Free Web NovelChapter 26: Wrong Target
Once the food arrived, the two of them ate in comfortable silence. Emma had completely bounced back to her usual cheerful self, thoroughly enjoying her breakfast with puffed-out cheeks while resting her face in her hand. Holding his coffee mug, Eric watched her and felt a wave of relief wash over him.
Without even realizing it, a smile broke across his face. Caleb’s text message was already entirely forgotten; as far as he was concerned, the only thing that mattered was the present moment and the person sitting right next to him.
"Hey Emma, what major are you planning to declare when you go to that university?" Eric asked.
"Hmm? I want to be a director," Emma replied casually.
"Oh... I honestly thought you’d want to follow in your mom’s footsteps," Eric admitted, a bit surprised by her choice.
"Yeah... a lot of people tell me I should do that, but I’m really not into acting. I much prefer watching people act and directing them on set. I mean, even though I’m in a girl group at school right now and we sing, I’m usually just a backup vocalist anyway, haha," Emma explained nonchalantly, playing with her fork on the plate.
"I see. Well, that’s awesome. You’ve already got a clear goal and you know exactly what you love doing. I’m sure you’re going to kill it," Eric said, glancing down at his plate.
"What about you? Why did you decide to go to that specific school? Was it just because my mom suggested it?" Emma asked, turning her head to look at him.
"No, honestly, music is still pretty new to me, but I really enjoy it and want to study it seriously. That’s why I’m planning to look into it. I used to be obsessed with bands and had a pretty solid collection back home, so I figured why not pursue it while I have the chance," Eric answered earnestly.
"Good. If you were only doing it because my mom told you to, I wouldn’t even want to be friends with you, haha," Emma joked lightheartedly, popping some eggs into her mouth.
"Don’t worry. I might be figuring things out, but I’m definitely not blind to what I actually want," Eric said, turning to look at Emma with a smile.
"I know you’re going to succeed. We’re going to make it together," Emma said cheerily.
"Yep, absolutely," Eric replied, slicing into his steak.
They finished their meal in comfortable silence. Once the waitress cleared their dirty plates and left the bill on the table, Eric announced he would just take care of it up front. He slid out of the booth and walked over to the register. Emma stayed behind, resting her chin in both hands as she watched him with a sweet smile.
"Chime."
The diner door swung open. Two men in dress shirts who looked like corporate office workers stepped in first. Right behind them was a guy who looked to be in his mid-twenties. He was handsome, had slicked-back hair, and wore an expensive, clearly designer white suit jacket. He strode in with his chin held high. Suddenly, the young man turned his head and spotted Emma, who was currently daydreaming while waiting for Eric to finish paying.
"Hey there."
Emma snapped out of it, completely startled as the two men in dress shirts slid into the bench across from her, while the guy in the white suit jacket slid right into the seat next to her. Emma immediately backed herself into the far corner of the booth. Without an ounce of shame, the guy leaned in close to inspect her face.
"Hmm... you are absolutely stunning. How would you like to join my production company? I can make you a star," he proposed.
Without waiting for Emma to reply, he reached inside his jacket, pulled out a business card, and held it out to her. When Emma made no move to take it, he simply slid it across the table toward her.
Glancing down, Emma read the name on the card: Maxwell Simmons, a director at a production company called Shine Entertainment. Emma let out a sharp scoff, a cynical smirk flashing across her face.
"Sorry... I’m not interested," she said curtly, crossing her arms over her chest. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"You could be a massive star if you sign with us. Why don’t we just give it a shot? I can do your interview right here, right now," Maxwell pressed.
Emma glanced over at the two employees in ties, who actually looked a bit embarrassed by Maxwell’s completely shameless behavior. Emma stood up, intending to just walk away, but Maxwell suddenly reached out and shoved her down by the shoulder, forcing her back into the seat. Emma gasped in shock.
"Whoa... hey... Max, what the hell are you doing?" one of the men across from them interjected.
"It would be a tragedy to let a star this big just walk out the door, wouldn’t it?" Maxwell replied with a nasty grin.
"We’re really sorry, our friend here can be a bit reckless sometimes," the other man apologized to Emma.
"Get out of my way, I’m leaving," Emma demanded, glaring at Maxwell.
"How about before you leave, you give me your number? That way we can stay in touch about future projects," Maxwell said, waving his smartphone right in front of Emma’s face.
Suddenly, another hand appeared from behind and tapped a phone screen directly against Maxwell’s device. Emma’s expression instantly brightened into a smug smile, and she crossed her arms expectantly.
Maxwell blinked, looking down at the QR code for a messaging app displayed against his screen, before turning around to see who it belonged to. He looked up to find Eric standing there with his arms crossed, holding his phone and looking down at him.
Standing directly behind Eric was a diner security guard, looking completely ready to throw them out. Sensing trouble, the two men across from Maxwell immediately scrambled out of the booth and retreated to a different table to stay clear of the fallout.
Maxwell’s expression twitched for a fraction of a second, but he quickly forced his wide, arrogant grin back onto his face.
"My bad, man. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just offering her a shot at becoming a star. No hard feelings, I’ll just delete your number," Maxwell said dismissively.
"Go right ahead. I already took a screenshot of your contact info, and I also caught a video of you shoving her shoulder to force her back into the seat. I’ll definitely be taking all of this straight to the police to file charges for assault and harassment," Eric replied with a calm smile.
"Alright, let’s go. Step out of the booth," the diner security guard said, stepping in close to escort Maxwell out.
Seeing the security guard step in close, Maxwell’s previously arrogant, condescending smirk instantly vanished, leaving his face totally pale. He snapped to his feet, any trace of his cool composure replaced by sheer, unfiltered rage.
"Who the hell do you think you are, huh? Threatening me with the cops?" Maxwell screamed right in Eric’s face.
"How should I know? All I know is you’re a creep, and creeps deal with the police, not me," Eric fired back, his voice calm and ice-cold.
"Hahaha... you must be some clueless hillbilly. You obviously have no idea that Shine Entertainment belongs to my family!" Maxwell yelled, spitting the words directly at Eric.
"Alright, Officer, just restrain him. I’m calling 911 right now," Eric announced, raising his smartphone.
Seeing Eric prepare to dial, Maxwell lunged forward, trying to rip the smartphone out of his hands. But the security guard intercepted him instantly, twisting his arm back and slamming his upper body hard against the tabletop. freёwebnovel.com
"Hey... let me go! You’re going to regret this, I’m going to ruin you!" Maxwell shrieked, even as the guard pinned his head firmly against the wood.
Eric finished reporting the incident and locked his phone, while Emma scrambled out of the booth and ran straight behind him, grabbing onto his arm. Eric naturally turned his head to look down at her.
"Do you usually attract people who act like that creature over there?" Eric asked, gesturing toward Maxwell, who was still raving incoherently.
"Excuse me? They come over all on their own, I don’t attract them," Emma huffed, giving Eric’s arm a playful, gentle swat.
"But seriously, in the short two days I’ve known you, we’ve already had two total creeps try to start drama with you, haha," Eric joked.
"Stop it... what is that supposed to mean? Don’t be like that," Emma replied, playfully hitting his chest.
Before long, the police arrived at the scene. Eric immediately gave his statement and handed the video recording over to the officers, followed by Emma giving her testimony. She also pointed out the two men who had originally walked in with Maxwell and were now pretending they didn’t know him, prompting the police to question them on the spot.
Once everything was wrapped up, the two of them walked out toward their vehicle. The exact moment Maxwell was escorted out and caught sight of the car Eric and Emma were climbing into, he froze.
His expression said it all: "I’m completely screwed, I targeted the wrong person, I just hope to god they don’t plan on making this a bigger deal." He hung his head in total defeat as the police led him away.
