‘But you’re not flourishing, are you? Left on your own, the company will fold within the year.’
‘That’s absolute rubbish!’ Tina’s blue eyes flashed dismissively. She’d heard Berry’s was in trouble, but things weren’t that bad. ‘I know some of Berry’s magazines are losing money. But not all of them are. I know Scope isn’t, for a fact.’
‘No, it isn’t. It’s doing rather well. The only one that is.’
‘So, you see, we could survive very well without you.’
‘We? You mean Scope. The others would go under.’ The dark eyes narrowed and seemed to hook into her face. ‘But you don’t care about that, do you? You only care about yourself.’
This time Tina retaliated. ‘You couldn’t be further from the truth. What I want is for all of Berry’s magazines to survive—which they won’t, for sure, if you get your hands on them!’
Eyes sparking, she accused him, ‘You talk so high and mighty, but I know what’s really at the back of this take-over. You want to take over Berry’s. just so you can get your hands on Scope. We’re doing too well for your comfort, aren’t we?’
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’
Faker! He knew what she meant! For Tina was suddenly absolutely certain that all the other dreadful rumours she’d been hearing were true too. There was a lot more in the air than just a simple take-over. But if he wanted to play dumb, she’d be only to happy to explain.
‘We’re too much competition for Miranda these days. Miranda’s losing readers to us. Everybody knows it. And you don’t like that. That’s why you want to buy us—so you can merge Scope with Minanda and keep your precious flagship afloat!’
And keep your precious fiancée in a job, she might have added. For his fiancée, the Red Dragon, was the editor of Minanda.
Justin paused for an instant, as though he might deny the accusation. Then a slow, callous smile spread over his face.
‘Well, naturally I would want to keep Miranda afloat. And naturally I’ll take whatever measures are required, no matter how unpalatable they may be to some.’
‘So, you are going to fold Scope?’
‘You’ll find out in good time.’ He paused and fixed her with eyes of granite. ‘So, you’re admitting it at last. All you’re really worried about’s your own job.’
Tina’s cheeks had grown pale. All her worst fears were confirmed. The magazine she loved and had poured her life into was about to be ruthlessly sacrificed.
And it wasn’t fair! All at once, she was trembling with fury.
‘Of course I’m worried about my job. I’d be a liar if I denied it.’ Tina spoke softly—after all, they were in a public place—yet every taut syllable seethed with outrage. ‘But my first concern is Scope. It’s a good magazine. It’s an excellent magazine. A leader in its field. How can you do this?’ Her voice was cracking with emotion as she searched his eyes in vain for some spark of compassion. ‘Can’t you see that Scope is special? It doesn’t deserve to be sacrificed just to please you and your—’
For some reason she faltered, the word sticking in her throat.
She saw Justin smile. ‘Me and my what?’
It was the smile that did it. Something snapped inside her.
‘You and that bitch of a fiancée of yours!’ she spat.
Tina was mortified. All she’d meant to say was fiancée. The bitch bit had somehow come tumbling out on its own.
As she stood there, pale-faced, Justin watched her for a moment as though she were some crawly thing that had just escaped from behind a rock. Then, detaching his eyes, he glanced at his watch.
‘I’m afraid I have to go now. I have an empire to run. But if not a pleasure, at least it’s been most illuminating bumping into you.’
He started to turn away, then he paused and fixed his eyes on her face again.
‘I knew I was going to enjoy working alongside you again, but until this moment I hadn’t realised quite how much.’ He smiled his tiger’s smile again. ‘What was that phrase you used earlier? Having you in my claws, I believe, was how you put it. Yes, I can tell I’m going to enjoy that very much.’
Then, before she could say a word, he was turning on his heel and disappearing swiftly off through the crowd.
Tina watched him go through eyes that could barely focus, feeling seasick with the horror that poured through her in great waves. Though it wasn’t Justin’s warning that filled her with horror. It was her own spiteful outburst against his fiancée.
That had taken her by surprise. It had genuinely shocked her. Usually, she just made jokes about the Red Dragon. But a moment ago she definitely hadn’t been joking. There’d been real anger, real dislike, real resentment in her heart against the woman who, three years ago, had stolen the man she loved. There’d been the kind of pain she’d believed she’d put behind her long ago.
She shivered. To know that pain still lurked inside her, ready to scrape at any moment like a dagger against her heart, filled her with a fear that was far more terrible than the fear of anything that Justin could do to her.
Although as she stared after him she was aware that that scared her too. What terrible, evil revenge was he planning?
CHAPTER TWO
IT WAS only after Justin had gone and Tina had recovered her senses that she realised she was still holding his handkerchief in her hand. She shoved it in her bag, resisting the urge to chuck it in some corner. One thing she definitely wouldn’t do was run after him to return it!
Back home at the end of the day she deposited it in the washing machine, handling it at arm’s length, as though it might bite her. And that was where it still was as she sat at her office desk next morning, struggling to concentrate on the manuscript before her. Though it was hard. Her mind kept skipping back to yesterday’s encounter with Justin.
It had tormented her all night. She’d scarcely slept a wink for the horror she still felt at her shameful outburst against his fiancée.
What on earth had provoked it? Where had these long-dead feelings come from? The pain, the anger, the sense of loss, the resentment? She didn’t care any more that she’d lost Justin to the Red Dragon. Losing Justin, she’d come to realise, had been a lucky escape. So what on earth had caused her to react like that?
Some kind of madness, she’d decided. That mocking smile he’d smiled at her had thrown her back to that moment three years ago when she’d discovered that the man she’d believed was in love with her had just got engaged to another woman.
The Red Dragon, when she’d broken the news to her, had smiled a smile like that.
Tina clenched her teeth now and scowled down at the manuscript before her. But all that was ancient history and she’d long since got over it. As far as she was concerned, the Red Dragon was welcome to him. She and Justin could marry any time they liked.
In fact, the sooner the better. For Tina it would be a relief. It would finally draw a line beneath the entire messy episode.
‘Hi there! How’s my favourite acting editor?’
Tina started and glanced up as a voice broke through her reverie. Then she smiled at the wiry, leather-jacketed figure who was grinning down at her from the other side of her desk.
‘Hi, Mike.’ As always, she was delighted to see him. Mike Laing was one of the top fashion photographers in London and he also happened to be a very good friend.