Shoving his key into the lock, he laughed cynically as realisation dawned. He really was being dense, wasn’t he? Karla had obviously invited him. Hadn’t she approached her father regarding a business loan in the first place, forgetting to mention that she’d done so? Robert must have rung her, telling her he’d refused his ‘invitation’ to meet at his office, and so Karla had arranged for them to have a nice cosy conversation here. In front of her. And the kids.

Not happening, Karla. No bloody way. Jason resisted slamming the front door, dumped his laptop on the hall table, yanked off his jacket and tried to quash his immense agitation. Holly and Josh were already on to the fact that things were not great between him and Karla. He wasn’t going to lose it in front of them. Wouldn’t Fenton just love that? It would present him with the perfect opportunity to point out how uncaring of his family he was.

He guessed his anger was pretty apparent, however, by Karla’s nervous expression as she stepped from the lounge into the hall.

‘Dad’s here,’ she said, her eyes flitting back to the lounge door.

‘Really?’ Jason looked at her in mock surprise. ‘I would never have known from the fucking great status symbol blocking the drive outside.’

‘Jason.’ Karla glanced quickly towards the stairs.

Guessing the kids were up there, Jason tugged in a tight breath and reminded himself to watch his language. ‘Are they in bed?’ he asked, glancing up after her and then checking his watch.

‘They have an hour to read before lights off,’ Karla said, reaching to ease the lounge door to. ‘Can we talk?’ she asked him.

‘I don’t know, Karla.’ Jason looked back at her, his jaw tensing. ‘Can we?’

Looking as weary as he felt, Karla sighed heavily and turned towards the kitchen.

Jason followed. He supposed the fact that she wanted to prepare him before pushing him into the lion’s den was at least something. She should know, though, that whatever forecasts of doom her loving father had tried to influence her with, he wasn’t going to go for it. He would rather walk out now than keep arguing with Karla over this. Which would, of course, be giving Fenton exactly what he wanted. How would the man feel if he actually did that? Jason couldn’t help but wonder. Having fought so hard to get him out of Karla’s life, he had no doubt he would revel in his victory, but would he have any remorse, any sense of shame at all, that he might have done it at the cost of his daughter’s happiness, his grandchildren’s? Jason didn’t think so. Robert Fenton didn’t care whose emotions he trampled on to get what he wanted. He had one aim in life, and that was to win at whatever cost.