Emma Johnson never expected Isabella Miller to make such a poisonous vow. She'd had her suspicions before, of course.
But with Scarlett Martinez already behind bars, she hadn't given it much thought. After all, Isabella had always targeted her, and Emma had grown used to it.
What she hadn't anticipated was Liam Williams stepping in. That caught her completely off guard.
"Cousin, we grew up together. You know how much I love modeling. I swear I didn't set you up like Scarlett did. Please, cousin, talk to my brother-in-law. Don't let him keep me hidden away."
Isabella had no other choice. With any other agency, she could have taken them to court, found some loophole to break free.
But Liam's entertainment company dominated the industry in China. Every artist under his banner was groomed for international success. How many other agencies could even dream of securing overseas shows or getting a piece of that market?
So despite her resentment, Isabella never considered leaving Liam's company.
But being frozen out wasn't sustainable either. After thinking it over, she realized her only path was through Emma.
Emma found herself in an awkward position. It wasn't that she cared whether to plead for Isabella or not. The real question was whether Liam would agree. After all, he'd punished Isabella for Emma's sake. If Emma now turned around and asked him to let it go, wouldn't that be rejecting his goodwill entirely?
"Cousin, please help me."
Isabella saw Emma's hesitation and knew she was wavering. She poured on more tears, making her expression even more pitiful. Emma couldn't hold out any longer.
"Alright, I'll try. But I can't promise anything."
"Just having you speak up for me is enough, cousin."
Isabella looked genuinely grateful, which stirred something in Emma. In the past, Isabella had always strutted around like a proud peacock princess. No one could make her lower her expensive head—least of all her ugly cousin.
Now, for the sake of her career, she had to beg Emma for help. Emma felt no satisfaction from it. Only a quiet sense that if Isabella had known this day would come, she might have acted differently.
Maybe it was because Emma had truly let go of Noah Taylor and Isabella. Whatever they did now, they couldn't shake her.
Still, for the sake of family, she'd see this through.
At dinner, Emma chewed on her chopsticks for a long time, unsure how to bring up the subject with Liam. She worried he'd be angry.
"Is the food that bad? You're about to eat those chopsticks."
Liam looked at her, and she realized she'd been gnawing on them for ages.
"Well... there's something I need to ask you."
Emma hesitated, still struggling to find the words.
"Go ahead. You look like the sky's about to fall."
Liam placed a piece of braised fish on her plate.
"Isabella came to see me at the office this morning."
"Oh? She begged me to give her a show."
Before Emma could say more, Liam had already guessed the outcome. She nodded obediently, then looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I know you did this for my sake. But the real culprit, Scarlett, is already in prison. Isabella swore to me she had nothing to do with it. So I think... maybe we should let it go."
"I'll call her agent tomorrow and reinstate her shows. But we can't send her to Milan Fashion Week. We've already booked other models, and that can't be changed."
Emma was surprised Liam agreed so readily. She studied his face, searching for any sign of displeasure. Finding none, she felt she might have been overthinking.
"That's great. Thank you."
Emma eagerly piled food onto Liam's plate. His expression remained unreadable, which made her wonder. She realized she couldn't quite figure out what he was thinking.
Was it because he said so little?
"Thank you, cousin. When you're free, how about we grab dinner together?"
"Sure. Let's meet at The Waterfront in three days."
Isabella hung up the phone, a cold smile curling at the corner of her mouth. Gone was the haggard look on her face—it had all been makeup.
If she hadn't played the part, how could she have won Emma's sympathy?
"You want to meet Emma?"
Noah Taylor came out of the bedroom. He'd overheard Isabella's conversation.
"Yes. My cousin helped me a lot, so I'm inviting her to dinner in three days."
Isabella smiled happily at Noah.
"That's a good idea. I'll come with you. It'll show more sincerity."
Isabella rose from the sofa, wrapped her arms around Noah's neck, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Noah, you're the best to me. It's settled then. But you've been coming home late lately. You won't be too busy to make it that day, will you?"
Noah looked at her with what seemed like tenderness.
"No, I'll be there on time. Just wait for me."
He said he still had things to do and left in a good mood.
Isabella watched the door close behind him. The moment the latch clicked, her smile vanished.
"You can't wait to see Emma, can you? But you don't have the right opportunity yet. And pretending to care about me—it's disgusting."
Isabella grabbed a cup from the coffee table and hurled it to the floor. Light glinted off the shattered crystal, reflecting her twisted face. There was nothing beautiful about it.
Late at night, the sea roared. The cold wind seeped through clothes, making people shiver.
"Mm-mm-mm!"
A woman, bound and gagged, knelt at the edge of a cliff. Her eyes were filled with terror as she shook her head, begging the man standing opposite her to spare her life.
"Are we really going to kill them? Wasn't this just supposed to be a scare?"
Noah had been working with William Thompson for a while and thought he'd prepared himself mentally. But facing this for the first time, he was still afraid.
One of William's men, a man named Ryan Kim, sneered inwardly at Noah's cowardice. But remembering his boss's orders to look after him, he forced himself to speak patiently.