Emily had completely forgotten the "danger" of a looming proposal. Now that it happened, she was surprised, but not shocked. Despite all her previous fears, the feeling was not of her freedom being taken away or of her youth ending, but rather of something new beginning. She could still feel young and adventurous, especially when she was standing on top of a mountain. It was a symbol of what her life could be, the experiences she could share with her one true love. When she looked at Byron, she saw not only a stunningly good-looking man, but also someone she had come to know and love, a man who would do anything to make her happy, and she wanted to make him happy in return.She could picture their life too. Even though there might be hardships, she could see the two of them always supporting each other and being together. "I have only one thing to say," she replied, "I will marry you!"She had never seen Byron this happy before. His face shone with pure joy as he rose up and plac
The next day, Emily was completely spoiled at the spa. She got a massage and a facial treatment with mineral masks made of local clays. Byron joined her as they wrapped up the session by relaxing in a scented steam room followed by herbal tea and a selection of chocolates.They went for another hike in the afternoon, and every single moment was magical. The natural scenery delighted their senses. All the people they met seemed sweet and friendly. The promise of a future together was more amazing than Emily had ever dreamed.When Emily headed back to work, it was as an engaged woman. Even the most boring tasks seemed to have an extra sparkle to them in the days following the special proposal. She made a few videos as Anita had advised, where she talked about the inspiration for her designs. She already had dozens of viewers from the beginning, people who were fans of the clothing. It soon turned into hundreds. Emily was concerned that somehow this would provoke Josh to come out of h
Emily sat across from Laura Terence, the well-known local newscaster with the famous blond bob hairdo."Look at that beautiful ring!" the news host exclaimed, admiring the jewels on Emily's finger. "Are you engaged?""Yes," Emily said, "And I'm so happy.""Looks like your career is on fire as well as your love life," said Laura. "Do you have any advice for young people out there who are just starting out?"Emily blushed, feeling the heat of the bright lights and the pressure of being thought of as a role model."I don't feel like someone who should be giving out advice," she said, "We all have our own unique path in life, and what works for me might not work for anyone else. I'm very lucky because I followed my dream, and it came true.""And what can you say about your designs?" Laura asked."They're made for fun-loving and girly girls who want something they can wear every day," Emily said. "I'm wearing one right now." This was a short-sleeved dress with a cute pocket on the fr
"You're just saying that!" Josh yelled. "You're trying to make me jealous.""No, I'm not," Emily said, trying to project a calmness in her voice that she didn't truly feel.There was no one around. Emily had hoped at least the presence of a bystander might make Josh lower his gun for fear of attracting attention, but no people came.She reached for her phone, this time more decisively."Don't do it!" Josh warned.She pulled the phone out of her handbag. "I don't believe you'll shoot me," she said with more confidence than she felt. But she was tired of being the victim. This had to end now. "I'm calling the police.""No!"Emily half expected him to shoot her, but instead Josh pointed the gun at his own temple.She was about to dial the number, but she paused, not wanting to set him off."Josh, don't do that," she said, "You're freaking me out.""What do you care if I live or die?" he shouted.Finally a couple of people showed up in a distant row of the parkade. Emily hoped t
After the encounter, Emily didn't want to leave the house for a few days. Mostly, she didn't even want to leave the bedroom. She could see now why her brother had enjoyed hiding under a blanket so much. It was very warm and cozy, and she could pretend the outside world didn't exist.She didn't know whether Josh would ever stop trying to see her, despite the protection order. Would he haunt her for the rest of her life? It seemed like breaking the law was no longer a problem for him.Another day passed, and Emily was still snuggling with her dog under the blankets. She hadn't even walked the dogs in the last few days, and a walker came by sometimes twice a day to help with them.After his initial outburst, Byron seemed to take a more laid-back approach. Emily almost wondered if he had forgotten about the whole incident because he kept up with his usual schedule, only stopping by her room once in a while to check on her.While Byron was at work, Emily tried to do some of her work fro
Byron must have been born under a lucky star because all his efforts to sabotage his own movie studio seemed to have failed. Chipfairies 2 was getting rave advance reviews. Nearly all the critics agreed that it was an entertaining film for children and adults. Meanwhile, The Vampire from Outer Space, which was going to be Byron's terrible tour de force intended to embarrass Nova Summers, was stalled in development hell. Apparently, the director requested a rewrite, then the writer wasn't happy with the new contract, and many of the actors decided to bail. Emily suspected Nova Summers had something to do with it; perhaps, unlike Chipfairies, The Vampire had no hope of being salvaged.The premiere was only a couple of weeks away, and Emily was slowly emerging from behind the curtain of fear that the incident with Josh had cast over her. No matter how shaky she felt, she resolved to be ready to travel to L.A. for the screening of the film.Dr. Williams looked somewhat like she had exp
Celebrities paraded down the red carpet, barely paying attention to the bright camera flashes and screaming fans all around them. The premiere of Chipfairies 2 was a grand affair, which was a hopeful sign for the film's future.When Emily and Byron emerged from their limo, she hardly expected people to cheer for them, but the crowd went just as wild as it had for the Hollywood actors.A young woman with a microphone closed in on them, followed by a camera man. "Here comes Byron Pomeroy, the executive producer of the film," she said, "Mr. Pomeroy, there are rumors that you took on this project as a joke. Is there any truth to that?"Byron looked right at home on the red carpet. His tall, dashing figure caught the public's eye, and his chiseled face looked perfect from every angle. "No joke," he said, "I made this film because I believed in it. The Chipfairies are all about having faith and believing in magic. And that's what I did. It was the cast and crew who put in the real work on
Emily was fine for the rest of her stay in Los Angeles. She wondered if the panic attack had been just a one-time thing. She couldn't possibly react like that every time she saw someone who looked like Josh.She tried to focus her mind on other things until her next counselling appointment. One distraction was looking at what the media had to say about the premiere of Chipfairies 2. Reviewers still raved about the film, and its opening weekend proved that the film was a hit with audiences too.Emily was conflicted in how she felt about it. Meeting up with Pam for lunch, she couldn't hide her disappointment about how everything turned out."I don't understand what you're upset about," Pam said. "It says here, 'Byron Pomeroy, who has already made a successful comeback from near-bankrupcy this year, had another hidden ace up his sleeve. The Chipfairies movie proves this billionaire hasn't lost his touch after all'. It's all very complimentary.""Sure, even though Byron doesn't deserve