‘I don’t know,’ Harry said, rubbing a hand across his face. He had met Johnny Lam numerous times before; he was the nimblest of operators in the cut-throat British packaged food industry. Squeezed by the supermarkets, he was always able to bounce back, gradually acquiring companies that offered international food for a British taste. He had first attempted to buy Empire of Spice more than a decade ago, and still retained a 15 per cent stake.

‘I’m terribly sad to hear about your mother. An awful crime. Wasn’t it, Dominic?’ Lam turned to his associate, who smiled lugubriously. ‘Could happen to anyone. Just one of those things. However, the world of business will not wait. I tried calling many times, but you don’t return my calls. So that’s why I came round.’

‘I’m a busy man. So what is it that you want, Johnny?’

‘I’ve come to give you a heads up.’ He smiled. ‘A bit of information that you might find useful.’ He turned to Furnell, who grinned wolfishly. ‘Essential even.’

‘Go on.’

‘Well, before I tell you, let me remind you that I would still really like to buy Empire of Spice.’

‘I know, we all know. We don’t want to sell.’

‘Well, your mother didn’t want to sell. But now she’s gone, bless her, I was hoping you might see sense. I offered you all a very fair price. That offer, or a very similar one, is always open.’

Harry leaned back and spread his arms ‘It’s no good, Johnny. With the trust’s holding, there’s always enough votes to block you.’

‘Yeah, but you’re a trustee right? You can make them see sense.’

‘I’m not the only trustee, and it wouldn’t be easy to convince some of the others.’

‘I offered a fair price, Harry.’

‘No, it was always a low price. But I can’t deal with this now.’ He gestured at his in-tray.

‘Snap out of it, my friend. You’ve got a multi-million-pound business to steer.’ Lam pointed a fat finger towards Harry. ‘Who will run EoS now, after your mother? Who’s got the strategic vision? Who can see the trends? Who, above all, has the fire in their belly? It’s not you, is it?’

‘I don’t know, Johnny.’

Lam shook his head. ‘You’ve got a head for numbers, okay, but it’s not about numbers, is it? It’s about vision, it’s about leadership. You can’t rely on that idiot Deepak.’

‘What do you know about Deepak?’ Harry asked.

‘I know enough to know that I wouldn’t trust him to invest your money.’

Suddenly Harry was more focused. ‘What are you saying?’

‘That’s what I came to tell you. Nosh2U. The shares were suspended this morning. I think it’s going down the pan.’

‘No, don’t be ridiculous.’

‘Food delivery is so competitive, and nobody makes any money. I can see that you’ve been looking at their share price.’ He pointed at Harry’s phone.

‘So what? Your company has five per cent. If you don’t believe in it, why don’t you sell?’