In the darkness outside the hotel, Amber and the others couldn’t see Eric at all. All they could do was stand around, looking defeated, as they called Emma all sorts of horrible names. From his hiding place in the car, Eric watched their helpless expressions and smiled. “How dare they insult my wife,” he thought. “If I hadn’t heard them, it wouldn’t have mattered. But since I’m here, then luck must not be on their side.”
In the darkened car, Eric picked up his phone and called Luke. “Help me find out which agency Mia works for,” he ordered. “Yes, sir,” Luke replied swiftly before leaving for Mexico.
Eric knew he needed to send a message to Mia. After all, she had done so much to harm Emma, including trying to turn her into Amber’s stepping stone. He thought for a moment. “Emma has already won her battle against them tonight, so if I do something to Mia now, I wouldn’t really be interfering with Emma’s business.”
Back at the bright, colorful celebration dinner, Emma had a smile on her face as she mingled with guests and reporters. She didn’t want Eric to wait too long for her, though. So halfway through the meal, she said she wasn’t feeling well as an excuse to leave, taking Ashley and Lisa with her.
After walking out of the main entrance of the hotel, Emma spotted Eric’s car in the darkness of the parking lot. This man, who was the center of attention wherever he went, always seemed to wait for her in the most hidden way possible. Ashley and Lisa didn’t want to intrude, so they took a taxi back to the manor, leaving Emma on her own to ride with Eric.
Eric stepped out of the car as Emma approached him. Seeing that her shoulders were exposed, he quickly removed his suit jacket and placed it on her. “Didn’t you think to ask Elisa to grab a jacket for you when you left the manor this morning?” he asked.
“If I’d done that, would I have had the chance to wear this jacket that’s been warmed up by you?” Emma replied with a sad smile. “Mr. Roberts’ jacket can be worn by just anyone,” Eric said and returned her smile. He was completely taken by her. He gently held her ice-cold hands and helped her into the car. “Let’s go home,” he said.
Upon returning to the manor, Emma noticed the whole place had been transformed. Fragrant candles lit up the entire house, and the bedroom was filled with bouquets of fresh flowers. Eric hugged her from behind and placed a kiss on her back as he joined her in the bedroom. “This is to celebrate you returning with glory,” he said.
“Eric, you haven’t had a proper night’s rest in days. Now that you finally had it, take off,” Emma turned to look at him, her voice beginning to choke up. “Why didn’t you get some rest? We’ll be flying home tomorrow, and after that, you’ll be busy again.”
He grinned. “If you feel guilty, then why don’t you give me a massage later?” After looking around one more time to take in the beautiful flowers, she grabbed his arms and pushed him onto the bed. Then she poured some of the essential oils she’d gotten from Lisa into her hand and began gently rubbing his back.
Eric had always been attractive and well-built, but because of the demanding work he’d been doing over the past few years, his muscles had become very tense. Emma became a bit upset with herself. Ever since she’d married him, she hadn’t spent much time taking care of his health. “But I will from now on,” she told herself aloud.
“Huh?” he asked. “I will take good care of you,” she replied. After her breakup with Nathan, Emma had learned to cherish everything she had. She’d already lost so much; she wasn’t going to let anything else be taken from her, especially not him.
Eric turned around and pulled her close to his chest. “From what I see, I think it’s you who needs to be taken care of more. But if you want to take care of me, then there’s something you should know, Emma. I want you,” he said, looking at her sincerely.
“What a coincidence. I want you too. But Eric, you need to slow down,” the two of them were very much in sync when it came to their feelings. Emma didn’t put on an act, and Eric didn’t play around. Everything they did was purely based on their passion and love for each other.
“Emma Miller revives Secret magazine, a big hit in the States and around the world. Emma shows up, Amber makes her become the backdrop. Emma signs with Isn, a well-earned position for the popular model.”
These were the headlines plastered all over the entertainment news. Emma, who was supposed to have kept a low profile and let Amber step on her, was using her talent and professionalism to defeat Amber instead. She changed her own capabilities to show everyone what a true supermodel looked like. Thanks to the magazine cover and the Isn deal, Emma’s career was looking much more promising than when she first landed in Mexico.
Fans from New York and across the world were cheering for Emma’s impressive win. When Ashley had told the public to have faith in Emma, it put confidence back into the hearts of many fans. They had waited patiently for her victory to arrive, and as expected, Emma did not disappoint. She had truly risen up. No one could call her a husband now.
Mia, Amber, and Nathan were in Mia’s office when they saw the headlines. After reading them, Mia and Amber went into hysterics. Leah slammed her laptop closed, and Amber threw her coffee cup across the room, breaking it. Emma’s popularity not only meant Amber had failed, but it also meant that from now on, there was no way they could keep her down. On the other hand, Amber, who had been praised so highly and even compared to Caitlin Roberts, was now disgraced. How ashamed would she be to return home? A model who appeared on the cover of a magazine received no attention at all and had instead become Emma’s backdrop. This was a joke that would be laughed about for years to come.
“That’s enough, you two! Can stop smashing things?” yelled Eric. He was getting a headache from watching their tantrum. Deep down, his emotions were even more complex than Amber’s or his sisters’. Global shareholders had already pressured him about Amber. They were unimpressed by his persistent support of her. The company had invested so much time and money into her career, only to find in the end she had nothing to offer. “Nothing,” Nathan thought. “But not because Amber’s unlucky, it’s because Emma’s too powerful. The only thing the shareholders care about is the bottom line. If I make another mistake like this, they’re not going to be happy with me.”
He sighed and looked at his brother Nathan. “How about we get Mom to help?” Nathan never talked about his mother. He didn’t feel like his mother was anyone worth mentioning. Years ago, after his father died, his mother couldn’t handle being alone, so she’d broken up a happy family to become the wife of a director. And not only that, she’d also become somebody’s stepmother. Nathan was so upset by her actions that he barely contacted her over the years.
“Via this problem, let’s talk about it later,” Nathan responded impatiently. “Nathan, you’re not blaming me for this, are you?” Mia could sense Nathan was upset. “It’s true that I planned this out, but who do you think I did that for? I did everything for you two. Amber didn’t perform as expected. How could you blame me for that? Why don’t you blame Emma, the witch?”
As soon as Mia finished speaking, the phone in her hand started ringing. It was a call from her boss. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and then answered, “Hello?” “Via, Steven is in trouble. Where have you been?” the voice on the phone demanded. She had been spending so much time sticking her nose into other people’s business that she hadn’t been paying attention to her own artists. As a result, a famous pop band she managed had just been caught doing drugs, and the fans were furious. In one night, her artist had destroyed all the fame and success they had worked so hard to achieve. And worst of all, when it happened, Mia was nowhere to be found.
“Sir, please,” Mia begged her boss. “Stop! Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to bother coming to work anymore. In fact, I’m gonna make sure you won’t be working anywhere in Mexico ever again. Consider yourself blacklisted.”
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