Emma smiled and nodded, then lifted the hem of her dress slightly so that she could move quickly toward the back of the stage. With the mask in place, her face was fully concealed. Her legs, though, were unique. Three years ago, one of Emma’s claims to fame had been having the most beautiful legs in the world.
Just as everyone thought the show had already reached its climax, Emma descended gracefully to the stage on a chair. The spotlights illuminated her, but the crown star was nowhere to be seen. Whispers ran through the crowd while stylists and assistants frantically started searching for the jewelry that was meant to be the highlight of the show, forgetting the audience. They even pushed back Emma’s sleeves and raised the hem of her gown, displaying her lovely, pale, long legs—legs so beautiful they were unforgettable.
Just as quickly as the whispers had started, they stopped. Emma elegantly raised her arm, tilted her head back, and lifted her left leg, striking a beautiful dance pose. The crown star appeared from under the white dress, sparkling magnificently around Emma’s ankle. Everyone froze in amazement. The sight of Emma leaning back in the chair, flowing from one striking pose to the next, was mesmerizing. Most impressive of all, with every single pose she presented, the crown star shone in a different light, showing off its beauty over and over again.
The audience rose to their feet and gave Emma a standing ovation. Among the crowd, hidden away at the back, Eric was completely focused on Emma, his new wife. Once New York’s top model, she was in her glory, standing in for a B-grade model. Despite the three years that had passed since her last appearance, she was just as exciting as she’d ever been. She was born for the runway.
After Emma’s final pose, the show came to a satisfying end. Bellamy’s founder, Julius Taylor, was thrilled with her performance and the crowd’s reaction. But because he was backstage, he hadn’t yet realized that the model on the runway was actually Emma, not Amber Lee. He walked out on stage and approached Emma. He offered his hand to help her off the chair, led her to the head of the runway, and then bowed to the audience.
“Thank you, everyone, and of course, thank you, Amber, for a spectacular performance.”
Emma stayed silent, simply responding with an elegant knot of her head. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice said, “That isn’t Amber! I know Amber, and she doesn’t have such long legs!” The applause stuttered. The voice called out again, “If you’re Amber, take off your mask!”
Murmurs of doubt and disbelief multiplied and grew louder as the crowd began to wonder just who this phenomenal model was. “Miss Amber, please remove your mask,” requested Julius. Emma hesitated but then slowly slid the mask up her face. As the audience held their breath, with the mask removed, the crowd immediately recognized her for who she really was. “It’s Emma Miller!” questions were being murmured all around the room.
Emma had been blacklisted after stepping back from her work years ago, but would she really stoop so low as to impersonate another model? Whose idea was this? Was she deliberately creating hype, or had she been forced to step into this role?
“Emma, it’s actually Emma!” A swarm of reporters quickly surrounded her, peppering her with questions. “Miss Miller, could you please explain what’s going on? Amber was supposed to be today’s model. Why are you here instead? Miss Miller, you were blacklisted three years ago. Are you trying to take this opportunity to announce a comeback? Miss Miller, are you taking advantage of Amber’s injuries to steal her opportunity to represent Bellamy? Emma, are you just trying to create hype? You must have known Amber was injured.”
The reporters’ questions grew more and more intense, and some people in the audience began shouting insults. “Cheap has-been! Bellamy’s Amber’s gig! Give it back to her!” Emma was already beginning to panic under the onslaught when Julius turned on her in fury. “I am going to sue Global Pictures for breach of contract! I asked for Amber, not some third-rate model!” He had no idea just how famous Emma had been three years ago. All he knew was that this controversy was ruining his show. “I’ll see you in court!” he snarled at Emma. “Get out of here! You do not deserve to be standing on my runway!” His sharp voice echoed through the building, temporarily quieting even the reporters. But Emma couldn’t move. She had prepared herself for this moment, but the humiliation still stung.
“Go on, get lost!” Then, from the end of the stage, a deep voice cut through her shock. “Well, it’s clear that someone needs to get lost.” Everyone turned to look for the source of the authoritative voice. There, standing at the edge of the stage, was Eric Roberts, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Entertainment. Everyone knew that Eric Roberts despised the games and drama that the modeling industry was known for. People started wondering whether he was about to drag Emma off the stage. The entire hall seemed to be holding its breath, waiting for the ax to fall.
A whoosh of surprise sounded as Roberts walked over to Emma and stood next to her. With the commanding tone of a man used to being in charge, he turned to Julius and said, “She’s not the one that should get lost, you are. Your manners, it would appear, are not nearly as polished as your jewelry.” Emma’s heart stopped for a moment. Who would have thought that her new husband, a man she had only just met for the third time, would stand up for her like that?
The reporters were stunned and began to worry. If they’d known earlier that Emma had ties with Eric Roberts, they would never have been so rude. Julius Taylor knew he could not afford to offend the CEO of Kaleidoscope Entertainment. After a few moments of silence, he reluctantly said, “My apologies, Mr. Roberts. I didn’t know about your relationship with… I have no relationship with her,” Eric responded. “I’m simply disgusted with your behavior.”
Eric began to walk away but then turned back and announced, “Mark my words, this woman will be a star in the modeling industry again.”
