been working overnight. We follow the process. Besides, the factory operates on an assembly line. How could we mess up? Why don't you come and see for yourself?" Tyler sounded aggrieved. Production would be delayed if there were issues, and the consequences would be severe.
"Alright, I'll go right away."
After hanging up the phone, Liam immediately got dressed and set off. Vivian came out of the room in her pajamas, rubbing her eyes. When she saw that he was about to leave, she pouted and asked, "It's so late, where are you going? Who called you?"
Turning his head to glance at her, Liam thought of something. "Change your clothes and come with me, quickly!"
"Me?!" Vivian pointed at herself, her drowsiness suddenly gone. She didn't understand. "Where am I going?"
"To the factory! There's a problem with the essential oils!"
Despite Vivian's unwillingness, Liam still pulled her to the factory.
…
The factory was brightly lit, and when Tyler saw them, he immediately walked over and said, "Mr. Scott, you finally came. Come and take a look."
There was a whole box of essential oils in the corner. Liam bent down and randomly picked out a bottle, frowning as he smelled it. "No problem here!"
Tyler didn't say anything and handed him a finished product. "Try this."
The scent irritated Liam's nose, causing him to cough a few times. Holding his nose, he said, "Why is it so pungent? Did you guys mess up the dilution process?"
"Everything is mechanized now. I've carefully checked it, and there shouldn't be any problems. In my experience, the issue likely lies with the essential oils, explaining the big difference in the finished products. Mr. Scott, are these essential oils still produced by our lab?"
Faced with Tyler's doubt, Liam turned his head and glanced at Vivian.
She was just standing by, watching. Being looked at like this, she innocently said, "What's the matter? The essential oils were made according to the previous formula. If there's a problem, it must be with the formula, not me."
Tyler was stunned.
Liam didn't say anything.
Being stared at by the two, Vivian finally realized the problem with her words.
Everyone thought that she had developed the formula and formulated the essential oils. If there was a problem with the formula, it was her problem.
"I mean, there couldn't possibly be a problem with the formula. So, it's not my problem," Vivian said, clearing her throat.
Then she looked at Tyler and said, "The essential oils in the lab have always adhered strictly to the formula. If there's an issue, it wouldn't be occurring now. Therefore, the problem must lie on your end. Investigate whether it's a problem with the other ingredients or if the workers made a mistake. Don't try to shift the blame once something goes wrong."
"Ms. Reed, please refrain from placing blame. Upon discovering the issue, we promptly informed Mr. Scott to investigate its cause. Our assessment suggests it may relate to the essential oils. However, we value your insights in identifying the root cause. Together, we can address the issue and resume production promptly."
After hearing Tyler's words, Vivian angrily said, "Why should I help you find the root cause of the problem? Don't I have other things to deal with? Instead of promptly fixing the problem after it occurred, you dragged me into it. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the lab. You better find a way to solve your own problems as soon as possible."
Vivian was rude, and Tyler was also angry. He looked at Liam and said, "Mr. Scott, with you here, could you weigh in on this? Our recent influx of orders has left us scrambling for time. Without a solution soon, meeting our contractual deadlines will be impossible.
"So, it's you who can't deliver on time. You're intentionally finding excuses to shift the blame. You caused the problem yourselves, but want to blame the lab. You are—"
"Enough!" Liam suddenly shouted, which startled Vivian. She pursed her lips and stopped talking.
"Is it meaningful to argue about whose fault it is here?" Liam said with a stern face as he handed Vivian a bottle of essential oil. "Ms. Reed, take this bottle of essential oil back to the lab for research. See if there's a problem with it."
"I..."
Before Vivian could finish, Liam turned to Tyler and said, "If there's a problem, we should solve it as soon as possible. It was right of you to inform me promptly, but you shouldn't insist that it's the essential oil's fault. Double-check your own equipment, and also..."
He paused for a moment and said, "Do you have any leftover essential oils from before? If you do, send them to the lab immediately. We'll investigate further."
After Liam spoke, Tyler remained silent, simply nodding. "Alright. Mr. Scott, please do it quickly. Otherwise, the deadline..."
"I know." Liam patted Tyler's shoulder and led Vivian, who was still standing in place, away.
…
Sitting in the car, Vivian looked at the bottle of essential oil in her hand and complained, "Why did you ask me to take it back for testing? It's unnecessary. I believe the problem must be with the factory."
"Why are you so sure that there's no problem with the lab?" Liam asked while driving.
"Of course. It's not a new product; it's an old model from before. I followed the formula precisely, so how could there be an issue? Unless..." Vivian paused, her expression shifting to one of alert. "Unless there is a problem with the formula."
Liam suddenly hit the brakes and turned to look at her.
Due to inertia, Vivian was thrown forward and stopped by the seatbelt. She tightly gripped the bottle of essential oil in her hand and leaned in to smell it. She frowned and carefully considered. "Liam, do you think someone might have plotted against us?"
Liam pursed his lips and remained silent.
"Evelyn left that formula behind. Is it possible she tampered with it? Lately, she's been unusually quiet, not speaking up in her own defense. It appears she was plotting against us. Liam, she laid a trap for us!"
Liam stepped on the accelerator again and said, "Let's go back to the lab."
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