Married First, Loved Later : A Flash Marriage with My Ex's 'Uncle' novel Chapter 552

Chapter 552: Go Ahead and Laugh While You Can

These seven perfumers weren’t exactly famous in the country, but neither were they completely unknown.

Two of them each had their own perfume studios—sales not too high, not too low, but well-regarded within niche fragrance circles. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Two others worked under the Reid Group. They had countless works to their names—unfamiliar abroad, perhaps, but still with many fans at home.

The rest came from smaller companies, each with some outstanding creations of their own.

When Selina spoke, the young woman at the front instinctively lifted her head.

She was the youngest among them—only nineteen. Selina knew her. The girl was gifted, the kind of natural-born talent that fate seemed to feed by hand. But even with her ability, she still lacked confidence when facing Country Y’s perfumers.

They were certain they would lose, and worried that Logan and Selina would end up throwing away too much money. That was why they had come, hesitant and unsure.

Yet Selina told them to raise their heads.

Her voice was calm, but carried a rare note of gravity. "Why do you all believe you’re going to lose?"

The group froze.

"I don’t believe we’ll lose," Selina continued. "So why do you believe that Country M perfumers must be inferior to Country Y? The competition hasn’t even started, and you’ve already decided the outcome?"

Someone muttered, "But everyone says..."

"So what if everyone says so? Do you not have confidence in your own work? If you’re here to compete, then stop entering with the mindset of defeat."

Selina’s tone was unwavering. "I won’t lose. That twenty billion will only ever come from Paula, not from me. And I don’t believe we’re destined to miss the top three—or even the top ten. Yes, we only have eight contestants. But who’s to say we won’t take eight out of ten spots?"

Her certainty stunned them all.

They could understand Selina’s confidence in herself—that she believed she could win the championship, and that was why she made the wager. Risky, yes, but understandable.

But now—she was showing the same trust in them.

"We..." one of them stammered.

Selina had purchased their perfumes before the competition. She genuinely didn’t believe they were inferior to Country Y’s.

She was Piper, the legend of perfumery. Her judgment was not wrong.

She didn’t want these perfumers to lack confidence. "Don’t worry. I’m a businesswoman. I never make a losing deal. If I have this much confidence, then so should you."

The young woman’s eyes reddened. "Thank you for believing in us..."

Selina wasn’t great at handling sentimental moments. She gave them a few more words of encouragement, then got in her car and drove away.

...

A few days later, Ronald sat for several media interviews.

In them, he declared that the champion would definitely be a contestant from Country Y. He would be cheering for Country Y. He wouldn’t participate directly in judging—only in reviewing the champion’s work afterward and presenting the award—but he said he was looking forward to being surprised by the winning fragrance.

Many Country Y contestants echoed his words, boldly claiming that they were determined to take the championship or at least a spot in the top three. They went further, saying this perfume competition was essentially an internal contest for Country Y, and that Country Y would sweep every award.

Even if the competition was being held in City A of Country M.

Even if the sponsor was the Country M enterprise, Reid Group.

The outcome, they insisted, would not change.

When Selina saw these interviews, she could only: "..."

She began to wonder—maybe the Country Y education system was all about teaching confidence. How else could they all be this sure of themselves?

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