Mom’s brows rise almost imperceptibly at Kelsey’s defensiveness, and she catches my eye. “We’re only talking about our moli power,” I say, trying to smooth it over. “It’s not about Eric personally.”
Mom takes my bag of fragrance samples, which I’ve done up tolook elegant and expensive, and puts them in front of Kelsey. “Give this to all the people you gave those original gift bags to. Tell them this is a special blend, limited edition, from a world-class perfumer who wants their opinion since they’re clearly people with taste. That should fix the problem.”
Kelsey’s expression turns mulish. “What if I don’t?”
“This is in our best interests. All of our best interests.”
“Do they have to wear it?” She wrinkles her nose as if the fragrance couldn’t possibly come up to her exacting standards.
“That’s best, but as long as they smell it, it’s fine.” My tone is low and pleasant. Nonthreatening. “Imagine it like an antidote. There’s one in there for you as well.”
“I didn’t smell them,” she says. “I lied to be polite.”
I suppose that’s a relief. We don’t have to worry about her leaving Eric if her true love comes along.
She pulls out one of the samples and weighs it in her palm. “If I do this, I’ll lose those commissions.”
Mom warned me about her greed, so it’s not as shocking to hear as it might have been. “You might.”
Kelsey pushes the samples away. “I need this job.”
“This isn’t something to mess around with,” I say. I might have fought with Mom earlier, but on the off chance she’s right, it’s better to close ranks.
“I don’t believe you,” she says. “Witches? Please. Those people would have fallen in love without your perfume.”
“You don’t believe me?” I repeat the words because I can’t absorb what I’m hearing. After the fuss she made last night?
“My God, listen to yourself. Your father is right. You and your mother perpetuate this self-aggrandizing story to make yourselves feel important. A magical perfume?” She laughs. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“It’s not a joke,” I say, my voice rising.
Mom intervenes. “Kelsey, this is a problem that must be addressed. Immediately.”
“So you say, but I disagree. My clients are happy, so I’m happy. You don’t want me in your special family perfume club? Well, that’s on you.”
Oh. She’s bleeding hurt and rejection. I feel bad for her, but I don’t have the time to work through her emotions. It’s time to lean on fear.
I speak up before Mom makes it worse, and deploy the plan B I’d thought of earlier. “We would prefer not to deal with any lawsuits, to be honest. That wouldn’t be great for your company either.”
“Lawsuits?”
I look at her as if in surprise. “People place a lot of importance on their love stories. How do you think they’d feel if they found out their relationships were based on you trying to influence them? They might not sue, but I don’t think they’d be supporting you after that. Then there’s the damage that will come from word of mouth.” I shake my head.
She sags against the counter. “I can’t believe this.”
“So, you can see why you need to do it.”
Kelsey glares at us. “Trust me when I say I’ll take you down with me.”
“We’ll deny it. Then who will look more foolish?” I say. “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them what you seem to believe. That we are simply perfumers who understand the psychology of scent, and you were the one who took the opportunity to try to influence your clients in the hopes they’d buy more from you.” I pause. “Didn’t you say you became top in sales?”
I suppose Mom is right. When it comes down to it, I’ll protect the Huas over anything else.
Kelsey stops and puts her hands on her hips. “You’re manipulating me to make me do what you want.”
“People do it all the time,” Mom says. “They wear red whenthey want to feel powerful, sit in higher chairs when they want to intimidate.”
“That’s not the same thing. What you do is immoral. It’s wrong.”
