Chapter 49
Lawrence sat up in bed, dressed in black pajamas that did nothing to soften his usual cold, restrained appearance.
He frowned at his phone.
Currently unavailable?
What was that supposed to mean?
Maybe she'd turned her phone off.
It was already past eleven. She could have gone to bed early.
That seemed reasonable enough, so Lawrence didn't think much of it. He sent her a text instead.
By the next morning, checking his phone was the first thing Lawrence did.
No reply from Emma.
He checked the time.
Seven in the morning.
She was probably still asleep.
Once she woke up, he'd talk to her about quitting her job at Mercer Holdings. There was no reason for her to keep working as Adrian's secretary anymore.
He could take care of her.
By the time Lawrence showered, dressed, and came downstairs, it was seven-thirty.
The Vance family's longtime housekeeper was waiting downstairs with a broad smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Vance."
Mrs. Vance had already told him what had happened last night. Lawrence had finally brought Emma home to meet the family.
At last.
After watching Emma quietly take care of Lawrence for so long, the housekeeper couldn't help feeling happy for her.
Lawrence adjusted his tie and sat down at the breakfast table. Food had already been laid out, but most of his attention remained on his phone.
Still nothing.
Was she really sleeping this late?
He picked up a glass of milk, took a sip, then looked toward the housekeeper.
"Have the house stocked with whatever a woman might need. Toiletries, skincare, that sort of thing."
If Emma moved in, everything would already be waiting for her.
The housekeeper's eyes lit up.
"Is Miss Carter moving in?"
Seeing Emma every day would certainly make the house more cheerful.
The corner of Lawrence's mouth lifted slightly.
"Yes."
The housekeeper's grin widened.
"Of course. I'll take care of it."
By the time Lawrence was ready to leave, it was eight.
His brows drew together again.
She was still asleep?
He called her.
The same automated message answered.
"The person you're trying to reach is currently unavailable."
Lawrence stared at the screen.
Maybe she'd been too excited to sleep last night.
No, that didn't make sense. Her phone had already been unavailable before midnight.
Then again, turning off her phone didn't necessarily mean she'd fallen asleep immediately.
"Miss Carter is still sleeping," the housekeeper said cheerfully.
Lawrence's expression eased.
So she really was asleep.
Then his eyes snapped toward him.
"How do you know?"
The housekeeper looked confused. "I called her a little while ago. She sounded half asleep and told me we'd talk later."
Lawrence stood.
The housekeeper instinctively took a step back.
"What is it, Mr. Vance?"
"You have her number?"
"Of course. Sometimes I call to ask what she'd like to eat."
He hadn't done that in the beginning, but after getting to know Emma, he'd started checking with her occasionally.
This morning, he'd called because he wanted to ask which skincare brands she preferred. If they were preparing things for a young woman, it made sense to buy things she'd actually use.
Lawrence's expression darkened.
The housekeeper could call her.
Why couldn't he?
Maybe Emma had only just turned her phone back on, and the housekeeper happened to call at exactly the right time.
Lawrence dialed again.
The same automated message returned.
"The person you're trying to reach is currently unavailable."
This time, the housekeeper was standing close enough to hear it.
He frowned.
"That's strange. My call went through just fine."
Lawrence slowly turned toward him.
The housekeeper glanced at the phone in Lawrence's hand, then hesitated.
"Mr. Vance... did Miss Carter block your number?"
Lawrence's grip tightened around the phone.
"What?"
"I mean, if I can reach her and you can't..." The housekeeper wisely stopped there.
Lawrence stared at him.
"Impossible."
She was his girlfriend.
Why would his girlfriend block him?
The housekeeper's eyes shifted as he desperately searched for something reassuring to say.
"Well... couples do things like this sometimes. Little arguments, teasing, that sort of thing. It's probably nothing."
Teasing?
Lawrence considered that.
His expression eased slightly.
The housekeeper noticed and hurried to continue. "Just sweet-talk her a little. I'm sure it'll be fine."
Sweet-talk her?
Lawrence straightened his tie.
"No need. She'll contact me first."
The housekeeper fell silent.
Lawrence's reasoning was perfectly clear to him.
They'd only just become a couple, and she was already throwing a little tantrum for no reason?
That wouldn't do.
Besides, Emma liked him far too much to stay away for long. Whatever reason she'd had for blocking him, she'd eventually give in and contact him first.
The housekeeper rubbed the side of his nose.
"Right... So should I still prepare everything?"
Lawrence thought about it.
"Yes. Go ahead. But don't call her again. She'll contact you too. If she asks about me, you know what to say."
The housekeeper stared at him.
He absolutely did not know what to say.
Lawrence left for work, leaving the housekeeper standing there wondering how he'd somehow become responsible for this situation.
Well.
He was sixty.
Apparently that was still young enough to be dragged into his employer's love life.
Emma woke up close to nine.
She sat up groggily and ran a hand through her long hair.
Hadn't several people called her this morning?
She reached for her phone.
There was an unfamiliar number and a call from the Vance family's housekeeper.
Why was Lawrence's housekeeper calling her?
Emma couldn't think of a reason, but she didn't call back. Her arrangement with Lawrence was over anyway.
She'd blocked Lawrence's number as soon as she got out of Nathan's car last night.
As for the unfamiliar caller, they'd said something about an event while she was half asleep. Emma had assumed it was spam and hung up, but they'd kept calling and interrupting her sleep, so eventually she'd told them to call back later.
The housekeeper had called afterward, and she'd given him roughly the same answer.
If it was important, he'd call again.
Hopefully it wasn't.
She had no desire to keep in touch with clients after the job ended.
Emma grabbed a quick breakfast, curled up on the sofa, and put on one of the shows everyone had been talking about lately.
The last two years had been so busy that she'd barely had any time that was actually hers. Now she finally did, and she intended to enjoy it.
She hadn't made it far into the episode when her phone rang again.
The unfamiliar number.
Emma answered. "Hello?"
A woman's voice came through.
"Hi, is this Emma Carter? I'm with the brand marketing team at Verve Beauty. We wanted to know if you're available this Wednesday for one of our brand events."
Emma sat up a little.
So that was what the half-asleep phone call had been about.
Verve Beauty had become one of the hottest beauty brands among younger consumers over the past few years. It was the youth-focused line of a major international cosmetics company, positioned somewhere between mainstream and luxury.
It wasn't cheap, but every new launch seemed to attract plenty of attention.
Their campaigns usually featured celebrities and major beauty creators, not random college students. Lately, there had even been rumors that Verve was looking for a new brand ambassador, with several celebrities reportedly interested in the deal.
Which raised an obvious question.
Why were they calling Emma?
Probably because of the attention she'd gotten after the clip with Leo Fontaine went viral.
Brand events like this were usually full of influencers and content creators. They got access and exposure; the company got social media coverage. Often, there wasn't much of an appearance fee involved.
Emma had no plans to become an influencer, and if there was no money involved, she had even fewer reasons to attend.
"Sorry," she said. "I'm not available."
On the other end, the marketing manager's expression shifted.
So the rumors were true.
Emma Carter was strange.
She'd gone viral and then done absolutely nothing with it. No interviews, no public appearances, no attempt to milk the attention. People had apparently tried to contact her through all kinds of channels, and reporters had even waited around Nance University hoping to catch her.
Nothing.
Verve's team had needed several introductions just to get her phone number.
The viral moment with Leo had already been several days ago, and Emma still hadn't appeared publicly. If Verve managed to bring her to Wednesday's event, it would effectively be her first public appearance since the livestream.
That alone would generate attention.
The manager wasn't ready to give up.
"Miss Carter, may I ask whether you're actually busy on Wednesday, or you simply aren't interested in attending?"
Emma saw no reason to lie.
"I'm not interested."
There was a brief silence.
She really was direct.
"May I ask why?"
Emma settled deeper into the sofa. A breeze came through the open window, stirring a few strands of her hair, and she lazily tucked them back.
"Why would I go if I'm not getting paid?"
The manager had assumed Emma was deliberately protecting her privacy or trying not to overexpose herself. Apparently, the real explanation was much simpler: she wanted to be paid.
That, at least, was a problem Verve knew how to solve.
"We can pay an appearance fee."
Emma's interest increased immediately.
"How much?"
She had fewer clients now, but she'd still be in the city for a little while before graduation.
If money wanted to find her before she left, she saw no reason to be rude.
The manager thought for a moment.
Then she tested the waters.
"Would ten thousand dollars work?"
Emma sat straight up.
"Can you pay me the same day?"
The manager laughed.
"Yes. I think we can arrange that."
Ten thousand dollars was hardly significant compared with the brand's promotional budget. Their celebrity partnerships cost vastly more than that. Making an exception to get Emma through the door was manageable.
Emma snapped her fingers.
"Deal."