‘That’s such crap!’ Grace exploded. ‘They’re photos I sent my mother to show my daughter I’m okay . . . oh, for God’s sake. The one time I take a half-hour break, I wanted to show my daughter the pool. The other photo is of me socialising with the client, who insisted I dance with him. This is all madness.’

‘Yep. He’s really gone nuts. The photos are just an excuse, we know that. He says you’re too independent, not part of the team. He wants to have someone else take over the job. In other words – he wants it himself. He fancies himself prancing round Bali, I think.’

Grace could feel the tension in her body growing as she gripped the phone tightly. ‘Over my dead body. No one else can just walk into this campaign. It’s in my head, it’s how I work and collaborate and create with my team; it’s not a list of instructions that just anyone can follow!’ Her voice was rising. ‘He must know how much this whole Kamasan deal is worth to the agency.’

‘That’s for sure,’ said Allison quietly. ‘This is our biggest account at present.’

Grace paused for a second, and the penny dropped. ‘That’s why he wants this gig: so he can take credit for its success, to show the bosses in New York that he was a good pick as Australian chairman. That he’s a hands-on creative chairman. Bastard.’

Allison said nothing, which only confirmed Grace’s suspicions.

‘Well, I feel like quitting. And if I quit, good luck to whoever has to go back to square one and start over. I have a strong professional relationship here with the client, and a commitment. I’m passionate about this project. It’s more than just a job to me, Alli.’ Grace surprised herself, suddenly realising how much the Kamasan campaign had etched itself into her being. She had started to sense that it was going to be a greater success, both for herself and for the companies involved, than anyone had expected. Plus, she was challenging herself at a time in her life when one part of her felt a failure, and now she was finding strength, independence and faith in her abilities. It felt good.

‘I’m not letting go of this.’ She spoke calmly. ‘I will go and discuss it with the executive of the company here and see how he feels. I will also talk to the CEO of MGI.’

‘What will I say to Spencer?’ asked Alli.

‘Nothing. If he asks, just tell him I returned his call, then had to go to a shoot. Give me a couple of hours.’

‘Okay. Good luck, Grace. I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Grace sighed. ‘It’s not your fault, Alli. Thanks for being upfront.’