Just as she finished saying goodbye to Oliver Perez, Grace burst in, so excited she forgot to knock — not that Maria minded.
“Mr.
Phillips just came to find me.
I’ve been promoted to be your assistant!” Grace pointed out the door.
“They even moved my desk closer to yours.
Maria, I’m seriously over the moon!
This is the happiest day I’ve had since joining the company.”
Maria waved her over, giving her hand a light pat with a warm smile.
“So now you’re my assistant?
Guess you’re not a stylist anymore?”
Grace smiled brightly.
“I’m both!
When you have work scheduled, I’ll follow you around as your assistant.
When you don’t, I’m still a stylist with my own spot in the department.
And, guess what, Mr.
Phillips said I passed my internship, and my salary doubled!”
Seeing her so thrilled, Maria couldn’t help but smile along.
“Oh right, almost forgot!
Charlie Cruz’s got a variety show shoot today — he asked specifically for you to do his styling.
He’s on his way, should be here any minute.
Let’s head to the makeup room.”
“Sure.”
On the way there, Grace added, “Mr.
Phillips said your position as secretary is more important than stylist, so if any artist wants you to do their makeup, I’ll be the one contacted first and then I’ll check with you.”
Those words obviously came from James.
Maria found it a little surprising — the man actually showing some thoughtful planning?
Then again, that’s his job as the boss.
When they arrived in the makeup room, Charlie and Michael Turner were already there waiting.
Michael was grinning so wide it looked like his face might split.
Total flattery mode.
Charlie, on the other hand, had toned things down.
Baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, it was hard to read what was on his mind.
As usual, Maria asked what kind of show it was, then got started on his makeup based on the requirements, letting Grace observe along the way.
Grace watched intently, like she was taking notes during a lecture.
“Michael, I could use a coffee.
Mind grabbing one for me?” Charlie then turned to Grace, smiling slightly.
“Michael’s still not that familiar with the building.
Can you guide him?”
Michael had been with the company forever — there’s no way he didn’t know his way around.
Clearly, Charlie had something to say to Maria one-on-one.
Maria stepped in before either of them could refuse.
“If he wants coffee, go ahead.”
So off they went.
Grace looked back every few steps, clearly worried Charlie might pull something. This story is hosted at g.com.
Once they were gone, Maria set down her brush, her expression flat as she looked at Charlie.
“They’re gone.
Say what you want.”
Charlie turned to her, his lips curving into a sly smirk, hitting that angle he’d clearly practiced a hundred times.
His gaze turned hazy, like he was trying to cast a spell.
“Let’s cut to the chase, Maria.
How about you make me your boy toy?”
Boy toy?
Please.
Maria let out a laugh, not even pretending to be polite.
“You seriously think I’d be into you?”
Her eyes were full of sarcasm, sharp enough to slice clean through his ego.
Charlie’s confidence nosedived.
His smile twitched and froze, eyes shifting from flirtatious to resentful, anger distorting his face.
“You seriously think you’re that irresistible?
Please.
Michael just dressed you up like a package deal.
The fans?
They’re into that packaging.
If they actually knew what you were really like, they’d be gone faster than your relevance.
Me?
Keep you?
Wow, I must be really bored.”
She honestly couldn’t believe Charlie Cruz had the nerve to say something like that.
She’d just put him in his place yesterday—did he suffer from memory loss?
Maria sometimes really wondered how Michael Turner pulled this off—glamming up someone like Charlie into a public sweetheart.
But no one stays wrapped in a pretty package forever.
Dirty hearts always get exposed sooner or later.
And she could see it—Charlie was already on his way down.
After her brutal rejection, Charlie just froze in his chair, silent and dead still.
Grace hurried back when she noticed something was up.
“Grace, forget it.
I’m not finishing this.
Pack up the kit.” Maria clapped her hands, ready to leave.
She shot Charlie a cold look and let out a snort.
Michael, still clueless, rushed up with coffee in hand, spilling half in panic.
“Ms.
Lewis, wait! This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Did Charlie piss you off?
If he did, I’ll make sure he knows.
But don’t stop mid-way, his fans love your work!”
Maria didn’t dislike Michael, so she gave him a warning.
“If I were you, I’d start thinking about switching artists.”
Michael wasn’t stupid—clearly, Charlie screwed up big.
Normally, Michael wouldn’t give a damn about opinions like this, but Maria wasn’t just anyone, so he had to take it seriously.
Since Maria dropped the job, another stylist stepped in.
Tina kept her mouth shut once she found out James had his eyes on Maria—not worth stirring up drama.
As for Amelia, eh, Tina would just play dumb with her.
Amelia was too busy trying to pick fights with Maria to care anyway.
Right then, in walked Ann Reed—a long-time celeb with the company and only 28, but she’d been in the spotlight for 12 years.
Needless to say, she had pull.
Her assistant approached Tina, asking specifically for Maria.
After seeing Maria trending online, Ann Reed got curious about her skills.
What Maria didn’t expect though, was Grace’s reaction.
The moment she heard Ann Reed’s name, she shrank behind Maria like a spooked kitten.
Once they stepped out of styling, Maria leaned over and asked under her breath, “She bullied you before?”
Even Charlie hadn’t made Grace this jumpy.
Grace bit her lip and nodded.
“She’s super picky about everything, just thinking about it makes me anxious.
Maria, can I skip this one…
please?”
Her voice was already shaking by the end.
Maria frowned, watching her cower like that.
No way she was letting Grace hide like this forever.
“We’re going.
End of story.
If she tries anything, I’ve got your back.
I don’t care how big her name is—I’m not letting anyone push you around.”
That gave Grace a bit of courage.
She nodded, bracing herself to go in with Maria.
Top-tier artists at the company all had their own makeup rooms.
Ann Reed rarely came by since she already had her own go-to stylist.
This time, she was only here because Maria’s work had impressed her.
Showing up in person?
In Ann Reed’s mind, that was already a huge favor.
So the second she saw Maria, she started posturing: “Ms.
Lewis, your name’s really out there now, huh?
Who knew getting my makeup done by you meant I’d have to come down to the company myself?”
Maria squinted a little, instantly getting the vibe—this wasn’t going to be an easy session.