Read Online Ghostwriting by Traci Harding - Free Book Online

Her fingers hit the keys to take down her thoughts.
    My investigations at an end, I realise that I have spent most of my life being seduced by a conundrum that I already understood — I held the essence of the Holy Grail in my hand the whole time, in the form of a golden pen.
    Amy smiled. For the first time ever, she was sure that Olivia would approve of her addition.
    Â 
    â€˜There you go, the completed manuscript.’ Amy handed The Grail Seduction over to Asta, who gasped in awe.
    â€˜Where did you find the missing chapter?’ Asta rushed straight to the lounge and sat down, discarding the bulk of the pages to skip straight to the conclusion.
    â€˜In Olivia’s bedside table.’
    Asta’s heart skipped a beat and her eyes narrowed as she looked over at Amy, undecided as to whether to believe her.
    Asta had spoken with Olivia the night before her death and at that point her client had yet to put pen to paper on the conclusion. When Olivia died the following morning and the summary chapter was not to be found with the other pages, Asta had assumed the worst. She was the first to notice the AMY FIN scribbled on the top of the box, and had taken the liberty of preempting Olivia’s dying wish by writing ‘ISH’ on the desk.
    The agent devoured the last few pages, tears filling her eyes as she read. ‘Fantastic!’ she decreed, piling the precious pages back in order. ‘It is everything it should be, and more. Good job, Amy, very well done.’
    Amy was rather taken aback by the amount of credit Asta’s tone awarded her, and she wondered ifAsta suspected her involvement. ‘Olivia was a great talent, and she will continue to inspire the masses from beyond the grave.’ Amy reached for her handbag.
    â€˜So what shall you do now?’ Asta stood to prevent Amy’s escape. What if this young woman had written the brilliant conclusion? She wasn’t about to let potential like that escape her stables. ‘Any aspirations to write?’
    Amy was a startled by the question, and the attention. ‘To tell you the truth, Asta, I’ve never seriously tried. Aspiring is one thing, doing is something else again. Still, if the muse ever does strike, you’ll be the first to know. Ah, make that the second,’ she decided, smiling briefly as Liam came to mind. ‘With any luck, I’ll be seeing you.’
    As Asta watched Amy walk to the front door, she knew the truth behind the chapter. ‘I’ll look forward to reading your work,’ she said.
    Stage Seven: Death and Rebirth
    With the golden pen in hand, Amy spent two days staring at a blank piece of paper. At first Liam’s parting prophecy concerning her undiscovered potential kept her positive, then her faith began to wane. The nagging suggestion that the chapter had all been Olivia’s doing slowly reduced her newly-found esteem to the level it had been before she met Liam. On the third day Amy cracked.
    She paced around her tiny unit, going insane from staring at the same four walls. Where was this woman of great sensuality, wonder and power Liam had spoken of?
    She paused from her frenzied movement to observe herself in the bathroom mirror. All she saw was an average, sloppy-looking woman who needed a bath.
    â€˜I’m so sick of you,’ she yelled at her reflection. ‘Sick of this place, this city, this whole fucking existence!’ The anger welled inside her, until she felt fit to explode. The love of her life had come and gone, along with the fiery ambition he had aroused in her briefly. ‘Right!’ She opened the cabinet and found herself some pills with a bit of kick.
    With capsules overflowing from her mouth, Amy lent down toward the running tap. As the water seeped through the mass of pills, Liam’s voice sprang from her memory.
    Take a break, have a bath, read your notes, get inspired!
    Her mouth strained under the pressure of its growing load, but Amy