This time, it was ‘we’. Yesterday, she had acted like it was all ‘I’. So, which was it really? I forced out a smile as Hayley watched me expectantly for a reaction.

‘That’s great news,’ I said.

‘Isn’t it? You played it perfectly in that meeting,’ she continued. ‘We make a good team, don’t we? I need to call Jake and tell him the good news…’

Now was my chance. While she was in such a good mood. I needed to know if she would make good on her promise to advance my career. She thought I had done well in the meeting, and even if she had taken credit, she knew that my trip to New York with Jake had resulted in this great new offer for him. I leaned forward in my chair and summoned all the courage I could muster. ‘Before you call Jake…’ I cleared my throat. ‘You said we could talk about my career. You know I really want to take on my own clients and become an agent myself. What are the next steps towards that? I am really keen to make progress here.’

Hayley nodded. ‘I know. I admire your ambition. You remind me of how I was at your age. Eager. I like it. And as I said, I was impressed yesterday. You did what I asked you to. In another six months, we can start looking at you taking on your own clients, I have no doubt about that.’

I absorbed what she said with a sinking feeling in my stomach. ‘Six months?’ I repeated. That wasn’t what she had indicated when I got back. I knew I had only worked with her for that amount of time but I had proved myself, surely? I thought she might let me take over one of her clients or at least take the lead with one or two. ‘There’s nothing we could do before then to start that process?’

Hayley sighed like I was starting to irritate her. ‘Freya, you have to understand that my clients are extremely important to me, I have to always think about their best interests, don’t I? So, you have to trust me that I know what I’m doing. We will get you there. It will just take time. For now, I need you to be my assistant. Now, I really have to call Jake and tell him about the offer so we’ll talk later, okay?’ She reached for the phone on her desk before I could respond, effectively dismissing me. Conversation over.