Tony stared at Yvette in disbelief. Her words were clearly directed at him, and everyone in the room knew it. His expression fell.

All eyes focused on them, the room holding its breath. Tony was tempted to leave, but remembered his deal with Nellie. Suppressing his anger, he pretended not to hear. Grinding his teeth, he said slowly, “Ms. Zeller, would you please sit so we can begin the makeup?”

Yvette's tone remained arrogant. “Get out,” she said, her voice chilling the room.

Tony couldn't believe it. Despite his attempt to de-escalate, she insisted he leave. It was intolerable. Putting down his makeup brush, he scoffed, “Ms. Zeller, are you sure? Think this through. Don't be stubborn. If you’re not styled today, the Chambers family will be embarrassed. I don’t care, but what about you?”

His words were thinly veiled threats. Smugly, he thought, I bet she understands now. I can't wait to see her apologize. He added, “As for the makeup? Whether it’s good or bad is up to me. I can easily make you look bad. After all, what does a girl from the countryside know about fashion aesthetics?”

Yvette pressed her lips together, her gaze emotionless. She stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and lifted him.

The others were stunned. Ms. Zeller is really strong, they thought. Only the intern, who had earlier asked Yvette about placing items, looked on with admiration. Her eyes sparkled. Wow. Finally, someone’s doing what I always wanted to do! she thought.

Tony froze. Did she just lift me so easily? He struggled, shouting, “What are you doing? Let me go! This is ridiculous!”

Despite his efforts, he couldn't break free from her grip. Emotionless, Yvette opened the door with her left hand and threw him out, sending him crashing into an antique. His hair was disheveled, his eyeliner smudged. He was a mess.

An assistant rushed to help, and everyone except the intern rushed to his side. They knew it was his fault, but they relied on the fashion industry for their livelihood. They feigned concern, offering hollow sympathy.

Yvette leaned against the doorframe, hands in her pockets, her eyes narrowed.

Tony pushed himself up, suspecting a spinal injury. Dropping the act, he glared at her. “Ms. Zeller, you have quite the temper. Since you don’t need me, I won’t waste my time. I’m curious to see how you manage without me.”

He waited for her response, no longer caring about the money.

Yvette ignored him, nodding at the giggling intern. “You there. Do you want to do it?”

The intern was bewildered. Did she mean…me? To do her makeup? That’s insane! She’d worked for Tony for a long time and never applied makeup herself. This was a chance, a gift from the universe. She eagerly nodded. “Ms. Zeller, I’d be glad to!”

Tony and the others couldn't believe it. This would cause a huge scandal. Surprisingly, instead of anger, he laughed mockingly.

“Ms. Zeller,” he said, “you probably don’t know the rules of upper-class society. Letting this intern do your makeup will make you a laughingstock. The women in the four major families hire top-tier artists like us. Apologize, and I’ll let this go.”

He was compromising only for Nellie’s $1.5 million, desperately needed to cover casino losses.

Yvette didn't apologize. She coldly shut the door.

Tony glared at his assistant and interns. “If anyone dares to talk about this, I’ll make sure they can’t survive in this industry.”

They nodded repeatedly.

The assistant and interns helped Tony down the stairs. At the entrance, he ran into Sienna, a famous international fashion designer and co-founder of Vibe. He’d heard she was looking for a makeup artist for a long-term partnership.

His assistants also recognized her.

Seeing Sienna, Tony felt more nimble and approached her quickly. Sienna, eager to meet Yvette, stopped, frowning slightly. “Who’s this rude guy?” she wondered.