I searched my mind to see if I knew her name from another title. It didn’t seem familiar. “I don’t know of her. What newspaper or magazine was she on before?”

Orion shuffled. “All these questions!” When I arched my brows at her, she sighed. “I’m not sure where she was working.”

That didn’t ring true. Surely, as Athena’s PA, Orion would have all the details about a new recruit?

I shot questioning stares from my desk across at Orion. In the end, she muttered something before suddenly striding back towards me and giving a discreet tug at my sleeve, indicating for me to follow her.

No sooner had we taken a few paces back up the corridor than Orion hauled me into the doorway of an empty meeting room. “Shit, Leonie.”

Her kohl-lined eyes did that shifting thing again to make sure the coast was clear. “You’re going to find out sooner or later anyway.”

“Find out what?”

She stared past my shoulder for a moment. “This is for your ears only just now, ok?”

“Sure. What is it?”

Orion shuffled as she stood there. She looked agonised. “Kerry Wicks… the new investigative reporter… well, it turns out that she is Athena’s niece.”

Chapter Twelve

What the hell had I done?!

Ok, so I was employed as a writer at one of the biggest magazines of the moment. I was working with the journalistic powerhouse that was Athena Mayhew.

On the other hand, I’d been given the poisoned chalice of working with the fashion industry’s three most pretentious models, I didn’t have a beauty editor boss to approach for advice, and the job I’d really wanted had been given to Athena’s niece.

To top it all off, it also seemed that I had been given the job of beauty writer out of sheer desperation, because there was nobody else.

I set off for Tilly Crabtree’s foundation launch on foot, at least grateful that the event was taking place at a plush department store just a few blocks away from the Goddess offices and there was no need to take the car or negotiate public transport.

Even though it was only the 5th of November, many of the shop windows I passed were already decked out with Christmas trees, trailing twinkly lights and an abundance of bows and holly.

My head was cluttered with a myriad of thoughts as I made my way there. I hoped that by walking it might help unscramble them a little.

I glanced down at the press release again that Athena had given me. There was a glorious black and white photograph of Tilly looking glamorous and very pleased with herself in a sharp, dark tailored suit and nothing else underneath.

“Give your skin power with one of the new turbo-charged foundations created by the make-up artist of the moment, Tilly Crabtree,” gushed the blurb under her picture.