Of course Laura was angry, she must clearly have wanted to run the campaign herself. It was, after all, bringing in a large sum of money for the company. So Mia understood how Laura must be feeling right now, but at the same time they were going to have to find a way to get on with it.

‘I could do with your input actually,’ Mia said, watching Laura stiffen as she ploughed on. ‘I’d appreciate your thoughts on what I’m presenting – you’ve known the brand for so long after all …’ She was waffling, but Laura wasn’t answering as Mia sucked in a short breath. ‘It would be good to see if you can spot anything I’ve missed.’

‘You want me to help you out, so that you can present the work to the client?’ Laura’s eyebrows rose and she gestured to a small meeting room to the side of them. Mia followed her in. When Laura had closed the door behind them, she said, ‘Mia, I have to be honest. I’m a little shocked you’re still here. You were only supposed to be covering for my maternity leave.’

Mia knew this was coming and yet now they were here, pressed into the smallest of rooms, she didn’t know how to respond.

Laura pursed her lips and then said, ‘I’m grateful you’ve been keeping my accounts running, but I’ve been managing Coopers for the last five years. I know it back to front. Harry knows I’m ready to take it back again, and while I’m sure you’ve made a great start on the TV campaign, I’ll be wanting it handed back to me as soon as possible.’

Mia watched as Laura straightened her back. This was completely patronising – did Laura really have no idea how capable she was?

Maybe it was her own doing, Mia understood that. In the interview she had told Laura what she wanted to hear, because she needed this job and she’d had to get it. What she had quickly deciphered was that Laura didn’t want someone who was a threat, she wanted an assistant. Someone who could keep things going for her, and then Laura could walk back in and pick up where she left off. So it wasn’t Laura’s fault that she didn’t know how easily Mia could run a TV campaign, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t pissed off with the way Laura was talking to her. Especially after she’d already snapped her fingers to get Mia out of her desk.

Mia wondered what she could possibly say right now, when it appeared Harry had told Laura the bare minimum; and if that were the case, then Laura was going to keep pestering her. But at the same time Mia was also wary of Laura and Harry’s close relationship and, above anything, she could not lose this job.