Eliza kicked at the hem of my dress.
"Wearing something that's so slutty—don't tell me you usually use bridal makeup gigs as an excuse to seduce the groom?"
My hand paused mid-air.
I was the chairwoman of an internationally renowned cosmetics corporation, worth hundreds of billions, and a globally recognized makeup artist.
Countless celebrities begged for an appointment with me and still couldn't get a slot. And yet here I was, lowering myself to do her makeup—only because she was marrying Maverick.
And she dared to insult my professionalism?
When she opened her mouth again, I lifted my gaze and met hers head-on.
"You're pregnant before marriage and still claim to have some kind of virginity complex?"
A laugh escaped me. "Seriously? You? Calling anyone else dirty?"
"Where do you get that kind of face?"
She hadn't expected me to fight back. Her cheeks flushed bright red. "The baby in my stomach belongs to the groom! How is that the same?!"
"I gave him my first time, and I'm marrying him today—how am I not clean?!"
"But you—you came here just to ruin my big day! What's your real motive?!"
At that moment, Maverick sent me a voice-call request on WhatsApp.
The moment my screen lit up with his avatar, Eliza froze in disbelief.
Then she lunged forward and yanked my hair. "So you are trying to seduce my husband!"
"That's why you came here, right?!"
"I knew it—women who aren't virgins are always sluts! Always trying to lure men!"
"Don't think I don't know—there are tons of women obsessed with my husband!"
"You must be one of them!"
Suddenly, everything clicked.
So that's what this was about. All that 'unclean' nonsense? She wasn't disgusted—she was threatened.
Just your typical brainless bride who sees every woman as competition.
The bridesmaids rushed over, joining the attack. Two of them grabbed my arms, pinning me from both sides.
"It makes perfect sense now!"
"She wanted to ruin Eliza's face with cheap makeup and then seduce the groom!"
My arms were locked down tight—I couldn't move. A rare flicker of panic shot through me.
My hands were everything to me. They couldn't be injured!
I spoke hurriedly, "Maverick is my brother. If you don't believe me, call him!"
"Your brother?" Eliza leaned in, her gaze dripping with contempt. "What kind of 'brother'? A sugar daddy brother? A bedmate brother?"
Her spit nearly hit my cheek. I instinctively tried to pull back, but the bridesmaids didn't let me move.
Before I could react, she raised her hand and slapped me—hard.
"I've been with Maverick long enough. I've never heard him mention having a sister!"
"Stop pretending to be some delicate little victim to seduce men—you're not worthy!"
I froze.
It was true—Maverick wasn't my biological brother.
He was my uncle's son. My uncle and aunt died in an accident when I was five, and out of pity, my parents took him in and raised him like their own.
When my entire family moved abroad, he chose to stay in San Antonio, insisting he wanted to repay my parents by taking care of the domestic branch of our company.
I never expected he hadn't told Eliza about me at all.
Just then, her phone rang.
Seeing the caller ID, she lifted the screen in front of my face, smugness overflowing.
"My husband must've heard you bullied me. He's coming to help me!"
She tapped the speaker button and answered sweetly, her voice turning syrupy in an instant.
"Hubby! When are you getting here?"
"You won't believe it—the makeup artist today isn't even a virgin!"
