Victoria breezed into her office, surprised to see Phoebe Wheeler waiting for her. The photographer was lounging on the sofa, scrolling on her phone.
“Working on a Saturday?” Victoria asked. “Eager to present your ideas?”
“I emailed you some,” Phoebe confessed. “I’m actually here about something else.”
Victoria put her handbag by the desk and sat down. She looked at the desktop setup of magazines and water that had been laid out by either Claudia or Louise, whoever had drawn the short straw of suddenly working over the weekend.
“‘Something else’ sounds ominous,” Victoria commented.
“It is. Jimmy Cutler is being sued for sexual harassment,” Phoebe said. She stood up and walked over to the chair in front of Victoria’s desk and sat down again. “Something from the seventies. It always catches up with them eventually.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. It seemed that not a week went by without some high-profile man being accused of some form of misconduct. How they’d all managed to get any work done over the years was beyond her. All of them seemed to have been up to something worthy of jail. She shuddered at the thought.
“So, we need to scrap the entire Bermuda shoot segment,” Victoria said, realising that she was suddenly in for a number of long days and that her budget for the next issue was about to be stretched beyond recognition.
“I don’t think we have time,” Phoebe said. “With the models’ schedules at this time of year, there’s nothing we can do. On top of that, we’ve already submitted the budget request for the next issue, and it doesn’t include a whole new shoot.”
Victoria could feel her blood pressure rising. “We need alternatives fast. Is there anything we can repurpose?” She hated to do it, but sometimes it was necessary. On rare occasions, even a magazine as professional as Arrival needed to create a story out of nothing.
“I’ve been looking at some ideas, but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible,” Phoebe said.
Victoria buzzed her outer office. “Editorial meeting in one hour. Tell everyone to turn up or empty their desks.”
She knew it was asking a lot for the whole team to assemble on a Saturday morning and her threat was flimsy at best, but no one needed to know that.
“Thank you for the heads-up,” Victoria addressed Phoebe.
Phoebe stood up. “No problem. I’ll go through my archives and see if I have anything that could work.”
Victoria nodded, already opening her laptop and accessing her emails. She didn’t even notice Phoebe leave. The last-minute change was the last thing she needed.
She decided then and there to rewrite her Letter from the Editor piece; someone had to say something about the filthy men and their handsy ways. She’d give them a piece of her mind they’d not soon forget, as well as congratulate and offer support to the brave women who were working to bring them down.
Victoria was lucky that she’d never personally been victimised by men, but she knew that was simply a matter of managing to be in the right place at the right time. As a woman in business, especially in the fashion industry, she’d heard all too many tales of other women who hadn’t been so fortunate.
It made her blood boil.
“Heard about Cutler?”
Victoria jumped at Gideon’s sudden presence in her office.
“Yes, I’ve just been told. Is everyone working this weekend?”
“I came in as soon as I heard. I have a few ideas to plug the gap,” he said. He picked up a magazine from her desk and leafed through it. “Have you and Holly resolved things yet?”
Victoria shook her head. “No.”
He looked over the top of the magazine. “Really?”
“Is it such a surprise?” she asked.
“Frankly, yes.” He put the magazine back. “I know you have strong feelings for each other, I thought this would be a temporary bump in the road. I can’t imagine what could pull you apart.”
“Well, I don’t know what else to say.” She turned away, having to smother a smile at his confirmation that he believed them to be a well-suited couple. She wished he’d go and have a conversation with Phoebe and tell her the same.
“I don’t want to put my nose where it doesn’t belong,” he started, “but maybe I should speak to Holly? See if I can get to the bottom of all of this?”
Victoria shrugged. “If you like.”
“I would like. I don’t like the thought of you two being apart. I had an outfit picked out for the wedding.”
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “The wedding?”
“I presumed you would get married eventually,” he replied. “I don’t know a better-suited pair, despite the obvious differences. You two always seemed to work.”
Victoria licked her lips. Her eyes darted to the door to her office. She wanted to tell him everything, to come clean and explain the entire ruse, but she didn’t know if it was the right thing to do. She didn’t know anything anymore.
“Close the door,” she told him.
He frowned but did as she asked. Before he’d even had a chance to sit back down, she was wringing her hands in uncertainty.
“Victoria? What is it?”
“It’s all a lie,” she said, the words almost erupting from her.
“A lie? What’s a lie?”
“Our breakup, it’s all a lie. We never really broke up at all. It’s this stupid plan because of these ridiculous lies and images, and Holly doesn’t trust anyone and now I don’t trust anyone either. But I have to tell someone or I’m going to lose my mind!”
Gideon raised his hands to calm her down. He leaned across the table and sought to meet her gaze.
“Tell me what’s happening,” he requested.
She took a deep breath and poured herself half a glass of water, quickly downing it. She told him everything. The images, the war room in the storage unit, Holly’s hotel, the suspects, the possibility of it being someone at Arrival.
When she was done, she was out of breath and felt a ton weight lift from her shoulders.
“No one knows,” she told him firmly. “Not even the children.”
Gideon looked stunned. He removed his glasses, plucked the handkerchief out from his suit jacket pocket, and methodically cleaned each lens. His brow furrowed as he took in everything he’d just heard.
“Victoria, I am so sorry that this is happening to you. To you both,” he finally said. “And I’m grateful you confided in me, I’m so pleased I have your trust. I understand the need for secrecy. Obviously, my lips are sealed. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”
“And Holly experienced a flashback.” She sat back in her chair.
He looked surprised. “Of?”
“Me. In Paris. After my hem disaster.”
“The floor-length Valentino?”
“Yes.”
“You looked divine that night, darling.”
She smirked. She knew she had, but it was nice to hear the compliment all the same.
“So, the memories are in there,” Gideon said. “Or at least some of them are.”
She felt the smirk slip away. “Yes, unfortunately.” She winced. “I didn’t mean that. Of course, I want Holly to have her memories back. I just, I fear them. I fear them so very much.”
“Holly adores you. She did before all of this,” Gideon told her. “I can understand the instinct to not want her to remember, but I think it will make you both stronger if and when she does remember.”
Victoria wasn’t so sure.
“Doubt many things,” Gideon said, “but don’t doubt Holly’s love for you.”