The evening of the Stars studied bright night Gala had finally arrived. Outside the venue, a magnificently long red carpet and a signature wall awaited the appearance of the guests. The scene was surrounded by excited reporters and fans who were all holding up phones, cameras, or LED signs. The names glowing on the signs flashed like stars in the vast night sky.
In front of the signature wall stood two smartly dressed event hosts, each holding a microphone, recording their opening speeches. It had been a long time since an event of this caliber had been held in New York City, and its arrival signified the start of the entertainment industry’s award season.
At eight o’clock, the invited guests started arriving as the crowd around them screamed. Nathan held Amber’s hand and walked her down the red carpet, with Mia close behind them. Between Mia’s scandal in Mexico and Nathan’s affair with Amber, Global Pictures had been a popular topic of discussion lately. But Emma was nowhere to be found.
Emma Miller, who had appeared on the cover of Secret magazine and had just become ISN’s newest spokesperson, who was so much more popular than Amber, was missing from the red carpet. The hosts gave each other confused looks.
They were sure Emma’s name was on the guest list. One of them announced, “Walking up the red carpet right now, we have the CEO of Global Pictures Entertainment, Nathan Davis, the famous model Amber Lee, and the skilled talent manager Mia Davis. Please step onto the stage so we can give you a short interview.”
After one of the hosts ushered them onto the stage, the other began the interview with a question that was on everyone’s mind. “May we ask why Miss Miller isn’t here today? Or have she and Mr. Davis decided to arrive separately?” The other host chimed in.
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but Mia stepped in front of him and replied, “We notified Emma of the event, but it’s been difficult for us to reach her lately. We didn’t hear back from her. We’ve just been told she’s decided not to appear tonight. We at Global Pictures hope that next time, no matter her decision, she’ll notify us earlier.”
Listening to Mia’s reply, the host could tell Emma and Global were at odds. The tone Mia used seemed to be accusing Emma of being too arrogant and selfish to attend the gala. One of the hosts attempted to smooth things out. “That’s all right,” he said. “Maybe Emma’s just under the weather tonight. We look forward to seeing her at the next event.”
But it was obvious to the hosts and to the crowd what Global’s true motive was in denouncing Emma. Judging by the previous incidents, if the two hosts had to choose who to trust between Emma and the staff of Global Pictures, they wouldn’t hesitate to choose Emma.
Nathan’s betrayal, Amber’s tricks, and Global’s multiple attempts at suppression had not crushed her. It hadn’t been easy for Emma, but she’d stayed strong and earned her place in the modeling world. Most impressive of all, she had an easygoing personality and kept a low profile despite her popularity.
Signs bearing Emma’s name were scattered throughout the audience, as were her many fans. When they heard Mia explain Emma’s absence, they were tempted to run up on stage and tear her tongue from her mouth.
They were sure she was lying. The Emma they knew would never do something like that. Emma had been treated so harshly by her agency, yet she’d always told her fans to wait patiently for her, and she’d always been grateful for everything she had. There was no way she would reject an invitation to the bright night Gala. Global is defaming Emma, her fans thought. Mia must die.
A fan who couldn’t restrain himself screamed out, “You’re lying, Global is lying!” But it was so noisy that his voice was lost in the crowd.
Mia knew the host was trying to save the situation, but she insisted on causing trouble. After all, her main reason for coming to the event was to tear Emma down. She continued, “All I can say is that we can’t do anything about her.”
The host smiled awkwardly and began beckoning the three of them toward the signature wall. But at that moment, his attention was drawn to a black limousine pulling up at the head of the red carpet.
The person getting out of the car was the editor of TTQ magazine, George Benedict, and it looked like he wasn’t alone. This was the first time he’d ever brought someone to an event, so everyone was watching him carefully as he held out his hand to help a beautiful woman out of the limo.
Onlookers gasped when they realized the beautiful woman was Emma Miller. Emma, who had supposedly said she couldn’t be making an appearance, smiled warmly as she hooked arms with George and walked down the red carpet with him. Her fans started cheering as soon as they saw her. “She’s here!” they shouted. “Emma’s arrived!”
Hearing the cheers, Nathan turned to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw who was walking down the red carpet toward him, he immediately turned to Mia and saw the color drain from her face. “Didn’t we agree to keep a watch over her?” he thought. “How is she here?”
Seeing Emma, the two hosts lit up with excitement as they realized that Mia’s plan had been unsuccessful. They quickly invited Emma and George to the signature wall and stood them next to the trio from Global.
“Miss Miller, you are so beautiful today,” one of the hosts said. “Thank you,” Emma replied, clasping her hands together in gratitude. She gave a joyful smile to the crowd, giving everyone there all the more reason to like her.
“We were just speaking with Mr. Davis,” the host continued. “We were asking him why you weren’t attending such a big event, but it turns out you’re here with Mr. Benedict. I was wondering how the Bright Night Gala could go on without you.”
George stepped forward. “But Emma is only attending as my guest,” he said to the host. “She never received an invitation of her own.” These words would have sounded ungracious coming from Emma, but George was well known for being straightforward.
After he spoke, the hosts exchanged stunned looks. Then one of them said, “Mr. Benedict, there must have been a misunderstanding. Miss Miller is definitely on our guest list. The invitation was sent to her agency.”
As soon as the word “agency” left his mouth, the host realized where things must have gone wrong. “Global Pictures,” he thought. “Global must have hidden her invitation from her. As a talent agency, how could it treat its own artists so terribly?”
The fans in the crowd all glared at Mia, Nathan, and Amber. “You’re shameless!” one of them cried. Just a moment ago, Mia had been trying to push the blame onto Emma, but now the truth had been revealed.
George continued, “Emma is a model I have high hopes for. After watching Global’s treatment of her, I’d like to officially announce that I’ll be using all my resources to pave a new path for Emma. I might even open up a studio for her.” The words hit Mia like a slap in the face, but Emma just smiled.
The entire time, she was wondering whether Nathan was trying to ruin his own reputation on purpose or if he was just good at it. More importantly, she knew this incident would allow everyone to see Global’s true aim. Since they couldn’t keep Emma, they were doing all they could to defame her. Unfortunately for them, not only did things not go to plan, they completely backfired.
The host quickly ushered all five of them into the venue. “Distinguished guests, please head in,” he said. “Not only is the atmosphere exceptionally lively tonight, but we’re also expecting a special guest.” He smiled tensely at the crowd. Though they’d all just seen what Global had done, the company had still been officially invited to the event, so he had to let them in.
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