Depths of Deceit Read online

  Ava finished the call and lowered her mobile to the desk. “Good morning, Elias.” She reached over and shook his hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you this morning. I had something urgent to attend to.”

  He smiled and motioned to the paperwork in front of him. “It’s okay, I was covered. Blake gave me some advertorials to write for Skin Touch Beauty. I’ve been working on them this morning.”

  “Excellent.” Ava sat down behind her desk and switched on her computer. “I’ll take a look at them later. Did Blake show you around the office and introduce you to everyone?”

  “Not yet.”

  A small smile hooked at her painted lips. “I’ll bring you around to the different departments after lunch. I’m sure everyone is keen to meet you.” Her grin got wider. “We’re a close group here, Elias. I’m hoping you’ll fit into our little family.”

  “I’m a pretty relatable guy, so I hope so too.”

  Ava flipped open a folder on her desk and sorted through the paperwork. “I’m not sure if you researched the company before your interview and if you did, you would’ve seen some interesting—and somewhat defamatory—information on Blue Tail. You’ll hear certain things about the previous owner and it’s important to keep your discretion—if you want to keep your job. Now that you’re working under me, you’ll attract more interest from my competitors and journalists.” She leaned over, her emerald gaze boring into him. “People will confront you. People will judge you. I am confident you can handle it because you’re good at your job.”

  Elias ignored the stab of doubt in his gut. Did he make the right decision accepting this job? He wanted to start over and rebuild a proper career, but how much damage would be done by working with Ava?

  “I’m well aware of the risks.”

  She stood up and wandered to the door. “Why don’t I show you around the office now? I would like to take you out to lunch afterwards.”

  As Ava escorted him through the numerous departments, Elias observed the other staff eying him with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. He noticed there were more women sitting behind desks than men, so it wasn’t surprising he was a figure of interest.

  A thought sparked in a deep, roguish part of his brain when he and Ava passed a large mirror leading down the hall. They looked good together, walking side by side, almost hip to hip. With Ava wearing her fancy designer shoes, they were the same height, which he loved in a woman.

  “I have multiple titles under the Blue Tail Media umbrella,” Ava explained, circumnavigating the Accounts department, shooting quick introductions to the team. “We cater mostly to women’s interest but I publish six other titles, including men and lifestyle. I prefer an open window to appeal to every reader in the market.”

  Elias followed her around, meeting editors, writers, sales, and reception, until they returned to her office where she grabbed her handbag. As they walked outside into the crisp breeze, he looked forward to sharing time with her, one on one. He was keen to unearth this mysterious creature, the woman nicknamed the “man-eater.”

  Chapter 4

  The following three weeks passed by in a blur. Elias spent most of his ten-hour days locked away in Ava’s office, working on press releases or attending meetings with the public relations team, discussing ways to tackle the company’s poor public image. The scandal was still gathering interest in the media, damaging magazine sales and social media perception.

  In the fragile situation Blue Tail Media was in, Elias knew that pumping out repetitive press releases and articles would only have a negative effect in the market. The company’s reputation—and his new job—was at stake.

  He spent a week of coffee-fuelled nights and hours on the phone booking Ava’s appearance on Day Break, a popular morning talk show. Interviewing the new CEO of a tainted women’s interest media company would not only appeal to the stay-at-home mothers—half of Blue Tail’s readership—but would add a feminine touch to a male-dominated industry. Ava was attractive, professional, reserved, and relatable—the perfect antidote to break a viewer’s perception. But it would take time and the only thing Elias could do was work as hard as he could to get Ava’s face across all Australian television.

  He stood in the shadows of the studio lights, watching Ava being interviewed by the host. She looked radiant in her tight-fitting black dress and rosy lips, her shoulder-length hair falling like copper ribbons around her face. She sat on the couch with her long legs curled in front of her, her posture unwavering. If looks had the power to manipulate the public, Blue Tail’s magazine sales would soar. Ava’s gaze flicked towards him and a barely detectable smile pulled at her lips.

  “Your publishing juggernaut Blue Tail Media has a low consumer rating due to the scandal,” the host Joel Summers asked, leaning towards Ava with interest. “Everyone wants to know how will you regain buyer trust?”

  “Our readership is very important to us,” Ava replied. “They are our life blood. Blue Tail Media is a reputable business, topping the ASX list for best Australian company in 2015. I don’t want to let our readers down by producing low-quality publications. We have a strong team working behind the scenes listening to customer feedback. In this current age, we are working on shifting our business to meet all digital needs and most importantly, distancing ourselves from the scandal.”

  “Former employee Lily Harolds filed a class action lawsuit against the company, creating one of the largest scandals Australia has ever seen. You’ve remained quiet in the press about it. Has there been any developments?”

  For a brief moment, Elias saw fear flicker in Ava’s eyes. It was the first time he’d seen her show weakness. There was a lot about the scandal that hadn’t been released to the media. This was the first time he’d heard about the lawsuit and he wondered how much information Ava had kept from him.

  Ava brushed her tongue along her teeth before answering Joel. “I have a reliable and professional legal team who’s currently in negotiations with Ms. Harolds regarding her lawsuit. I trust it will be settled outside of court.”

  “Is it true the board knew of Ms. Harolds before she made the accusations?”

  Despite the host’s obvious attempt to weaken Ava’s resolve, she kept her remarkably unshakable poker face. “Ms. Harolds was known to the board purely as an employee. I cannot comment for the individuals’ personal knowledge of Ms. Harolds.”

  A subtle look of relief crossed Ava’s face when a producer called for an ad break. A makeup artist came on set to touch up her makeup, hovering for a moment to have a quick chat. Elias supposed it was to soften her nerve. The interview wasn’t what he expected at all, feeling like it was an attack on Ava personally.

  “Are you Ms. Wolfe’s new assistant?” A man approached Elias, dressed in a casual T-shirt and jeans, a portable walkie-talkie attached to his hip. His name badge on his lapel read Brent Paterson. “I believe we spoke on the phone.”

  “No, I’m the new Director of Communications. How many assistants have there been?” Elias joked.

  “Too many to count.”

  Ignoring Brent’s dry remark, Elias fished his mobile from his pocket and scrolled through his emails. “Listen, I want to talk to you. The questions your team sent over to me on Monday weren’t the ones I had approved. It kinda feels like Joel wants Ava to fail on national television. What the hell is his problem?”

  “I’m sorry about that,” Brent said. “Trust me, the other producers and I weren’t aware he would ask these questions either.”

  “Why aren’t you doing anything about it?”

  The man lifted a shoulder. “It makes for great TV.”

  “Elias!”

  He turned when Ava called out his name from her spot on the couch. As he neared, a flicker of concern flashed in her eyes. She wrapped her fingers around his arm, not tightly, however strong enough so h
e couldn’t move.

  “Get me out of here,” she hissed.

  “I don’t think you can simply walk out,” Elias advised. “Your interview was booked from ten to ten-thirty.” He checked his watch. “It’s only ten-fifteen now.”

  “I don’t care. Find an excuse. Tell a producer something came up.”

  Elias pushed out a breath of air and noticed Joel walking back towards the couch. Live television was unpredictable. Things went wrong all the time. However, how could he justify severing Ava’s interview without leaving a shadow on her reputation? Her name alone was associated to the scandal and she wasn’t even involved firsthand.

  Elias bent down and brushed his lips against her ear. “You need to rebuild the public’s trust,” he whispered. “I know today hasn’t gone to plan, and trust me, I’ll be making some waves of my own. But it’s important to keep going. It shows the viewers you’re able to withstand the tough questions.” He paused for a beat. “What I learned from my last job is to feed the public what they want. Give them what they want to hear and it will be over before you know it. Trust me.”

  She gazed at him doubtfully. “I hired you to help me with public relations. Don’t let me down.”

  “I’m on your side, Ava. I’ll always do what’s best for you and for the company.”

  She shot him one of her sly smiles. “If you’re right and I make it out of here with my reputation intact, I’m giving you a raise.”

  An hour later, Elias walked out of the studio able to breathe again. Ava surprised him with her tenacity and grace under pressure, killing the rest of the interview. She exited the set with a renewed bounce in her step like she held the world in the palm of her hand.

  He waited for her outside the television studio, holding open the door to her taxi. She came out of the building with her head down, phone plastered to her ear, ignorant to the friendly smile Elias shot her before she slipped into the seats.

  He sat beside her, listening to her conversation with one of the editors. Ava had relied on Elias’s ingenuity to win back viewers’ trust during the interview. Now, she acted like he didn’t exist at all, turning away from him in the backseat, knees drawn to the door, her head facing the street. Elias had learned to shake the feeling of neglect. She was his boss. Nothing more.

  Besides, he looked forward to having dinner with Daisy tonight. He needed something, someone stable and familiar in his life.

  He dug out his tablet from his briefcase and viewed his calendar. Ava finished her phone call and leaned across the seat. “What do I have on this afternoon?”

  “You have a meeting at four with an advertising executive from Chanel and a phone conference at six with your accountant.”

  “Cancel them.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Cancel them,” she echoed, lowering a hand onto his knee, squeezing it. “We’ve both had a stressful day and I know a great bar down the road. I’m in need of a stiff drink after that ruthless interview.” She lifted her hand when his shoulders stiffened. “Do you have plans tonight?”

  Elias chewed at his bottom lip, thinking how hard it was to obtain a table at the popular Italian restaurant where he planned to go. “I have dinner reservations at six thirty.”

  A strange look he couldn’t identify crossed Ava’s face. “Oh, with your girlfriend?”

  “Just a friend.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “Juliana on George Street.”

  “You’ll love it there,” Ava gushed. “I know the owners personally and if I’d known you wanted to go, I would’ve gotten you the best table. But I’m sure it won’t matter, anyway. It’s the company that’s important, right?” Ava tapped the glass separating them from the driver and relayed directions to the bar. “I won’t keep you out for long, I promise.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Elias bolted into his apartment at six-fifteen and shed his clothes on the way to the shower. He was running incredibly late. The friendly drink at the bar drew longer than he anticipated, with Ava buying him shots of vodka for two hours. Not wanting to be rude, he accepted each one, feeling the haze of insobriety clouding his brain as he showered. As he pulled on a fresh dress shirt and pants, he sent Daisy a text:

  Elias: Running late. Got caught up at work. Be there soon.

  He grabbed his wallet and keys off the dresser and dashed for the train. Twenty minutes later, he stumbled into the restaurant out of breath. He spotted Daisy across the room, sitting underneath a dome of lamplight. He could tell by the tautness of her pink lips that she was angry at him.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” Elias said as he reached the table, bending down to kiss her cheek. “I had to help an editor put a magazine to print.”

  “It doesn’t matter anymore. Anyway, I took the liberty of ordering entrees,” Daisy said at last, reaching for her almost emptied wineglass. “I hope antipasto and bruschetta is okay with you.”

  “It’s fine.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the soft ambience of the buzzing Italian restaurant. Waiters dressed in black and white uniforms weaved between the tables, holding trays of food and bottles of wine above their heads. An orchestra played the classics from speakers in the corners of the ceiling.

  “I saw your boss on Day Break today,” Daisy said. “She is very beautiful.”

  “What did you think of the interview?”

  “I think the host asked all the right hard-hitting questions. Blue Tail Media has a lot to answer for.”

  “As a matter of fact, Ava was thrown underneath the bus,” Elias argued. “The interview was an attack on her. They didn’t ask any of the questions I had approved and—”

  “Were you really expecting Ava to appear as the innocent party?” Daisy interjected. “She bought a company fresh from a national scandal. She had to anticipate some curiosity from the media. They’re only doing their jobs. I would want to know why a businesswoman purchased a publishing company from a man who allegedly impregnated his young secretary. Did she ever tell you why she bought it?”

  “No, it’s never come up.” He picked up his wine and drained the glass. He didn’t want to fight with Daisy. He wanted to talk about their future. When their entrees arrived, he ordered another bottle of red wine and reached for Daisy’s hands across the table. “No more talk about work. I want to talk about us.”

  Her navy eyes softened. “I was surprised you wanted to have dinner on a work night. What’s the occasion?”

  “There’s no occasion. I thought a night out with you was long overdue. We don’t hang out as often we used to.”

  “My life is busy, Elias,” Daisy said matter-of-factly. “My job takes up a lot of my time, you know that.” She lowered her gaze to the table. “A friendship works both ways, Elias. You can’t expect me to organise every coffee date.”

  “I booked the table, didn’t I?” he said with a smile.

  “I guess so.”

  “In fact, I haven’t been completely honest with you.”

  Her eyebrow hooked. “What are you talking about?”

  “I asked you out to dinner because I wanted to ask you something.”

  “Like what?”

  He stroked the top of her hand with his thumb. “I don’t need any more time to figure us out. I’ve decided what I want. You, Daisy. You’ve been the one constant in my life. The one person I can trust. What do you say we give this another try?”

  “Oh.” Two spots of colour warmed Daisy’s cheeks and she slipped her hand out from underneath his. “Where did this come from, Elias? The last time we spoke about our future, you steered the conversation to something else.”

  “My life is progressing faster than I ever anticipated and I don’t want to leave you behind. What do you think?”

  Daisy opened her m
outh to reply when Elias’s mobile phone buzzed in his pocket. Cursing under his breath, he checked the caller ID. It was Ava. He flashed Daisy an apologetic smile. “I have to take this. I won’t be long.” He dashed outside to answer the call. “Hello, Ava.”

  “How’s your meal?” The soft purr of her voice resonated in his ears.

  “Haven't eaten yet. How can I help you?”

  “I need you to do a favour for me. I received a call from Otto Shop and they have our cheque ready. Tony’s keeping the shop open until seven-thirty. Do you think you can swing by and pick it up? It’s not far from Juliana.”

  Elias checked his watch. It was seven o’clock already. He glanced back into the restaurant and saw Daisy sitting in her chair, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. By accepting Ava’s offer, he knew that he would have to be available outside of work hours too, but tonight was meant to be a fresh start with Daisy. In retrospect, he should’ve turned his phone off.

  “Our mains haven’t arrived yet, Ava,” Elias replied carefully. “Is it possible for Otto Shop to remain open until eight? I can’t just leave my date.”

  She sighed into the phone. “Elias, it would make my life easier if you could go over tonight. Account’s been chasing them for payment for months. Can you do it for me?” She paused and then added under her breath, “I know it’s a lot to ask.”

  Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. The clothing store was three blocks away. He could walk there and make it back to Daisy in under twenty minutes. “All right. I’ll go.”

  “Thank you, Elias,” Ava said before she hung up.

  When Elias returned to his table, a steaming plate of lamb shanks and vegetables was waiting for him. He pulled out his seat but didn’t sit down. “I have to go,” he announced, grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair.