"What do you think, Elijah? Was Emma drugged?"
Emilia Clark clutched the fabric of her hospital gown, her face turning pale as her eyes widened in shock.
Elijah thought she was frightened and quickly moved to reassure her.
"Luckily, we caught it in time. Otherwise, Emma would have lost her chance to be a mother forever."
"Mother?"
"Yes. It was a drug that causes infertility."
"Thank goodness."
Emilia patted her chest, then lowered her head, feigning a relaxed posture while carefully masking the look in her eyes.
"Don't dwell on it. Your surgery is the day after tomorrow. You need to prepare," Elijah said, raising his arm to pat Emilia on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Elijah."
After Elijah left, Emilia stood frozen in place, unable to return to her bed for a long time. Sunlight streamed through the window into the ward, warm and bright, but she felt a chill run through her.
I must not be found out. I absolutely cannot be found out.
Because of the drug residue discovered in her system, Liam had forbidden Emma from going to work. She would have to wait a few days. When Liam put his foot down, there was no arguing with him.
So Emma had no choice but to take over his study and set up her office at home. Ava came by every afternoon to update her on how the magazine was progressing. With the new issue approaching its critical deadline, Emma couldn't afford to truly relax.
She could rest properly once the new issue was out.
Seeing her stubborn determination, Liam reluctantly gave in.
At least she was only busy for half the day, not the entire day. He was busy too—using every resource at his disposal to track down the ghost.
According to the latest intel, the assassin hadn't left the city yet. That was good news.
But no matter how busy he was, Liam always made it home in time to cook dinner for Emma. It had become a habit, one he didn't find annoying at all.
"Editor-in-Chief, our sales this time are even better than last time. We sold fifty thousand more copies. It seems the film queen really is the film queen—her influence is nationwide."
A week later, when Emma was finally allowed to return to work, Ava reported the numbers to her. In this age of digital media, it was incredibly difficult for a print magazine to sell that many extra copies.
It hadn't been in vain. Emma had worked hard to get Scarlett Martinez on board.
"Editor-in-Chief, the famous fashion program on TV is interviewing Scarlett right now, and she mentioned our magazine!"
Emma was talking with Ava when Madelyn Taylor burst in excitedly. This was the first time New York Fashion Magazine had been mentioned in mainstream media. Madelyn could already imagine that, in addition to Pinnacle Corporation, more sponsors would be lining up with money in hand.
If that happened, her year-end bonus would at least double.
How exciting!
"Really? Let's turn on the TV right away," Ava said.
Before she could finish, Emma had already picked up the remote and switched on the LCD TV in the office. On screen, Scarlett was dressed in a fashionable outfit, being interviewed by the host.
"Scarlett, I heard the fashion magazine you shot for is selling like crazy this time. Word has it you're using this opportunity to break into the fashion industry, even endorsing Milan Fashion House and attending Milan Fashion Week. Is that true?"
"You know, some things can't be discussed until they're completely settled."
Scarlett flashed a sweet smile, the same fake smile she'd worn during the shoot. Madelyn couldn't help muttering under her breath, "So hypocritical."
"So, these things are pretty much confirmed?"
Under the host's repeated questioning, Scarlett just smiled mysteriously and said nothing more. But that was enough to fuel speculation. Emma found Scarlett's behavior ridiculous. After shooting just one magazine, she wanted to endorse Milan Fashion House and attend Fashion Week?
Emma remembered Christopher Martin mentioning that this time, the plan was to send Isabella Miller and another well-known international model from the company to attend together.
No doubt about it—Scarlett was popular, but she was an actress, after all. To attend Fashion Week, you needed at least international recognition or to be a professional model. Scarlett didn't qualify yet.
Because of the magazine's sales success, the boss, Joshua Harris, called Emma into his office.
"Emma, I think having Scarlett shoot for us has really boosted our sales and popularity. See if you can find a time to meet with her again and book her in advance to be our cover star for the year. With her current popularity, her schedule must be booked solid for the next twelve months. But I heard she's your husband's schoolmate, and that's why she agreed to this shoot. So I think if you invite her again, she'll say yes."
Emma was speechless. Joshua was completely driven by profit. If she were really Liam's wife, she would have lost her temper on the spot.
What kind of friendship was that? It was just Scarlett's wishful thinking. Liam had never shown any interest in her.
But of course, Emma wouldn't say that to her boss.
"Boss, you also said that with Scarlett's booming career, even if she has a personal connection, she might not have the time. We can only try our luck."
Emma didn't refuse outright but chose her words carefully.
Joshua thought about it and seemed to agree.
"Then find a time in the next few days to see if you can meet with Scarlett and discuss this with her. If it works out, the price is negotiable."
After all, Scarlett could bring huge returns to the magazine, so paying more was worth it. Joshua was a shrewd businessman and knew how to calculate the numbers.
Emma agreed, but she had no intention of inviting Scarlett again. In her opinion, Scarlett was difficult to deal with and clearly held some hostility toward her. Why would she willingly put herself in a position to be mocked?
But to her surprise, that afternoon, Scarlett's agent called and said Scarlett wanted to arrange a dinner meeting to discuss the possibility of continuing their collaboration with New York Fashion Magazine.
Emma didn't understand Scarlett's game. Didn't she have a problem with Emma? Why would she take the initiative to reach out?
"Editor-in-Chief, I don't think Scarlett is interested in our magazine. I think she's after the sponsor behind it."
Ava bit the end of her pen, then analyzed the situation for Emma.
She had to admit, Ava's words made a lot of sense.