A flush of embarrassment crept across Isabella Miller's face as she listened to Scarlett Martinez. Her smile faltered, stiffening for a moment before she forced it back into place.
"Actually, it was the company that arranged for me to get the magazine shoot. My cousin never reached out to me, not once from start to finish."
"Oh, really? Isn't she your cousin?"
Scarlett's voice dripped with feigned surprise.
"She is, but there's been a misunderstanding between us. I'd love to clear it up, but it's not that simple."
Scarlett caught the hidden meaning behind Isabella's words. So the cousins were truly at odds. And the fault, it seemed, lay with Emma Johnson.
Scarlett had taken a liking to Isabella. The two chatted easily for a while, only stopping when Scarlett was called to the set.
"Well, it's tough having a cousin like that."
Scarlett offered her sympathy before saying goodbye. Isabella watched her retreating back, a cold smile curling her lips.
"It seems you're not so innocent either. You're interested in Liam Williams, but you can't win his favor. You must be jealous and bitter toward my dear cousin."
Having planted the seeds of prejudice deeper in Scarlett's heart, Isabella left, thoroughly satisfied.
Emma Johnson found Scarlett Martinez to be a truly difficult actress. While she didn't complain about the clothes sponsored by Milan Fashion House, she found fault with everything else—from the makeup and shoes to the very water she drank.
"What brand of powder is this? What if it makes me break out? Change it immediately, or I'm not shooting."
"These shoes are way too big. The heels are all wrong. I can't wear these. No, they have to be replaced."
"I only drink Evian mineral water. If you can't find it at the supermarket nearby, drive to another one. If I can't have it, it'll affect my mood. And if I'm in a bad mood, I won't be able to take the pictures you want."
And on and on it went. She was nitpicking, finding fault where there was none. The crew, who had initially been star-struck, quickly grew tired of her. It took forever just to get through her list of complaints.
Emma felt her forced smile turning to stone. It's just one day, she told herself. I can get through this. So she met every one of Scarlett's demands, even driving to the supermarket herself to buy the mineral water.
Seeing that her constant complaints weren't making Emma lose her temper, Scarlett felt a pang of disappointment. She finally agreed to cooperate and finish the cover shoot.
"Miss Martinez, thank you so much for making time for us. It's a great honor for New York Fashion Magazine to have you."
At the end of the day, Emma still managed to exchange pleasantries with Scarlett.
"It's nothing. I only did it for the senior's sake. Otherwise, I wouldn't easily agree to shoot for a regular magazine."
Her words were polite, but the condescension was clear.
Emma gritted her teeth. Fine. I'll endure it.
"Miss Johnson, I really envy you. Even though you're just an ordinary magazine editor, you managed to marry such an outstanding husband. I have to say, that's a skill in itself."
Emma's smile remained perfectly in place.
"Miss Martinez, why are you calling me 'Miss Johnson'? As you said, I'm married to Liam now. I'm his wife, so I'm hardly a single woman anymore."
Emma finally couldn't help but fire back. Seeing the ugly, choked expression on Scarlett's face, Emma felt a little better.
"Besides, it was because of his persistence that I married Liam. I had hoped we would date for a while first. But Liam said that the moment he saw me, he knew I was the one he wanted to marry. He was in such a hurry that I had to agree."
Emma poured salt on the wound. Even if Liam Williams's future woman isn't me, it will never be someone like you.
Even if Liam's taste changed, Emma knew he would never, ever be interested in Scarlett.
Scarlett was furious, but she couldn't find the words to retort. She nearly choked on her own anger.
Emma Johnson, I'll remember this. If I ever get the chance, I'll make your life miserable.
Scarlett thought bitterly as she left.
Finally, Emma found time to visit Emilia Clark. Emilia's surgery was only two days away, and Emma knew she must be terrified.
She spent a long time in Emilia's ward. But when she went to Elijah Clark's office to see him, she felt her skin begin to itch again. This time, it seemed worse.
"Elijah, the allergy medicine you prescribed last time didn't seem to work. Can you prescribe something else?"
Emma felt the itch was coming from deep inside her body. Scratching her skin did nothing to relieve it.
"That's the most effective anti-allergy drug on the market. If it doesn't work, no other medicine will. No, I have to run a full examination on you today. We need to find the root of the problem and treat it in time. If we wait too long, it might be too late."
The serious look on Elijah's face made Emma realize the gravity of the situation. She obediently followed him for the tests.
After a series of examinations, Emma listened to Elijah's words, her mind going blank. It took her a long time to process what he had said.
"What do you mean... permanently infertile?"
Emma couldn't believe her ears. Her eyes were wide, her face pale. It was clear that Elijah's mood was no better than hers—if anything, it was worse.
"Luckily, we caught it in time. Your body developed antibodies to the formula of that medicine, which is why we detected it early. If it had been any later, once the medicine was fully absorbed into your system, you would have lost the ability to become a mother for the rest of your life."
Emma was stunned.
Who would want to harm her so deliberately? And that wasn't even the worst part. The most terrifying thing was that she had no idea when she had taken the medicine that would make her infertile.
Even though she hadn't been intimate with Liam yet, that didn't mean she didn't want to be a mother in the future. This was cruel.
If things had reached the point of no return... Just thinking about it made Emma break out in a cold sweat, terrified.
"Emma, do you remember if that crazy woman who kidnapped you gave you any strange food?"
Elijah thought of this possibility and asked urgently.