Chapter 1
Ding, ding, ding.
The speed of the incoming messages on Chelsea McGinnis’s phone made it sound like a child bashing a xylophone.Her gut clenched as she lunged for it.Nothing good came this fast at this hour of the morning.She spotted the name,Aria Simpson,and her heart went into overdrive.
No, no, no.
What had Aria done?
Her fingers shook as she clicked on the link Ellen, her manager at the advertising company, had sent her.
Nausea swept through her as she read, and she sank onto her unmade hotel bed.Last night’s event had launched Aria as the ambassador for Tours Australia.The post was of the influencer posing with two Indigenous Australian women who had danced at the launch and were still wearing their traditional dress and face paint.The photo itself would have been fine, but Aria’s words put a stake right into Chelsea’s heart.
After all these years they still haven’t embraced modern makeup or clothing.Indigenous ladies, follow me for tips.
Followed by a laugh emoji.
Chelsea closed her eyes and her hands trembled.
There was no coming back from this.All her hard work cajoling the self-entitled prima donna to do what they needed for the campaign was obliterated in one careless, ignorant post.
Months of effort getting Aria to agree to the role at the client’s request, and then thousands of dollars spent touring Aria around the country and filming her, had all been wasted.
No way could they use her as a spokesperson now.
Chelsea scrolled through the comments; some thought she was funny, others were horrified and angry at her disrespect.
Toni, the elder pictured with Aria, would be furious.She had spent months negotiating with Tours Australia to have her cultural tours included on their program.She was a proud and business savvy woman and this would be a kick in the teeth.
Chelsea had known Aria Simpson wasn’t the right person for the role.Model and influencer, now with her own range of makeup, Aria had always been opinionated and potentially divisive, but the client’s representative was a fan and believed she would attract the younger demographic.As if the younger demographic had the funds to take Tours Australia trips.
Her phone vibrated in her hands as a call from Ellen came through.
Shit.
Taking a deep breath, she answered it.“Ellen, what do you need me to do?”
“Get Aria to write an apology and delete the post.”
“She’s not going to.”It was one thing Chelsea had learnt after spending every day for two weeks in the woman’s company—Aria always thought she was right.
“Then you post it.Fix this, Chelsea.Your promotion is on the line.”
Before Chelsea could comment, Ellen hung up.
Shock made her breathless.How was this her fault?She’d spoken against Aria when her name was first raised.
But if Chelsea was associated with this, no one would want her working on their campaigns.She couldn’t afford to lose her promotion because rent on her outer-suburb apartment in Sydney was more than half her pay.
Chelsea inhaled deeply, pushing the panic aside for another time.Fixing things was her superpower.She slipped on her shoes, twisted her chocolate brown hair into a messy French twist and then called Toni.The elder deserved an apology first.
Toni answered on the first ring.“What are you doing to fix this?”Her tone wasn’t aggressive, but it was insistent.
“I’m going to speak to Aria,” Chelsea said.“I’m so sorry for her disrespect.”
“It’s not your fault.That girl wouldn’t know respect if it hit her over the head.”
The tension in Chelsea’s shoulders lessened.She’d really liked Toni’s outlook on life and her dedication to her culture.“I’m hoping to get her to post an apology.”
