Back in the U.S., Secret Magazine’s new issue had just hit the newsstands, and everyone was talking about it. A typical conversation went like this:
“Hey guys, have you seen the latest issue of Secret?”
“You mean the one with that gorgeous cover? I already bought it.”
“Originally, I was gonna buy Fine Figures, but I was drawn to Secret as soon as I saw it.”
“Are you guys crazy? Secret hasn’t put out anything good for years. They don’t understand fashion at all.”
“You have to go buy it! Secret really lives up to expectations this time. You’ll regret it if you don’t get a copy.”
And so, the magazine began flying off the shelves. Over the years, Secret had lost its significance among fashion magazines, and its sales weren’t something to brag about. But this issue was different. Its melancholy black and white cover photo stood out among other more colorful magazines. Everyone passing by the newsstands just had to stop for a moment to take a look.
After just three days, all the major news agencies began contacting Secret to request reprints. They wanted more copies of the magazine because it deserved a spot on their stands. Many businesses that hadn’t expected much from Secret were now regretting their decision not to stock the issue.
At the same time, the woman gracing the issue’s cover was climbing up the online search rankings. Her name was suddenly one of the most searched items on the internet. Other popular searches included “Secret cover model,” “Secret magazine photo,” and “Secret Beauty Emma.”
The huge sales for the new issue helped Secret make an impressive revival. People in the industry who had critiqued it were now acknowledging its presence. In three days, the sale of the issue had broken the records of many bigger publications. Just like that, the magazine had become a new favorite of the fashion industry.
“Secret has finally succeeded,” Amber thought. And the cover model who made it all happen deserves recognition. She couldn’t wait for the judges of the Top 10 Model Awards to see the issue.
But that night, when Mia searched for mentions of Amber’s cover appearance online, she could find nothing. No matter where she looked, no one was talking about Amber, only Emma. “No model has ever appeared on a magazine cover and been completely ignored,” Mia thought. “What conniving scheme did Emma pull off this time?”
She didn’t mention this problem to Amber. She knew Amber was busy planning her engagement party with Nathan, and she wanted to investigate further before bringing it up to the others. She glanced down at the magazine laying next to her computer. She couldn’t deny that Emma was skilled way beyond her expectations. She had completely underestimated her.
Two days later, Secret held a dinner party at the hotel to celebrate its revival. Amber and Emma were both guests of honor. This would be the first time they faced the media together since the interview before the photo shoot.
That night, Amber arrived at the event in a long black dress that dragged across the floor. Her chest was adorned with sparkling diamonds. She was accompanied by Nathan and Mia. As soon as they got to the entrance, they ran into Emma, who seemed to have swapped color schemes with Amber since the cover shoot. Ember gave off a calm aura in her all-black look, while Emma, wearing an off-shoulder white dress, looked heavenly.
“Emma, I need to thank you for using all your strength to help me win the Top 10 Model Awards,” Amber sneered at her.
“Do you know how many endorsements I’ve received in this short amount of time?” Emma said, smiling slightly. Her smile made Amber scowl and Mia clutch her fists. Amber wanted so badly to gouge her eyes out.
Meanwhile, members of the press were gathering in the event hall of the hotel. Their chatter began filling the room.
“Oh my God, is that Emma Miller?”
“Yes, it’s Emma! It’s really her! Hurry, let’s interview her first!”
After speaking, Emma simply brushed past Amber and continued toward the hall. She had no time to deal with Amber’s insults. Besides, a bunch of reporters were rushing toward Emma, and she needed to move quickly to keep them at bay.
Unfortunately for Amber, none of the reporters paid any attention to her. “We should head in as well,” Nathan said, wrapping his arm around Amber and leading her into the event hall. Because he had been busy planning his engagement party over the past few days, Nathan had no idea why Amber wasn’t receiving any attention. However, Mia knew exactly why.
Another group of reporters rushed toward Emma as she entered. “Look, Emma is here!” “Emma finally appeared!” The atmosphere at the party became charged with excitement as soon as Emma entered. But when Amber entered right behind her, no one even seemed to notice. Realizing this, Amber fumed inside.
“We both appeared on the same magazine,” she thought. “How is it possible that she’s so popular and I’m not? Emma is so despicable. She must have paid for these fans to come here and rave about her.”
Linda was standing on a stage at the front of the room. She watched the reactions of the crowd as Emma and Amber entered. Although the press was clearly more interested in Emma, Linda invited both models onto the stage with her. Then she addressed the audience.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming. The heroes of Secret Magazine’s new issue are right here in front of you. Let me introduce our front cover models, Emma Miller and Amber Lee.”
No one was surprised to hear Emma’s name. Although she wasn’t a household name yet, her photos and other news about her had been seen by almost everyone. On the other hand, the name Amber Lee didn’t sound familiar to any of the reporters in the crowd. They looked at each other confusedly. Though they had poured over the magazine numerous times in the past few days, they hadn’t noticed anyone else besides Emma on the cover.
So when Amber stepped onto the stage, the crowd began murmuring. “Who’s that?” “Uh, I remember now. She must be the one holding Emma’s hand as part of the set. I thought she was part of the backdrop. Look at her, doesn’t she look like they just pulled her off the streets? My God, if I didn’t look again, I wouldn’t have noticed her. Now that I see her, I wonder how she could be shameless enough to stand next to Emma. They’re worlds apart.”
As the reporters’ discussions reached the stage, Amber’s expression changed. So Emma not only bought herself these fans, but she also told them to defame and humiliate me, she thought. She turned to Emma and snarled, “Emma, you’re vicious! To think by defaming me, you can cover up how amazing I am. I had a big role in making the magazine a success. I never would have thought you’d be so despicable enough to humiliate me at our celebration dinner.”
Emma turned her head and smiled at her. “You think too highly of yourself,” she replied.
Amber stood on the stage awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She believed everyone in the audience below belonged to Emma. Mortified, she walked up to the edge of the stage and pointed at the crowd. “How much did Emma pay you to praise her and criticize me?” she cried. “Are you dogs?”
Linda looked at Amber in shock as she spoke. Then she quickly walked over to Amber and said, “Miss Lee, I invited you up here out of respect and courtesy. This is your professional attitude? How dare you offend the press at such a public event!”
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