In one quick movement, Eric grabbed Emma’s waist and pulled her close. “Oh, so are you thinking of marrying him then?” he teased.
“How could you even ask that? I admit I was lost once, but now I know exactly where I’m going,” she murmured. “My destination is you.”
Eric flipped over, positioning himself on top of her. He looked at her seriously with his dark eyes. “I can barely control myself around you, but I know we have to wait. Even though we’re already married, I still want you to get to know me and be sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me. When we’re both certain we want to be together, that’s when we’ll truly belong to each other,” he sighed and continued, “In this business, my options are endless. I can have whatever I want. The only thing I’ve never been able to find before is a partner with a pure heart.”
“Then we both share the same goal. Let’s follow this path together and live a happy life,” Emma replied. “I would never have thought that Eric Roberts, came of the entertainment industry, doesn’t just have a fun and carefree life. I always used to picture you as a player surrounded by swarms of beautiful women. Haven’t you ever wanted that?”
“When a woman asks a question like that, there’s only one way to answer,” he replied. He leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss, a kiss so fiery it made all her worries melt away. That night, wrapped in his arms, she slept more soundly than she ever had before.
Meanwhile, Nathan was having a much harder time of things. Emma’s request for Amber to leave Global had put him in an impossible predicament. Not only was Amber carrying his child, she also had the evidence of his misdeeds in her hands. He couldn’t afford to offend either woman. He drove home that evening filled with uncertainty.
When he opened the door to see Amber waiting for him on the couch, his heart sank. “Nathan,” she cried as she flung herself into his arms, grabbing him tightly around his waist. “What should I do? Does this mean I can’t be a model for you anymore?”
“Amber, how about you go overseas for a while to take care of your pregnancy?” Nathan said. “You can come back after the baby’s born, and when you do, I promise I’ll do what I’ve done before. I’ll make you famous again.”
Amber stepped back from him in shock. “You’re asking me to leave the country? Are you trying to get rid of me? Maybe Emma’s stupid enough to fall for something like that, but I’m not. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t forget, I’m still carrying your child. I’ve been your lover for so many years, Nathan. Do you really think you can just cast me aside like this?”
“That’s not what I meant. Think carefully, Nathan. Who do you want to spend the rest of your life with? Do you love Emma?”
“Of course not. I love you, only you,” he pleaded. “But Emma gave me the condition. If you don’t leave Global Pictures, she won’t marry me. Even if you do marry her, you are guaranteed the Miller Fortune.”
Amber argued, “Her family doesn’t seem to care about her, and if she did go ahead with marrying you and they somehow accepted it, how much would she even inherit? Do you really want to pin all your hopes on her, only to end up with nothing? Stay with me, then. At least we’ll have each other and her child. The three of us can build a future together. Isn’t that what you want?”
She took a step toward him as she continued, “Nathan, tell me the truth. Do you want me or do you want Emma? All I need is one word from you, and I’ll go straight to the abortion clinic. I’ll leave Global Pictures, and you’ll never see me again.”
Nathan just looked at her, not saying a word. Amber turned away, picked up her phone, and called her assistant Gary. “Give me a doctor’s appointment right away. I want an abortion,” she said.
“What are you doing?” Nathan cried, swiping the phone out of her hand. “Don’t be so cruel. Did I say I was leaving you?” Her face lit up. “Does that mean you’re choosing me after all? How could I let you go? You’re the only woman I love and the mother of my child. Don’t you realize I’ve been protecting you all these years?”
He had finally made up his mind to end things with Emma. It was a pity to give up on the Miller’s family wealth, but as Amber said, nothing was guaranteed to him anyway. He couldn’t lose her and his child chasing an illusion.
“I knew you loved me,” Amber beamed. “You’ve always treated me better than her.” She hugged him tightly as tears of joy began to stream down her face. “All I want is to have your child and be part of your family. Just try not to stir up any more trouble. Don’t go online too much and don’t read those awful comments. News like this passes quickly. The top 10 model award judges won’t be impressed by this scandal, but they’re too focused on professionalism anyway. We can still reach your goals without them.”
“I understand, but now you need to listen to me,” she sat down on the sofa, pulling him down with her. “You can’t give Emma any more work. Look at how arrogant she is right now, thinking she’s on top of the world just because she signed one deal. She thinks that she’s all that. She’s even trying to defy your orders. But Global Pictures will survive without her,” Amber continued. “If we need another model, we’ll find one. But we can’t just let her go either. If she has the chance to get revenge on us, she’ll do it. Just hold on to her and keep her from working. In three years, she’ll be so old she won’t be able to make a comeback. But Emma has everyone in her corner right now. Everyone will want to hire her. Doesn’t that make things easier? Let’s wait till she gets back from Seattle and find her some worthless corporate client, something low-end and cheap. She won’t be so desirable after that.”
Nathan looked at Amber. He knew what she had suggested was a bit extreme, but he couldn’t think of another way around the situation. He nodded and said, “All right, I’ll do it.” Amber smiled.
“And if anyone else calls wanting to hire Emma, we’ll just tell them she’s not interested,” Nathan added. He pulled her close and planted a kiss on her forehead. This time, his decision came from the heart. He would end things with Emma. After that, she would be just another Global Pictures model with three years remaining on her contract, just like Amber had said. He had to keep Emma from becoming famous and getting revenge on them. He needed to do everything he could to hold her down.
