Chapter 53

Although Winnie had already made up her mind, she didn't immediately reply to Van. Her vacation had officially ended, and on her first day back at work, she was attending a fragrance event for a brand. Because of the emotions from the night before, she hadn't slept well and was exhausted, so she napped in the back seat. Her neck pillow was piled on her neck, and her head tilted, swaying along with the car's stops, starts, and turns. Yulia drove, first taking her to her downtown apartment, then switching to the company's Alpha for the rest of the trip. Wendy was scrolling through her tablet. "Italian luxury brand Greta, this event is focused on their new salon fragrance. I've sent you the schedule earlier, just go over it again." Winnie could barely keep her eyes open. "Mm." Wendy then went over the event details, highlighting the key points. "There's an interactive session where they'll ask which scent from their new series you like most and to describe in words what you think of it. This fragrance hasn't been released yet, so I've looked up some professional fragrance reviews and pulled ten key terms." Yulia couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, you're very competent!" Winnie curled the corner of her lips, finally managing a smile. "By the way, there's one more thing." Wendy hesitated. "This morning, Eric from Mr. Marlowe's side contacted me and asked me to send over your bank account information." Winnie slowly opened her eyes, murmuring an "Mm" without any extra emotion. "Give it to him." Wendy sent the information, and just a few minutes later, Winnie received a bank deposit notification. She clicked on it, her eyes dizzy from the long string of zeros. 1 million. She let out a bitter smile. Van kept his word. The kiss from yesterday, everything, was all accounted for in this string of zeros. After turning from the downtown apartment to the styling studio, she fell back into a daze and slept. In her dream, the flowers from the ash tree fell everywhere, and she was drunk, listening to his breath on the other end of the phone. The car came to a stop, and with it, his breath faded. Winnie opened her eyes, the sunlight gently shimmering on the windshield. Such a short dream. The studio's stylist, Anne, greeted her at the door. The dress code for this event required white, but fortunately, it wasn't an overly formal occasion, so a ready-to-wear piece from the current season would suffice. "I've asked around, and Elva hasn't prepared anything off-season for Evelyn either," Anne reassured her while offering a few pre-selected outfit options. "I've already coordinated with your assistant Wendy. What do you think?" "This one works." Wendy gave her suggestion. "It's a runway piece from E's latest collection. E just brought in a new creative director this season, and it's been well received. The most important thing is that today's an outdoor event, and the sheen and structure of this fabric will stand out in natural light." "Wow." Anne raised an eyebrow. "You think like I do." Wendy smiled at her, leaning in to whisper to Winnie. "E's designs are rarely seen on female stars, but since the new director came in, his work in women's evening wear is exceptional. The brand specifically brought him in to develop this area, so we might want to extend an olive branch." The details of all this seemed too precise, and Wendy's confident demeanor made her seem so calm and assured. A strange feeling passed through Winnie's mind, but she couldn't quite place it. She ultimately followed Wendy's advice. Once her makeup and styling were complete, it was exactly 12:30. This was Wendy's second time seeing Winnie in full makeup. Unlike the last time, today's look was much more streamlined— a V-neck, corset-style top paired with wide-legged trousers made from crisp, smooth suit fabric. Her curly hair had been straightened with a flat iron and now cascaded gently over her shoulders. Wendy had seen her fair share of celebrities, but she genuinely believed that Winnie was one of the few actresses in the entertainment industry who truly had star power. Anne was also very impressed. "Winnie is incredibly versatile, her presence is commanding, and she can pull off any look. Elva really is..." Elva had some connections. First, she helped her younger brother debut through a talent show, then arranged for him to appear in some movie side roles. But her younger brother was only in it for the fame and didn't have much faith in acting. He would laugh during scenes, and the director quickly grew frustrated. Taking advantage of Winnie's anger, they swiftly packaged him up and kicked him out. Winnie didn't feel like she was unfairly blamed, though, since she had really scolded her brother in public until he broke down and called their mother. The fashion and entertainment worlds overlapped, but there was a blurry line between them. Just because you held a certain status in the entertainment industry didn't mean you could automatically transition into the fashion world. Elva had worked her way up through the top magazines in France, the U.S., and Italy, then started her own studio. She had influence in both the art and fashion circles. The idea of her being blacklisted was laughable, but making Winnie uncomfortable whenever she borrowed clothes was still something she could manage. "Let's not talk about her."