‘And yet hours after the story broke, he was taking a call from the woman responsible for obliterating his star signing?’ Clover said. ‘Why would he liaise with the woman who’s undone all of it?’ She looked at Matty as a thought dawned, buffering in her brain. ‘. . . Unless that’s exactly what he wanted?’

‘What?’

‘You said it yourself, he’s spent an absolute fortune . . .’

A whisper of old words flickered through her mind. He’ll have done what I needed by then. Clover’s eyes widened as she suddenly saw the whole picture. ‘Oh my god – scorched earth . . .’ Her hands pressed to her mouth, her heart escalating to a gallop.

‘What is . . . scorched earth?’

‘My brother told me about it in Geneva. It’s a tactical business ploy, a high-risk, last-ditch strategy – selling off assets, acquiring debt. That’s what Kit is to Julian – a running, spiralling debt: the tour, the sponsorship, the products . . . Everyone knows Julian’s burning money; that he doesn’t have the expertise – or frankly the interest – in snowboarding! He’s just running up debt to make his family’s company look unattractive to the hostile bidders’ board.’

Matty had grown very pale. Clover was relieved she was sitting down. ‘No . . . He wouldn’t do those things to Kit.’

‘Mats, it’s precisely why he signed Kit. Look at the headlines he’s garnered! The Orsini-Rosenberg name has been in the papers for all the wrong reasons. It’s deliberate reputation mismanagement. Kit was already toxic – no one else would touch him! – and Julian’s been pouring fuel onto the fire.’

Matty’s hand was over her mouth now as they stared at one another in appalled silence. ‘. . . I feel sick . . . How could I . . .?’

Clover reached over to her, sinking beside her on the mattress. ‘Mats, you couldn’t have known. He’s been playing us all, every single one of us. I thought he was just a ridiculous, spoilt posh boy. I completely underestimated him too.’

Neither of them spoke for a few moments. It was a lot to take in. Even the flashy hotel room they were sitting in was part of his ploy to devalue the family brand, just long enough for the sharks to stop circling.

‘There’s something I don’t understand, though,’ Matty said flatly, staring unseeingly at the mirror opposite. ‘If Julian did contact Amy after I told him about her, why would she spill the beans now? She’s moved on with her life. That’s all in her past. She’s got a rich husband – it’s not like he could have paid her to say those things, surely? She doesn’t need the money. So what’s in it for her?’