Better than her

Maria turned to face the girl who was supposed to be the female co-anchor for the upcoming radio broadcast. "Hey, why are you still seated there?"

The lady quickly stood up, casting a brief glance at the absentminded Emily, and exited the radio studio.

Maria smiled warmly at Emily. "Come on, take your seat."

Emily bowed and settled next to the male co-anchor.

"Ready? You're going on air in three, two, one!" Maria announced.

Outside the studio, Maria observed Emily closely as she performed with the male anchor on the show. It was a small music documentary, without any interviews.

After the show ended, Maria grinned to herself. "Wow, she's naturally talented. This is the real deal."

The male anchor turned towards Emily and shook hands with her. "Wow, it was great working with you."

"Kamsahamnida." She bowed and walked out to meet her manager.

Maria smiled at Emily. "You did well, honey. Let's get ready for the news." She turned and headed to the news studio, with Emily following in awe.

As they stepped into the main broadcasting studio, Emily audibly gulped. The television production studio was much larger and more impressive than that of the radio studio. It had a classical design, with professional video cameras mounted on pedestals and various appliances perfectly situated around.

The control rooms, transmission control room, and master control room were located in the far left corner of the studio. The studio floor alone was spacious and beautiful.

"Get on the studio floor; you're about to go on air," Maria's voice snapped Emily out of her daydream.

Emily took the cue, climbed the three steps leading to the studio floor, and settled on the only available stool. She would be broadcasting alone.

The control technicians were already prepared, and soon, Emily was on air. Sitting composed on the stool, she read the news flawlessly, without even glancing at the script. She had meticulously practiced and memorized everything at home.

With a dignified demeanor and a beaming smile, Emily captivated the audience as she delivered the news in her unique and impressive style.

Michael and Joel shifted their attention from the monitor to the audience measurement. The viewing rate of the news was skyrocketing. The number of viewers tuned in to their station surged from forty million, the previous record held by Stephanie, to fifty million viewers, then two hundred million viewers. It was an astonishing achievement.

The brothers couldn't contain their excitement as they watched Emily flawlessly deliver the news. They recognized her exceptional talent.

"We have reached the end of the news. Don't forget to tune in tomorrow, same time, same station. I'm Emily Chen. I love you," Emily waved at the camera, flashing a killer smile.

The technicians in the control room swiftly switched to a documentary for the viewers. Everyone in the studio stood up and applauded. The technicians hurriedly exited their rooms and rushed into the studio.

Emily smiled at everyone as she descended from the studio floor. Words of praise filled the air:

“You were really good!"

“I love working with you!"

“You are amazing!" "You're my mentor!"

“You're my inspiration!"

Blushing deeply, Emily received the accolades from the studio's staff, including the technicians and other newcomers.

"It was nice working with all of you, but she needs to go now," Maria cut in, beaming proudly, and led Emily out of the production studio.

Joel cursed under his breath as he watched Emily on the monitor, receiving praises from the employees.

Michael couldn't help but grin. "She was great."

Joel nodded in agreement. "Hmm."

"I'm starving now," He groaned, patting his stomach.

Michael pursed his lips and glanced at his watch. "Once Emily arrives, we’ll get going."

—

Maria smiled as she and Emily strolled toward the elevator. "You did great, honey. There's nothing more I need to teach you."

Emily beamed gratefully. "Kamsahamnida."

"But from now on, you have to be extremely cautious because this marks the beginning of a war," Maria said, her expression serious.

Emily couldn't help but furrow her brows. "What? A war? This is my first time working in the industry... It's supposed to be the start of something happy."

Maria nodded her head. "Yes."

Emily grimaced. 'I didn't come here to fight anyone...'

"Huh," Maria chuckled.

"You definitely didn't come here to fight but you have no choice.” Maria added.

Emily pouted. "Huh?"

She realized she had thought out loud.

"We'll talk more tomorrow, okay? They're waiting for you," Maria said, smiling, before walking away to her office.

Emily entered the elevator, still pouting. War? Who would want to harm her? The thought lingered in her mind.

As the elevator reached the top floor, Emily reluctantly stepped out.

Before she could reach Michael's office door, Joel and Michael emerged, clearly hungry.

Both of them wore face masks.

Michael was the first to notice the sadness in Emily's eyes. "Emily, what's wrong?" he asked, approaching her.

She quickly put on a smile. "It's nothing, really."

"Let's go.” He took her hand and led her through the private back door. “You did really well tonight.”

Joel frowned, trailing behind them. Something was off with the girl.

Perhaps the live broadcast had exhausted her.

In no time, they were out of the industry building.

Meanwhile, the girl whom Maria had chased away from the radio studio sat in her manager's office, furrowing her brows.

She couldn't help but wonder, 'Was that person... my step-sister?'

The lady she saw bore a striking resemblance...

"Rachael," her manager's voice interrupted her thoughts.

She sighed and looked up at her manager, Lucy. "What?"

"Are you still thinking about that scene?" Lucy asked.

Rachael didn't respond. Instead, she turned Lucy's laptop toward herself and went online. She searched for the news and played a video, staring intently at the newscaster... It was indeed her step-sister, Emily.

She could hardly believe her eyes.

"How... how is this possible?" she stammered.

"What is it?" Lucy turned the laptop to herself and closely watched the lady in the video.

"That's the woman who hosted the broadcast this evening," Rachael sneered, looking up at Lucy.

Lucy smirked. "We should do something about her..."

"Only God knows how many men she slept with to get that news slot. Even you, who also slept your way to your current position, haven't been given the opportunity to host news broadcasts... You're still stuck co-anchoring radio shows in the industry," she blabbed.

Rachael shot her manager a withering glare. How could she speak so bluntly? What if someone overheard?

Lucy slapped herself across the cheek. "My apologies."

"But really, what should we do about that girl? If we don't act quickly, she's going to be a pain," Lucy quickly added.

"She's my step-sister," Rachael blurted out.

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What!?"

"Yes," Rachael said, twitching her lips.

Lucy grinned dreamily, looking down at the screen of her laptop. "She's really pretty."

Rachel gave her a deadly glare, and Lucy quickly shut her mouth.

"Hmm," Lucy cleared her throat uneasily.

"So, what's the plan now?" she asked.

"Nothing. We do nothing," Rachael stated flatly.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?"

Rachael rolled her eyes. "Why are you so dense?"

She smirked. "Do you think Stephanie is going to stay calm?"

Lucy nodded. "Oh, that's true."

Rachael chuckled evilly. "We just need to wait for the outcome. We don't need to do anything."

🏠🏠🏠

Stephanie clenched her fists and turned to her assistant. "What did you just say?"

She had been dressed since 7:30 p.m., patiently waiting for Empire World to call her, just as they had the last time she requested for a pay raise. But she was surprised when no call came from the industry, even after the broadcast time had passed.

Growing increasingly agitated, her assistant rushed in and delivered the shocking news.

Stephanie slowly stood up. "I'll ask again, what did you say?"

"They chose someone else," Nancy replied, once again.

"Chose someone else?" Stephanie burst into laughter. "Hahaha! That's hilarious."

Nancy fidgeted nervously. "It's not funny..."

"Why? It's hilarious!" Stephanie resumed her seat.

"Empire World, really? They picked someone else... So funny."

"Calm down, Nancy. They'll come around eventually. There's no one better than me in this country," Stephanie smirked, leisurely sipping her wine.

Nancy pouted. "No, there is someone better."

Stephanie's expression darkened. "What?!"

Nancy frowned. "I'm sorry, but she's a newbie."

She handed the tablet to Stephanie and played a video.

The more Stephanie watched, the darker her expression became.

It was true. The girl was undeniably better than her.

She handed the tablet back to her PA and tapped her fingertips on the table.

Carmen, her manager, rushed into the room almost immediately.

Carmen's breath caught from running. "Have you heard?"

Stephanie squeezed the wineglass in her hand until it shattered, cutting her palm.

Carmen stammered, noticing the blood trickling down Stephanie's hand. "I see you... You have-have heard."

"Who is she?" Stephanie asked, her face devoid of emotion.

Carmen swallowed hard. "I'm on it."

Stephanie stood up and walked into her room.

Carmen turned to Nancy. "Get someone to clean up this mess."

Nancy nodded. "Of course."

"And the first aid kit... You know what to do, right?" Carmen arched her eyebrows.

"Yes," Nancy replied, nodding again.

Carmen nodded and left Stephanie's apartment. She had work to do.

Whoever that girl was, Carmen would find out.