The next morning, the results were as expected. Mary was the only one making rounds up and down, but as more people approached her, she would count on shiny hair and flawless skin to ask for more bottles.

But as she had lied before, she had nothing more to give, which made the people feel displeased with her limited stock.

Despite the limited stock, Layla's confidence in their strategy was unwavering. She was certain that the waiting customers were a sign of their success.

Even though she could not monitor the situation herself, she had ways to know what was happening.

"You did a good job, Mary. Once our store goes live, I can tell that we will have a great opening day. The news about our products is spreading faster than I imagined."

Layla's praise for Mary underscored the success of their strategy, a testament to the power of their collaboration.

Mary was a great actress, and Layla had counted on her to make her plan work. She was glad to see that her faith had not been misplaced and that Mary had achieved the goal Layla had set for her.

"It is an honor to follow your orders and do as you ask me to, young miss. But how did you know that this news would spread around like this? What if people decided to gate-keep the origins of this potion for themselves?"

It was a good question to ask. But coming out of Mary's mouth, this question was not genuine curiosity but a test of what she knew.

"It was easy enough to guess for me. No matter how tame a fire is, it is impossible to hide once it is lit.

Besides, the more these people tried to hide the origins of these products, the more people became curious about them and searched for them. It was a win-win situation for us at an angle."

Like most people, Layla did not have savvy business sense, but she had been involved in too many mafia-related businesses to not get a feel for what to do and what not to do while preparing for a company.

"I see! That makes sense. A mysterious product creates more curiosity among people than a known one. So, what is our next course of action? We still have a day left before we must be present for the first round of the competition."

Mary asked as she relaxed on the bed.

Unlike her previous self, who was prim and proper, Mary had started to relax around Layla and slowly show her true self. She no longer held most of her words back, making Layla sigh in agitation.

"We will head out and walk in the town once the sun is up. As much as I don't want to spread around my face, I need publicity for my product. Even the people outside the town should be curious about how I attained this beauty."

Layla already had the adults in her grasp, so the true meaning of her outing this time was to show off her beauty to other children and make them curious.

There was no force as strong as a child's desire in this world.

If the children demanded that they needed the same products as Layla had, the parents would be forced to comply and ask around. It would be double the publicity.

...

'Alright! So, I did not think things through. I can feel the presence of people stalking me. And if I can feel it, Mary sure as hell can also.'

Layla looked at Mary, who pretended to be oblivious. But her maid's eyes also moved around to look at their surroundings.

'Ah, so it was not just my imagination after all. I feel we won't be able to get rid of these stalkers so easily.'

With how persistent these stalkers were, Layla felt she would not be able to escape them forever.

And there were likely more than a dozen of them.

[Would the user like the system to point out the location of child slave-traders in the city?]

The system asked, and Layla hesitated before pressing yes.

She expected one or two spots to come up, but almost a hundred spots lit up all over the city. Most of these spots were in a hidden location Layla did not even know how to reach.

"Young Miss, would you like me to get rid of our company? I swear I will make it quick."

Mary asked in a whisper. She looked excited when she asked if she could kill someone, and it made Layla shiver.

But as much as it would relieve her to save herself, now did not feel like it was the time to take down a slave ring.

Especially one that looked as big as the one Layla was seeing on her screen.

'No group survives for this long without having some kind of backing. I am sure these people also have some officials on their side. I should be careful while facing such opponents.'

Layla did not have time or patience to deal with such a big criminal ring. All she needed to do was win the competition and leave town.

Then, she would not have to think about this town again.

"Mary, we should return to the inn now. Make sure to have extra security tonight. I feel we will be visited by some 'guests' tonight."

Layla informed her maid, who already looked ready to greet her guests.

"Alright, miss! I got it. I will make sure I take care of these pests for you. But if some of these pests make it to your room, please don't hesitate to knock them out. I will deal with them once I am finished having fun."

'So, you are going to let some of these kidnappers reach my room after all? Somehow, I am not surprised to hear you say this. I was expecting something like this to happen since the start.'

Layla had gotten to know Mary well and already had a plan.