‘I understand you want to be with him, princess. I know love isn’t choosy,’ he’d said, oozing understanding while backhandedly insulting him. ‘I won’t try to influence your decision, sweetheart, I wouldn’t dream of it,’ he’d continued, doing just that, ‘but you can postpone motherhood for a while, surely? You’re young. You have plenty of time to have children. Finish your degree before tying yourself down, hey? It’s what you’ve always wanted. Meanwhile, you’ll be giving Jason time to prove himself. He’s hardly in a position to support—’

‘He doesn’t need to prove himself!’ Karla had jumped aggressively to his defence. ‘I love him, Dad. I’d marry him if he were penniless.’

‘But love doesn’t pay the bills, Karla.’ Robert had sighed expansively. ‘Does it?’

‘We’ll work it out! Jason has plans,’ Karla had countered.

‘To do what, exactly?’ Robert’s tone had been scornful, even then.

‘Ecommerce,’ Karla had announced, which had been news to Jason. His degree had been in computer science, and he had been toying with the idea of designing packages and websites for sports equipment manufacturers. Even then, though, he hadn’t relished the idea of being stuck behind a desk. Being inclined to extreme sports, enjoying everything from scuba diving to paragliding, he had wondered whether there might be an opportunity in corporate events – preferably hands on, leading team-building exercises.

‘I see. He’d have to be very savvy to make his mark in that industry.’ Sounding unconvinced, Fenton had offered his invaluable opinion, he himself being an entrepreneurial genius who had grown his hugely successful plumbing and bespoke bathroom business from the basement of a dry cleaner’s. After hitting £1m revenue six years after start-up, Robert Fenton, self-made man, was now worth an estimated £50m. Clearly, he thought his fortune afforded him dubious privileges – Jason still couldn’t believe the man would make overtly sexual advances to a young woman at his own wife’s birthday party.

‘You’re very quiet,’ Karla observed, after several miles spent driving in silence.

‘Yeah, sorry.’ Jason ran a hand over the back of his neck. ‘Just thinking.’ He hadn’t meant to give her the silent treatment, but the truth was, he was tired. Tired of her father preaching at him. Tired of Karla not seeming to want to listen whenever he tried to talk to her about how it made him feel: Useless, basically. Tired full stop.

‘So what were you and Dad talking about?’ Karla enquired, as they neared the house.

‘Nothing much.’ Jason tugged in a terse breath. ‘He told me there was no shame in failure.’ Turning into the drive, Jason killed the engine. ‘I cut the conversation short at that point, for obvious reasons.’ He’d been sorely tempted to tell the guy, once and for all, what he thought of him, and then suggest he piss off out of their lives.