The solicitor seemed to wave the envelope in front of their faces, teasing them, then he said, ‘Here you are, then, Antonias.’ He handed the envelope to Tony. ‘You know your own signature, yes? You can confirm this is the same envelope you signed when you were at your grandmother’s vineyard?’

Tony nodded and Mr Mathews sat watching him, a smug expression on his face. Tony and Jake weren’t sure whether he was familiar with the contents, but they both thought he probably was.

With his heart in his mouth, Tony started opening the envelope. He looked at Jake, then back at the envelope, as he tore it open. The letter inside confused him. His brows furrowed; again he looked at Jake and then at the solicitor, who nodded and smiled at him. The silence was deafening.

Tony handed the letter over to Jake to read.

‘What does it say, Jake?’ Tony wanted Jake to confirm what he had read, just in case he had missed anything. His heart was pounding, and his breathing seemed to get faster. He wiped the sweat from his brow and waited for Jake, whose face paled as he read it.

‘It says Ralph Gold is willing to sell the club to you for one pound, provided you make one million pounds while acting as manager. Also, he would like to come to some kind of arrangement to allow the money laundering to continue, with you on a commission,’ said Jake. He handed the letter back over to Tony.

Inside the envelope were the deeds to the club, all in Tony’s name. There was a sharp intake of breath, then he looked at the solicitor and said, ‘Is this for real? Does he only want a pound for the club?’

‘Well, let’s be honest, Antonias, when you took it over, it was only the land that was worth anything,’ said Mr Mathews. ‘The club itself wasn’t worth a pound, was it? You have to prove you’ve made the million, though. Can you?’

Tony showed the solicitor the bank statements that he had taken with him. It showed he had more than was required.

The solicitor shook hands with Tony, then with Jake. ‘Well, gentlemen, it seems you own the club, lock, stock and barrel. Congratulations.’

Tony and Jake were still stunned. It felt as if they were glued to their chairs, they didn’t know what to do next. ‘This money laundering, what about it?’ asked Tony.

‘If you decide to proceed with that, speak to the accountant. He’ll sort it out.’

Tony looked down at the letter again. He felt as though at any moment someone might jump out of the cupboard and tell them it was all a joke. He stood up.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something, gentlemen?’ The solicitor raised an eyebrow and looked at them. Tony and Jake looked at each other; they weren’t sure what he meant.

The solicitor beckoned to them. ‘You owe Mr Gold a pound.’

Tony nodded; of course, that was the price he was asking. Tony reached into his pocket, took out a pound coin and put it on the desk. ‘What happens now?’ he asked.