The Yacht Party (Lara Stone)

‘I suppose we are.’

It was bending the truth a little, but it was also why he was here now. Charlie didn’t come into the office on weekends, which was a blessing in disguise, given the revelations about his affair with Alicia. It also meant that Alex couldn’t make his case for Lara’s reinstatement, but he still wanted to make amends with Lara and this was another way he knew he could help.

‘Is she coming back into the office?’

The business editor looked hopeful. Alex knew Harry liked Lara – everyone did – but he also knew the question was a loaded one. Alex had heard the word ‘redundancies’ muttered on more than one occasion since the Tait verdict and if Nicholas Avery was prepared to axe someone as brilliant as Lara, his niece, just to shave off a few editorial costs and satisfy the advertisers, then no job was safe.

‘Soon,’ he said vaguely. ‘In the meantime, what did you tell her about Sachs?’

Harry sat back in his seat, pushing it back toward the window.

‘In general? Michael Sachs is one of the biggest names in investment, very rich, very connected. Or are you asking about ClearView?’

‘ClearView?’

‘His monstrosity of a building project in Paddington.’

Harry quickly tapped on his keyboard and turned the screen so Alex could see; a photo of a tall modernist block on the north side of the park still under construction.

‘What is it, Sachs’s new office?’

‘Probably, but this is more about PR. There’s an arts centre and a theatre on the ground floor and a boutique cinema in the basement. It’s all going to be free or subsidised.’

Alex frowned. ‘I thought Sachs was a ruthless money man.’

‘Sure, but this is a twelve-storey monument to Sachs’s ego, setting himself up as a patron of the arts, Mr. Nice Guy giving something back to the people.’

Alex picked up on Harry’ sceptical tone.

‘So you don’t think Sachs is a nice guy?’

Harry raised a brow. ‘He’s generous with his philanthropy, sure, but you don’t get rich running a soup kitchen. Sachs’s a tough operator. There are certainly whispers about him being particularly nasty if you cross him, too.’

Alex immediately thought of Lara. That morning, he’d gone round to the houseboat with a bag of croissants as a peace offering, but Lara hadn’t been there. He’d assumed she was with Stefan and had kicked himself for speaking out against him. He knew what Lara was like – pig-headed and stubborn. If he voiced his disapproval about Stefan Melberg it was just like her to go and move in with him.

But if Lara’s love life was her own business, he could still be worried about her and he hated her dropping off the radar like this.

Harry carried on talking.

‘Sachs’s hedge fund is very successful, but he’s pivoting heavily into

real estate – lending money on property as well as developing it and investing in it. The big rumour I heard when I asked around is he is actively looking to sell Sachs Capital.’

‘Why the shift?’

Harry laced his hands behind his head. ‘Who knows? But Sachs has always been a genius at moving with the times. He’ll know what he’s doing. Besides, a sale of his company will be a major windfall. Maybe he just wants to quit while he’s ahead.’

Alex tried to process everything he’d been told.

‘Did you tell this to Lara?’

‘Not yet. I was going to call her tonight.’

He glanced at his chunky watch.

‘Speaking of which… do you mind if I push off?’

‘Course not,’ he smiled, remembering that Harry had a wife and three teenage boys. Just because Alex didn’t mind working on Sundays, it didn’t mean that other colleagues with families didn’t resent missing pub lunches, five-a-aside matches, park walks with friends and all the other things normal people did at the weekend.