Early the next morning, Emma woke up to get ready for work. Unlike most days, she found Sarah already up and in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
"Aren’t you going to work early today?" Emma asked.
"No, I’m enjoying my vacation," Sarah replied, in a much better mood than before. The night before, after the competition ended, Emma had returned home to find that Sarah wasn’t there. Emma spent the night reading news about herself, David, and Mark.
"That’s good," Emma said.
"Sit down and have breakfast; I’ve prepared it for you," Sarah offered.
Emma knew that Sarah was working hard to buy back the old house she used to live in. Emma could only offer her a temporary place to stay and couldn’t help her buy back the house because Sarah had refused the offer.
"The breakfast you made is delicious," Emma complimented.
"Thank you, eat up!" Sarah encouraged.
Emma ate happily, noticing that she had gained some weight since staying with Sarah because the food Sarah made suited her taste so well.
"You seem happy about something today," Emma remarked.
"Yes, I am," Sarah said, waiting for Emma to ask so she could share her news. The film she had been working on was finally complete, and she had successfully earned some money from it.
"The film I worked on is finished, and it was very successful."
"Congratulations!" Emma said.
"Only, there's something I regret..." Sarah's voice grew somber as she spoke, though she was too busy these days to realize Emma's wealthy background. Sarah spent her days acting and then working as a waitress at a café. Since she was just a minor actress, no one really recognized her face.
"What do you regret?" Emma asked, genuinely liking Sarah and knowing that she might need Sarah's help in the future. For now, helping her seemed right, and they were becoming good friends.
"I regret that I'm just a minor actress, with very few scenes. They could easily be cut out," Sarah said, her voice growing sadder. She had never complained to anyone before. She never had anyone to complain to, as she had always been alone. But meeting Emma had given her someone to confide in, and they shared their thoughts and lives during these early morning talks.
"I also work as a stunt double. In a film that's about to be released, I stood in for the lead actress because she was always busy. But when the film is released, her face will be edited in over mine," Sarah explained.
Hearing this, Emma felt a pang of sympathy and frustration for Sarah. Acting should be a profession of passion and effort, but despite Sarah's years of hard work in the industry, she hadn't seen much progress.
"Who’s the lead actress in the film you doubled for?" Emma asked.
"Miss Lily. She’s very busy," Sarah replied.
When Emma heard Lily's name, an idea sparked in her mind. Sarah didn’t have anyone to support her, but Emma decided she would be that support, helping Sarah stand up to Lily. Emma knew that Lily's acting skills weren’t exceptional, but she had connections that quickly propelled her to fame.
"She's a famous actress these days, right?" Emma asked.
"Yes, do you know her?" Sarah replied.
"You could say that I do," Emma answered.
Emma and Lily had once been classmates in France. Initially, they were quite close, but that changed after Lily betrayed Emma and showed no remorse.
That morning, Emma had to go to her company to finish some pending work. She wore a business dress, black high heels, and her hair was neatly tied up in a high bun. As Emma walked into the company, employees greeted her with respect.
"Good morning, Director Emma," they said.
Emma nodded politely but kept it brief, as there was something she needed to handle personally. She had been planning this for a while. She was no longer the unattractive Laura; she was now Emma, the director of a renowned corporation.
"Bring me the most recent advertising contract," Emma instructed.
She took the contract, read it, and smiled. As expected, Mark had been working hard under her direction, contributing significantly to Lily’s current success.
"Today, I will personally visit the photo shoot for this brand's ad campaign," Emma announced.
"Yes, ma'am," her secretary responded.
Satisfied with the arrangements, Emma glanced at the familiar name on the advertising contract.
"Lily, just wait. I’ll show you that you’ve messed with the wrong person," Emma thought to herself.
At the photoshoot location for a famous jewelry brand, Lily had not yet arrived, despite being scheduled to.
"Miss Lily, when are you planning to arrive?" one of the crew members asked.
The photographer, growing impatient, called but only received a response from Lily's assistant, saying they were on their way.
"What should we do? This photo shoot is important, and the director is coming to observe," someone murmured anxiously.
Just then, Emma walked in, causing everyone to fall silent and the atmosphere to become tense.
"What's going on?" Emma asked.
"Miss Lily hasn’t arrived yet," someone replied.
Emma felt even more pleased inside. This gave her a legitimate reason to cancel the contract with Lily. Lily had no idea that Emma was the creator of these jewelry collections, and thus, the decision to choose the brand's representative was entirely Emma's.
"Get ready. Someone else will replace Lily," Emma instructed calmly.
She had already planned for this. When Sarah received Emma's call, she headed to the meeting point, not expecting that she would be given the opportunity to appear at such a high-profile shoot.
"Sister Emma, can I do the photoshoot?" Sarah asked, still in disbelief.
"Yes, I believe in you," Emma reassured her.
Emma didn’t reveal her true identity to Sarah, and Sarah only thought of Emma as a wealthy individual, not realizing that Emma was the owner of the company.
"Director Emma, everything is ready," a staff member reported.
Sarah was taken aback when she heard everyone addressing Emma as the director. She was then led to the makeup room to get ready and put on a new outfit for the shoot.
"Great, yes, smile even brighter!" the photographer encouraged as Sarah started posing for the camera.
The photographer’s voice echoed throughout the room, giving directions to Sarah. Sarah, who had only ever worked as a small-time actress and stunt double, felt uncertain but managed to perform well under the photographer’s guidance.
"Very good," someone praised, rushing over to whisper something to Emma. She then stood up and quietly stepped out, leaving Sarah to continue the photoshoot.
"Why did you choose someone else? Did you ask for my approval? I haven’t agreed!" Lily’s voice rang out loudly, clearly upset. Emma stepped forward to address the situation.
"I agreed," Emma responded firmly.
Lily turned around, surprised to see that it was Emma speaking.
"What authority do you have here? I’ve signed a contract. If you replace me, you’ll have to pay a penalty!" Lily demanded, her tone confrontational.
Emma’s assistant quickly stepped in, positioning herself between the two women, and explained, "Director Emma is the owner of this jewelry brand."
Lily’s confident demeanor immediately faltered. The contract had been secured by Mark, which is why Lily had felt emboldened enough to arrive late, never expecting that Emma would be there.
"You’re an unprofessional actress, and I’ve decided to cancel your contract," Emma declared. Lily's tardiness, combined with her dismissive attitude, had led Emma to conclude that there would be no further collaboration between them.
"You can’t do that! There’s no one better than me to advertise your product," Lily protested, trying to assert her value.
Lily wasn’t entirely wrong; most companies preferred to hire well-known celebrities to promote their products, and she was indeed a strong choice.
"I don’t need you," Emma replied coldly. "The person who will advertise for our company will be much better than you."
Emma’s firm stance in front of Lily made her visibly furious. Emma instructed her assistant to handle the situation and cancel Lily's contract. This was just the beginning, a small lesson for Lily to teach her not to be so arrogant in the future.
Emma was very pleased with the photos Sarah took for the jewelry brand. The upcoming collection launch would be handled in her way, and she was determined to help Sarah become famous and surpass Lily.
The next day, Sarah’s film premiered. Emma arranged for articles about Sarah to be written and published, which quickly gained attention and appeared on the front page of search results. Despite Sarah's minor role in the film, her captivating presence and excellent portrayal of her character stood out, drawing significant interest.