‘Sephy, I invited you here because I’ll be making an announcement after dinner and I wanted you to hear it,’ I replied.

‘As we’re neither kin nor company, why on earth would I want to hear anything you have to say?’

‘Because it will affect you directly. You and all the others here tonight have that in common.’

‘Oh please. What do I have in common with your girlfriend—?’

‘Ex-girlfriend.’

‘Your patronizing, bloodsucking lawyer—?’

‘I don’t employ parasites with gambling addictions who owe me money—’

‘Your wasted friend, Kellan Bruemann—’

‘Whose one remaining ambition is to buy back his company from me. Never gonna happen by the way.’

‘And your starry-eyed brother who is desperate to follow in your crooked footsteps?’

‘Over my cold, dead body.’

Sephy started at my interruptions, rolling as they did over her objections. She looked more confused than ever. ‘All right, so what exactly is it I’m supposed to have in common with these people? With Tobey?’

‘Ah. An easy one.’ I smiled. ‘You both love Callie Rose.’

‘Pfft! Love is just another weakness for you to exploit, isn’t it? What a shame you came back into Tobey’s life.’ Sephy shook her head. ‘Without you, he might’ve been a decent human being.’

To my surprise, that stung.

Sephy’s brows lowered. She looked me up, she looked me down, like I was an arcane puzzle she was trying to solve. ‘Dan, enough of your games. How does anything you have to say or do impact on me except negatively?’

I leaned back in my chair, twirling a pen with practised ease between my fingers. Sephy really was something else. She might be a lot of things, but a bootlicking, butt-kissing sycophant wasn’t one of them.

‘That’s what I’ve always admired about you, Sephy. You don’t roll over and play dead.’

‘How many more times? That’s Mrs Ealing to you.’

A tap at the door and George entered. When he saw I wasn’t alone, he said, ‘Excuse me, Mr Jeavons. I didn’t know you had company.’ He tried to retreat, but I beckoned him forward. Sephy’s lips tightened, and I loved every second of prolonging her agony. She hated being anywhere near me and I was drawing it out deliberately.

‘You know, you must’ve been quite the looker back in your day,’ I said.

Sephy’s eyes narrowed.

‘You’re a bit too mature for my taste though. I like my girls to be a little … fresher.’

Sephy made a great show of dry-heaving. She swallowed hard. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I just threw up in my mouth.’ She dry-heaved again. ‘And again. You are a creep, Daniel Jeavons. Am I supposed to be upset that I’m too old for you? Do me a favour. Can I please leave so I can escape you and your weapons-grade bullshit?’

‘No,’ I told her.