Amber versus Emma: trendy goddess battles outdated model. Emma and Amber fight in the same frame. These were just a few of the provocative headlines Lisa saw on social media the morning of the shoot.
She knew, of course, that these headlines were the result of Mia and Nathan’s efforts to boost Amber’s image. Social media had always been like this. Yesterday, Amber was portrayed as a scheming liar, but overnight she was transformed into a goddess who could do no wrong.
No one could predict what would happen next in the entertainment industry. There was no doubt about it, Global was going all out for Amber. On the way to the shoot, Ashley also started looking through the entertainment news. “Wow, Nathan’s really pulling out all the stops,” she said unhappily, scrolling through the pages of photos and stories. “Hey, it says there will be an interview between the two of you before the shoot, Emma. Are you really not gonna do anything? Look at Amber. She’s making three appearances a day. She’s interacting with her fans, and she has a full team to help her. They’re treating her like an international superstar.”
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” Emma said calmly, flipping through a previous edition of Secret magazine. “For today, just focus on complimenting others and being polite.”
“What is there to compliment?” Ashley didn’t understand what Emma had in mind. Lisa, however, had already caught on. She turned her head towards Ashley and reminded her, “Did you forget what Emma said last night about her strategy?”
Ashley thought for a moment before finally remembering. “Oh yes, we’re gonna let Amber’s overconfidence bring her down. This was a common trick used in the entertainment industry. Many management agencies use this method to teach their artists some humility, especially the ones that became arrogant after getting a little famous. They would boost them up, make them feel like they were on top of the world, then pull them down from the heights and let them realize that they were just tiny specks in the world, as small as ants. Since Amber wanted to be on the top of the world so badly, they would let her.”
Mia was already smoothing her path straight to the top. Of course, Mia had another motive for building up Amber. If Amber reached the top, she’d have to acknowledge that Global had played a large part in helping her get there. She’d have to keep in mind that when she became famous, she better not even think about moving to another agency.
“Really want Amber to be the next top model,” Lisa said, continuing to scroll through the news. “Too bad she’s not only talented. We just have to wait and see if Mia continues to support her after the shoot.”
Emma seemed almost expressionless from the outside. No one could tell what Emma was thinking. She seemed to take off her mask only when she was around Eric. The rest of the time, she wore her quiet smile to hide what was really going on inside her head.
Not long after they arrived at Secret Magazine’s offices, an escort led them to the dressing room. Amber and Emma would be sharing. Secret’s fashion stylist quickly measured Emma, letting out a low whistle on her long, shapely legs. She left to look through the clothing racks while Emma touched up her makeup.
When the stylist returned, she handed Emma an outfit. “Try this on. With your personality and coloring, I think the lighter colors suit you best.” Emma just accepted the outfit with a smile and a nod. Ashley spoke up to praise Emma. “She could wear anything you give her and make it look great. She’s not picky.”
Amber entered the room on the tail end of this sentence, accompanied by her assistant. Seeing Emma sitting in front of the mirror, she strode over to her and plucked the lipstick right out of her hand. “Maybe you’re not picky because you’re too used to filling in for me. You’ve forgotten how to make your own decisions.”
While Emma just looked at her with an amused expression, Amber sauntered over to the clothing rack. She studied each outfit carefully, considering which ones would look best on her. After looking through the clothes, she pointed to several different options. “I want to try all of these.”
Amber did have a good eye and had indeed chosen clothing that would flatter her figure and coloring. She was also right that Emma allowed others to choose outfits for her. This wasn’t because she couldn’t decide what to wear or didn’t have an opinion. However, her decision to let stylists pick her clothes was a professional choice. She felt that she should be able to handle any style of clothing and wear whatever her clients wanted. She had enough experience to know that fashion shows weren’t designed around one particular model.
On the runway, models wear what they’re given, whether it suits them or not. It’s up to the model to make the clothes shine. Amber’s assistant now spoke up, “Amber isn’t some model who’s past her sell-by date. Wearing clothes is a serious matter in this profession. Maybe you shouldn’t be so casual about it.”
“Here’s another way to look at it,” Emma said. “Whatever a mistress wears, it’s sort of like The Emperor’s New Clothes in the eyes of some men. No matter what she has on, she’s still naked. So what’s the point of picking something nice to wear?”
“How dare you!” Amber exclaimed.
“Amber, don’t get angry,” her assistant said, hurrying her out the door. “It’s not good for your body. The interview is about to start in a minute anyway. Let’s go out and get ready.”
Emma turned to face Lisa and Ashley, giving them a wink to show that she was still unruffled. “We should go. The interview is scheduled for 9 A.M., only 20 minutes away.”
Nathan pulled the two models aside to give them a warning. “Remember, this will be a live stream, so you’d better think before you speak. I’m sure you both know what you should and shouldn’t say, especially you, Emma. You better control yourself. If you start up any negative talk, we won’t be able to handle the implications, and that will hurt you just as much as Amber. I want you to be prepared to answer questions about sharing the stage. Make sure you put the focus on the magazine’s cover, not on your squabbles.”
“You don’t need to worry about me,” Amber said, linking her arm with Nathan’s. “I’m just not sure about other people. I’ll do my best.”
Emma responded calmly, but after the recent incidents, Nathan was a little scared to see Emma so calm. He knew that the more she hid her emotions, the more she had hidden up her sleeve. He’d have given a lot to find out what she was thinking right now.
“Nathan, let’s go,” Amber shook his arm to get his attention. She couldn’t stand watching him stare at Emma.
Nathan gave one last warning look to Emma. If she behaved today, he might consider giving her another chance in the future after Amber had made a comeback. The three of them entered the interview room, but only Emma and Amber sat down. Nathan stood quietly among the reporters. If Emma made any attempt to sabotage the situation, he wanted to be able to jump in and do damage control. But today, Emma wasn’t going to play her cards the way they expected.
