‘I wanted to know something about you – anything at all that could help me make you pay. You were never at the office; you had nothing to do with the business; no one knew the first thing about you, really. But there was nothing about your life that wasn’t driven by money, and so all I could do was work out a way to destroy that, if I could …’ Mia shrugged. It all sounded so childish and amateur now, so unlikely to work; and all those months earlier, when she had seen the advert for Laura’s job, she had convinced herself it was the opportunity she needed.

‘You and Harry were so’ – she waved an arm – ‘you had everything. Your lives were so glossy, and ours—’ Mia broke off and laughed. ‘They couldn’t be more different. I wanted to bring down Harry’s company, including his reputation. I had no idea how at first, but then when Sarah told me she was being bullied … It was only a glimmer of opportunity, but it was enough.’

‘You could have ruined Mike Lewis’s life too.’ Janie said it plainly, like she wasn’t trying to admonish her, just state a fact.

‘I know. There were always going to be some casualties along the way,’ Mia said, and she knew she sounded heartless as she looked away. ‘The fact was I didn’t think of any of that – I just wanted to get you back. Women are treated differently there, you know,’ she added, as if this was some way of justifying her actions. ‘They’re not promoted. Harry and his boys, it’s all mates doing favours for each other.’

Janie nodded.

‘I wanted to tarnish his reputation and lose him important clients. I figured that if Coopers believed me—’ Mia shook her head. ‘I thought that if you lost your income, you’d be losing the most important thing. But despite all that, I am sorry for what happened – to Harry. I never wanted …’ she drifted off again. ‘Things spiralled.’

It had been two months since Janie told Mia she wanted to help financially and now Mia turned to her mum and said again, ‘Please, just take the money.’

‘Okay.’ Her mum held her hands up. ‘Fine.’

Mia sat back in her seat and studied her mother. She couldn’t bear to think how much of a toll the last three months had taken on her, and it was only going to get worse when the trial began.

Eventually her mum spread her hands across the table and Mia reached out for them, feeling the pressure of her mum’s fingers as they wrapped around hers. ‘I wish there was something I could do. I don’t want you here, Mia.’ Tears bubbled in the corners of her eyes until they slid down her cheeks. Mia watched them roll off the end of her chin, dripping onto the table. ‘I wish I was here instead of you.’