After a pause, Lilian hesitantly asked,
"Alexander… do you think Alicia might be upset that we were late today? If that's the case, I should probably apologize to her later."
"I doubt it," he replied calmly. "She must have had an important reason,so there's no reason to worry your self ."
He trusted Alicia's professionalism. She wouldn't let something so trivial affect work.
Lilian sighed softly. "It must have been something urgent then. By the way, Alexander, there's something I wanted to ask."
"Go ahead."
"I hope it won't cause trouble, but I brought my own makeup artist. My skin hasn't been in great condition since returning from abroad, and she understands it best. I was planning to ask Alicia first, but she left before I could."
Alexander frowned slightly. "You needed to report that to me?"
"This isn't a small matter," Lilian replied seriously. "Every detail should be communicated. The sincerity of our collaboration matters. I care about this endorsement and want everything to go smoothly. If I don't inform you beforehand, people might say I'm being difficult."
She paused before adding, "I was going to tell Alicia, but she left in a hurry. So I thought I should inform you first."
"You're right," Alexander said casually. "It's fine. Just do whatever you think is best."
"Thank you, Alexander."
After the call ended, Alexander looked at his phone thoughtfully.
Lilian had reported even the smallest detail. Yet Alicia hadn't mentioned postponing the shoot beforehand. The contrast between the two was obvious.
Still, he trusted Alicia completely.
For the past three years, he had rarely interfered with Éclat Beauty's operations, giving Alicia full authority.
Whatever happened today wasn't something he felt the need to step into.
Alicia's POV
Just as planned, after lunch we returned to the studio an hour later with Sophie and Sandra.
The moment I stepped inside, I immediately sensed something was off. Lilian and her team looked annoyed, even though they were trying their best to hide it. The atmosphere felt tense, like the calm before another storm.lilian and her agent looked like they had something up their sleeves.
A faint unease settled in my chest. I could only hope whatever it was wouldn't affect the endorsement shoot.
And just as I suspected, a moment later my assistant rushed toward me.
"Director Alicia, we have a problem. I think you should come take a look."
"What happened this time?" I asked wearily. Lately I had been feeling unusually exhausted—most likely because of the pregnancy.
"Miss Summer brought her own makeup artist, and there seems to be a disagreement with Miss Sophie."
I quickly stood up and headed into the studio.
The moment I stepped inside, Sophie immediately walked toward me.
"You're just in time," she said, clearly frustrated. "Miss Summer brought her own makeup artist, and the look is a complete disaster. You need to see it for yourself."
I stepped further in when Kendra greeted me with a bright smile.
"Director Alicia, let me introduce you. This is Lilian's makeup artist, Miss Lisa. You've probably heard of her—she's the official makeup artist for several international beauty pageants."
From the corner of the room, Sophie rolled her eyes, clearly displeased.
"Hello," Lisa greeted me politely.
"Hello, Miss Lisa," I replied with a small nod before turning back to Kendra.
"I understand that Miss Summer prefers to work with her own makeup artist," I said calmly. "But why wasn't the makeup and styling done according to the plan we agreed on?"
Kendra quickly spoke up, her tone reassuring.
"Director Alicia, please don't be upset. Miss Lisa felt that the makeup and styling plan you provided wasn't suitable for Lilian. She believes her own design complements your outfits much better."
Before I could respond, Sophie finally lost her patience.
"Kendra, that's not the issue!" she snapped. "Miss Lisa's makeup and styling don't match today's shoot theme at all. How are we supposed to achieve the right look for the endorsement ad?"