Betrayed Spotlight-Chapter 37: Even hotter than fire

Before Sarah could read the message, the studio door was suddenly pushed opened again. Two people walked in carrying large makeup cases and professional lighting equipment.

"Sorry we’re late!" called out a cheerful voice. "Traffic was terrible."

Sarah quickly put her phone back in her purse, deciding to deal with the message later. Whatever he wanted could wait.

The first makeup artist was a tall man with gentle eyes and a warm smile. He looked professional and friendly. But it was the second makeup artist who immediately caught everyone’s attention.

She was a beautiful Chinese woman in her late twenties with long black hair and perfectly applied makeup. She wore a tight-fitting dress that showed off her figure, and her eyes immediately locked onto Mason the moment she entered the room.

"Oh my God," she whispered, her voice filled with awe. "It’s really him."

David stepped forward to make introductions. "Everyone, these are our makeup artists. This is Kevin, and this is Elena Zhang."

Elena barely acknowledged David’s introduction. Her eyes were fixed on Mason like he was the only person in the room.

"Mr. Liu," she said in a breathy voice, walking straight toward him. "I can’t believe I’m actually meeting you. I’ve seen you in magazines and on TV, but you’re even more handsome in person."

Mason immediately stepped backward, his face becoming cold and distant. "Miss Zhang, please attend to my wife. She’s the one who needs makeup."

But Elena didn’t seem to hear him. She continued moving toward Mason, her hands reaching out as if she wanted to touch him.

"I’ve been doing makeup for celebrities for five years," she said, "but I’ve never worked with someone as important as you. It would be such an honor to—"

"Miss Zhang," Mason’s voice cut through her words like ice. "I said attend to my wife."

Elena’s hand was almost touching Mason’s arm when he moved away sharply. His entire body seemed to tense up, and Sarah could see something like panic flash across his face.

"But Mr. Liu," Elena persisted, "I always personally attend to the most important client. It’s my specialty. I could make you look perfect for the photos."

Mason’s jaw clenched. "I don’t need makeup. My wife does. Go to her. Now."

There was something in his tone that made everyone in the room go quiet. David looked uncomfortable, Henri raised his eyebrows, and Jessica stopped arranging props to stare.

Elena finally seemed to understand that Mason was rejecting her, but she didn’t look happy about it. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Sarah.

"Of course," she said with a fake smile. "I’ll take care of your wife."

Sarah watched this entire exchange with growing irritation. She could see exactly what Elena was trying to do. The woman was clearly infatuated with Mason and was hoping to use her job to get close to him.

Elena walked over to Sarah with obvious reluctance. She set down her makeup case with more force than necessary.

"Sit down," Elena said curtly, pointing to a chair. "Let’s get this over with."

Sarah sat down, but she kept her eyes on Elena’s face. She could see the resentment there, the anger that she had been forced to work with the wife instead of the husband.

Elena opened her makeup case and began pulling out brushes and products. But instead of being gentle, she grabbed Sarah’s chin roughly and turned her head from side to side.

"Your skin is okay," Elena said dismissively. "Nothing special. I’ll have to use a lot of foundation to make you look good enough for photos."

Sarah felt her temper starting to rise. "Excuse me?"

"I said your skin needs work," Elena repeated, squeezing foundation onto her hand. "Mr. Liu deserves someone who looks perfect."

Without any warning, Elena grabbed Sarah’s face and began applying the foundation with hard, aggressive strokes. She pressed so hard that Sarah’s head was pushed back against the chair.

"Stop," Sarah said firmly. "You’re being too rough."

Elena ignored her and continued applying the makeup forcefully. She seemed to be taking out her frustration on Sarah’s face.

"I said stop," Sarah repeated, her voice getting louder.

Elena finally looked at her with cold eyes. "I’m the professional here. I know what I’m doing."

She grabbed Sarah’s hand to steady herself and dug her nails into Sarah’s wrist while applying concealer under her eyes. The pressure was painful and completely unnecessary.

That was the last straw.

Sarah’s hand shot out and grabbed Elena’s wrist in a grip that made the makeup artist gasp in pain.

"Listen to me very carefully," Sarah said in a low, dangerous voice. "If you continue to do my makeup forcefully, I will not hesitate to break your hand. Do you understand me?"

Elena’s eyes widened in shock. She tried to pull her hand away, but Sarah’s grip was like iron.

"I see the way you look at my husband," Sarah continued, her voice barely above a whisper but filled with menace. "Back off. He’s off limits. Look at this ring."

Sarah held up her left hand, the two-million-yuan diamond catching the studio lights and throwing rainbows across the room.

"You know what this means," Sarah said. "I don’t share. And I don’t tolerate disrespect. Touch me roughly again, and you’ll regret it."

Elena’s face had gone pale. She nodded quickly, fear replacing the arrogance in her eyes.

"Good," Sarah said, finally releasing Elena’s wrist. "Now do your job properly."

Elena rubbed her wrist where Sarah had grabbed her. There were red marks from Sarah’s fingers, and she looked shaken.

"I... I’m sorry," Elena stammered. "I didn’t mean to be rough. I’ll be more gentle."

"You better be," Sarah said coldly. freewebnøvel.coɱ

Elena picked up her makeup brush again, but this time her hands were shaking slightly. She began applying Sarah’s makeup with the gentleness of someone handling fine china.

"Your skin is actually beautiful," Elena said quietly, her attitude completely changed. "I was wrong before. You don’t need much makeup at all."

Sarah didn’t respond, but she watched Elena’s every move in the mirror. The makeup artist was being careful and professional now, but Sarah could see the fear in her eyes.

What Sarah didn’t realize was that Mason had heard every word of their conversation. He was standing across the room, pretending to look at David’s camera equipment, but his ears had been focused on his wife’s voice.

When he heard Sarah’s threat about breaking Elena’s hand, a thin smile crossed his lips. When she mentioned the ring and said "I don’t share," his smile widened.

His little wife was fierce. Even hotter than fire.

Mason had been worried about how Sarah would handle being married to someone like him. He had wondered if she was strong enough to deal with the attention, the jealousy, and the people who would try to use her to get to him.

But watching her handle Elena, he realized he had underestimated her completely. Sarah wasn’t just beautiful and talented. She was strong, protective, and when pushed, she could be absolutely ruthless.

"Mr. Liu?" David’s voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you ready to start looking at the lighting setup?"

Mason nodded, but his eyes kept drifting back to Sarah. Elena was working on her makeup with perfect professionalism now, chatting quietly about color palettes and techniques.

Meanwhile, Kevin, the male makeup artist, was setting up his equipment nearby. He had watched the entire exchange between Sarah and Elena with wide eyes.

"Mrs. Liu doesn’t mess around," Kevin said quietly to Mason. "I’ve never seen Elena back down from anyone before."

Mason’s smile was almost predatory. "My wife is full of surprises."

"Elena’s been bragging for hours about getting to work with you," Kevin continued. "She had all these plans about how she was going to impress you. I don’t think she expected your wife to be so... protective."

"Sarah doesn’t like to be disrespected," Mason said simply. "And she especially doesn’t like it when people try to overstep boundaries."

Kevin nodded thoughtfully. "Smart woman. Elena needed to be put in her place."

Across the room, Elena was finishing Sarah’s makeup. Her hands were steady now, and she was doing beautiful work. But every few seconds, she would glance nervously at Sarah’s reflection in the mirror.

"There," Elena said finally, stepping back. "You look perfect."

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror. Elena had done an excellent job. Her makeup was flawless but natural, enhancing her features without making her look overdone.

"Thank you," Sarah said politely. "That’s much better."

Elena nodded and quickly began packing up her makeup supplies. She clearly wanted to get away from Sarah as quickly as possible.

"Mrs. Liu," Elena said quietly, "I want to apologize again. I was unprofessional, and I won’t let it happen again."

Sarah looked at her steadily. "As long as you remember what I said, we won’t have any problems."

Elena nodded quickly and hurried away to help Kevin with his equipment.

Mason walked over to Sarah, his eyes appreciating how beautiful she looked with her makeup done without saying the words out.

"The make up isn’t bad," he said instead.

"Thank you," Sarah replied, standing up from the makeup chair.

"Let’s get started." David finally called them from behind.

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