‘So I’m sorry, Mia, but I won’t be helping you run this campaign just so that you can take the credit for it.’

‘I realise you’ve been doing this job for a long time—’

‘Only now you are.’

Mia held a tight breath. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Now I am. And I want to continue doing a good job. Which is why I thought you might help me, but obviously I’m wrong.’

‘Do you know, I don’t actually remember you having that much account-director experience,’ Laura said sharply.

Mia could feel the bite on Laura’s tongue and the sneer in her voice. So that was the game she was going to play. Make out Mia didn’t deserve to be in this role, as if she hadn’t been putting everything into it over the last six months, proving her worth. Clearly Harry hadn’t told Laura the reasons he wasn’t readily handing the Coopers account back to her, but Mia wished he would, so she could get this woman off her back.

‘You wanted a temporary role,’ Laura persisted. ‘You told me that yourself in the interview. You said you didn’t want to stay in Lymington. That was why you were coming to cover me. So what’s happened?’

Mia thought for a moment. ‘Things have changed,’ she said eventually. ‘And I’m enjoying working at Morris & Wood. I love the people, it’s great experience …’ She trailed off; she didn’t need to answer to Laura Denning any more, she wasn’t being interviewed. She certainly didn’t work for Laura, as much as Laura might like to think she did. They were on the same level. ‘Laura, this is the way it is, and I’m sorry you’re not happy about it, but I’m running the Coopers campaign. I understand if you don’t want to help me, I just thought I’d ask,’ she said and she moved past Laura and opened the door.

Outside she caught sight of Sarah Clifton hovering nearby again and while she knew she shouldn’t add fuel to the fire, Mia called out, ‘Hey, Sarah, do you mind if we catch up on the creatives you’re working on for me?’

Mia didn’t look back as Sarah nodded, albeit appearing a little confused. Mia took Sarah’s arm and led her towards another meeting room, where she’d brush off what she’d just said and turn the conversation instead onto Sarah, who’d been wanting to talk to her privately anyway. Behind her she felt Laura’s wrath seeping out of the doorway.