Ashley was thoroughly impressed with Emma’s negotiations. She had turned around an impossible situation and now had the upper hand. She hadn’t thrown a tantrum or tried to belittle anyone. She just calmly and directly got what she needed.
From now on, Global would no longer be able to send her wherever they wanted. Emma would have control over the jobs she accepted and would never be put in a situation like the one with Secret again.
What Emma had done was far better than humiliating anyone. She had positioned herself to be in control of her future. It was clear that even without a manager or an assistant, Emma had the ability to achieve great success. Ashley didn’t know of any other figure in the entertainment industry who could negotiate for herself like Emma had. Ashley realized that she could learn a thing or two from her.
When Emma had said she was only trying to get a fair chance she deserved, her words had struck a chord with Ashley. In this industry, she didn’t really believe fairness existed. There was way too much favoritism and egotism going on. But Emma was different. She wasn’t worried at all about sharing a stage with Amber. She just wanted the opportunity to show what she could do.
All along, in Emma’s heart, she’d been hoping for a chance to challenge Amber. In the past, she had filled in for Amber, but the two of them had never appeared side by side. This was an opportunity to prove to the public that she was at least as capable as Amber, if not better.
Now that the two parties had come to an agreement, Global could no longer casually plan out Emma’s jobs. From now on, Emma’s jobs would have to be approved by Global’s management team. Nathan would no longer be able to control the contracts and manipulate the image that Emma projected. And from now on, Emma planned to bring in big opportunities. The jobs she wanted to accept would be so lucrative that there would be no way Global’s team would reject them.
In the meantime, she would go ahead with her decision to allow Amber to participate in The Secret magazine shoot. Her willingness to accept Amber’s surprise Linda increased her respect toward her even more. Emma must have a strong sense of herself to be able to work with someone who tried to destroy her career.
“Emma, I must admit that you really surprised me, and I’m looking forward to seeing you on the front cover of our magazine. I want to sincerely apologize for having misjudged you earlier,” Linda said, looking straight into Emma’s eyes, hoping she could express her sincerity.
“Thanks, Linda. I understand, and I’m looking forward to working with you,” Emma replied. She knew that Linda hadn’t had much of a chance to see her fairly with Mia whispering in her ear. She also knew there was no point in remaining resentful. In this industry, it was far better to convince people rather than offend them.
Mia and the others were not so gracious. They glared at Emma as they left the contract meeting. From now on, they were completely at odds with her. As the trio walked out the door, Mia gave Emma a word of warning, “I don’t know if you’re too smart or too stupid to understand what you just did. How dare you go against Global just to be in control of a few small contracts, especially when you have no one backing you? You may get to enjoy a few days of happiness, but it won’t last long.”
“Thanks for your concern, Mia, but you don’t need to worry about me,” Emma calmly responded. She smiled to herself, knowing that Mia might think she had no support. Mia would be incensed if she knew that Emma had Eric behind her. When Mia finds out that the head of Kaleidoscope Entertainment is Emma’s husband, she’s going to be absolutely furious.
Nathan did not want to leave without having the last word. “Until today, I still remembered all the good times we had together, but now all I have for you is disgust,” he said, taking Amber’s hand as they walked out the door. His last glance was icy cold and filled with hatred. Amber smirked. This was the first time Nathan had expressed his hatred towards Emma. This also meant that no matter what Emma did, there would be no chance they would get back together. That must be the final blow for her. But Emma didn’t see it that way. She hadn’t wanted to get back together with Nathan for a very long time, and now she simply smiled. “I’m surprised you still think about the good times. I’ve only had disgust for you for a long time,” Emma calmly responded. Her response made Lisa and Ashley laugh.
Soon afterwards, the three of them left Secret’s offices and drove away, not even bothering to look back. Lisa shouted in satisfaction, “Today was awesome! Let’s celebrate tonight with champagne. The look on his face was priceless. How I wish I had a picture of it!”
Ashley turned around to look at Emma from the front passenger seat. There were still some things she wanted to know. “I see now that this was all part of your plan. Having control of your contracts was what you wanted all along, right? If I hadn’t done this, they would have continued to use me to boost up Amber and damage my image. I had to take control over my contracts, or I’d be right back where I started.”
Emma looked down at the supplementary contract written by Nathan to see if she could spot any flaws. She realized she might need some help understanding the legal terms. Perhaps Eric could help her figure it out. “Are you still planning to bring down Amber?”
Ashley was not yet aware that Amber was pregnant. “We’ll see. The time isn’t right yet.” Ashley looked into Emma’s eyes and stopped, asking if Emma was going to tell her something. She would say it sooner or later. Right now, the only thing Ashley could do was convince Emma to trust her more. Of course, there was no point in thinking that far ahead. Secret’s photo shoot was the most important thing in front of them, and all the fans would be waiting to judge the results.
Eric wasn’t home yet when they got back to the house. The three women sat in the living room, relaxing with some champagne. “Emma, can you cook for us? I could really use a home-cooked meal. Maybe later. I really don’t want to do anything,” Emma leaned lazily against the sofa.
“Oh no, another week of fast food. I don’t think my stomach can handle it. Ask my husband to cook for you,” Emma smiled.
“Are you saying the big boss can cook?” Lisa asked.
“He’s actually pretty good in the kitchen, and his food isn’t bad either,” Emma laughed as she took a sip.
“Emma, can you convince him to cook for us?” Lisa wanted to know if Eric was a good cook or if Emma was just a bit too infatuated. “To be honest, please, just a small bite or something that won’t be too hard.”
Eric walked into the room, smiling at Lisa’s pleading voice. Eva looked at him. No matter how many times she’d seen him, she never failed to appreciate how handsome he was. “To celebrate Emma’s success today, I will cook. However, don’t ask Emma to cook for you again, or I won’t be so nice.”
