Page 39 of The Plot Twist

‘But…’

Verity glared at her ferociously and Allie held her tongue. They broke away and both stared at the table for a while in contemplative silence.

‘And I need to find one fast, because I have rent to pay.’

Allie didn’t know how to put this politely. She had always presumed that with a surname like Montagu-Forbes, Verity didn’t have to think about money. And from everything she knew about the industry, it was almost essential to come from money in order to survive in it.

‘Erm, couldn’t you ask your parents?’ she offered.

Verity laughed hollowly. ‘Ha! Yeah right. Like they have cash to spare.’

‘What does Richard think?’ Allie decided now was not the moment to ask any further questions about Verity’s parents’ cash reserves. But given how loved up Verity had been the last time Allie had seen her it would be just the icing on the cake of unravelling disasters for her to have split up with Richard.

Verity sighed. ‘He thinks the same as you,’ she looked at Allie mulishly, ‘that I should fight it.’

‘I never said that…’ Allie began to protest.

‘No, but you think I should.’ Verity dared Allie to challenge her assertion. ‘And I wish I could.’ Verity’s tone shifted suddenly, from stubbornly resistant to pleading. Allie felt her heartstrings tug and decided that although she sometimes found Verity frightening, she preferred that to this diminished version. ‘God, I do wish I could. I want to take down Jake Matthews and get my job back as much as you and Richard want me to. But I can’t, can I?’

Allie was grateful that Verity barely paused before continuing. She wasn’t sure what she would have said if Verity had left that last statement hanging in the air –Yes you can? Yes you should? Why on earth can’t you?

‘What you and Richard don’t seem to realise is that everyone in the industry thinks Jake Matthews is a shit. But nobodydoesanything about it. And so how can I? He’s protected. It’s a conspiracy of silence. And if I do say something he’ll retaliate. He’ll sue me over this stupid NDA, or make sure I never work in publishing again. Or both!’ Verity threw her hands up in frustration.

‘Can he do that?’ Allie asked dubiously. Jake Matthews did indeed seem like an insidious creep but the way Verity was describing him made him sound like he controlled the industry like a mafia cartel.

‘Yes, he can do that,’ spat Verity. ‘Publishing boys’ club. One word from him and all his “mates” at the other companies will close ranks, I’ll never work for a reputable company again!’ she wailed.

Allie wrinkled her nose. She really wasn’t sure that in this day and age companies could work like that but given the state Verity was in she didn’t think it would be constructive or supportive to challenge her. And really what did she know? Maybe Jake really was pulling the strings behind the scenes. It wasn’t like the precedent was lacking.

Ignoring Verity’s previous comments about alcohol, Allie stood and went to the fridge, returning with the bottle of wine. Not a word of protest passed Verity’s lips as Allie refilled both their glasses. Allie sat watching Verity. She was so far from the serene goddess that Allie had always known her as, the saviour of Allie’s writing dream, the one who had plucked her from nowhere and who had had the vision for her very first book. And it had been Verity who hadalwayschampioned Allie’s books, plugging away at the sales team so that they tried harder, getting her book covers just right, and guiding Allie, seemingly effortlessly, from one success to the next. And now look at her. Allie hated to see how ground down she had become by Jake’s actions, how hollow and sad she seemed. Allie’s heart went out to her, to both of them, sat as they were, an editor with no job and an author with no book. She owed it to Verity to try and fix this.

‘I do wish there was something we could do,’ Verity said eventually. ‘Some way of taking him down.’ Simultaneously they reached for their glasses and took a sip of wine, both enjoying separate fantasies of destroying Jake Matthews.

‘Hey, I’ll tell you something funny though. That assistant of his – Tess? Teresa?’

‘Tessa,’ confirmed Verity gloomily.

‘Tessa, that’s right. I’m sure I heard her in the bathroom at the summer party doing coke.’

Verity sat bolt upright in her chair. ‘You did?’ she asked in a strained voice.

‘Er, well yeah. I mean I thought it was her voice. I didn’t see her or anything. And I mean, I only spoke to her once, when I came in the other week…’ Allie’s voice trailed off. There was a peculiar look on Verity’s face and Allie really didn’t know what to make of it.

‘You said you heard her voice?’

‘Yeees,’ Allie confirmed nervously.

‘In the bathroom?’

‘That’s right…’

‘She was talking to someone else in there? In the bathroom, I mean?’

‘Erm, yes?’ Allie really wasn’t sure where Verity was going with this.

‘So there was someone else in the bathroom doing coke with her?’

‘Well, like I said,’ Allie floundered, ‘I didn’tseeany of this. I was in one of the cubicles. But the girl, Tessa, at least I think it might have been Tessa…’ Allie felt less and less sure of this the more interest that Verity took. ‘Anyway, whoever the girl was, it sounded like she’d been asked to bring the coke by the other person.’

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