The sharp whip of fury short-circuited whatever crude suggestion Felicity was about to make, and all heads whirled to face Elena stalking into the room.
Maddie, who’d been seconds away from lashing Felicity for implying she’d slept with someone to get a story, couldn’t have been more stunned at the anger on the media mogul’s face.
“Felicity,” Elena repeated, her voice low. “Do you know what is the only thing more foolish than deliberately insulting the writer who has an exclusive that the entire publishing world is desperate to run?”
Felicity shook her head mutely.
“Deliberately insulting the writer of an exclusive that I want to run,” Elena snapped.
A red hue crept up Felicity’s neck to her cheeks.
“You will apologise for your baseless, gutter insinuations,” Elena said, tone icy. “Now.”
“I’m very sorry,” Felicity said, her words a contrite mumble. “I didn’t mean it. Of course I don’t think you… I mean…ah…I just got such a shock.”
Elena gave a disbelieving sneer. “And every time someone gives you a shock, do you accuse them of prostituting themselves?”
Felicity turned scarlet.
“Why don’t you take Oscar for a walk, while you contemplate how your future in my employ is linked to any further idiocy that might leave your mouth. About an hour should do it. He hasn’t been properly walked since yesterday morning. And do dress him warmly.”
Maddie, Perry, and Felicity all glanced at the windows. It was blowing a frigid gale.
“Now, Felicity.”
Felicity scrambled up and left the room, shooting a mortified glance back at Maddie, as she went to track down the dog.
Mask back on, Elena turned to her, expression neutral once more. “I have a typist ready to begin transcribing your interview.”
Maddie had a hard time following the sudden mood shift. “Sorry, what? Why? I can…”
“Unless you can type up a four-hour interview faster than 200 words a minute, it makes sense to outsource it to Sydney’s fastest available typist,” Elena said, tone brisk.
Perry pointed to his laptop and told Elena. “The interview’s on there. On the desktop.”
Elena nodded. “Good. Give it to Ingrid to type up. She’s in the study. Then go over the cover work with Jonas, whenever our illustrious graphic designer deigns to show up.”
Perry left, and Elena slid onto his vacated stool. She studied Maddie for a moment, then sighed. “They will say this about you, you know.”
Maddie’s brow creased in confusion.
“What Felicity suggested. Because of the gossip-column photo and now your world exclusive, that will be the first accusation you get. You will need to be prepared for it.”
Maddie thought about that. Damn. She’s right.
“And they will be even less kind than Felicity was. Trust me, I know what they’re capable of. It’s vile.”
Maddie suddenly understood the source of Elena’s anger. For years, when Elena had started out, gossip writers, under the safety of anonymity, had implied she’d slept with all sorts of investors and board members to make her way so far in the business world. They couldn’t get their heads around the fact that a woman had come out of nowhere, without a rich family, a background in the business, or a sugar daddy, and become a self-made multi-millionaire. So, they’d made assumptions.
“It’s the price successful and prominent women pay,” Elena added with a sour look, “and what’s worse is, you will find other women can be your worst enemies. We don’t need fists to injure. Oh no, we are far more brutal than that.”
Maddie digested her words. “I appreciate the warning. I also really don’t think Felicity meant what she said.”
“Then she should not say something if she didn’t mean it.” Elena paused. “I think this is where we came in,” she added with a rueful look. “Was I not lamenting how hard it is for people to speak the truth, not so long ago?”
“True. God, so much has happened since we had that innocent little conversation before our bet.”
Elena gave her a long look. Her lips twitched. “That conversation was many things, Madeleine, but innocent was not one of them. And I believe you know it.”
Surprise rippled through Maddie. What was she saying? That she was well aware Maddie had a crush on her? Or worse than a crush? Fear and embarrassment wrestled inside her. Was she that obvious?
Maddie desperately sought the answers on Elena’s face. There were none. The woman’s smile merely widened.
Maddening.
“Now come on,” Elena said, straightening. “I believe I promised you a day of hell.”
CHAPTER 22
Filleting a Fish
Elena hadn’t been kidding. The day was a wash of chaos and pressure, stress and anxiety. In the eye of the hurricane swirling all around her, Maddie wrote like a demon.
At times, people would appear at her side. Felicity, looking windblown after her excursion with Oscar, had slid a glazed doughnut onto the table beside her without saying a word. Her version of an apology, Maddie supposed. Being within the mere orbit of all those carbs was probably giving Felicity vapours.
Victor would appear whenever she had a question about magazine style. The man was like a walking bible of grammar and spelling.
Perry would breeze in and out, mutter something with the word “Maddie” in it, but after the first half-dozen interruptions, she’d just tuned him out as she focused.
