After leaving the building, Isabella Miller pulled out her car keys, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine. Her mind was a storm of curses.
Emma Johnson had walked away from the Williams family with nothing but the clothes on her back. How, after vanishing for five whole years, did she suddenly reappear here? And how had she quietly bought out New York Fashion Magazine right under the nose of the entire country?
But so what if she owned the magazine? The boss of a mere fashion publication had dared to humiliate her like that. Isabella was now a top-tier supermodel representing the nation. Insulting her was an insult to the country itself.
Maybe, back then, she had needed to play nice with Emma to get some benefit out of her connection to the Pinnacle Corporation. But times had changed. It had been years.
Emma had left the Williams mansion, stripped of everything. She was nothing but a woman with nothing.
But Isabella? She was a famous model, a national icon.
There was no way Emma could compete with her.
While Isabella had been all fire and fury during her confrontation at New York Fashion Magazine, the moment she walked out the door, a chilling silence fell over the office.
The main hall was now filled with employees. For the old-timers who remembered Emma, the tension was palpable. But for the newer staff, who had no idea who this woman was, the fear was even worse. They were sweating bullets, especially Matthew Cole, the man who had just stood up to defend Isabella.
He was the deputy director of the advertising department. He had clawed his way up over the years to get this position. Based on his performance, a promotion was just around the corner. If he got demoted—or worse, fired—for something like this, he'd have to start all over from the bottom. Matthew didn't even want to think about it.
A few people managed to stay calm, though. The law couldn't punish everyone, after all. Even if no one in the entire company had sided with her, Emma couldn't possibly fire every single employee at such a critical moment. The magazine's current situation wouldn't allow for that.
Her only real option was to make an example of someone. And that someone wouldn't be just anybody. It would be Matthew, the man who had already bowed his head.
Just as everyone was exchanging nervous glances, Emma swept her gaze across the room. Her eyes stopped on Matthew. "What's your name?" she asked.
Matthew looked up, caught her icy stare, and flinched. The other employees who had guessed what was coming watched with a mixture of pity and smugness.
"Matthew Cole," he stammered, intimidated by her cool, commanding presence.
"Come to my office. The rest of you, get back to work. We'll have a meeting when it's time."
A collective sigh of relief rippled through the room. It felt like they had just escaped the jaws of a tiger.
Matthew followed Emma with heavy steps. She never once looked back at him. She was already at the door of her office when she turned and noticed how slowly he was walking.
"What are you waiting for? An invitation? Or do you expect me to make you tea?"
Her cold words snapped him out of it. He hurried forward.
This wasn't the first time Emma had entered this office, but it was the first time she had entered it as its true owner. She sat down slowly in the leather chair and frowned. She didn't like this chair. She didn't like anything in this room. As soon as the magazine's crisis was over, everything here was getting replaced.
Matthew stood to the side, unsure of what she was thinking. He only saw her frown and the cold glint in her eyes, which made the temperature in the room drop by several degrees.
"The documents you requested, Chairwoman." A new secretary, Sydney Cooper, whom Emma had just hired, had already completed the handover with the previous secretary yesterday. She now held the files Emma had asked for.
Emma nodded at her approvingly. "Good work, Sydney. The new tea is excellent."
She had chosen well. This girl was not only beautiful and pleasant, but also reliable and hardworking.
Once Sydney left, it was Matthew's turn to face the music. Even though he couldn't see the documents in Emma's hand clearly, he had already spotted his own photo on them. It was his resume.
If his guess was right, she would find a flaw in his resume, mock him for it, and then fire him.
"Not bad. A double-degree graduate from a prestigious university." Emma let out a surprised hum.
But this praise didn't relax Matthew. If anything, it made him more nervous. Being praised at a time like this was probably just sarcasm. It was the beginning of a nightmare.
"Before you worked at New York Fashion Magazine, you worked for a company in the city. Why did you leave?" Emma asked, looking at his resume with genuine curiosity.
Matthew cleared his throat. "The work environment wasn't a good fit for me at the time."
"Oh." Emma's response was flat, almost dismissive. "So, you're not a good fit for the position of Deputy Director of the Advertising Department either, are you?"
There it was.
The nightmare was beginning.
Matthew's brow furrowed, his eyes full of wariness. He knew that no matter how he answered, if Emma was determined to make things difficult for him, his job was as good as gone.
After a moment of worry, he replied slowly, "When I first came to New York Fashion Magazine, I thought working for a fashion publication would be easier. I wanted to do post-editing. I was transferred to advertising."
Emma looked at him thoughtfully and nodded. "Forget the advertising department. You'll work directly under me for now. I have some things for you to do."
Deputy Director of Advertising... reduced to an errand boy?
Matthew was stunned. It meant everything he had built in the advertising department was gone. He would have to start over from a low-level position.
It wasn't a firing, but it felt just as bad.
Overwhelmed, he answered, "I understand. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Emma glanced at her watch. "It's getting late. The meeting is about to start. Since you have nothing to do anyway, just wait here. You can come with me to the conference room next door in a bit."
Matthew hadn't expected her to keep him there. He had no idea how to deal with this situation, but he couldn't find a reason to refuse. So he stayed.