"We'll just get the divorce decree and keep it quiet for now," Alexander replied calmly. "When we're sure Nana is stable enough, then we'll tell her."
Of course.
What was I even expecting?
He hadn't hesitated. Not once. Even after his grandmother scolded him to his face, even after everything that had happened tonight, he still chose the same path without the slightest intention of changing his mind.
It felt like a heavy stone was pressing against my chest, making it hard to breathe. Every inhale felt like a knife slicing through me, the pain almost unbearable.
Lowering my head, I nodded silently before asking in a hoarse voice, "Alright… when will we go to get the divorce decree?"
He glanced at his phone and scrolled through his schedule.
"I'm pretty busy these days. Let's do it next Monday."
"Okay," I replied simply.
But deep inside, there was a faint, almost imperceptible tremor.
I turned back to the window and stared at the passing city lights, even though my mind was far away.
Yet I could still feel Alexander's gaze on my face.
From the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of him looking at me, an emotion in his eyes that I couldn't quite name.
For a moment, I wondered if it was because of my indifference.
The next morning, I woke up early. The endorsement shoot was scheduled to begin, so I arrived at the studio ahead of time to make sure everything was properly prepared.
Before long, both the photographer and the makeup artist arrived. They had been my long-time collaborators, and after working together for years, they understood exactly what I wanted with just a few words.
As we were finishing the preparations, I glanced at my watch and realized that half an hour had already passed since the scheduled time, yet Lilian's team was nowhere to be seen. Both the photographer and the makeup artist were beginning to grow impatient.
My assistant had already followed up with them once.
Photographer Sandra Peterson fiddled with her camera and sighed.
"Lilian sure has quite the attitude."
Makeup artist Sophie Fell sneered.
"What can we do? She's just come back from overseas. If she wants to throw her weight around, no one can stop her. Not even Alicia has that kind of authority over her."
Everyone knew that this brand ambassador had been personally chosen by CEO Blackwood.
Normally, as the brand director of Éclat Beauty, I had the authority to make adjustments. But when it came to Lilian, things were different.
Even if she behaved like a diva, I had no choice but to tolerate it.
I pulled out my phone, scrolled to Kendra's number, and dialed.
The call connected, but after a brief ring, it was abruptly disconnected.
Sophie raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed.
"This is ridiculous. Just because they have CEO Blackwood backing them, they think they can treat you like this?"
I tried calling again, but the line was cut off once more.
After several attempts—with no reply and no messages on WhatsApp—I finally put my phone away.
"I'm guessing they won't show up until noon at the earliest," I said. "You two can head out for now. I'll call you when they arrive."
After working in this industry for so long, I understood Kendra's tactics well. From the moment we first discussed the collaboration, I could already tell she was the type who always got what she wanted.
Sophie scoffed.
"In all my years in this industry, I've never met someone so arrogant. She's only been abroad for a few years and gained a little fame, yet she thinks she can pull something like this."
"Don't let it bother you. I'll take you both out for a meal another day to make up for it," I said.
"Then let's go eat now," Sophie and Sandra replied.
"Alright, but don't go too far. I'll call you as soon as they arrive."
After saying goodbye, they left the studio.