chapter 12 Wishful thinking ===

All eyes followed Sylvan and Viola's movements until they were about to enter the banquet hall, where Viola gently released Sylvan's arm.
With her goddess-like demeanor, Viola gracefully walked into the hall, followed closely by the handsome Sylvan. The previously noisy banquet hall gradually quieted down.
In her white lace dress, with her long black hair cascading down, and her fairy-like beauty, she stood there quietly, capturing the attention of everyone around her.
"Sylvan, help me get a glass of champagne."
Viola leaned close to Sylvan's ear and whispered softly.
"Okay."
As Sylvan briefly left, the gazes of the men in the room gradually became bolder.
Whether they were young-rich-men born with a bunch of dollars, middle-aged men with protruding bellies, or old men who needed assistance to walk, countless pairs of narrowed eyes were scanning Viola's alluring long legs.
But just as their gazes were about to shift upward from her calves, Sylvan suddenly returned. He handed two glasses of champagne to Viola, and under her slightly puzzled gaze, he took off his suit jacket and swiftly tied it around her waist.
Viola understood Sylvan's intention. She met his gaze and whispered, "Thank you."
Sylvan grinned, unaware that his actions had offended almost every man in the room!
They had never heard of Viola having such close interactions with any man in public before.
Not to mention the intimate act of Sylvan helping her put on his jacket around her waist!
"Viola! What a coincidence to run into you as soon as I arrived. It seems like we have a real connection!"
Suddenly, a hearty voice came from the entrance of the banquet hall.
Dressed in a sharp suit, Alaeic held a glass of wine and walked towards Viola with a smile, as if he hadn't noticed Sylvan at all, or perhaps he intentionally ignored him.
The crowd around them instinctively made way for him.
Viola glanced at him indifferently and said calmly, "Please call me Viola Danil."
"Hehehe… President Danil, why are you so distant? Is it because I didn't visit you? Ah… I was too busy with work when you were in the hospital, I didn't have time to visit you."
Viola frowned slightly, showing no interest in talking to Alaeic.
"President Danil, after the banquet, I'll take you to my private club to relax, how about that?" Alaeic said with a smile.
To make matters worse, as he spoke, he naturally reached out to embrace Viola's delicate shoulders.
Smack!
Sylvan slapped Alaeic's hand away and looked at him coldly, saying, "Don't touch her."
Alaeic's gaze fell on Sylvan for the first time, and he exaggeratedly exclaimed, "Oh! Isn't this master Pembroke? How come you've risen to a high position in President Danil's company after being expelled from our hospital?"
"Does it have anything to do with you?" Sylvan looked at Alaeic coldly.
A cold smile appeared on Alaeic's lips as he leaned closer to Sylvan's ear and said, "Kid, do you really think you're something special? Just because you've come up with some medicines, you think you're amazing? Just wait, I has prepared a surprise for you!"
After speaking, Alaeic made a disgustingly obscene gesture towards Viola and then left with his entourage.
Sylvan squinted at Alaeic's figure, a meaningful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
…
Alaeic went to a corner of the venue and took out his phone to send a message. Before long, a middle-aged man sneaked over.
If Sylvan were here, he would have recognized this person as Orpheus, the production line manager of Allure Group.
"Master Simon." Orpheus smiled awkwardly and handed a black bag to Alaeic.
Alaeic opened it and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Did you handle everything according to the plan?"
"Don't worry, Master Simon, I've already arranged everything." Orpheus glanced around discreetly and said cunningly, "Last night, Sylvan prescribed a medicine formula. This kid is quite talented, and his ointment is really effective."
Alaeic opened the black plastic bag, took out a small knife, and made a cut on Orpheus's hand. Then he applied the ointment to the wound.
In just a few seconds, the wound visibly healed, and within a short while, even the scar disappeared.
Alaeic's eyes widened, cursing, "Damn it, where did Sylvan get this ointment? It's so amazing. Are you sure this is the only genuine one?"
"I'm sure. Last night, I specifically waited for Sylvan to leave before switching the raw materials on the production line. The one you have is the only genuine one. Viola has the ones with the switched materials. Master Simon, this is the prescription."
Saying that, Orpheus took out a prescription from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Alaeic.
Alaeic quickly glanced at it, nodded in satisfaction, patted Orpheus's shoulder, and smiled, "Well done. I'll have the finance department transfer the remaining two million dollars to you this afternoon."
"Thank you, Master Simon!"
Then, Orpheus run away sneakily.
Alaeic waved to the bodyguard beside him and said, "Are the reporters all arranged?"
"Everything is set."
"Good, immediately send this prescription to Begonia. She knows what to do next."
"Yes, Master Simon!"
Alaeic's gaze pierced through the crowd as he looked at the glamorous Viola and Sylvan by her side, feeling a sense of revenge surging within him.
"You dare to compete with me… Watch me destroy you!"
…
The bidding conference started on time.
Viola represented Allure Group and was the first to go on stage to introduce the products.
But as she was preparing backstage, Viola felt a little nervous.
Sylvan whispered beside her, "What's wrong, Viola?"
"I don't know. I felt a little uneasy after Alaeic left. I had a feeling that something might happen."
"Don't worry, I'm here. Even if the sky falls, I'll be there to support you," Sylvan reassured her.
Viola gave Sylvan a charming glance, and with his words, she felt somewhat comforted.
After a quick touch-up of her makeup, Viola walked onto the stage.
Suddenly, a large group of media reporters rushed forward, holding cameras and snapping photos of Viola.
Viola felt something was off, but when she saw that the on-site representative from Bruno Corporation didn't react, she assumed they were reporters they had invited.
She remained calm, graceful, and composed, demonstrating and introducing the new medicine formula developed by Sylvan.
The first half went smoothly, and Viola herself breathed a sigh of relief. However, not long after, a male reporter raised his hand to ask a question.
"Ms. Jiang, since you've described it so miraculously, why don't you demonstrate it for us?"
Viola smiled and nodded, "No problem."
Just as Viola was about to take out a small knife to cut a wound on her own arm, something happened.
Sylvan rushed onto the stage, grabbed her hand, and took the knife from her, cutting a gash on his own arm.
Viola looked at Sylvan with a hint of distress in her eyes, but then she applied the ointment to his wound.
However… the expected hemostasis did not occur at all!
Viola started to panic, feeling at a loss as she looked at Sylvan.
Sylvan wrapped the wound with gauze using his other hand and gave Viola a reassuring look.
At that moment, Alaeic suddenly appeared on the stage, holding a microphone, and laughed loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Alaeic, the General Manager of Simon Corporation. I was shocked when I saw what Miss Viola demonstrated. It's exactly the same as our Simon Corporation's new medicine."
A female reporter chimed in, "Mr. Simon, are you suggesting that Jiang Corporation copied your Simon Corporation's ointment?"
As soon as this statement was made, all the media reporters turned their cameras towards Alaeic.
Alaeic cleared his throat, put on a bright smile, and then took out an ointment that looked exactly the same as the one demonstrated by Viola. He showed it to everyone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have absolutely reliable evidence to prove that Allure Corporation has plagiarized our Simon Corporation in their new medicine!"