Free The One You Fear by Paul Pilkington Page B

could really do with air-conditioning, especially during warmer spells. The agency was situated just a few minutes from the station, in the heart of the capital. This was prime real-estate territory, and rent on the two-storey, glass-fronted building that housed the EXCEL-ENT media agency must have been astronomical. The agency was just a few years old, having been set up by a breakaway group of agents from a traditional agency, following a fall-out over company direction in the new digital age. It had a reputation of pushing the boundaries in maximising opportunities and income for their clients (and in turn, the agents themselves), and it covered all fields of media, including publishing, television, film, music, and digital. The agency now represented some of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry.
    That’s why it had seemed such an honour to receive the unsolicited invite from Diana Saunders. She was a company director, and one of the founding members. She was also leading new developments with the company. From what Emma had heard, most of Diana’s working week was now spent flying between the UK and the United States, where the agency had just set up a New York office. So the fact she was prepared to take time to meet with Emma was a huge compliment.
    ‘Well,’ Lizzy said, looking up at the building. ‘Good luck. Just give me a call when you’re finished. I’ll be in the swanky clothes shops, just around the corner.’
    ‘Thanks.’ Emma felt nervous as she reported to reception. She was led into the waiting lift, and emerged into an open-plan office.
    A girl, smiling broadly, approached and proffered a hand. ‘Emma, pleased to meet you. I’m Cathy, Diana’s assistant. She’ll be with you in a minute. She’s just finishing a call. Please, just take a seat through there.’ She gestured towards an office to the left. ‘Can I get you a tea, coffee?’
    ‘Just water would be great.’
    Emma perched on the edge of the chair, sipping the water, as Diana breezed in to the room.
    ‘Diana Saunders. Sorry for that,’ she said, flipping her trademark dark-rimmed glasses up into her hairline. She was wearing a dark 1980s-style power suit, and her jet-black hair was pulled tightly back. ‘Important call.’
    ‘It’s really nice to meet you,’ Emma said, feeling somewhat in awe of this woman whom she’d heard so much about.
    ‘And you, and you.’ Diana seemed distracted. She had pulled out her mobile phone, and was scrolling through the display. ‘I have an email here, somewhere. Somewhere here… yes, here it is.’ She placed the phone on the desk without any explanation And finally looked at Emma properly. ‘Yes, really nice to meet you, Emma.’
    Emma smiled back, not quite knowing what to say next. ‘I was surprised when you got in touch.’
    ‘Good, good. I like to surprise people. Tell me, Emma, what’s the most captivating plot you’ve been involved in so far?’ She replaced her glasses and sat back.
    ‘Well, erm…’ This was an unexpected first question. Emma tried to think through some of the many plots that had occurred during her time on the soap opera Up My Street . Okay, they were often outlandish, but they were nearly always captivating. Some people viewed soaps as a low form of entertainment, but in fact they were one of the highest forms, knowing just how to draw people in and keep their attention on what happened next – which was why millions of viewers tuned in to every episode. ‘Maybe the episode with the fire in the nightclub,’ she said. That had been one of the most expensive episodes in the show’s history, and Emma had played a starring role. She was very proud of that one.
    ‘Wrong!’ Diana said. ‘Absolutely, totally wrong.’
    Emma flushed red. ‘I don‘t under...’.
    ‘Your real life,’ Diana said, ‘ that’s the most captivating plot.’
    ‘But… I thought you meant…’
    ‘Fiction?’ she smiled. ‘Fact, fiction, it’s all the same to