Everything was in place. Two of the bouncers, smartly dressed in black suits and ties, were in charge of the doors. The bar staff and waitresses stood ready, dressed in black trousers, white shirts and pink bow ties.

Tony stood at the bar on opening night, having a drink with Elle, Sharon and Jake, impatiently waiting for the clock to strike nine – opening time. This project would either take off and be a success or turn out to have been a money pit and a waste of everyone’s time.

The club felt like an empty ghost town and suddenly twice the size it really was. Even though there was excitement in the air, there was also nervous tension, and none of them had much to say to each other.

The bar staff were polishing the glasses and making themselves busy to pass the time. The waitresses stood at the side of the bar, waiting patiently for some customers. It felt as if time had stopped. Everyone seemed bored and restless; even when the music started up, it didn’t make much difference.

‘I can’t stand this any more,’ said Jake, ‘I feel sick. I’m going to take a look outside to see if there’s anyone around.’ No matter what happened, both Jake and Tony knew they had to put on a brave face and look confident. At this stage there was nothing else they could do.

Moments later, Jake came running back over, nearly tripping up in his haste. His eyes were wide and his face wore a shocked expression. ‘Tony! Tony!’ he shouted.

Tony was still standing at the bar drinking a large whisky for Dutch courage. Everyone turned to Jake on hearing him shout and, even in the dimly-lit club, they could see the colour had drained from his face.

Jake was out of breath; he was panting and trying to speak at the same time. ‘There’s a queue around the block, loads of people are waiting to come in! Come and see.’

Jake led the way, almost running the full length of the club to get back to the doors. Tony and Sharon followed. Looking past the bouncers on the doors, Tony saw a long line of people patiently waiting for the doors to open. He looked at the bouncers, before turning to go back inside. ‘Let them in,’ he said.

Then, they all went and stood at the far side of the bar, almost in the shadows, and watched as people came flooding through the doors.

A blonde woman wearing a very expensive-looking pink gown walked in first, with a party of similarly dressed men and women hot on her heels. ‘Champagne!’ she shouted at the bar staff. Silver champagne buckets were filled with ice and corks were popped. The staff, recently idle, were now rushed off their feet, trying to keep up with orders.

More and more people came through the doors. Many followed the blonde woman’s lead and ordered champagne. The woman was adorned in diamonds that Sharon assured Tony and Jake had to be the real thing. She sat in the middle of one of the private booths, men and women seated on each side of her, as though holding court.