She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 44

Hilda was swamped.

She spent her morning painting in her studio.

That afternoon, she scheduled a meeting at the Sanford Estate with a Michelin-starred chef and a florist to conceptualize the general aesthetic for the upcoming banquet. Although Matilda's birthday was still three weeks away, there were countless details that needed to be locked down.

At exactly two o'clock, Hilda's car pulled up to the estate.

Matilda was feeling under the weather.

Luther's parents had taken her to a wellness retreat to rest.

Hilda didn't see the vendors she had scheduled.

She pulled out her phone to call them—

To her shock, the Michelin-starred chef informed her that the estate claimed they were hosting another private event and turned him away at the gate.

The florist gave her the exact same story.

They said there was no room to accommodate them.

At first, Hilda assumed it was a genuine scheduling conflict. Large, prominent families like the Sanfords had strict protocols and sudden private functions, after all. So she rescheduled. Over the span of a week, she tried three different times. Each time, the estate manager, Yara Lovell, claimed they couldn't accommodate the vendors. That was when it became obvious this was no accident.

Yara Lovell.

—Jolie's biological aunt.

She told Hilda one thing, but spun a completely different narrative to Luther's parents. She insinuated that Hilda was inexperienced and incapable of coordinating the vendors. After a few rounds of this, Nathan and Eleanor began to believe Hilda simply wasn't up to the task, and considered handing the responsibility over to Jolie.

Jolie had organized it flawlessly twice over the past few years, after all.

Luther's parents didn't want to confront Hilda directly.

—They were afraid of bruising her ego.

So they summoned Luther back home to handle it.

…

Evening fell.

The sky bruised into twilight.

Luther's car pulled up to the estate. The moment he stepped out, Yara practically sprinted over, beaming.

"Welcome back, sir. The old madam has been asking for you the past two days. She just drifted off to sleep, actually."

Luther casually pushed his car door shut.

Walking into the grand living room, he found Nathan and Eleanor seated, and to his surprise, Harrell Judson was there too.

Once Luther arrived, Harrell took his leave. The Sanford family driver escorted him out.

Watching Harrell's retreating figure, Luther asked softly, "What brought Harrell by?"

Eleanor smiled faintly. "Just checking in on Matilda."

Luther nodded.

Eleanor traded a glance with her husband.

Nathan paused for a moment before cutting straight to the chase. "Luther, your mother and I are thrilled that you and Hilda have made peace. But your grandmother's birthday is fast approaching, and Hilda hasn't made a single bit of progress. It's not that we have a problem with her—we just don't want to set her up for failure. She's wonderful with children, and little Annie is an absolute joy. But orchestrating high-society events requires a specific kind of polish she might still need to develop. I think it's best we stick to tradition and let Jolie handle it this year. Even if she wasn't fated to be your wife, she's an incredibly competent girl. Just make sure you compensate her fairly for her time."

Luther's tone was neutral. "Is Hilda really struggling with it?"

Yara, the manager, quickly interjected—

"The young madam just doesn't quite have the knack for it, I'm afraid."

"It's been a week, and she still hasn't even locked down the venue."

"I'm terrified she's going to ruin the old madam's big day."

"Hold the scallions."

Hilda walked into the kitchen to prepare it.

As she stirred the pot, Luther leaned against the doorframe, watching her. He thought about lighting a cigarette, but remembering there were other people in the apartment, he held off.

Her silhouette from behind was breathtaking. Even though she had given birth, her waist was still so impossibly narrow he could span it with one hand. Luther knew that better than anyone... Men were visual creatures by nature. Hilda was gorgeous. Even with all her flaws, even if she was shamelessly entangled with other men, he still wanted to take her to bed.

Luther weighed his words, then spoke plainly—

"About Matilda's birthday banquet... We're going to let Jolie handle it."

"Don't overthink it; it's purely a logistical decision. I'm not playing favorites. She organized the private showcase flawlessly last time. She has a handle on every detail. Even someone like Mr. Sutton completely changed his tune about her, as did Ms. Zeller, the rep from Mokshalia—someone Aegis Group wants to partner with in the future."

Luther tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Hilda didn't stop stirring, but a mocking smile touched her lips.

"Yara told you that, didn't she?"

"Said I couldn't coordinate the vendors?"

"Have you ever actually looked into who Yara is?"

"Actually, it doesn't matter. What matters is that Jolie is competent, and you want to pave the way for her. Fine. I'll hand everything over to her tomorrow. But before I do, I want the chance to defend myself. I'm not just going to hand over my authority without a fight... Right? Even in the corporate world, you have to compete for a position. You can't just strip me of the opportunity and declare me incompetent without letting me prove myself, Luther. Can you?"

Her tone was calm, almost entirely detached.

—It caught Luther off guard.

He found himself asking slowly, "What about me? What about the man standing right in front of you?"

Hilda's back stiffened.

After a long pause, her voice was barely audible. "I don't want you anymore."