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‘Thank you.’

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Actually, I mean it,’ says Kat. ‘I appreciate you breaking into my house, going through my drawers and ordering me a meal. Inexplicably, this behaviour seems to have lowered my stress levels. I don’t hurt as much anymore. You can hear it in my voice, can’t you? I can berate you without slurring.’

‘I am very glad to hear that.’

‘You are a good person. Who’d have thought?’

‘I’ll tell you a secret,’ says Freddy. ‘It’s very hard to build an empire unless you’re a good person. I mean, you can build it, but you can’t sustain it. People don’t usually let arseholes have money and power for very long. You might think I’m a horrible, exploitative capitalist. But what I am is a good partner. Not in the romantic sense, obviously. But I can support and delegate. That’s something you could learn from me, actually.’

‘I have a question for you, Freddy.’ Kat pulls herself up. ‘Why don’t you use your money and power to influence the world positively? Instead of just selling razors and kettles?’

‘I’m not arrogant enough to think I have all the answers.’

‘But you’re so arrogant in other ways.’

‘Lucky I have you around to take me down a peg or two. I have a question for you too. What would you have done if I hadn’t broken and entered?’

Kat does a micro shrug. ‘Laid on the sofa until morning. Missed a lot of deadlines and stressed about it.’

‘Well, that explains the profit yoyo.’ Freddy smiles at Kat. Not his usual dashing one, but a genuine, warm smile that reaches all the way to his eyes.

The doorbell rings.

‘That’ll be the curry you told me how to order,’ says Freddy.

‘The plates are –’

‘I’ll find them. Stand down, darling. The millionaire tycoon will serve the housemaid on this occasion.’

‘Oh, shut up.’

CHAPTER43

Freddy may well be the only person I’ve ever met who is brave enough to tell me what to do. Which right now is a real relief.

‘Here we go.’ Freddy places plates on my coffee table, which is a glued-together pile of classic books with a glass top. ‘Vegetarian king thali, salt lassi and a poppadum with extra ghee.’

I shuffle forward on the sofa. ‘Are you going to tell me why you have scratches all over your face?’

‘I told you. I got hit by a baguette.’ Freddy scoops up curry with Peshwari naan. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’

‘I’m not worried. I’m curious. How did the baguette come into things? Wait a minute. Ahmet had a picnic. You and Ahmet didn’t get into an altercation, did you?’

‘Of course not. I like Ahmet. We had a good chat. After you left. I got some valuable market insights.’

‘Oh. Good. What are they?’

‘Ahmet really likes you. And Marcus thinks you are, I quote, perfect marriage material.’

‘No way!’ I sit up straighter. ‘I was worried Marcus would think I was insane and desperate. Chris blabbed about Project Marriage, and Marcus walked off –’

‘I know,’ says Freddy. ‘Marcus told me. Then he thanked me for introducing the two of you.’

‘So, who did you have a fight with, then?’

‘Who says I was in a fight?’