When a man from the crowd spoke, everyone was shocked, their eyes raking up and down Sophie's legs in suspicion.
"If you're really Amber, take off your mask. If not, Global Pictures Entertainment are just a pack of fibbers!" Another voice joined in from the crowd.
Murmurs of skepticism began to swell and grow louder. Even the creators of Beautiful Soul started to question whether the lady before them was indeed Amber.
"Miss Amber, please take off your mask.." The creators were intrigued. Was she genuinely Amber? If not, their partnership with Global Pictures Entertainment would have to be terminated.
Sophie hesitated but found herself cornered. Left with no other option, she slowly removed her mask. The room was filled with bated breath.
Upon seeing her face, a few instantly recognized her as the once-renowned model.
"It's Sophie!" A gasp went up from the audience.
The rumor was that after Sophie was blacklisted, her status had plummeted drastically. She was in a worse position than even the unsigned models.
Who'd have imagined she'd stoop to impersonating someone else. Was she intentionally stirring up drama or was she driven to it by her desperate situation? Who could tell...
"Sophie! It's really Sophie." The reporters swarmed around Sophie, leaving her no escape route.
Sophie was taken aback and began to feel afraid, trying to shield herself.
"Miss Sophie, can you clarify what's going on? Amber was supposed to be the guest on today's show. Why are you here instead?" The reporters started grilling her.
"We understand you were blacklisted three years ago. Are you using this as a chance to make a comeback?" Another journalist chimed in.
"As a former top model, are you trying to snatch Amber's gigs? Are you exploiting her injury to steal her spotlight as a spokesperson?" Another question was thrown at her.
"It's clear that you're just trying to make headlines. I knew Amber was injured, there's no way she could be here. Famous supermodel, more like famous super-cheap model." A reporter went too far.
The reporters' questions became increasingly harsh, some even resorting to outright insults, "Washed-up cheap model."
"Amber should be the representative of Beautiful Soul, give her position back." The jibes kept coming. A cornered Sophie was slowly being forced to retreat by the encircling reporters.
Some even shoved her. Just then, Beautiful Soul joined the fray with their own insults.
"I'm going to sue Global Pictures Entertainment for blatant deceit!"
"I asked for Amber, and you gave me a third-rate model." The designer shouted, oblivious to Sophie's fame three years ago. All he knew was that he hadn't seen her in the modeling scene recently.
"As for you, I'll see you in court! But for now, get out! You have no right to be on this runway!" He screamed mercilessly, and Sophie remained silent without a comeback, instead she calmly took in everything.
The loud, harsh voice reverberated around the grand structure, even catching the journalists off-guard. No model would passively endure such a public rebuke.
"Are you still here? Leave." The designer reiterated.
Sophie was mentally prepared for this, yet found it hard to suppress her embarrassment.
Suddenly, a charismatic voice echoed from the far end of the stage, "Indeed, someone should leave."
Caught off-guard, the journalists looked towards the source of the voice. There, at the edge of the stage, stood Noah Kingsley.
Everyone was taken aback.
"Isn't that the CEO of Collider Scope Entertainment?"
"Why is he here?"
The crowd was a mix of awe and confusion, and most importantly, baffled as to why he was on the stage.
It was common knowledge that Noah had a strong aversion for manipulative artists. Sophie seemed to be digging her own hole.
The situation had escalated to the point where even Collider Scope had to intervene. Everyone held their breath, anticipating Sophie's downfall.
Unexpectedly, Noah confidently approached Sophie and stood by her side.
With an authoritative voice, he addressed the designer, "… But she's not the one who should leave... It's you…"
"I can make Beautiful Soul non-existent in New York if I wish. Your behavior is at odds with your jewelry." He continued.
Sophie stood frozen in shock, her heart skipping a beat. She wouldn't have anticipated her new husband, whom she had met only thrice, standing up for her.
The journalists were left dumbfounded. Had they been aware of Sophie's connection with Collider Scope, they wouldn't have been so insolent.
The founder of Beautiful Soul was unimpressed, but knew better than to upset Collider Scope International Entertainment.
After a few moments of contemplation and silence, he reluctantly apologized," Sorry, President Noah, I wasn't aware of your relationship with..."
"No, you're mistaken. I have no relationship with her, I'm simply questioning your integrity!"
Noah dismissed any association with Sophie and nonchalantly started to leave.
But before exiting, he turned to the reporters and confidently proclaimed, "However, I can't deny one thing – she is bound to become a rising star in the modeling industry."
The press was in a state of chaos. What was Noah implying? Was he planning to contract Sophie? Was this some kind of prank? Who could tell?
The heart of Brooklyn was buzzing with the loud clamor of bewildered journalists and spectators.
Regardless of the reasons, the journalists no longer dared to fixate on Sophie. Instead, they redirected all their criticisms towards Global Pictures Entertainment, marking the beginning of the company's predicaments. And Amber's Assistant, quite unintentionally, became the catalyst.
"If you can't manage a situation like this, what good are you? Let's see how Mr. Nathan will reprimand you," John exploded.
Sophie remained cool and collected amidst the uproar. She calmly changed her attire and nonchalantly exited the scene.
As she emerged from the side door of the makeup room, she noticed Noah's car parked nearby. She approached the vehicle.
"Get in," Noah commanded.
Sophie obediently complied, feeling enormously grateful for Noah's intervention.
"Thank you for today," she uttered.
A slight twitch in Noah's eye was followed by a sly grin. "Did you really think I'd let someone bully my newlywed wife in front of an audience?"
"Truthfully, I don't deserve your assistance. I intentionally let everyone discover my true identity!" Sophie confessed, her tone filled with remorse.
Noah's gaze was intense as he stared into Sophie's eyes. "I'm aware of that. But couldn't you have devised a better strategy against them? Should've consulted me. Sacrificing yourself to retaliate against someone is a rather foolish move, wouldn't you agree?"
Sophie had no response to that. "Where should I drop you off?" Noah inquired.
"Your home. We're married now, aren't we?" retorted Sophie, toying with her hair, showing no signs of regret about her decision.
"Are you certain? Not only are we married, but tonight is also our wedding night," Noah remarked in a teasing tone.
Sophie blushed but nodded affirmatively and continued, "I've prepared myself for this, and I'm grateful you kept our relationship a secret. However, from now on, I want you to stay neutral. I want to reclaim what's mine independently."
Noah didn't argue. After all, it was refreshing to encounter a woman who didn't use him for personal gain.
He decided to take a step back and allow Sophie to demonstrate her abilities.
As the couple departed, Sophie received a call from her manager.
"Sophie, I've found proof of Amber's pregnancy. What should I do with it? Also, the scene you caused at the jewelry show today has become a sensation."
"People are criticizing you all over the internet. What do you intend to do?" Lisa sounded anxious and concerned.
"Lisa, will you still stand by my side?" Sophie asked.
"Why are you asking such nonsense," Lisa muttered. "Did you expect to continue following that deceitful couple?"
"Then release the statement I requested earlier, but be aware, by doing so, you'll be going against Global Pictures Entertainment," Sophie warned.
"I'm not afraid," Lisa exclaimed excitedly. "We should have done this sooner. I'll prepare the evidence now and release it before Nathan has a chance to respond." Lisa finished, and Sophie hung up, returning the car to its peaceful state.
Deep down, Sophie was actually quite nervous about what Noah thought of her. In an attempt to explain herself, she began, "I..."
"No need to explain. I heard your conversation just now. However, I have one question... Have you always been this honest?" Noah interrupted her sentence, and when the car stopped at a red light, he took the opportunity to hold Sophie's jaw, studying her with an intense gaze.
"I am only honest with you, and I intend to keep it that way..." Sophie revealed her loyalty. "Because I'm afraid you might misunderstand and have a negative opinion of me," she defended herself.
Noah was momentarily surprised before he continued speaking. "If I were in your shoes, I would be even more extreme." He must have guessed by now what was going on between Sophie, Amber, and Nathan.
Because of his reaction, Sophie developed a deep appreciation for her new husband. She vowed to herself that no matter what happened, she would always remember this day and the promises she made to Noah.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Nathan was in disbelief as he received news of Sophie's onstage exposure. Not only that, at that moment, he received a phone call from Beautiful Soul, informing him of their intention to take Global Pictures Entertainment to court for breaching their contract.
In an instant, Global Pictures Entertainment found themselves in a heap of trouble, while rumors spread like wildfire on the internet.
Amber, focused on the recording of Sophie's performance onstage, pulled Nathan closer to her on the hospital bed.
"Look, Sophie wanted to be recognized. The biggest difference between her and me is our morals. She did it intentionally," Amber remarked.
"Amber, Sophie is not like that. It's not the first time she has filled in for you," Nathan defended.
Deep down, Nathan still trusted Sophie and moved aside so that Amber could rest comfortably on the small bed.
"So, what you're saying is that you trust Sophie more? Don't be foolish, Nathan! Now that this incident has occurred, someone has to take the blame. Do you really want me to lose this contract? Do you really want to announce to everyone that you were the one who instructed Sophie to replace me? If that's the case, then we're doomed," Amber exploded in anger, gripping Nathan's shirt to emphasize her seriousness.
"What are you suggesting?" he asked timidly.
Amber continued with her plan. "Since you and Sophie are getting married soon, she will no longer be a part of this industry. For the sake of Global Pictures Entertainment, you need to make an announcement. You need to tell everyone that you were unaware of this entire incident and that Sophie's actions were merely an attempt to create hype. She went behind our backs and pretended to be me." Amber completely shifted the blame onto Sophie.
"I guess, Under the circumstances, that's all we can do !" Nathan nodded in agreement, however, just as he was trying to contract the head of the PR, He received a call from his assistant.
"Quick, president Nathan, Check the entertainment news headlines ! Sophie's manager has reveled some big news!" Nathan quickly jumped online to search the headline.
His jaw dropped dead when he saw Sophie's Manager had reveled the fact that Nathan had forced Sophie to substitute Amber multiple times in the past with comparison picture of two models as proof.
She also complained that small companies tend to bully people and announced Sophie had been bullied for many years.