Page 52 of Endgame

‘You should come out and use it some time. Okay. So you wanted me, Chris, you got me. What do you need?’

I listen as I remove my laptop from my bag.

‘There’s a heavy operations weighting that Ivory Bow can’t sustain. There aren’t enough new sales to maintain that volume of staff. We’re going to need to move some of the current staff roles into account management or pure sales to keep everyone.’

‘Makes sense.’ Dominic nods.

‘And maybe consider people we may have dismissed in the past?’ I offer.

‘Ariella, Lara was sacked and it’s going to stay that way,’ Christopher interrupts. Dominic guffaws so loudly he has to apologise.

‘Not just Lara,’ I mumble. ‘A great example is Nicole. The clients adored her. We could tempt her back after maternity with flexible work hours and a generous bonus structure.’

We spend the next two hours working through departments, people and restructuring reporting for the new ‘Harrison’ when he is selected. We then spend an additional thirty minutes passing and accepting some applications for Harrison’s role. By the time we have finished and ended the call with Christopher, I’m tired and hungry.

‘Right. It’s my turn to feed you,’ Dominic says, mirroring his London request.

‘Yes. Please.’

Some dim sum and seafood canapés appear, with a cold bottle of Bollinger.

‘Thank you.’

‘My pleasure,’ he says, tapping his nose twice.

After we’ve scoffed the lot and as we wait for dinner, Dominic invites me to sit on the bow.

‘You should know that your crazy, violent and uncontrollable best friend with a propensity to disappear when she is meant to be working is sniffing around DMVI for a job. I’ve evaded her so far, but I agree with you. Her persistence is evidence that she’d be unrivalled in a sales role. She’s kinda scary!’ Dominic’s eyes widen comically with feigned fright.

I try not to laugh. Oh, Lara. ‘She’d be an asset to any organisation that will have her,’ I confirm.

‘And that assessment has nothing to do with the fact that you love her, as you have told me countless times?’

‘It has plenty to do with it,’ I admit unashamedly. ‘Besides, she’ll be here soon and will be able to frighten you in person. She’s my date to Melissa’s wedding.’

‘Ah. Your final dreaded duty. You’re not going with Caleb?’

‘No. He’s taking Honey.’

‘I see,’ is all Dominic says.

We sit on the bow chatting leisurely until we’ve drained the Bollinger bottle which luckily coincides with dinner being ready. When we return, the dining area has been turned into an outdoor kitchen with a side table full of raw meats, fishes, seafood and vegetables. At the top of the table is a collection of sauces, powders, oils and thinly sliced marinade ingredients.

‘So, rather than just dinner, I thought we could have some fun. Are you allergic to anything?’

I’m too shocked to speak, so I shake my head.

‘Well, if you are, we’re about to find out. We have EpiPens ready. Chef, tell us what we’ve got.’

‘We’ve deconstructed a tasting menu of popular local dishes. For example, with chilli crab, we’ve isolated the white meat and pulled the ingredients apart. Same with the nasi lemak, and so on. The idea tonight is for us to experiment with lots of tiny dishes. We can construct traditional dishes, enhance them, isolate ingredients or ignore the rule book. We can create new types of dim sum, so we have our steamer here, or we can use the grill. There is also a hotplate if we want to play with some stir-fry or put something on the hob to cook.’

I’m squealing and clapping with excitement before I catch myself.

‘I think she’s happy, Chef,’ Dominic says, then places his hand on the base of my spine to guide me to the table.

‘Thank you, Dom!’ I say, reaching over to give him a tight hug. ‘And thank you, Chef.’

‘Your initial reaction was all the thanks I needed, Miss Ariella. I won’t forget that in a hurry. Now let me tell you what you have in front of you.’

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