Before Alice could finish speaking, Zen cut her off. "Do you really think they need the measly amount you’re so eager to offer? Miss Styles and Miss Stan earn a few hundred thousand from just one client—are you sure you can afford to hire them?" He stared at Alice, his amusement barely concealed as he watched the subtle cracks appear in herposed expression the moment she heard the price.


    "W-Well, aren’t they already here helping Hera so the shoot won’t be dyed? What difference would it make if they helped me too?" Alice retorted, regaining her confidence as she found no w in her reasoning. She nodded, as if reassuring herself that she was making a valid point.


    "Well, even though they came to help, they didn’te to help you. They came specifically for Hera," Zen pressed, clearly enjoying Alice’s predicament.


    He wasn’t the type to take pleasure in making things difficult for others—especially women—but for some reason, he found it particrly satisfying to see Alice struggle.


    Maybe it was because this two-faced woman had been relentlessly targeting his little sister, Hera.


    "That’s exactly why I’m asking," Alice argued, trying to keep herposure. "Since there are three of them, wouldn’t it be reasonable to ask for just one to help me out? I’m the only one who hasn’t started getting ready, and we do have a schedule to follow."


    "Then ask your good friend Emily for help. She has even more people working for her than Hera does," Zen said with a shrug. "Have the little assistant do your makeup—it’s the same thing anyway, and you’re already in her lounge."


    He watched as Alice’s frustration grew, herposure starting to crack. She had assumed it would be easy to pressure Hera into sending one of her friends to help, only for Zen to keep blocking her at every turn.


    Now, if Alice kept pushing further, others would start noticing her eagerness to have Sandra or Britney do her makeup, and she risked beingbeled as vain, which could damage the persona she had carefully built.


    Worse, if this incident leaked to the public, it could tarnish her image entirely.


    Realizing this, Alice pursed her lips, shifting her expression to one of hurt—making it seem as though Zen had gone too far and she was on the verge of tears.


    Unfortunately for her, neither Britney nor Sandra paid the slightest attention to the verbal sparring between Zen and Alice.


    They had onlye to help Hera out of consideration for Sasha and because they personally found Hera likable. In fact, seeing Hera again sparked a new wave of inspiration in both women, making them even more eager to work on her.


    "Hera, did you change your shampoo? What about your skincare routine? Your skin is practically glowing, and your hair has so much volume—it’s like you’re radiating health and beauty!" Britney cooed as she carefully styled Hera’s hair and applied her makeup.


    Sandra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thest time I saw you, you were already stunning, but there’s definitely something different about you this time."


    The two women fell into a brief moment of contemtion, exchanging a nce before Sandra leaned in closer to Hera’s ear—her voice dropping to a yful whisper as she worked on Hera’s hair.


    "Just like the afterglow of great sex," she teased casually, not thinking much of it. "Did you get watered?" She added.


    The effect was immediate. Hera’s ears turned bright red, the color quickly spreading to her cheeks before blooming across her entire face and down to her neck, making her look like a ripe tomato.


    Both Britney and Sandra froze mid-action, their hands pausing as they stared at Hera. Even though she was trying to maintain an indifferent and unaffected expression, the deep blush creeping up her facepletely betrayed her.


    Britney’s eyes widened before a mischievous grin spread across her lips. "Oh my gosh, Hera! Spill the tea—don’t keep secrets from your big sisters!" she cooed excitedly, practically bouncing in ce.


    At that moment, the chaos outside the small lounge—the back-and-forth bickering between Zen and Alicepletely faded into the background. The two makeup artists had lost all interest in the drama, focusing entirely on Hera instead.


    Meanwhile, Sandra smirked, realizing she had identally struck gold with her absentminded teasing. "Damn, I really hit the jackpot with that one," she murmured, watching Hera squirm as she desperately tried topose herself.


    "Hmmm." Hera tried to y it cool, feigning nonchnce in an attempt to salvage herposure in front of the two experienced women.


    But she was failing miserably. Maybe it was because Britney and Sandra had far more experience in love than she did—after all, women in love were easy to spot for those who knew what to look for.


    Sandra smirked knowingly, tapping a finger against her chin. "Hmmm, I smell love in the air."


    "I just made sure to get plenty of sleep, drink lots of water, exercise, and take care of my skin—like any other woman does," Hera replied with a casual shrug, but the faint redness lingering on her cheekspletely undermined her attempt at indifference.


    "Oh? Exercise, you say?" Britney smirked, eyes twinkling with mischief. "And what kind of exercise would that be? Something that requires... a partner, perhaps? A certain workout routine that magically enhances your glow?" She leaned in yfully. "Not that you weren’t already stunning before, but right now, there’s this undeniable radiance about you—like you’re practically shining."


    Hera’s blush deepened, her entire face betraying her.


    "Alright, alright, let’s stop teasing her and get back to work," Sandra finally said,ughing as she exchanged a knowing look with Britney.


    Their yful back-and-forth felt almost like a well-practiced good cop, bad cop routine—designed to coax a confession out of her. But Hera held her ground, refusing to take the bait.


    Still, Britney and Sandra had been keeping up with trending topics online, and they’d seen the photos of Hera surrounded by stunning men. What they didn’t know, however, was that all of them were now Hera’s men. If they did, there was no way they’d let her off the hook so easily.


    After all, women loved to gossip about each other’s love lives and experiences. It was part of their happiness—learning from one another’s stories rather than fumbling through trial and error like men often did.


    When Sandra and Britney finally let her off the hook, Hera exhaled a subtle sigh of relief, offering them a sweet smile in return. Not long after, her makeup wasplete.


    Meanwhile, Alice, having wasted too much time arguing with Zen, was now the only one left without makeup. She assumed that, since Britney and Sandra were done with Hera, they would naturally move on to help her next. However, just as she stepped forward expectantly, the two women merely stretched a little before ncing toward the entrance.


    Right on cue, the two muscr men who had disappeared earlier returned, moving with swift efficiency. Anticipating that they would be wrapping up soon, the third member of Britney and Sandra’s team had already messaged them toe up and pack everything away.


    Alice barely had time to process what was happening before the men swept into action. She tried to step into the room, only to be gently but firmly nudged aside as they packed up the tools and makeup with practiced ease.


    Before she could utter a word, it was over. The once-cramped space was now empty, and Britney and Sandra were exchanging a few final words with Hera before leaving together.


    Alice stood frozen, watching helplessly as herst hope walked right out the door.


    "W-Wait!" Alice called out, her voiceced with urgency. But her plea fell on deaf ears. Just as quickly as Sandra and Britney had arrived, they left, exiting the production studio without so much as a backward nce. Even Director Nick didn’t get a chance to exchange a word with them.