Emma saw the undisguised worry in Liam's eyes, and for a moment, she felt like she was a child again. She remembered how her mother used to see her father off at the door with that same tone of voice before he left for work. It might have seemed a little unnecessary back then, but looking back now, it felt incredibly warm.
For Christopher, a single man in his late thirties, watching the loving scene between his boss and his wife was like taking over ten thousand points of damage. Luckily, the boss quickly signaled that he could leave, and Christopher hurried out of the office.
"Are you worried about me?"
With just the two of them left in the office, Liam grabbed Emma's hand and pulled her into his arms. Emma was caught off guard for a moment. When she realized what was happening, she found herself sitting on his lap.
"How can you do that? I've told you so many times. This is the office."
Emma struggled in Liam's arms, but he didn't let go.
"You haven't answered my question yet."
Liam held Emma close, his eyes deep and intense as he looked at her.
"Why else would I say that to you?"
Emma didn't answer his question directly, but the meaning was clear. A warm light flickered in Liam's eyes.
For a moment, Emma was mesmerized. She felt that no matter how beautiful the scenery around her was, it couldn't compare to the sight of him right now.
...
"What? A magazine shoot?"
The next day, Liam told Emma about the special interview Time magazine wanted to do with them.
"Yes, they want to take some photos of us and publish them in the magazine."
"I'm not doing it. You know I don't like that kind of thing."
Emma's first reaction was to refuse. Liam's eyes showed no surprise; he had already guessed she wouldn't agree.
But—
"If you agree to do this shoot with me, I'll wipe out two hundred thousand of your debt."
Those words made Emma's eyes light up.
"How about half a million?"
Emma looked at Liam with bright eyes, ready to bargain with him.
"Three hundred thousand. If you don't want to do it, I'll have to go alone."
That was Liam's final offer. Emma silently complained about his stinginess, but afraid he might change his mind, she quickly nodded in agreement.
It's just a few photos. No big deal. In short, to pay off her debt, she could tolerate it.
After striking the deal with Liam, Emma quickly took out her little notebook and wrote down the debt. Looking at the gap between the number in the book and thirty million, she couldn't help but cheer herself on. After all, it had only been a little over a month, and she had already paid off hundreds of thousands. That was pretty good.
Liam watched Emma cheer herself up after her moment of hesitation. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and a gentle, doting light shone in his eyes.
The magazine shoot was scheduled for the next day. The day after Emma saw Isabella, she held a press conference. Luckily, the times didn't conflict. Otherwise, she would have had to turn down this shoot. After all, she had promised Isabella first, and a person shouldn't break their word.
While Liam was doing the interview, Emma was taken upstairs to get ready for the cover shoot.
"Mrs. Williams, your skin is amazing. You look like a high school student. I wonder what your skincare routine is."
The makeup artist assigned to Emma was a man with a slightly effeminate manner. Looking at his colorful nails and meticulous makeup, if it weren't for his bald head, Emma would have almost mistaken him for a woman.
She smiled at the makeup artist, who kept complimenting her. His flattery was obvious, and his excessive enthusiasm made Emma a little uncomfortable.
The makeup artist didn't put heavy makeup on Emma. Instead, he used the trendy nude makeup look. It looked like she wasn't wearing any makeup at all, but it made her whole temperament seem different.
It made Emma look much younger. Looking at herself in the mirror, Emma marveled at the power of makeup, which was almost as good as plastic surgery. Then, one of the staff members who had brought her up took her back to the dressing room.
Looking at the entire row of dresses in front of her, Emma was almost dazzled and didn't know which one to choose.
"You need to change into five outfits in total. Just pick the ones you like."
The staff member said politely with a smile.
Emma nodded to her, thinking that the three hundred thousand wasn't so easy to earn. Just changing clothes was enough trouble.
She didn't bother to look at every dress in the row carefully. They all looked the same to her. Since they were put in front of her, they couldn't be that bad. So she randomly picked one and put it on.
She chose a long white dress covered in diamonds. It looked elegant and noble. The staff member looked at Emma in amazement, showering her with praise. This made Emma a little embarrassed.
The only problem was that the high heels she chose were too high. But since the dress was very long, Emma had no choice. When she went down the stairs, she saw Liam waiting for her. The moment he saw Emma, a flash of surprise appeared in his deep, dark eyes.
She looked like a fairy stepping out of the light. She looked at him with clear eyes like morning dew, almost captivating his heart. Her pink lips, like cherries, held a faint smile, curving like the crescent moon hanging in the night sky. Soft and clear.
Emma looked at the man, at his light, focused, and deep gaze, and felt a little embarrassed. When she was just two steps away from the bottom, her high heels finally betrayed her. They twisted to the side, causing Emma to cry out softly, and then her body uncontrollably fell forward.
This is it!
In that brief moment, those two words flashed through Emma's mind. She had put on such a beautiful dress, only to make a fool of herself. She really needed to find a hole to crawl into.
But the next second, the accident she expected didn't happen. Instead, she was firmly caught in Liam's arms. Looking at Liam, who was holding her like a princess, Emma instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, afraid she might fall out of his arms again.
At that moment, from not far away, they heard two clicks. Emma and Liam turned around one after another and saw the photographer pointing his camera at them.