His anger bubbling up like mercury inside him, Jason gritted his teeth hard, watching Abbie struggle to extract the file from a filing cabinet behind her without giving Fenton a bird’s-eye view of anything he fancied helping himself to.

‘Right. Shall we?’ Fenton said, without even a glance in Abbie’s direction as she handed him the file.

Half an hour. Jason sucked in a breath, braced himself and walked after Robert as he sailed off down the corridor. Thirty minutes – less, if possible – and he would be out of there. All he had to do was bow and scrape to a complete bastard and his business would be safe. His family’s future would be safe.

Fenton answered a call as he strode off ahead, much to Jason’s further irritation. He followed a little way behind as Fenton barged into his office and sat behind his desk – the solid mahogany executive variety. ‘Well, find out where the missing funds are,’ he said sharply. ‘Balancing my books is your job, Edward.’

His accountant, Jason gathered. Obviously not quite so on the ball as Fenton had claimed he was.

‘Right, Jason, grab a seat.’ Banging the phone down with an agitated sigh, Fenton nodded to a chair. ‘I won’t keep you long. I’m sure your schedule is as busy as mine.’

Jason was torn between telling him he’d rather stand and about-facing altogether. Cursing inwardly, he took the seat instead. Fenton knew how he felt. To react would be to do exactly what the man wanted him to.

Fenton skimmed perfunctorily through the file, closed it and then, finally, looked up at him. ‘I’ve been through the figures with my accountant, Jason, as you would expect me to,’ he said, ‘and, as mentioned, I am prepared to extend you the financial backing you need.’

That’s very gracious of you. Jason curtailed the contempt already rising inside him, offering Abbie a small smile instead as she came in with the coffee.

‘Given certain stipulations.’ Fenton gave Abbie a cursory nod, pushed the file aside to allow her to place the tray on his desk and leaned back in his chair, not bothering to thank her as she slipped back out of the room.

‘Which would be?’ Jason tried to read his expression. He’d expected to find the same challenging look he’d seen when he’d tried to buy him out of Karla’s life with an obscene amount of money twelve long years ago, but, strangely, Fenton looked away.

After an unnerving minute, Fenton got to his feet and walked across to the window, where, hands thrust into his pockets, he gazed out for another interminably long minute before turning back to him. ‘I have something to tell you, Jason,’ he said, his expression pensive. ‘There’s no easy way to say it, so I’m going to say it as it is.’