After divorce, Ex-wife Revealed Identities

Chapter 1001: This is Your Fate

Joel Hipps listened carefully to Clare, finding his words reasonable. "Regardless of the truth, we need to handle the crisis management well. Otherwise, Hipps Group will suffer too much."

"Joel, with your understanding of the Dark Secret perfume, do you think it really has issues?" Clare found it strange since the perfume had been selling very well.

How could it bring bad luck?

Was it some kind of superstition?

He suspected that a competitor might be sabotaging Hipps Group's perfume.

"The posts say so, and the feedback from netizens is intense. It doesn't look like rumors or paid trolls," Joel Hipps also found it very odd. "Could it really bring bad luck? Anyway, it's better for us to try it ourselves."

"We'll only know after trying." Clare chatted with Joel Hipps for a while longer before hanging up.

Not long after he hung up, he received a dozen bottles of sample perfume from Hipps Group employees.

He distributed them to several servants at home and gave one bottle each to the three young ladies of the Hipps family.

Only Maritza did not receive one.

The three young ladies stood in the main house's living room, looking troubled.

Jaelynn held the perfume in her hand, feeling waves of fear. She didn't dare to use it!

It was said to bring bad luck.

Although it was their family's product, she didn't want to use it!

So, she observed Clare's expression and whispered, "Clare, is this perfume causing such a fuss that our Hipps family can't sell it anymore? You actually gave each of us a bottle." Martha quickly voiced her opinion as well, "Yes, I've heard this perfume is very sinister. We better not use it!"

Annika remained silent.

The Dark Secret perfume incident had caused an uproar; almost everyone knew about it.

The Hipps family must be in a mess now.

Clare giving them perfume now... it was a bit strange.

Hearing his two nieces' opinions, Clare looked displeased.

"People are saying this perfume is toxic and brings bad luck. I'm going to use a bottle myself, and you all should try it too. In three days, let's see if we have bad luck. I don't believe it; we live in a scientific society now."

Annika immediately said, "Uncle is right. It's our family's perfume; we should try it ourselves. If it really brings bad luck, then the rumors outside are true. If not, then someone is trying to harm us." Jaelynn twitched her mouth; that was some flattery.

At the welcome dinner a few days ago, Annika had just provoked Sylvia and feared being disliked by the main house. So now... she was trying to curry favor?

Martha also noticed Annika's attempt to curry favor with Clare.

So she couldn't help but exchange a glance with Jaelynn.

Their eyes met briefly before they looked away knowingly.

"You all take the perfume back and try it. I've also given a bottle to several other servants. Everyone should try it." Clare waved his hand tiredly, "You can all go back now." So the three sisters left the main house with a bottle of perfume each.

After leaving, they didn't dare go to Maritza's Lakeside Pavilion.

They felt that the small courtyard now had an eerie atmosphere.

Who would dare go there?

Maritza hadn't left her house for two days. She stayed in her courtyard, not wanting to see anyone, and probably no one wanted to see her either.

Even Clare, the heir, hadn't come to call on her.

She was becoming increasingly anxious.

Just as she was feeling restless, she suddenly noticed something wrong with the camphor tree in her courtyard.

The once lush and robust tree's leaves were turning yellow and falling off.

She had locked herself in her house for two days, and when she stepped out of the two-story building, the camphor tree had changed, with fallen leaves covering the ground. The tree was dying?

This type of tree didn't require much care; just water was enough.

Why was it suddenly dying?

She was pale with worry but helpless.

She sat down under the camphor tree with a thud. Was she really beyond saving...

At that moment, the door to her courtyard creaked open.

Startled, she looked towards the door and saw Clare's handsome face.

The tall man stood at the door, his face stern. "It's been two or three days since this happened. I've been waiting for you to come to me. And what? You think hiding will solve anything?" Maritza's face turned deathly pale. She couldn't help but step back. "Uncle, I don't know! I don't know anything!"

"Even now you won't tell the truth? Is there really a problem with that perfume?" Clare was so angry he wanted to slap her. "If our Hipps Group's perfume is ruined because of you, you'll pay for it!" Maritza couldn't tell Clare about consulting a master for fortune-telling or about the master's setup for changing her luck and advancing her career.

"Uncle, I didn't... I really didn't..." Maritza had been suffering for days; every breath felt like agony.

Clare still wanted to give her one last chance. "I've used that perfume myself, and so have others in the family. We'll see if there's a problem in three days!"

Hearing that others in the family

were using it too, Maritza's flashed with horror. "Don't

Uncle, don't use it!" Conte

"So there really is a problem?" Clare was furious. "Even now you won't tell the truth?"

Maritza shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Clare was so angry he said, "You have the guts to tell this to your grandmother!"

With a wave of his hand, two burly men behind him came forward and dragged Maritza towards the main house. Maritza was terrified. "Uncle, please... don't make me see Grandma..."

"Too late!"

Clare was trembling with anger.

Why couldn't she just live a good life and work well? Why did she have to stir up trouble in their peaceful lives? Joel Hipps had already told him that Maritza never shared the perfume formula with anyone and kept it secret. Clearly, there was a problem!

Old Mrs. Hipps and Old Mr. Hipps might not be in charge anymore, but their combined authority was still formidable. Sylvia had just come downstairs when she sensed the tense atmosphere.

Maritza knelt before Old Mrs. Hipps with a thud. "Grandma-Grandma, I didn't do anything!"

Old Mrs. Hipps glanced at her. "If you did nothing wrong, why are you crying?"

Old Mr. Hipps frowned slightly. "What are you afraid of? Or are you hiding something from us?"

Sylvia quietly walked over and sat on an empty chair, watching the scene unfold. Everyone's attention was on Maritza; no one noticed Sylvia had come downstairs too. Suddenly, an abrupt voice came from outside.

"I'm unlucky! I'm unlucky!"

Martha rushed in breathlessly and reported to Clare, "Uncle, I tripped when I went out!"

As soon as she finished speaking, a maid came over too. "Sir, I lost my earrings today."

Clare had used the perfume too but hadn't experienced any bad luck yet.

But then he realized that his company's big issue was already bad luck for him!

Martha and the maid discussed their misfortunes quietly and then noticed Maritza kneeling in the living room.

"Maritza? Why are you kneeling on the floor?" Martha exclaimed loudly. "The floor is so cold!"

In just a few days without seeing her, Maritza had become haggard as if she had aged several years overnight.

Her face was not only pale but also yellowish, with a faint gloom between her brows.

Maritza seemed not to hear Martha's voice and continued kneeling on the floor, crying softly.

One by one, other servants who had used the perfume came to report their misfortunes.

Eventually, Jaelynn and Annika also arrived.

Jaelynn's treasured cup had broken.

Annika's piano was damaged.

These incidents seemed to erupt suddenly.

So the Hipps family finally concluded that there was indeed a problem with the perfume.

Although it seemed unbelievable,

the facts were right in front of them.

"Will you still not tell the truth?" Old.

Mrs. Hipps's patience was nearly et

eps's patience was t

exhausted. "Don't force me family law on you!"

Maritza lay on the floor; hearing those words made her shiver uncontrollably.

"Grandma, I don't know... I really don't know..."

She didn't dare speak; she didn't dare say anything.

Sylvia watched her stubbornly refuse to speak even now and couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

She raised her right hand and drew a symbol towards Maritza's direction, sending it directly at her. Maritza's body stiffened; she didn't want to speak but couldn't control her mouth from starting to talk.

"I consulted a master who set up a

Luck Absorption Array in my courtyard and gave me a perfume formula. He would send me a consecrated animal

daily-sometimes rabbits, some.net

chickens or ducks-and I'd use their blood as the base ingredient mixed with some spices and flowers to make fragrant perfumes."

"I didn't know this perfume would bring bad luck; I just believed what the master said."

"The array in my courtyard has somehow been destroyed now."

Maritza hadn't intended to speak but ended up spilling everything like beans from a jar.

After speaking, she was shocked! Why did this happen? She hadn't wanted to say anything!

But she couldn't control her mouth.

It was over... everything was over!

Now everything was ruined!

She collapsed in despair on the ground, waiting for her judgment...