While talking to Ashley and Lisa on the car ride home, Emma remembered that Eric had asked her to give him the details of her Mexico trip right away. She pulled out her phone and texted him the specifics. Though she didn’t know what he was planning, she trusted that he had a good reason for wanting to know.
After reading Emma’s text, Eric asked Luke to figure out her flight number right away. He then turned and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window in his office. Emma received a call from him. “Hello, Emma,” he began formally. She had to be careful what she said since Ashley was in the car still. She couldn’t stop the warmth from rushing to her face when she heard Eric say her name.
“I asked Luke to upgrade your flight ticket to first class. Will that cause any problems?” Eric wanted to make sure he wasn’t overstepping his bounds with her.
“Of course not,” Emma replied. She was touched by his consideration. Emma’s original seat on the plane had been right next to Amber and Nathan, but she already knew that Amber wasn’t going to just sit quietly during the long flight. Thanks to Eric, Emma could now enjoy the flight in peace. But am I the only one who got an upgrade? she thought. What about Lisa and Ashley?
“We can talk more when you wait,” Emma said, stopping him before he could hang up. Eric could tell it wasn’t convenient for her to talk, so he said, “If you can’t talk right now, just send me a text instead, okay?”
Emma replied, and she hung up and typed him a message asking if he had upgraded the others’ tickets as well. She told him that although she didn’t completely trust Ashley yet, she had been a loyal manager so far, and Emma wanted her to receive the same treatment Lisa did.
As Eric read the message, the corners of his lips curved into a smile. Though Emma was smart, she was too focused on the details to see her situation as a whole. Luckily, Eric had made up for Emma’s weakness. That’s why they worked so well together. He was there to point her in the right direction and help her make important decisions.
He replied, “Relax and take a gamble on her. Lisa is loyal, but there’s a limit to her abilities. Ashley may have faults, but she still managed some very famous artists, and she’s more capable than Lisa. Don’t forget we have Ashley’s fate in our hands. Even if she turns against you, there’s nothing she can do to hurt us.”
Emma calmed down as she read his message. “I understand, hubby,” she sent back. Her phone buzzed once more. “And don’t worry, I already upgraded both of them.” Of course he did, Emma thought, smiling. I should have known he’s always thinking one step ahead.
Late that night, under the glow of the bedroom lamp, Nathan was packing his bag for the trip. Suddenly, Amber appeared behind him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist. Her voice was much softer now than it had been earlier. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I shouldn’t have yelled at you in that meeting. I wasn’t being considerate towards you.”
“That’s okay,” he replied. “We’ve been together for so many years. Don’t you think I’m used to your temper by now? Think about it, if I didn’t care about you and our child, would I be going all the way to Mexico with you?” He stopped packing and turned around to look at her. “From now on, you need to control your temper and stop fighting with Emma. I don’t want you to hurt yourself. But I can’t stop worrying that the two of you will fall in love again.”
“What are you talking about? You know you’re the one I love. We have a long future ahead of us. Stop worrying about Emma,” Nathan drew Amber close to him. “Besides, you’re pregnant. We can’t have you getting too stressed out. In that case, tomorrow on the plane, you aren’t allowed to even take one look at Emma. You’re only allowed to look at me.” She pressed her body tightly against Nathan as she spoke, a move she knew he couldn’t resist.
“Fine, as you wish,” he responded, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her to the bathroom. On this trip, Amber was determined to show Emma who Nathan truly loved. She was going to make Emma understand that no matter how famous she got, she could never win back Nathan’s heart. He and Global Pictures were both ampers now, and Emma didn’t stand a chance.
Little did Amber know that Emma had already moved on. That same night, Eva was in the closet packing her suitcase. As she did, she noticed Eric had some luggage set out too. She found him working on the computer in his study.
“Eric, are you going on a business trip too?” she asked.
“Yep, my flight is tomorrow,” Eric replied, not looking up from his work. Eva didn’t want to bother him, so she went back to packing, thinking he would tell her more when he came to bed. However, he ended up working through the night and leaving for work early in the morning before Emma woke up.
Emma saw the note he left on the table for her and assumed he had something urgent to do at work. She decided she would call him after she landed in Mexico, not suspecting he was anywhere other than at his office. Emma left the house with her suitcase in hand just as Ashley and Lisa were pulling up in the car.
Knowing Emma hadn’t mentioned her relationship with Eric to Ashley, Lisa decided to stay quiet around her. Instead, she got out to help Emma load her luggage into the trunk. The three of them soon arrived at the airport to meet up with the others. It was still early, and there weren’t many people at the airport.
Emma quickly spotted Nathan and Amber, who were standing in the lobby holding hands. Amber looked provokingly at Emma, making Lisa so annoyed she wanted to slap Amber in the face.
“Lisa, go collect our boarding passes,” Nathan ordered.
“Why do I have to go?” Lisa shot back, knowing he was bothering her deliberately.
“Lisa, go ahead,” Emma said, giving Lisa a look. Lisa was stunned for a moment and then understood.
“Okay, wait here. I’ll be right back,” Lisa said. Amber and Gary glanced at each other. “Looks like we have someone new to boss around for the next few days,” Amber thought.
But to her amazement, Lisa returned with only three boarding passes. She handed one each to Emma, Ashley, and kept the last one for herself.
“Lisa, what’s the meaning of this?” Amber cried.
“I’m Emma’s assistant,” Lisa replied. “I’m sorry, but my salary comes from her, not from Global Pictures. Why should I do favors for you? Don’t you have your own assistant?”
Amber and Gary exchanged shocked looks. Nathan looked over at Emma, but she put on her sunglasses and turned away, pretending not to notice him. Amber glared at Emma. “There’s more jealousy coming your way once we’re on the plane,” Amber thought. “Just wait and see.”
It was time for them to board the plane, but a few people in the waiting area had recognized Emma and were asking to take photos with her. So she stayed behind while Nathan and Amber got in line without her. The three of them had booked their seats together so they could discuss the shoot details on the flight.
Sitting down, Amber wrapped her arms around Nathan, waiting for Emma to arrive so she could see her reaction. But when Emma boarded the plane, she took a seat in first class instead.
“Emma, our seats are over here!” Amber called to her down the aisle.
