6 Chapter 6: Returning to the Position of The Top Model

Of course not, the time isn't right yet!

Victor Chadwick knew her plan, so he handed her the phone. Monica Baldwin did not shy away and answered the call right in front of him.

"Monica, where are you now?"

"I'm hiding because I'm afraid the reporters will find me," Baldwin responded calmly.

"So you don't know about Meghan's situation?" Nathaniel Hanson asked patiently.

"What happened to Meghan? The place I'm hiding is quite remote so I'm out of touch with the outside world. What happened?" Monica Baldwin tried her best to appear curious.

"Thanks to your agent, Sonora is in big trouble now. You need to come back to the company immediately. I'll arrange a press conference for you. Monica, only you can clear this up and vindicate Sonora."

What press conference? Did they want to use her as a scapegoat again?

Did they think she was still that naive?

Monica Baldwin ended the call sarcastically, but Victor interrupted: "I've stored my number on your phone. Let me know your whereabouts at any time, and let me know what you're planning."

"Thank you, Victor..."

"You're calling me wrong..." Victor Chadwick put down his crossed legs and pulled her closer to him, "call it something else... or I won't let you go."

Monica blushed, but she lowered her voice and awkwardly called him, "Hus…band.". This made Victor give a rare smile.

"I'll take you to Sonora. And remember what you promised me... you won't have any physical contact with any other man."

Monica knew what Victor was implying. She gave him a comforting smile. They understood each other without having to say anything.

...

After a 40-minute drive, Victor dropped Monica off near Sonora Entertainment Company. As the Emperor of the entertainment industry, he had a firm grasp on all the dark aspects of the industry. He was still keen to know how Monica would turn adversity into opportunity and pave her way back to the top of the modeling world.

Monica also understood that this was a game where her enemy was out in the open, and she was in the dark. If she couldn't turn the tables by reshuffling the cards, she would live in failure for the rest of her life.

After stepping out of Victor's car, Monica entered the company through a secret passage. The staff at Sonora looked at her with contempt and mockery, as if they all believed that she was the mastermind behind the exposure of Meghan's scandal.

Monica chose to ignore their stares and walked straight into Nathaniel Hanson's office, standing behind him.

"You're back..." Nathaniel said, turning around, struggling to keep his composure.

"What happened exactly?"

"Monica, do you really not know about Meghan's situation?" Hanson threw a newspaper in front of her and fumed, "Without your instructions, how would Meghan, a small agent, dare to do this?"

"Nathaniel, we are getting married. Why would I do such a thing? That would be like pushing you out the door myself," Monica replied, feigning distress. Her voice choked up a bit.

"Then why did you wear the Crown Star around your ankle at the HF jewelry show? You knew that your legs were the most likely to give you away…" Nathaniel continued to interrogate her. Seeing Hanson defending Arianne Chadwick so fervently like he used to in the past made Monica realize that all this while, Hanson was just protecting Arianne, not his fledgling career.

"I couldn't wear the Crown Star on my head. The only other option I had was to wear it around my ankle. Arianne's assistant was also there, you can ask him."

"I've already asked Arianne's assistant. He said that you did this on your own…" Nathaniel continued to press her.

"Nathaniel, I'm your fiancee, yet you would rather believe an outsider than me?" Monica pretended to be disappointed and observed Nathaniel's expression closely. "Yesterday... was supposed to be our wedding registration day."

"Regardless, the damage has been done. HF has accused us of breaching the contract. Moreover, thanks to your agent, the public outcry against Sonora is growing louder. You are responsible for this." Nathaniel said, looking down at Monica with a godlike gaze.

"You will soon be my wife. I do not want my wife to be someone who could harm my career. Therefore… Monica, to protect Sonora's reputation, you ought to step up and clarify things to the public. This is just a publicity stunt by your agent and Sonora had nothing to do with it…"

"What is the difference between blaming Meghan for the publicity stunt and admitting it myself? How many times have you called me and sent me onto the runway to replace Arianne without a second thought?" Monica burst into tears. "Nathaniel, just because I'm marrying you, do I have to be sacrificed?"

"I don't care, it's your responsibility as soon as you are recognized." After saying this, Hanson might have realized that his tone was a little harsh, so he quickly softened his tone and tried to embrace Monica. However, she unexpectedly pushed him away. "Monica, I was just anxious, and… just this one time. Once we're married, I'll make it up to you…"

As expected, Monica gradually stopped crying and nodded, "I compromise, not because I admit to publicity, but because I want to protect your career. But, there won't be a next time!"

"Alright … I know. There will not be a next time."

In fact, Hanson's true intention was that he would be able to manipulate her even more after their marriage, based on her character.

"The press conference will be at three thirty in the afternoon. We will have a meeting later to prepare your speech."

"OK!"

Monica stopped crying completely and tried her best to appear normal in Nathaniel's presence. But as soon as she left his office, her eyes flashed with indifference.

She might not be able to forget him immediately, but she was sure she would remain loyal to her own decision.

From now on, she would not bear the consequences of Hanson's actions anymore.

With this in mind, she returned to her restroom and called her agent, "Meghan, Nathaniel wants me to take the blame."

"Haha, Monica, you just need to tell me what to do," her agent gleefully replied from the other side of the phone.

"At three o'clock in the afternoon, I will publicly apologize and admit to the publicity stunt. Then... you anonymously send the intimate photos of Nathaniel and Arianne at the hospital..."

"Haha, great! I also thought of a perfect headline, 'Explosive! Sonora's CEO juggling women, a look at his scum index'

Monica laughed at the agent's joke, but added an apology: "I'm sorry, Meghan. I've dragged you into this."

"Monica, as long as you decide to start over, I will help you regain your spot as the top model, or even... an international supermodel!"