A few shareholders expressed their intentions to withdraw their investments. They had lost hope in Global and openly mocked Nathan during their meeting with him. When Nathan returned to his office, he was so angry he smashed everything he could find. Every single bone in his body was filled with hatred for Emma.
Moments later, the new models Mia had scouted arrived at the office to sign their contracts. When Nathan saw Ariel, he immediately called her over to his desk. “Have you ever done a runway show?” he asked. “Yes, I have,” she replied respectfully. “I was the winner of the model search competition.”
“That’s right,” he thought. Mia discovered her at the model search competition. “In that case, you won’t require any training,” Nathan said, perking up. A thought crossed his mind. Many clients that had existing contracts with Global had contacted him recently in hopes of working with Emma. Hence, in his hands were multiple job offers that Emma didn’t know about. He decided to select one of them and recommend Ariel for it. If the client rejected the recommendation, he would simply cancel the contract, preventing Emma from ever working for them again.
“Ariel,” he continued, “I’ll prepare a manager for you soon, and she’ll help guide you.” “Thank you, Mr. Davis,” she said, giving him a childish grin. Ariel was only 16 years old, so she couldn’t be expected to be as mature as Emma. Seeing her smile, Nathan was a little taken aback. Many years ago, Emma had also been this easy to work with, but now even the thought of Emma made him want to tear her to pieces.
Looking at Ariel, he felt a mix of emotions. She was so similar to Emma that he couldn’t help feeling angry when he saw her. But even so, he was determined to make her famous. He had to get her to imitate Emma so she could steal Emma’s veins. “That’s all,” he said. “You may leave.”
Amber had been listening in on their conversation from outside the office door. As soon as Ariel left, Amber stormed in and raged, “Nathan, are you still planning to use this fake copy of Emma? I’m going to give Emma’s clients to her and let her give them a try.”
He replied calmly, “Emma may not have any big awards, but right now she has the same pull as an A-list model. Why are you giving such good clients to a newcomer who hasn’t even officially debuted? Why don’t you give them to me?”
Amber was becoming agitated. “Don’t you remember that I’ll be getting an award soon? Not only that, I also have your child inside me. No matter what, you should always have my best interest in mind.”
“That’s enough,” he said, standing up. “When I met with the shareholders, they were already upset at how much favoritism I’ve shown you.” She sneered at him. “Nathan, you’re so fake. Have you decided to dump your second woman now that you found someone younger? Your sister was right. You have no loyalty, and all you care about are profits. You would sacrifice anyone just to reach your goals.”
Nathan’s expression showed a trace of ridicule. “You have no right to say that to me, Amber. I sacrificed Emma for you.”
“In that case, you should give Emma’s clients to me,” she shot back. He looked at her greedy face and realized she had no self-awareness at all. He suddenly felt like laughing. “When will you be happy?” he asked, smirking bitterly. “When I’m fired from Global?”
Amber was dumbfounded as the couple continued to argue loudly. Neither of them noticed the tall figure who was eavesdropping from the door. A smug expression swept across her childish face before she walked downstairs to Emma’s office and knocked on her door.
“Come in,” Emma’s voice resounded from the room. Emma stopped by the office every few days to see if her fans had left her any gifts and to check on Global’s decline. Ariel pushed open the door and walked inside. She had a timid expression on her face, and when she saw Emma’s calm demeanor, she was lost for a moment before regaining her composure.
“My name is Ariel. I’m a new model who just signed on with Global,” Ariel introduced herself. “I remember you,” Emma replied. She had made a deep impression on Emma during their first encounter. Emma knew that she was the substitute Nathan had found for her. “Can I discuss a trade with you?” Ariel asked.
“Are all teenagers this mature?” Emma thought. She smiled at her. “Tell me what your conditions are first.”
“Actually, Mr. Davis has decided to give me one of your runway shows and the manager who was originally intended for you,” Ariel explained. “But I know the client won’t put me in the show without your recommendation. Since you have plenty of shows lined up, could you just give this one to me? I can report to you about Nathan and Amber whenever you want.”
“No need,” Emma replied calmly. “I’m already used to Nathan’s tricks. I know he wants you to replace me and steal my connections.”
Ariel was silent. She looked a little disappointed. “You’re still young, Ariel. I don’t want you to get involved in adult matters. Of course, if you manage to secure the runway show yourself, that’ll prove you’re capable, and I won’t stop you from taking it.”
All Emma’s shows and magazine appearances were now being arranged by Eric. Only people who weren’t in the know were still contacting Global with job offers for her. “These clients don’t know me,” she thought. “They just want to work with me for the notoriety. What do I care if Ariel takes them?”
Ariel’s eyes lit up. “Thank you, Miss Miller,” she said. Emma smiled, but she wasn’t pleased. Ariel was young, but she clearly wasn’t very innocent if she was already trying to use others for her own benefit. Emma decided she would sit back and watch what trouble this 16-year-old would cause.
As soon as Ariel left, Amber stormed into Emma’s office and glared at her in hatred. “I can’t believe you’d actually help the new girl!” she seethed. “Amber, you should be careful,” Emma replied. “Ariel is younger and more beautiful than you. If Nathan was willing to leave me for you, it means he could also leave you to be with her.”
Amber was teeming with rage. “You must have had help to get where you are today, right? I’ve suspected it for a long time. All along, everything’s always been going your way. Don’t tell me it’s because you’re talented. The CEO of Star Age told us he’s tried to poach you multiple times. You don’t look very clean to me. Stop acting all pure and innocent in front of other people. You accused me of bribing the judges. Well, what about you? What has the CEO of Star Age promised you? Tell me, is his bed soft?”
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