Chapter 59

Emily's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gripped Vivian's arm. "Vivian, is everything you just said...true?"

Vivian gave a slight nod. "Vine Perfumes did add banned ingredients. Though the dosage is small, long-term use can be harmful."

"Then let's report them!" Emily's cheeks flushed with anger. "A shady company like that deserves to be shut down!"

"It's useless," Vivian shook her head. "Victoria has the Roscente family backing her. They've already covered their tracks."

Emily bit her lip. "So we just let it go?"

"Wait and see." A faint smile curved Vivian's lips. "They'll reap what they sow."

Emily still looked discontented. "I'll never buy their products again! Even if Julian endorses—" Her voice trailed off at Julian's name.

"Don't worry," Vivian patted her shoulder. "Julian would never take such an endorsement."

"Really?" Emily was skeptical.

"Of course." Vivian's tone was firm. As the owner of AN Atelier, she knew Julian's contract details better than anyone.

Emily sighed. "But Vine's ads are already hinting at Julian's involvement..."

"Come on, let me show you real perfume." Vivian led her toward the AN boutique across the street.

Victoria watched them leave with a cold smirk. "If they can't afford it, just say so. No need to act all high and mighty."

A sales associate chimed in, "Exactly! How can AN's cheap products compare to ours? Once Julian's endorsement is official, let's see how they keep up their act!"

The next morning, Emily's call jolted Vivian awake.

"Vivian!" Emily shrieked through the phone. "Julian actually signed with AN! I knew you wouldn't lie to me!"

Vivian held the phone slightly away from her ear. "Calm down."

"I'm buying out AN's entire perfume stock! I'll gift them to the whole company!" Emily was practically hyperventilating.

"Don’t go overboard," Vivian chuckled. "AN chose Julian for his image, not to exploit his fans."

"Wait, how do you know all this?" Emily suddenly sounded suspicious.

Vivian paused. "Just a guess."

"Ugh! I missed the limited-edition launch!" Emily wailed.

"I'll give you a set," Vivian offered.

"Seriously? You managed to get one?"

Vivian stayed silent. As the owner, her warehouse was stocked with new releases.

"Check Twitter!" Emily suddenly shrieked. "Vine is trending for all the wrong reasons! Serves them right for trying to ride Julian's coattails!"

Emily's triumphant laughter echoed through the phone. Vivian opened Twitter to see #VineFalseAdvertising already topping the trending list.