After Laura walked out, the dressing room felt empty, just Davina and the makeup artist left inside.
Davina leaned back and sighed, “I’m kind of thirsty. Go get me a glass of water, will you?”
“Davina, Laura told me to stay here with you. I can just call and have a server bring water up,” the makeup artist replied, a little hesitant.
She was Laura’s go-to for anything beauty-related. Today, her job was to keep Davina’s makeup looking perfect, no matter what. Davina had spent a whole month doing all sorts of skincare treatments, but honestly, it didn’t do much. Years of ignored skincare had left her with lines and dullness that couldn’t be covered up in just a few weeks.
The makeup session had taken almost two hours, and even then, the best she could do was make Davina look about thirty. Davina’s features weren’t exactly delicate, and bold colors only looked out of place on her. The makeup was all soft, nude tones. Maybe not jaw-dropping, but simple, fresh, and enough to spare her from embarrassment. It was crucial that the look stayed put.
Just as the makeup artist reached for her phone to call room service, Davina jumped up and smacked the phone out of her hand. “Open your eyes, will you? This is my wedding. I’m about to become Mrs. Barnard. Are you seriously telling me you can’t even do something as simple as getting me a glass of water? What’s the use of me being the bride if I can’t even boss around a makeup artist?”
The phone hit the floor, screen going dark right away. The makeup artist’s frustration flashed across her face, mixed with a look of pure annoyance. Davina didn’t let up. “You’re Laura’s personal makeup artist, right? She’s spent a fortune on you. If I tell Laura you’re being difficult, do you think she’ll still use you?”
“Davina, please don’t make this difficult. Getting drinks isn’t even part of my job,” the makeup artist said, keeping her tone soft, trying to stay calm.
Davina just stared, acting like she ran the place. “Job description? Seriously? At the end of the day, you do what you’re paid for. Laura hired you to help me. I don’t see why getting a glass of water is such a big deal.”
Clearly, she wasn’t going to listen to reason. The makeup artist ran through her options. Fetching water would take five minutes, tops. Plus, Davina seemed eager enough to marry into the Carter family that she probably wouldn’t do anything ridiculous before the ceremony even started. She was just looking for a little power trip.
This red dress had set her back almost two thousand dollars, a small fortune for her. Its bold color would definitely steal the spotlight. Lost in her own little world, Davina quickly changed into the dress, then perched herself in front of the mirror and started digging through the makeup on the table.
She muttered to herself about how easy it was to trick rich people. This was her wedding—her day to shine. That natural look from the makeup artist? It barely showed up on her face. No clue why Laura treated that makeup artist like some hidden gem.
Davina figured she could do a better job herself anyway. She grabbed the brightest red lipstick she could find, switched her eyeshadow to a deep, dramatic shade, and layered on color until her reflection screamed for attention. Finally, she looked satisfied.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t just the makeup artist trapped outside who wanted to pull her hair out. Laura was having a meltdown too. The camellia carpet she’d worked so hard to arrange had somehow caught fire. Sure, the flames were out now, but the damage was obvious, and the gap was an eyesore. She’d already cornered the market on camellias in the whole city, and there was no way to get more shipped in time.
All she could do was have someone stick a few white roses in to cover the missing spot and then rush off to check the security cameras to figure out how the fire even started. For a while, Davina and her dressing room drama didn’t even register in her mind.

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