Forgetting Prince Charming.

CHAPTER 9

Emma gulped as she stared up at the daunting building. Inside it were the very things her nightmares were made of.

"I don't think I can do this," she whispered into her phone. On the other end, Lucy sighed. Emma knew her friend wished to be in there. Her annoyance made Emma grin.

"You can," Lucy said firmly. "Just look at it as something fun."

"It's humiliating, not fun," said Emma with a whine.

She heard Lucy click her tongue before she said, "stop being dramatic. Go find out what their game is, play along for a bit and then make up your mind."

"This can turn badly."

Lucy hummed. "It can but I doubt it will."

"Larissa can't find out." said Emma desperately. Up ahead, the building doors continued to taunt her. It was almost like she could hear it whispering with the wind. It gave her chills.

"She won't, not now at least."

"Lucy!"

"What?" she asked with a laugh. "I'm not going to lie to you. She could find out at some point."

"How is this helpful?" asked Emma with a shriek.

"I suppose it isn't," muttered Lucy. "I'm not good with these sorts of things. That's why I have you around."

A lot of uncertainty awaited Emma. Despite it all, she smiled. "You're a good friend Lucy."

"Thanks, Em. Now I need to be a bad friend and leave you. Greg is glaring at me."

Emma laughed. "It's alright. Go to your appointment."

"You'll be fine, Emma. Take a deep breath and try have fun." The line went dead, and Emma pocketed her phone. She stared ahead at the front doors. Their metallic glow sparkled when the sun passed it. It didn't look so scary when it was showered in sunlight.

"Alright," she said standing straighter. "Have fun," she muttered.

She took in a deep breath and walked.

~~***~~

It hadn't changed much. Emma didn't know why she expected it to. The boardroom had the same wooden table that stretched across the room with a chip on the corner. The chairs still looked worn and frayed. Toby still looked stern and unapproachable. Taylor still looked beautiful and Linda still looked nice. To Emma's annoyance, Joey still looked cocky.

"Are you ready for today?" asked Linda excitedly. She sat next to Emma on the chair closest to the door.

Emma gulped and fiddled with her fingers under the table. "I'm still unsure of what is happening today."

"We're holding auditions," Toby spoke up. Emma turned to look at him and felt the need to sit straighter. He leaned against the back of his seat and held his hands in a pyramid shape on his lap. He never smiled. His face barely moved when he spoke. "We've advertised your new segment for the show and to get us started, we've asked for volunteers to date you."

"They don't know you and, if they're chosen, they'll sign non-disclosures." said Joey quickly. Emma released a breath. "It'll be better for the contest to have men compete who will stand a chance at winning."

"Yeah so, for that to happen, you'll need to pick them," said Linda.

"How do I do that without giving my identity away?" asked Emma.

"The auditions will take place downstairs. We'll be streaming it on all our platforms. You'll stay here with Joey, watching. If there's a man who sparks your interest, you take note and we call him back." explained Taylor.