Grabbing my things, I stuffed everything that belonged to me in my bag and then headed for reception. I glanced back at Hayley’s office one last time as I walked away. I couldn’t see Jake’s face through the open door but Hayley was listening to him and from their body language, things seemed tense in there. I was desperate to know what Jake was saying to her but I guessed now I’d never know.

‘Are you okay?’ Ellen called over anxiously when I walked out of the office. ‘I could hear raised voices and Jake Richards looked more furious than he usually does!’

I paused by the reception desk. ‘I’ve actually just handed in my notice. Hayley wanted me to leave immediately,’ I told her. I wasn’t sure how my dream job had ended as such a nightmare but I knew I was moving on to bigger and better things.

Ellen looked shocked.

‘I know, it’s sudden. I was kind of head-hunted, I guess. And Jake actually really helped. Hayley was… pissed off.’ That was an understatement.

‘I bet she was.’ Ellen whistled. ‘Wow, Freya, well done on getting a new job. I’ll miss you here, though.’

‘I’ll miss you too. I’m off to work with Simon Langley, and hopefully be an agent myself one day.’

‘Well, of course you will do it. We have to keep in touch.’ She leaned past me to try to see Hayley’s office. ‘I’ll keep my head down for the rest of the day.’

‘Might be a good idea. I’ll message you once I’ve settled into my new job and we can meet for a drink.’

Ellen jumped up to give me a hug and wish me good luck; her reaction helped to make Hayley’s contrasting one fade away a little bit. I left her and went back down in the lift and then outside into the morning sunshine.

The tension left my body as soon as the sun beamed down onto my bare arms. I set off not really knowing which direction I wanted to go in and found myself start to smile. That was not the way I had wanted my job with Hayley to go but how she had been with me made it clear I was doing the right thing in moving on. I didn’t want to be an agent like her any more.

I wanted to do it my way.

* * *

Just two days later, I went into my new office. Simon had wanted me to start as soon as possible and now I’d left Hayley, I could. The first thing I did when I got there and had claimed a window desk in the open-plan office, was to meet with Simon and Davis again to discuss how we could get his book out into the world.