I looked at Jason. ‘I thought you said he could be a bit of a dick?’

‘He doesn’t know what a dick looks like,’ William said. ‘He hasn’t got one.’

I chortled.

Jason grabbed William’s shoulder, and his grin was splitting his face apart. ‘Proof enough?’ he asked me.

I shook my head, still laughing. ‘I’ll set the table, then.’ I turned to go into the kitchen. ‘What would you like to drink?’

‘Just water for me,’ William said.

‘Same here.’

When I came into the dining room, they were discussing the stock market.

‘The tech sector?’ Jason echoed as I put a plate in front of him on the pale wooden table.

‘Yeah. I bought some shares in three different companies last night,’ William said.

‘Who tipped you?’

‘Nobody.’

Jason nodded. ‘Well, I’ll look into it.’

‘Do you pay attention to the stock market, Cara?’ William asked as I gave him a plate across the table.

I shook my head. ‘I’m busy enough as it is.’

‘That’s a shame. It could be worth your time.’

‘Maybe, but I know next to nothing about it, so I wouldn’t know where to start.’

‘There are plenty of guides out there, not to mention advisers at the bank.’

‘True. I keep a relatively decent sum in a mutual fund, though. Does that count for anything?’

He smiled. ‘That’s a good place to start, yes.’

‘That’s the money from when you worked at Starbucks, right?’ Jason asked as I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and put it on the table.

‘Yeah,’ I said and sat down beside him.

‘You’ve worked at Starbucks?’ William asked, curious. My thoughts travelled to the one at the ground floor of his residential building, though I hadn’t worked there.

‘Yeah, before I started studying law.’

He seemed to hesitate. ‘How come? Were you unsure about whether you wanted to study anything?’

‘No, it was all part of the plan. My parents are covering my tuition fees, but I still have to cover the cost of living, and since I didn’t want to get distracted by a job while I was studying, I decided to work full-time for a couple of years before I started. This way, I don’t have to take up a loan, nor do I need a job on the side, so I can dedicate all my time to my studies to ensure better results.’ I looked between them. As children of wealthy parents, they had probably never had to worry about the same.

William looked impressed. ‘That’s some wise thinking, especially for a person so young.’

‘Thanks.’ I beamed.

‘And who gave you the idea to put it in a mutual fund?’ he asked as he blended a rich amount of wasabi in his soy sauce. My eyes widened. He clearly loved spicy food.

‘My mum. She’s an economist.’