‘And if your desire for money leaves bodies in your wake and blood on your hands then so be it?’ I continued. ‘Is that how it is?’

‘I didn’t choose this path; it chose me.’

‘Bull. Shit! Every step of the way, you had a choice. The path you decided to take is yours and yours alone. Own it.’

‘Says she who was born with a lifetime dose of affluenza.’

‘Oh, give me a massive frickin’ break, please,’ I said with disdain. ‘It’s been a hellish long day and I’m seriously too tired for your nonsense. What makes you so special that you shouldn’t experience what most other humans on the planet have to go through?’

Though my eyes were trained on Jon, I could see Tobey slowly moving forward, one softly planted step at a time. I too started moving towards Jon. He needed to focus on me.

‘I was a public servant for decades and what do I have to show for it?’ said Jon, anger flaring like a gas jet in his green eyes. ‘A gold watch that runs slow and a stomach ulcer. No more wife and no one to give a shit if I live or die.’

‘Oh, boohoo! My haemorrhoids bleed for you. There are plenty of people – Noughts and Crosses – who were born with little and have a lot less than you do now and have never resorted to the carnage you’ve created to get what you want.’

‘And the Noughts who have nothing will likely die as they lived – poor. Nothing ever changes. Well, I won’t live like that,’ said Jon.

I shook my head. Jon couldn’t see beyond what he thought he needed. Nothing and no one else mattered.

‘You have a Nought Prime Minister now. Doesn’t that prove how much things are changing?’ I said.

‘Tobias Durbridge? Are you having a laugh?’ Jon mocked. ‘The man is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg.’

Jon started to turn his head to look at Tobey. I took a deliberate step forward to draw Jon’s attention back to me.

‘If Tobey was dirty, it would’ve come out by now,’ Callie added from behind me.