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‘Because they’re not going to speak to me. They all have NDAs,’ Leigh told her.

Cybill sat back in her seat and took her glasses off. She gave them a wipe with a cloth. ‘I must say, I’m shocked.’

Leigh felt some relief. Something was finally getting through. ‘I know, it’s terrible.’

‘No, I’m shocked that you would put this meeting together with this… nothing.’

‘Nothing?’ Leigh repeated. She was starting to feel like a parrot.

‘That’s right. It’s not more than a rumour. You should have known better than this,’ Cybill said with disdain. ‘Now, your former boss spoke well of you, so I’m going to let this go. But I don’t want to hear about this again unless there is significant proof. Do you understand?’

Leigh stared at Cybill, aghast. ‘I sat in a room with her. I know she was telling the truth.’

Cybill gave a mocking laugh. ‘Leigh, what I want you to do today is offer our services to Erin gratis for another month. After that, I’m sure we can talk about payments.’

‘Are you serious? She’s aliar.’

‘Selma Haynes didn’t think so,’ Cybill pointed out.

‘Yes, well, Selma Haynes was fooled, too.’

Cybill was not impressed. ‘She has people who vet stories for her. How would she have missed this?’

‘Because no one would dare speak up for fear of implicating Isabelle. Isabelle and Erin are out to get each other, but they’re also accidentally protecting each other in the process.’

‘That’s absurd, Leigh. Simply absurd.’

‘What if it’s not? What if it comes out? What will you say then?’ Leigh asked, aware she was creeping dangerously into insolence.

Cybill gave her a hard look. ‘I’ve been working in PR for forty years. Do you have any idea of the rumours I’ve heard? People placing themselves in a coma for a week to lose weight, keeping children locked in their basements to use their blood to de-age, I’ve heard it all. My god, do you know what they used to say about Prince? That he had two ribs removed so that he could…’ She broke off.

‘You know what? I haven’t had my breakfast yet, so I think I’ll let you google the end of that story. My point is people will say anything. And people willrepeatanything, too. In fact, and I don’t know if this was mentioned to you, Leigh, but part of our job is toprotectour clients from exactly this kind of baseless accusation,’ she snarked.

Leigh wanted to scream. But she was getting nowhere with the partners because Cybill had a point. Leigh couldn’t prove this. All she had was having sat in a room with Amanda, watching her tell her story and knowing the truth when she heard it.

‘This meeting is over now, Leigh,’ Cybill said. ‘I don’t want to hear any more unsubstantiated stories, OK?’

Leigh stood and walked out of the conference room without another word.

Henry was waiting in her office. ‘Look!’ he declared, gesturing at her desk. On it sat an enormous bouquet of beautiful flowers.

For the briefest of moments, Leigh thought Alex might have sent them. But then she realised how silly that was.

When she checked the card, her stomach dropped.

Been offered an action movie about Joan of Arc, the lead! I couldn’t have done this without you. Love, Erin x

‘That’s nice, isn’t it?’ Henry said.

‘Sure,’ Leigh muttered.

Thirty-Three

Alex was wearing a fabulous gown and a face like Kristin Stewart licking piss off a Carolina Reaper chilli.

All around her were people in much better moods, delighted to be at a swanky party being thrown in the ballroom of a swanky hotel. As well they might. A three-star Michelin chef had designed the menu for the night, mixologists were keeping everyone liquored up in style, and the gift bags were filled with Apple Watches, Montblanc pens, and Kopi Luwak coffee beans, to name but a few overpriced items.

And no one looked happier than Isabelle because the turnout was as good as Alex had predicted. Eighty percent of the invitees had turned up. Everyone was crowded around her, asking about the movie she was promoting this week. The movie was calledEnemy in My Bed,and it had an IMDB page that featured some screengrabs of the movie. Of course, those screengrabs were actually from a photoshoot in Isabelle’s house with her butler playing the part of her co-star.