Amber had just been promoted from mistress to girlfriend and was still basking in the glory of it all. So Emma thought she’d better be happy for a few more days before she ruined her fun. After all, Emma had yet to play the best card in her hand. Plus, she didn’t just want Amber’s career to be over; she wanted her too embarrassed to ever leave the house again because her job offers were being kept from her.
Emma found herself with nothing to do after filming the commercial for Bellamy. But she wasn’t angry, though her fans were criticizing her for thinking of endorsing an unreliable product. She didn’t respond to any of them, letting their insults roll off her. She had been studying the way Emma handled things. She realized Emma was a lot more patient than most people and could endure loneliness well.
Entertainment headlines were still focused on Nathan and Amber’s video. The public was putting Amber through all kinds of pain and abuse for it. However, opinions about Emma were split. Some were sympathetic and assumed she had no choice in the company she was representing. Other fans wondered why, after all this, she hadn’t left Global Pictures yet.
In the midst of this heated debate, some of the photos from Emma’s recent shoot were leaked onto the internet. In an instant, she was the hottest person online, and everyone was talking about her stunning beauty and long legs. What’s more, a few magazine writers pointed out that when she wasn’t even trying, her natural way of moving her body was far more attractive than the stiff, well-rehearsed posing other models did.
So while Amber and Nathan were still being put through the ringer, Emma’s photos had made everyone forget her part in the scandal. The public’s only image of Emma now was of her grace and beauty as she looked into the camera with tears in her eyes. Purely after the photos were leaked, Ashley received invites from five magazines in one day, each requesting Emma to appear on the cover of their next issue. Compared to pitiful Amber, whose contracts were getting canceled one after another, Emma was impressing Ashley.
“It’s like she has a magical ability to turn any problem around,” Nathan learned of the magazine invites. He started to question his plan. Should he really be keeping her from working? He couldn’t stop her from making a comeback now, that was for sure. Ashley went to Nathan’s office to discuss the invites and decide which ones to take. But Amber, who was sitting in Nathan’s office chair, interrupted them.
“Didn’t we already agree that she’s not taking any jobs? Are you ignoring my plan?” Ashley looked at her, careful not to show any contempt on her face. “Her relationship with Nathan is still young,” she thought, “yet here she is acting like she’s the First Lady.”
“Let’s choose E-Style,” Nathan said to Ashley, selecting one of the most influential publications. “Nathan, what did you promise me?” Amber protested. “Babe, everything I do is for you. Think about it. The incident with the video has received enough publicity. All we need now is for Emma to make an appearance and say that she and I broke up a long time ago. Then we won’t be adulterers at all, just a regular couple. The public will feel guilty for hating you, and you’ll be accepted again. You’ll see, I’m laying a path for you.”
“There’s not much time left until the Top 10 Model Awards. This is the fastest way to wipe your slate clean once you make a comeback. Do you think Emma will even stand a chance?” Amber’s expression softened as she listened. “Only you could think of something as smart as this,” but Nathan had no idea Ashley was on Emma’s side.
Their conversation quickly reached Emma’s ears. “Those two want to use you to make themselves look better,” Ashley wondered how Emma was going to stop Nathan this time. “Then tell them I’m turning down the magazine offer,” Emma replied. “If Nathan asks, just say I’m not feeling well.”
Accepting just one of the five invites already seemed like such a loss to Ashley. “Now I have to turn down this one too,” she thought. But she understood what needed to be done. So far, she had been impressed by Emma’s ability to deflect whatever was thrown at her effortlessly. She had passed the hot potato back to Amber and Nathan.
When Ashley told them of Emma’s decision, Amber nearly went crazy. She slammed her hands on Nathan’s desk and said, “She obviously did this on purpose!”
“Miss Lee, how accommodating did you think a model who’s had her fiancé stolen and her career frozen was going to be?” Ashley replied.
Nathan put his arm around Amber to calm her down. He turned to Ashley and said, “Tell Emma to come see me.”
“I’m afraid I can’t,” she replied. “She isn’t feeling well.”
“Then tell me where she is. I’ll talk to her myself. I’ll call Emma and ask,” Ashley turned around and phoned Emma. At the moment she called, Eric had just returned home to find Emma in the garden watering the plants, and he embraced her in a long hug. He wouldn’t let go even as Emma’s phone began to ring, and she answered it pressed against Emma. Eric could hear everything Ashley was saying over the phone.
When Ashley asked for an address, his dark eyes glinted in the sunlight, and he smiled cunningly. Leading into Emma’s ear, he whispered, “Give them our Tribeca address.” Emma looked at him with uncertainty.
“Tell them that you moved to Tribeca because you needed your new home to reflect your high status. You are no longer someone he can just drop by to see. The security on the building and the street is very tight. Do you think just anyone can come in here?” Emma laughed under her breath as she realized Eric’s attitude towards others was vastly different from the kindness he showed her at home. But she liked it. She followed his suggestion and gave the address to Ashley.
Ashley was surprised for a moment but passed the news on to Nathan as instructed. “Emma said she already moved. If you want to see her, you’ll have to go to Tribeca.”
“Tribeca?” Amber thought enviously. “That’s one of the richest neighborhoods in this city, not a place that a small-time celebrity could afford.” She looked at Ashley. “Emma moved to Tribeca? How is that possible, Miss Lee? Have you forgotten she’s an heir to the Miller family fortune?”
She felt a private estate in Tribeca was the environment best suited to someone of her status. In other words, living with Nathan had been a downgrade for Emma since Nathan didn’t know how to cherish her. She had returned to where she belonged without a second thought. Amber looked at Nathan, knowing they would never be able to live somewhere like that.
Nathan’s stomach began to turn. When he and Emma had been together, she’d never given anything to him. But as soon as they had broken up, she had moved to an exclusive estate in one of the most expensive parts of town.
