The Ex-Wife He Can’t Have novel Chapter 173

Meanwhile, across town.

Sylvia stared at her work itinerary, a flicker of shock crossing her face.

According to the schedule, her next major gig was shooting a highly coveted cover for Elysium Fashion.

The elite magazine had been prepping a special "Women of Power" edition for two months, inviting leading female figures from various industries for an exclusive group shoot.

Her team had coordinated with them early on, ironing out all the contractual details. She had even cleared her calendar just to secure the dates.

Yet, her assistant hadn't received a single confirmation notice over the past few days.

Losing patience, Sylvia directly dialed the editor-in-chief's private number.

When the call connected, the editor sounded painfully polite but noticeably evasive. She claimed that the final roster had never been officially locked in, and assuming there was a scheduling conflict, they had simply moved forward with an alternate candidate.

Even though the editor took the blame and adopted an apologetic tone, Sylvia wasn't an idiot. It was obvious they had swapped her out at the eleventh hour, unilaterally dumping her from the project.

Her expression frosted over. She hung up without a word, a bitter scoff escaping her lips.

To be humiliatingly sidelined twice in a matter of days—this was utterly unprecedented in her career.

She seriously wondered if she was cursed. She had deep, longstanding ties with this magazine, having easily scored solo haute couture covers and massive New Year spreads in the past. To lose a mere group feature to an understudy was deeply insulting.

It was absolutely ridiculous.

Sylvia immediately called a veteran fashion editor who also happened to be a close friend. He was the golden key to most of her styling connections and editorial resources.

As expected, her friend knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes.

"They did swap you out last minute," he admitted. "They went with Sophia, a top-tier female scientist who just got back from Germany. The board felt her résumé and public image aligned perfectly with the issue's theme."

"Sophia?" Sylvia's grip tightened around her phone, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"That's right. Do you know her?"

"No."

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