Chapter 56: A Goddess Before Their Eyes (1)
Marissa told me that about fifteen years ago, when Lando was studying abroad, he got into a car accident.
After the accident, his spinal cord was damaged, though not completely. Still, for the first three years, he couldn’t walk at all and had to depend on a wheelchair.
At least, luckily, his father kept sending him money during his recovery overseas, not out of love, but just to show people in his circle that he "cared" for his son no matter what.
In reality, he never once visited his injured son, nor did he bother to ask how Lando was doing.
"His condition was really bad back then," Marissa said softly. "I even offered to let him stay with me and my girlfriend for a while, but he refused."
When Marissa said that, I realized they weren’t just old friends, but very, very close old friends.
But that gave me some relief, because at least Lando still had someone who truly cared about him and wanted to help him.
"But even though he once hit such a low point, I always believed his future could still be bright." Marissa smiled faintly. "And I guess I was right. He even ended up with a beautiful wife."
Before I could respond, Marissa rose from the couch. "Alright, go ahead and eat your lunch. I promised my wife I’d call her during the break."
I nodded, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile, because the story about Lando had truly broken my heart.
Still, I had to pull myself together! I couldn’t let this heavy mood linger, not when another photoshoot session was waiting for me!
Once Marissa stepped out of the room to video call her wife, I pulled out my phone. I took a few selfies, adjusted my lunch box into the frame, and checked for the best shot.
When I found one I liked, I sent it straight to Lando with a quick text: "First session’s over. What are you doing now? I’m on my break!"
To anyone else, it might’ve seemed random, sending him a picture like that. But for me, it was almost second nature. Back then, whenever I felt pretty, I’d post my photos on social media without a second thought.
After my scandal, though, I couldn’t anymore. People would just flood the comments, calling me shameless and accusing me of trying to steal someone else’s husband.
That was why now I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to send my pictures to someone. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any friends anymore, and my appearance had to stay hidden because Rosélle Beauty didn’t want their advertisement revealed to the public just yet.
So ... the only person I could send my photo to was Lando.
It wasn’t anything serious, just a small way to lift my mood. Honestly, I didn’t even expect him to reply. Maybe he wouldn’t see it, or maybe he’d just ignore it.
But to my surprise, less than five minutes later, a reply popped up on my screen.
[Lando: Your makeup artist and stylist did a great job.]
I chuckled lightly. He could’ve just told me straight that I looked pretty today, but instead, he chose such complicated words.
[Lando: I’m in a meeting right now, but it’ll be over in a few minutes. More importantly ... why does your lunch box look so plain? It looks like rabbit food.]
I almost choked on my bite, a laugh slipping out under my breath. To be fair, he wasn’t wrong because my food did look plain, just a mix of salad and roasted chicken.
[Me: It’s healthy food, okay? Models can’t eat heavy meals during shoots.]
I watched the screen as the typing bubble appeared, disappeared, then appeared again. He was either trying to write something long or kept deleting his words.
After nearly two minutes, his reply finally came through.
[Lando: Eat properly after you’re done. Don’t just live on leaves.]
I giggled and replied.
[Me: What are you eating for lunch today?]
I bit my lower lip, trying to hide the silly smile tugging at my face as our messages went back and forth. I used to hate replying to men’s messages, but now I suddenly didn’t want this conversation to end.
He even sent me a picture of his lunch, which made my mouth water because he was eating steak while I was stuck with just a salad.
Still, as much as I wanted to keep chatting with him, we both had to get back to work.
[Lando: I have some important things to do now. Don’t forget to eat properly once you go home.]
I sent him a cute bye-bye sticker, then put my phone away because Margareth was already calling me to the makeup room for the next session.
I smiled at her, feeling better after chatting with my husband.
The second theme of the photoshoot was more artistic, which meant I wouldn’t be holding an eyeshadow palette this time. Instead, the team brushed a few cool-toned colors—silver, blue, purple—across my fingertips, ready for me to show them off to the camera.
The makeup team removed my previous makeup and immediately replaced it with a new look.
This time, the theme was inspired by the sea and mermaids, which looked dreamy, fluid, and a little magical.
When they were finally done, I gasped inwardly because the reflection staring back at me was breathtaking, so delicate it made me look like a porcelain doll.
My skin shimmered as if it had been kissed by the sea, glowing with silver and lilac eyeshadow that sparkled under the studio lights.
Pearls draped through my hair, and a seashell crown rested delicately on my head, completing the illusion that I had just emerged from the ocean.
The moment I stepped out of the makeup room, every head turned toward me. For a heartbeat, it felt like time froze—Margareth, the staff, even Zayne—each of their eyes widened in unison. Zayne, especially, looked so stunned he forgot to even blink.
"Oh my ..." Margareth finally breathed out. "I knew the concept, I had imagined how you’d look, but ... this is beyond anything I expected." Her voice softened, almost like a whisper. "You look like a goddess."
[Ding!]
[You have successfully completed your quest: Make the photographer obsessed with you!]
[Reward: $10,000 has been credited to your account.]