My Cold-Hearted Husband Wants Me Back
Chapter 197: The Privilege

Chapter 197: The Privilege

Lunara clasped her hands together as she waited for the staff to arrive. Yesterday, she had received a call from Auréa Cosmetics’ team, asking her to come in to finalize their contract agreement.

And so here she was, sitting in the very same meeting room where she had once met Eryx’s sharp gaze, half a year ago.

The sound of the door opening made her turn her head. The sight of the person she least wanted to see at this moment made her expression falter, just for a second.

"Hey, you arrived first."

Seraphine greeted her with a warm tone. She walked around the table and took the seat across from Lunara. "Did you just get here?"

As friendly as Lunara had expected. She managed a feeble smile and shook her head. "Just about ten minutes ago," she paused, then added with a soft smile, "My husband dropped me off early."

"Oh really? He’s here? I didn’t see him outside." Seraphine’s smile didn’t waver. "It would be great to catch up with him after this."

Lunara’s head tilted slightly, her tone soft but laced with quiet challenge. "Why would you?"

Seraphine blinked, just once, her smile faltering for the briefest second. "Well," she let out a breathy laugh, "he’s still a dear friend, you know. I didn’t think it would be an issue."

Lunara returned her gaze calmly, her expression polite. "Dear friend? I didn’t remember he talked to you like a friend."

Seraphine froze. She could only blink thinking of the reply she could come up with. Clearing her throat, she smiled awkwardly, "Well...I believed our issues had been solved the other day."

"The other day?" Lunara raised her eyebrows, "The day you told me you had brunch with him?"

Seraphine nodded, still wearing that feeble, awkward smile on her face.

"Really?" Lunara gazed down at the table, debating whether she should continue the conversation or risk sounding like a petty wife.

In the end, she looked up with a sweet, composed smile. "Well, I’m glad you both cleared the air. Eryx didn’t mention anything, so I assumed it wasn’t all that memorable."

That smile on Seraphine’s lips twitched. "Oh... I suppose it wasn’t."

Just then, the door opened again, and a staff member entered with a thick folder of documents. "Good afternoon, ladies. Sorry for the wait, let’s begin the contract review."

Lunara’s expression relaxed as she turned her attention to the paperwork, her fingers already reaching for a pen.

"Oh, but Miss Lunara," the young staff member spoke up, flipping through a thin folder in her hands, "before we move forward with the contract, could we take a look at your modeling portfolio?"

Lunara’s lips parted slightly. A faint pause hung in the air as her hand froze mid-motion.

"I..." she glanced down, then backed up with a polite smile. "I don’t actually have one."

The staffer blinked. "Oh?" She quickly flipped back to Lunara’s information sheet, her brow subtly furrowing. "Right... I noticed your profile was a bit brief. I assumed maybe it just hadn’t been uploaded yet."

"No, it’s not uploaded," Lunara replied gently. "Because it doesn’t exist. This is my first job."

The girl’s eyes widened slightly. "Oh! I mean—wow. That’s... impressive."

Lunara could hear the surprise wrapped in subtle disbelief, even though the staffer was doing her best to stay professional.

Seraphine cleared her throat lightly, her tone smooth. "Opportunities do have a way of finding the well-connected... or the exceptionally lucky."

Lunara offered a pleasant smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "I suppose luck can be generous when it wants to be."

The staff member gave a small, nervous laugh, glancing between the two women as if sensing an undercurrent she couldn’t quite name. "Well, either way, we’re very excited to have you, Miss Lunara. If you’d like, we can help put together a starter portfolio after the contract is signed. Just some headshots and basic styling."

"That would be great," Lunara replied, her voice composed. "Thank you."

Seraphine leaned back in her seat, crossing her legs with practiced ease. "And once that’s sorted, I’m sure Lunara will have no trouble keeping up with the rest of the campaign. After all, presence speaks louder than experience."

Lunara’s smile lingered, but something in her chest twisted. Seraphine’s words had been laced in sugar, but the aftertaste was sharp.

Presence over experience.

It was hard not to hear the echo of what people had been murmuring since the job offer landed in her lap—that she didn’t earn it.

The staff stood up with a polite bow. "I’ll just go grab one more document for both of you. Please excuse me for a moment."

Once the door clicked shut behind her, Lunara rose from her seat. "I’m going to the ladies before we continue," she said lightly.

Seraphine nodded, tapping at her phone. "Take your time."

Lunara stepped out into the hallway. But just before she turned the corner toward the restroom, a voice floated out from a nearby break area, low, casual, but clear enough to freeze her mid-step.

"Pretty privilege," the young staff member muttered.

"Huh?" another voice asked, puzzled.

"You know... the one they hired alongside Miss Seraphine? The girl with no portfolio?"

"You mean Mrs. Lunara?" The second one sounded genuinely confused.

"Hmm. Why’d they pick her? Just because she’s pretty?" the young staffer continued. "I mean, I’m sure she has a connec—"

Her voice was suddenly muffled, as if someone had quickly covered her mouth.

Lunara clenched her fists, the bitterness rising in her throat. Yes, she couldn’t deny the truth, she was hired because of a connection. No matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise, moments like this reminded her of the whispers.

"Shut your mouth, Amy," the other staffer hissed in a whisper. "Don’t you dare mutter a word about Mrs. Grantham."

"Why?" Amy still sounded confused.

"Don’t you get it now?"

"What?" Amy asked, clearly baffled. "Did I say something wrong?"

The other staffer let out a slow sigh. "Some people are just born with that kind of privilege. And the one you’re talking about is Mrs. Grantham."

She paused for emphasis before adding, "As in, the wife of our HQ CEO—Mr. Eryx Cyrus Grantham."

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