Orion and I watched her stalk back towards her office. Then she whirled round. “I do hope you are as diligent and take as much interest and care with the Avanti feature. I’m expecting great things from you, Leonie. Don’t let me down.”

That was a passive-aggressive threat if ever I heard one.

I had now been employed at Goddess for three days but it felt more like a painful and joyless six months.

Orion had confided in me about Athena’s act of nepotism and I wasn’t prepared to betray her trust. From what we could see, no one else appeared to know that Kerry was Athena’s niece. Or if they did, they were too frightened to challenge it or say anything.

I carried this piece of information around with me, trying not to let it fester and build into a towering wall of resentment. That wasn’t who I usually was and I didn’t want to morph into someone like that.

Kerry seemed pleasant enough, if rather clueless and overawed. She spent most of her time cocooned in the Mother Ship (which was my collegues name for Athena’s office) than anywhere else.

And as for this beauty feature featuring the three amigos, it was sitting there, growing larger and more prominent; more ominous.

Athena had asked for an update about the feature on Wednesday morning and I had reeled off more ideas but she had batted away my latest suggestions of a space-themed photoshoot and a 1970s disco vibe. “Classy, Leonie. We stay classy.”

Does staying classy include employing your own niece too? I thought to myself, sinking back into my chair.

I was so relieved when my first week at Goddess limped to a close.

It had disappeared in a sea of reviews and exclamations about everything from anti-aging toothpaste to the latest in Red Sea salt deodorants.

I collected Harley and fobbed off my parents about why I was so subdued. I didn’t want to conduct a post-mortem about why I felt such an idiot for jumping into a job I wasn’t cut out to do.

The memories of working on The Silver Ness News, writing about people’s lives, their achievements, the fight to keep Silver Ness library open, made me want to weep with nostalgia.

I promised to ring my mum and dad later, after dinner, keen to escape from their concern and interrogations.

Once I’d changed out of my fitted shirt and flared pinstriped trousers, I located some salmon in the fridge. My latest copy of Media World, a monthly magazine detailing the latest news and job moves in the media industry, had been delivered.

As I made dinner and occupied Harley with her squeaky shoe toy, I browsed through a few pages before stopping dead as the salmon sizzled in the pan behind me.

Miles’s triumphant golden smile beamed out at me in full colour.