Chapter 391 On My Way
Nina kept going, "So, I dug up some dirt. Teef Perfume kicked off a few years back. Vilma was still hitting the books in college then. Right before she graduated, Ophelia and Nathaniel threw some cash her way to get the biz rolling. When Teef Perfume first hit the scene, they went all out with ads. They even blew a ton of dough on celeb endorsements, but it barely made a ripple. It was hot for a minute, then tanked hard and went belly up. Most of their perfumes vanished, but for some reason, the one I mentioned is still kicking around."
Isabella chimed in, "I actually found these after scouring a bunch of apps. Sales are practically zilch, so it's probably gonna vanish soon too."
The more they dug into it, the sketchier it seemed.
Isabella grabbed some scissors, popped open a bottle, and gave it a spritz.
"This one's got a lavender vibe," Isabella said, taking a whiff. "It's light but kinda nice. Doesn't smell like what Ophelia rocks, though."
Nina nodded. "Try another one."
Isabella had snagged over a dozen bottles. After cracking them all open, they still couldn't find the one that matched Ophelia's scent.
"These all smell like regular perfumes. Are we barking up the wrong tree?" Isabella wondered, scratching her head.
Nina shook her head. "Nah. I've seen Ophelia whip it out before. Same packaging, black swan on the bottle. She's definitely using this brand."
Isabella asked, "So, what's the deal then?"
Nina held the bottle, thinking. "I got a hunch."
Over at the Nelson crib.
Nathaniel woke up and leaned against the headboard, messing with his phone, which was blowing up with messages. Who he was texting was anyone's guess.
Ophelia strolled out of the walk-in closet holding a dress. She walked over to the bed and asked, "Nathaniel, does this dress work for today?"
Nathaniel gave it a quick glance. "Yeah, sure, it's fine."
Then he went back to his phone.
Ophelia took a few steps closer to snatch his phone, but Nathaniel was ready and locked the screen just in time. "What are you doing?"
Ophelia stood by the bed, eyeing Nathaniel. "Who are you texting? You've been acting weird lately. Morning and night, you're glued to that thing. Sometimes you even grin like an idiot at it; don't think I haven't noticed!"
"No way," Nathaniel denied.
Ophelia wasn't buying it and held out her hand, demanding, "Hand it over!"
"There's really nothing, babe." Nathaniel sat up, grabbed Ophelia's hand, and pulled her into a hug. "Just work stuff, I swear."
"I don't believe you!" Ophelia wasn't some gullible kid anymore. She was determined to check Nathaniel's phone.
Nathaniel asked, "You really wanna see?"
Ophelia said, "Yeah, I need to see it!"
Seeing she was serious, Nathaniel gave in. "Alright, fine, see for yourself."
He pulled the phone from under the pillow and handed it to Ophelia.
Ophelia said, "Password."
Nathaniel punched in the code, and the phone unlocked.
Ophelia scrolled through Nathaniel's phone but didn't find anything fishy. Everything—texts, social media—was all work stuff.
"Done snooping? No issues, right?" Nathaniel asked, looking all cool and collected.
Ophelia tossed the phone back to him. "Nathaniel, when you get some downtime, can we hit up Simbara?"
"Why Simbara?" Nathaniel didn't seem too thrilled.
Ophelia said, "We need some beach vibes, a little vacay. Remember? When we got hitched, you promised a honeymoon in Simbara."
"We're old news now; who needs a honeymoon?" Nathaniel chuckled.
Ophelia playfully punched him. "It's 'cause you've been swamped with work! I don't care. Next month, we're going to Simbara. And we can swing by Aidamore to see our son."
Nathaniel said, "Simbara and Aidamore are miles apart. That's a big detour."
Ophelia insisted, "I don't care. I miss our boy and wanna see him."
"Alright, alright, whatever you say." Nathaniel agreed, but it was clear he was just placating her.
"Deal. No backing out." Ophelia kept reminding him, then switched back to her dress. "Is this dress cool for today?"
Nathaniel didn't even look up. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. You look great in anything."
Ophelia said, "Vilma gave me this dress. I'm just worried it's too plain and people might think I'm trying too hard to look young, but I dig the style."
"Vilma gave it to you?" Nathaniel finally looked up. "Vilma's got great taste. You'll look awesome."
Ophelia beamed. "Right? I think so too. I'll go try it on."
Nathaniel nodded. "Sure thing."
Ophelia took the dress and headed back to the walk-in closet. "Don't go anywhere. I need your opinion once I try it on."
"Got it." Nathaniel agreed easily.
As soon as Ophelia disappeared into the closet, Nathaniel picked up his phone and entered another password.
Good thing he was smart about it; he had one phone with two profiles.
The one he showed Ophelia was the work profile. The current profile was Nathaniel's private stash.
Nathaniel opened the chat, and the other person had sent a bunch of pics. [Got a new dress. How's it look?]
Nathaniel clicked in and saw it was the same dress Ophelia was about to try on.
Vilma: [I gave the same one to Ophelia. Did she try it on for you?]
Nathaniel: [She's changing now.]
Vilma: [So, who rocks it better, me or her?]
Nathaniel: [You, obviously. She's getting old; doesn't matter what she wears.]
Vilma: [When are you coming over? I'll wear it for you.]
Nathaniel glanced at the closet.
Nathaniel: [On my way.]
He grabbed his briefcase and bolted.
A few minutes later, Ophelia came out dressed. "Nathaniel, I still think this color's too young for me."
But Nathaniel was already gone.
Ophelia sighed, feeling a bit helpless. "All he cares about is work!"
She muttered, then went back to the closet, changed into something else, and left the house.
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