The next day, Emma was scheduled to film the commercial. Originally, she was supposed to be filmed with a few other models, but Scott felt her presence was too strong. The other models would pale in comparison to her. So, in the end, they decided to go ahead with the shoot using only Emma and one male model.
Early in the morning, Lisa knocked on Emma’s door. She opened the door only slightly, as if she were hiding something. Lisa looked at her and asked, “Is someone else in there with you?”
“I… Emma, how could you do this? You may have split up with that jerk, but he just got married to Eric. How could you mess around like this? Let me in, let me in, let me see who’s daring enough to seduce my precious Emma!” Lisa was infuriated and began trying to push the door open with all her strength. But just as she did, Eric reached out with his hand and stopped it. His tall, fit physique appeared in the doorway, towering over the two women.
“Oh, Mr. Roberts, it’s you,” Lisa laughed awkwardly, stunned by the sight of him. Eric glanced at Lisa, giving her an approving nod. He could see that with her around, no other man would be able to get close to Emma. Without a word, he headed to the bathroom to shower. Once he was gone, Lisa grabbed Emma by the arm and looked at her in disbelief.
“Tell me earlier! You let me make a complete fool of myself in front of him!” Emma shrugged innocently. “I only found out last night when I got back,” she said.
“Oh my God, he’s so romantic! And busy as he is, he got a flight all the way out here just to keep you company. Emma, your luck has really changed. Think about all those years you spent with that jerk. When did he ever visit you at work, even though you were working for him?” Lisa’s face had lit up. “What a massive improvement this is! Are we still going to the shoot?”
Emma asked, appearing much more interested in the job than she had the night before. “Is Mr. Roberts coming?”
“Yes, he should be,” Emma whispered. Eric had come all this way; of course, he wouldn’t miss watching Emma’s performance. The show at Brooklyn City Center had been unforgettable. He was looking forward to seeing how Emma would do at an outdoor shoot.
30 minutes later, the three of them had arrived at the shoot location. Eric stayed by the car, keeping his distance from the set so he wouldn’t be recognized. After getting dressed, Emma stepped out of the changing room in a light blue lacy dress that hugged her elegant body and showed off her long, slender legs, which looked like they went on forever. She looked perfect, like the work of a master sculptor.
The concept for the day’s shoot involved a bride chasing her runaway groom. She would hurt her leg during the chase without the crew noticing. In the end, the sun’s rays would hit the sparkling diamond on her hand, creating a beautiful rainbow and reminding him of the promises he made to her. The commercial would end with the groom returning to the bride for a heartfelt reunion.
Scott, as well as being the photographer for the campaign stills, was also directing the commercial shoot. “Emma, we’re going to need quite a lot of emotional shifts from you today. Are you okay with that?” he asked her.
“No problem,” she said gently. He nodded and motioned for her to get into position. “Should we do a quick run-through?”
“That’s not necessary,” Emma replied. Normally, he would have insisted on a practice run, but after seeing Emma’s professionalism the previous day, he had complete trust in her. So, since she was ready, he went ahead and started filming.
Because the commercial had no script and lasted only 30 seconds, the models needed to be completely convincing as their characters. The first scene they were shooting was one where Emma would be chasing the groom. Her face would need to display a range of emotions, looking hopeful at first, then slowly becoming desperate at the realization that she can’t catch up.
Filming was about to start without any help. Emma found her exact position in front of the camera. As soon as the camera began rolling, Emma disappeared, and in her place stood an abandoned bride, looking around helplessly. Her eyes welled up with emotion, though no tears came. She was panting breathlessly, exhausted from her chase. Her desperation grew as she continued searching. Her face showed that she was at the brink of falling apart.
As Eric watched from afar, he realized Emma was like a dust-covered gem. It was obvious she was still the talented model she had been three years ago. Never stepped back. How successful would she be right now, he wondered?
Lisa approached Eric, beaming with pride. “Arena isn’t bad, is she, Mr. Roberts? If only she hadn’t been held back by that jerk. From now on, no one will hold her back.”
Eric responded coolly as he got back into the car. Lisa smiled because she knew Emma wasn’t going to let anyone hold her back ever again. And of course, it was reassuring that this man, powerful as he was, knew that too.
Thanks to Emma’s confidence, the shoot ran smoothly and was finished ahead of schedule. The director was extremely impressed with her and wanted to offer her a solution to her rumored problems. “I heard your current company has no idea how to build your career,” he told her, handing her a business card. “Are you interested in stepping out onto a bigger stage?”
She politely took his card but responded the same way she always did to those kinds of offers. “I’m happy where I am right now.”
The director smiled at her. “Even so, we would be glad to hear from you anytime.” She thanked him and started toward the car.
Suddenly, Lisa ran up to her, Emma’s phone in hand, exclaiming, “A woman named Ashley just called, saying she’s the new manager Nathan arranged for you. She said that after the shoot, you need to get home right away to make an appearance at a company event. It’s in three days’ time. I’ve just done some research on them. They’re an established brand, but they’ve had tons of quality issues and complaints about their products. Nathan obviously wants to destroy you.”
Emma grabbed her phone from Lisa and replied calmly, “Let’s head back first. We’ll talk about this later.”
“But you’ve worked so hard to be here. If you take this job, it’ll all go to waste,” Lisa’s heart was breaking for her.
“Lisa, do you think I haven’t prepared for something like this?” Emma shot back, feeling ready to handle it. Although, in truth, she hadn’t expected Nathan to actually turn his back on the prospect of her family’s fortune and choose to stay with Amber. “Like I’ve said before, there’s only a thin line between being on top and losing it all. I won’t let him beat me again.”
As Emma approached the car, her eyes met Eric’s, and they both smiled. After she took a seat next to him, he handed his phone to her and said, “I asked Luke to dig up information on this new manager of yours, Ashley. Her resume and dark secrets are all here for you to read up on.”
