Chapter 378 The Perfume Stinks
Isabella wasn't about to let Seb get mixed up in this mess, and it wasn't just 'cause of what Ophelia said.
Even if she had something to prove, Ophelia wasn't worth the effort. More importantly, Isabella didn't wanna drag Seb into her problems.
After all the rollercoaster rides the Landon Group had been on, it was finally getting its act together. Isabella saw Seb busting his butt day and night; if she couldn't help him, the least she could do was not add to his headaches.
Isabella figured the key still lay with Harmony Jewelry.
The next day, Isabella stumbled on a clue in the mountain of papers on Nina's desk.
"What's this?" Isabella yanked out a document.
Amy hustled over, took a peek, and said, "It's some niche perfume brand."
The document listed a bunch of perfumes, all from the same brand, complete with names and pics.
Nina's company was all about jewelry, so why the heck was there a document about perfume?
Isabella asked, "Why does Nina need these?"
Amy shrugged. "Beats me."
Isabella looked it over a few times, feeling something was off. She'd grown up around Nina and knew Nina hardly ever used perfume.
Back when Nina was with Charlie, he used to nag her, saying her status didn't call for perfume, 'cause she always smelled like cooking fumes from years of housework. Adding perfume on top of that would be a disaster.
Nina was so brainwashed by that mindset that she never used perfume.
After Charlie kicked the bucket, Nina went back to the Jose family and reclaimed her spot as the eldest daughter. Then Margaret reintroduced Nina to the finer things in life. Fancy clothes needed a fresh and pleasant perfume to complete the look.
Maybe it was an old habit; even though Margaret and others had given Nina loads of perfumes, she always stuck to one. And it was an international brand.
That's what Isabella couldn't wrap her head around. Nina's cabinet was already overflowing with high-end perfumes, so why was she digging into some obscure brand? Plus, she was all about jewelry design and never showed any interest in perfume.
Just looking at the pictures didn't give much away. Isabella thought that since Nina had kept this document, she must've been researching something. Maybe these dozen perfumes were the ones Nina had picked out from many, but she hadn't had time to dig deeper.
Isabella grabbed the paper and headed to the nearest mall. But after wandering around, she couldn't find the brand.
Just when Isabella was about to give up, Kelsey showed up.
Kelsey looked super pissed, her lips all pouty.
"Had a fight with Jack?" Isabella nailed it.
Kelsey took a deep breath and let it out hard, linking arms with Isabella. "Isabella, do you think Jack's an idiot? I went to Casino One the other day to ask Michael to help me get in touch with Richard; I don't know why, but Jack just blew up at me."
Kelsey had been stewing for days, resisting the urge to find Jack, hoping he'd come to her first. But days had passed, and Jack hadn't called, texted, or shown up.
Kelsey couldn't keep it bottled up anymore but didn't wanna stoop low, so she came to Isabella to blow off some steam.
Isabella listened quietly and then asked, "You sure you didn't do anything?"
Kelsey was at a loss for words.
"I'm sure." Kelsey felt a bit guilty but also justified. "Michael, that jerk, just put his arm around my waist for a second. Jack saw it and went off on Michael, then got mad at me. But I don't get it. Michael's always been like that; it's not the first time Jack's seen it. I didn't do anything wrong, so why's Jack mad at me?"
The more Kelsey talked, the more upset she got. "No one in my family has ever fought with me. Whether it was my fault or not, my parents and Zaire would always come to comfort me. But Jack actually expects me to comfort him?"
Isabella kept listening quietly and then asked, "If you went to find Jack now and saw him hugging another girl, would you be upset?"
Kelsey jumped up. "Of course! If he dares to hold another woman, I'll break up with him!"
Kelsey spoke with such confidence, like she could dump Jack in a heartbeat. But Isabella knew Kelsey couldn't do it.
If Kelsey could be that decisive, she wouldn't have gotten so tangled up in the first place. Love's a real head-scratcher sometimes.
Isabella smiled and kept quiet.
Kelsey probably realized she was in the wrong. After venting, she calmed down a bit, her voice softening. "It was my fault. I knew he was busy and coming home late every day, so I didn't tell him when I went to Casino One to see Michael. If he had come with me in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."
Isabella nodded. "Looks like you've figured it out; you don't need me to play therapist anymore."
Kelsey pouted and then noticed the document in Isabella's hand. "Isn't that the Teef Perfume series?"
Isabella's eyes lit up. "Have you tried it before?"
Kelsey shook her head. "I haven't, but a college friend of mine did. This series is famous for its bad smell."
"Bad smell?" Isabella was shocked by the term.
It was her first time hearing that a perfume could smell bad.
"If a perfume smells bad, can it still be called a perfume?" Isabella asked.
Kelsey explained seriously, "First of all, it is a perfume. If you smell it alone, it's not bad. For most people, it wouldn't be too strong. But..."
Isabella pressed, "But what?"
Kelsey said, "But there's a group of people who can't use this perfume."
Isabella asked, "What kind of people?"
Kelsey said, "People with body odor."
Isabella felt the more Kelsey explained, the less she understood.
Kelsey said, "My college friend had body odor but couldn't smell it herself. So when she used this perfume, she only smelled the perfume. But anyone near her would suffer. It's not exactly a bad smell; it was just indescribable. I can still remember it, and it makes me a bit nauseous."
Isabella's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
For some reason, Kelsey's explanation reminded Isabella of the strange smell she noticed when talking to Ophelia yesterday. Just as Kelsey described, it wasn't a bad smell, just an indescribable one. Could Nina's perfume document be related to this?
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