My Mother Paid 100,000 For A Makeup Artist, He Sent Her To His Sister Chapter 01

My Mother Paid 100,000 For A Makeup Artist, He Sent Her To His Sister Chapter 01

To make sure I looked my absolute best on my wedding day, my mother had called in every favor she could and paid $15,000 to book the go-to makeup artist for one of Hollywood’s hottest young actresses a full year in advance.

But on the morning of my wedding, the makeup artist still hadn’t arrived. My mother finally called to ask what was going on.

Susan Hart sounded genuinely confused. “I’ve been here for a while. The groom brought me to Lila Dawson’s place first. He said the bride had already agreed to let me do Lila’s makeup first.”

Lila was a childhood family friend Nolan had always treated like a younger sister.

I called Nolan Pierce, but he sounded completely unconcerned.

“Oh, that. Lila just wanted to get dolled up. You’re the mature one here, so just let her have this. As soon as Susan finishes, I’ll have someone drive her over. It’s only a quick drive.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “So for our wedding, you went behind my back and sent the makeup artist my mother paid $15,000 to book to do Lila’s makeup first?”

His voice immediately turned impatient. “It’s our wedding day. Do you really have to make such a big deal out of this? We still have plenty of time.”

I checked the clock. Nolan and the groom’s party were due at the house in three hours for the first look and the trip to the venue.

Forcing down my irritation, I patiently explained, “No, we don’t. Bridal makeup takes time, and once I’m done, I still have to take the bridal-party getting-ready photos. The schedule is already tight, and my mom and my two best friends, who are also my bridesmaids, need their makeup done too.”

“What’s the big deal? You can all just do your own makeup if you have to.”

“Baby, you’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world to me even without makeup.”

Then the line went dead.

I tightened my grip on the phone as my breath caught. All at once, our seven years together felt painfully insignificant.

Was there any point in going through with this wedding?

***

My two best friends, who had heard the entire conversation, exchanged stunned looks.

Brooke Ellis, the more hot-tempered of the two, set down the wedding-day run sheet she had stayed up all night memorizing and was the first to lose it.

“What the hell is wrong with Nolan? Does he not understand that the bride comes first on her wedding day?”

“He sent the makeup artist your mother paid $15,000 to book to do Lila’s makeup first? The nerve of her!”

“She looks more like his side piece than his ‘little sister.’”

Hannah Cole, who was much gentler, tugged at Brooke’s sleeve. “Enough. Right now, we need to figure out how to fix this.”

The smile my mother had worn all morning faded. She took my hand and made a decision on the spot.

“Ruby, don’t panic. I’ll call Susan and tell her to come over immediately.”

“As long as she gets here in time to do your makeup, we can figure out everything else.”

I stared numbly at the sky outside and nodded.

No wonder Nolan, who had always left every wedding detail to me, had suddenly asked for Susan’s contact information the day before. He had even wanted to know whether a celebrity makeup artist was really that much better than a regular makeup artist.

I had assumed he was asking because he cared enough to pay attention to every detail. I had even bragged to him excitedly, “Of course she is. Money alone can’t get you on her calendar. Without the right connections, she’s impossible to book. Just wait. You’re going to see me steal the show tomorrow.”

How ridiculous. All along, he had only wanted her contact information so he could send her to Lila first.

The phone rang for a long time before someone finally answered. Lila’s mother’s loud, casual voice came through the speaker.

“The makeup artist? She’s doing Lila’s makeup right now. She’s too busy to answer the phone.”

My mother forced down her anger and kept her voice as steady as she could. “I paid for that makeup artist specifically for my daughter. If she doesn’t get here soon, the entire wedding schedule will be thrown off. Nolan and Lila may have acted thoughtlessly, but you should have known better. You should have stopped them.”

“Oh, Mrs. Bennett, don’t worry. Nolan and Lila have been close since they were children. What could we do? He absolutely insisted Susan do Lila’s makeup first. He said most people would never get a chance to hire someone this good.”

My mother ended the call, her expression turning cold.

“They never intended to send Susan over.”

One of my aunts, who was helping oversee the bridal preparations, stared wide-eyed and burst out in outrage.