Take My Breath Away

When the group of women left ZL Group, their faces were twisted into masks of rage.

Erica was blissfully ignorant of what else was going on, and continued snapping photos from the balcony of their villa.

'Hmm...I still need a drone. But I don't want to dip into the cash Matthew floated me. Let's see if I can take on some freelance work and pay for it that way, ' she thought.

She took out her phone and sent a message to Chantel. "Hey, know anyone who needs portrait work? I'll even take on a contract with a company at this point. I need cash and fast! Let me know, okay?" She was so short of money that she started to tackle other people's projects for pay.

It took a bit for Chantel to reply. "Hey, I just got your message. I was shooting my new drama. We just broke for a meal. And I've got a plum assignment for you. Why don't you take pics of me? I've always wanted to be a model for the famous photographer, EM!"

Erica chuckled, "Sounds like a plan. And if we screw up, I can always fix it in post. But I couldn't charge you—you're a friend. And I have to focus on making money now."

Tessie and Chantel knew better than anyone how good Erica was at photography.

"No problem. Just use your professional name EM. People will be lining up in the streets to model for you! But I'll put the word out you're looking for work!"

The name "Erica" wasn't well-known in the photography industry, but everyone knew EM.

"Thank you! Love you, dear sister-in-law."

Looking at the word "sister-in-law," Chantel smiled happily. It had been more than two weeks since she saw Gifford. Keeping this in mind, she rang her assistant. "I'm heading back home in two days. Get me tickets, please. I'll be gone for at least that long."

"Yes, ma'am," came the assistant's prompt reply. Chantel ended the call, and called her agent to let her know. Her agent wasn't okay with it. "Two days? You're in the middle of a shoot, not to mention the fact that your time off is affecting the work we can find you! Have you thought about that? Your opportunities will be drying up! Why don't we wait a bit to schedule a vacation?" The agent was just looking out for her. She knew Chantel had always been short of money.

But Chantel shook her head. She had promised Gifford to be home more often. No matter how much money she made, it was not as important as family. "Just make sure to let everyone know."

Knowing Chantel had made up her mind,

wrist and said, "Come with me!"

"No, I can't leave now. Look, I have a job to do! Just be patient, and I'll be done soon!"

"You don't have to earn money this way!" Matthew disagreed. Why did his wife have to put up with this womanly man to earn that paltry amount?

Erica held his hand tightly and begged, "It's not the money; it's my reputation. What if people knew I walked off a job like this? C'mon, let me finish!"

Seeing the embarrassment in the woman's eyes, Matthew sighed helplessly and his heart softened. With a straight face, he said, "I'll wait for you in the car. I'm leaving in ten minutes!"

"Okay, okay, I'll be quick!" He said ten minutes. But she could shoot for twenty minutes.

The man then left the studio.

In the end, Matthew waited for the woman in the car for thirty-nine minutes before he saw her running over in a hurry.

When she was about to get in the car, another staff member stopped her to talk about the clean-up process for the photos. More than ten more minutes passed.

When she finally opened the door and got in the car, the man stared at her expressionlessly. After she sat well, he asked indifferently, "You value your time pretty highly. Don't you think you should value mine?"

Putting the camera bag aside, Erica leaned over to hold his arm and said in a low voice, "I'm just busy today. You know, I'm a normal person. I can't just stay home every day, right? Part of it is that I'm bored. And you saw the gloves I'm wearing. I won't hurt myself. Don't worry!"

"You have a comeback for everything, don't you?" He only asked one question, but she told him a lot.