Emma, I’m warning you. If you plan to survive in this industry, you better get out there and apologize, or I will make you regret your very existence!” Joe Connors yelled, well beet red and almost incoherent with rage. Emma just laughed gently, almost as if she’d heard a good joke. Her expression remained calm as she said, “I think it’s too late for that. I’ve already spoken, and I can’t take the words back, Joe. And even if I did apologize, who would then apologize to the customers? If you don’t apologize and help us deal with the negative publicity you’ve now created, we’ll have to take extreme measures.”
Joe threatened. He looked up at the nearest security guard backing him. The security guard started walking toward Emma, watching the scene unfold. Lisa and Ashley quickly moved to stand in the way of the guard. Although she felt frightened, Lisa pointed at Joe and asked angrily, “What do you think you’re doing? You can’t threaten her!”
Nathan’s face had turned pale. He wasn’t worried about Emma, though. He was worrying about how Global could get out of this fiasco. Under normal circumstances, he would never have accepted a deal with a company like Elm Grove. But because he was in a rush to clear Amber’s name, he’d now gotten them all into a sticky situation. He needed to get Emma to make this better right now. Who did Emma think she was anyway? She was just a washed-up model. How dare she think she could attempt a comeback? Did she really believe that after leaving him, she could reach the top again?
Nathan angrily pulled her to the side, away from the guard and from Joe. “I know you hate Amber and you hate me, but you’re not just hurting us with this garbage. You’re hurting yourself too. You’ve just broken every rule in the entertainment industry. No matter how good you think you are, you’ll never find work again.”
“Is that what you think?” she responded, raising her eyebrows. “Because I think you’re wrong. Look, I don’t know why you did this, and honestly, I don’t care.”
Nathan was so mad now that he started yelling at the top of his lungs, “You completely screwed up this event, and it’s your responsibility to make things right! I expect you to make a full explanation to Elm Grove, and you’re going to apologize to the crowd. And don’t you dare try to put the blame on Global. You’ll also be paying for the damages. And since you didn’t do what you were told and clear Amber’s name, I’m going to release a statement on your behalf. When that time comes, you’ll just have to suck it up and deal with the fallout.”
“I don’t think you understand me when I said I was making a comeback. I meant that from now on, I will do what I want,” there was no warmth in Emma’s eyes. All she felt toward Nathan was disgust. “I’ve already made arrangements. My lawyers will be meeting you this afternoon to review every section of my contract. They’ll also point out all the work I should have been paid for according to my contract but never received.”
Nathan was stunned into silence. He didn’t know she had this side to her. He couldn’t believe she could force him into a corner so aggressively. How is he going to fight back against this? After a moment’s thought, though, he refused to accept that she had changed. She’s acting like this because she’s received a shock, he told himself. She’s always been weak. She couldn’t suddenly become so powerful. She must be doing this to get my attention.
“Oh, Emma, you don’t need to cheapen yourself like this. Just let it go,” Joe saw that Nathan wasn’t making any progress in getting Emma to apologize, so he stepped in again. This time, his threats were even more serious. “If you don’t go out there and beg everyone’s forgiveness, you won’t be walking out of this door.”
Nathan stood back now and observed the scene playing out in front of him. He had no intention of helping Emma. He wanted her to know that the consequences of betraying him were serious. He’s so egotistical, though, that it never crossed his mind that he had betrayed her first.
Lisa and Ashley stood next to Emma anxiously as three security guards now closed in on them. It wasn’t the first time that Lisa had regrets about being female. It was so unfair that these men could overpower and intimidate them just because of their size. The security guards actually smiled. There was nowhere for the women to hide.
A loud bang stopped everyone in their tracks as the door to the street flew open with such force that it slammed into the wall. “Who’s in charge here?” asked the man who had just entered, wearing a tailored suit and carrying a leather briefcase. He was accompanied by several unsmiling muscular men in black t-shirts and blazers, who could only be bodyguards.
“Who are you?” Joe asked.
“I’m Kaleidoscope Entertainment’s lawyer. My name is Reed,” he responded, pulling a letter out of his briefcase. He handed it to Joe and said, “The advertisement you shot last month used one of our artists without our permission. You know that’s illegal. This is a serious action resulting in damages to Kaleidoscope Entertainment. This letter is notification that we plan to sue.”
Joe looked like he had just been handed a bomb. His hands actually began to tremble. He never thought Elm Grove would attract the attention of an empire like Kaleidoscope. How could this happen? Small companies did stuff like this all the time, and he’d never heard of Kaleidoscope taking action against anyone else. How much more bad luck could he have? He no longer cared about what Emma had said at the event. Getting on Kaleidoscope’s bad side could be a death knell for Elm Grove.
Emma was well aware that Reed showing up with the letter was Eric’s way of helping her get revenge. It was just Elm Grove’s bad luck that they had messed with Eric’s wife. Lisa began to grin. Elm Grove was so arrogant; they had no idea that Eric had instructed his lawyer to wait until the time was right and then attack. He really was the most thoughtful husband.
David was also frightened by the sudden turn of events. His first thought was to save his own skin, and he hurriedly left the room, not sparing a thought for the three women left behind.
“Emma, we should leave,” Ashley said. Having been in the industry for a long time, she knew that when something lucky came your way, you needed to take advantage of it and not ask too many questions.
In the car on the way back, Lisa began scrolling through the entertainment news. She was delighted by the comments posted by the online community; they continued to praise Emma, seeing her in a new and fascinating light. Lisa was so excited by what she read that she started reading some of the comments out loud, a huge smile on her face.
“You know,” she said, “we can just imagine Amber’s face right now. She must be furious. I bet she thought your career had gone up in flames. It’s almost enough to make me feel sorry for her. Almost,” she said with a laugh.
Emma didn’t want to waste any time focusing on Amber. She was already thinking about her next move. “Are we all organized for phase two of this master plan?” she asked Ashley.
“Of course, I promise you,” she replied. “It’s going to be amazing.”
