Chapter 349 - Emerson's Plan

Two of the biggest events in a person's life was none other than their wedding day and their funeral. Unfortunately, for Mimi, she never lived to experience the former.

As her closest friends and family gathered in Hong Kong to bid her farewell, her young, beautiful body was carried in a white, glass-top, coffin into the crematorium.

Her parents had requested to have her cremated, and her ashes taken back to Korea.

"My dear daughter..." Mrs. Chen cried as she kneeled on the floor.

Behind her, the members of Macaron hugged each other comfortingly. Although it had been several days since Mimi's passing, they were still in shock. Mimi's dream had always been to shine under the spotlight; she wanted to play an important role in Macaron and she wanted her name to be on everyone's lips.

Ironically, her dream was achieved now that she was dead.

All over Hong Kong and Korea, the newspaper headlines were all about her violent death and the psychotic killer that had been captured, and outside the crematorium, reporters were trying to capture, at least, one iconic photo of the event.

She was more famous now than she had ever been when she was alive.

...

Meanwhile, in Seoul, two pregnant wives were waddling through the streets as they headed towards the palace.

Halia had picked a pink royal hanbok with golden accents that made her look like a princess and Natalie picked a similar one in purple. The ladies at the rental store had helped them change into the clothes and also did their hair into an elegant braid at the back of their heads. Meanwhile, on top of their heads, they wore a cute little headpiece that dangled slightly onto their forehead.

"You look so pretty!" Halia praised her friend.

"You're gorgeous!" Natalie squealed back.

The two girls were so immersed in praising each other, they had forgotten about their two husbands who were following a fair distance behind. 

Jackson and Sean were dressed in dark blue royal hanboks that made them look like two handsome princes. On top of their heads, they each wore a black hat.

As they followed their two excited wives awkwardly through the streets, shopkeepers and locals looked at them and blushed, "They are so handsome..."

"Omo, the one on the left is making my heart flutter..."

"I want to marry the one on the right!"

"Do you think they're taken?"

"Where are their girlfriends or wives? Why is it just the two of them? Could they be...?"

Jackson and Sean didn't understand what these people were saying, but they could roughly guess by the looks on their faces. Furrowing their brows, they both strode domineeringly up to their wives. Jackson grabbed Halia's hand and Sean wrapped his arm around Natalie.

"Have you forgotten about us?" they both asked simultaneously.

The two women looked at each other and laughed. There were only a few days left of their honeymoon. They each turned to their husbands and gave them a kiss. As they did so, a camera snapped and a random tourist handed them a polaroid. "You looked so cute that I couldn't resist."

The two couples accepted the polaroid in surprise and waited for it to develop. As they looked at the photo, they all smiled. This was a honeymoon that they would never forget!

...

The days following Mimi's funeral, Macaron struggled to get back on their feet. Death was an auspicious thing and no company wanted Macaron to represent them in any way. On top of that, all their concerts and performances were canceled. After all, how could they sing and dance on stage when the woman that made up the first letter of their group name was murdered in cold blood? It wasn't like they could just sweep it under the rug and replace her with someone else that had a name starting with 'M'. That would be too disrespectful. Besides, even if they did, it would take some time to train another person. Eventually, their management agency decided that there was no way for them to continue as a group. So, they had no choice but to disband the group, cancel their contracts early, and wish the girls good luck on their own. They couldn't even be bothered to promote them as solo artists; it was not worth their money nor time.

Like that, the 6 living members of Macaron kissed their idol dreams goodbye. Everyone in Korea knew who they were and no agency wanted to deal with the aftermath of a death, so no one dared to sign them on. 

As though they had never existed, one of the most popular girl groups disappeared from the Kpop world overnight.

At first, fans were upset and annoyed. But, it didn't last long. New groups debuted, new songs were released, and the fans quickly found new idols to follow. The world was fickle like that and Macaron experienced it first hand.

Of course, Avaleigh was a little upset by this. After all, she had worked hard for many years, yet Macaron disbanded just as it was becoming successful. Worst of all, her 'loyal' fans, her 'dependable' agency, and her 'trusted' manager all turned their backs on her.

At the end of the day, everyone just cared about themselves.

Everyone except...Emerson.

Although he was happy that Avaleigh was remaining in Hong Kong with him, he knew how important her career meant to her and he knew she was an independent woman that would not be satisfied with sitting at home doing nothing. 

With the amount of money that Emerson made, most other women would sit back, relax, and enjoy the rich, luxurious lifestyle of a billionaire's girlfriend if they were in Avaleigh's position. However, Avaleigh wasn't like 'most other women'. That was why Emerson picked her and not them.

So, even with his busy schedule, Emerson sat down for a quick lunch with Danson and Morton, and they had a discussion about a plan that Emerson had.

"Are you sure you want to do this? You know nothing about the entertainment industry," Danson asked with uncertainty as he flipped through a proposal in his hands.

"That's why I need your help. Now that Marissa is back, only one of you are needed at the PR agency. Think of it as payback. I just need you to attend a few meetings and keep my identity a secret..." Emerson said.

"From my point of view, I think it's a great investment. I can draft up a few contracts for you to look at," Morton approved. Probably because of Halia, he felt like he should help Emerson. Sure, he was rejected by her and she ended up marrying someone else, but she still held a special place in his heart and he still thought of her as a friend so he still wanted the best for her and her family.

"Thanks, Morton," Emerson smiled.

Seeing that a big lawyer like Morton gave his approval Danson looked at his friend helplessly and finally nodded his head, "OK. I'll pay back the favor you did for me. But, if this is a success, I want a share of the profits."

Emerson laughed, "If you can help me get Avaleigh back on her feet, I'll give you 10%!"

At that moment, Morton leaned forward and asked playfully, "What about me? Will I get anything?"

Emerson glanced at the cold and serious lawyer. Although they had known each other for years, this was the first time he saw a playful side to Morton. "If we succeed, I'll give you 10% as well!"

Morton nodded with satisfaction.

With a smile, Danson leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, "In that case, what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"