Dressed in a black jacket, a crisp white shirt, and dark jeans, Zara sat behind her father’s desk. She looked at her prosthetic hand and then at her own hand. ‘It’s who I am now!’ she said to herself. The days of mourning her lost limb, her fingers, and self-worth were now a thing of the past. This was who she was. She may be alone, but she wasn’t lonely anymore. All those years, all that heartache, it had made her into the woman she was today. There was a piece of her heart broken, and nothing on earth would ever fix that issue. Mike was out of her life, so the images and dreams she’d once had of living a family life with Ricky as her stepson and Mike as her husband would always stir a heartache; however, she was strong enough now to hurl them to the back of her mind. She had a business to run and a plan to put in place.

The calls had been made, and now she waited for the reaction. Right on cue, she could see the taxi on her monitor, making its way up the drive. Getting up from her chair, she sauntered over to the drinks cabinet and selected the most expensive brandy. It was only used by her father on rare occasions. She placed it on the desk and then used her one hand to pick up two cut-glass crystal tumblers, one at a time. Only the best would do for her guest-cum-minder.

The heavy rap at the door put a smile on her face, and it was even broader when she welcomed him in. It was Victor.

‘You sounded excited on the phone. What’s going on?’

She nodded. ‘Oh yes, I’ve thought about what you said, and you were right. I think the person who’s trying to run me out of town is right under my nose and has been all the bloody time. A drink?’

Victor followed her into the office and grinned when he recognized the brandy label. ‘Ooh, this is a celebration. Your father’s best, no less.’

Zara poured the drink into the two glasses. ‘It’s such a shame because he would have loved to have shared this with you.’

‘Yeah, I do miss Izzy. I loved his riddles and his philosophy on life.’

Zara gave a wry smile. ‘I know what you mean. I can still hear his words as if he were next to me. Anyway, I have some news, and I want you to help me.’

Victor clasped his hands in front of him. ‘Anything, sweetheart. You know, you only have to ask me.’

‘Yeah, you’ve been such a tremendous help. I know no one can fill my father’s shoes, but, I dunno, I feel you’ve been, like, well, perhaps an uncle to me.’