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“I’d prefer to be called Mr Sloane, during working hours”

“Anything else … Mr Sloane?” asked Seb

“No, not for the moment, but I expect to see your ”

Seb returned to his office, relieved to be a step ahead of Sloane, as he’d already prepared his ain, for the tenth h it had recently beco his own results in with Seb’s, and taking the credit If Sloane hoped that his tactics would eventually grind Seb down, even force hi as Cedric was chairman of the bank, Seb knew his position was secure, and while he continued to deliver, he need have no fear of Sloane, because the chair between the lines

At one o’clock, Seb grabbed a ham sandwich fro his mother would have approved of—at your desk if you have to, but not on the move

As he searched for a taxi, he thought about some of the lessons he’d learned fro a deal, soood old-fashioned common sense

“Kno much you can afford, never overstretch yourself, and try to re to ood contacts because they’ll be your lifeline during bad ti—you will experience bad times And by the way,” he’d added, “never buy retail”

“Who taught you that?” Seb had asked

“Jack Benny”

Armed with sound advice from both Cedric Hardcastle and Jack Benny, Seb went in search of an engageested by his old school chue desk at his father’s bank, just a few blocks away fros He’d advised Seb to visit a Mr Alan Gard in Hatton Garden

“He’ll supply you with a larger stone, at half the price of any jeweller on the high street”

Seb was eating on thea taxi because he knew he had to be back at his desk within the hour if he didn’t want to fall foul of Adrian Sloane yet again It pulled up outside a green door that Seb would have passed without noticing if the nu to hint of the treasures that lay within Seb realized that hewith a private and cautious man

He pressed the bell, and aa skull cap and with long black ringlets greeted him When Seb said he was a friend of Victor Kaufh to Mr Gard’s inner sanctum

A wiry man, no taller than five feet, and dressed casually in an open-necked shirt and orn jeans, rose froave his potential customer a warm smile When he heard the naether as if he was about to roll some dice

“If you’re a friend of Saul Kaufet the Koh-I-Noor for five pounds”