This Careless Life. Rachel McIntyre

      Hetty nodded, eyes glued to the illuminated display. ‘He wants to know what time you think we’ll be finished.’

      Liv’s irritation grew less fake. ‘Hetty! This is our audition.’

      But Cass didn’t seem too offended. ‘If everything goes according to plan, you should all be on your way around half past one.’

      One final flourish of taps and Hetty put the phone on the coffee table. Jez put his glasses back on.

      ‘All done? Let’s try something else,’ Cass said, turning her attention back to Liv. ‘How about if one day, bang,’ she snapped her fingers, ‘everything vanished. The houses, the shopping, the money . . . everything. What would you do?’

      Liv’s heartbeat steadied. No more talk of secrets. OK, she hadn’t rehearsed this exact one, but Louis had warned her they’d throw a few curveballs her way.

      ‘That’s a tough one! Erm, I suppose we’d cope. People do. I mean, we’ve got friends and family. But I really can’t see it happening. My dad’s far too careful for that.’

      ‘And has your family always been well-off ?’

      ‘As far as I can remember,’ Liv said.

      Cass unbent a folded corner and ran her finger down the page. ‘Interesting. My notes say Frank Dawson . . . left school at fifteen. Let’s see . . . went from running the family fruit and veg stall to owning the UK’s largest agribusiness. Is that right?’

      Liv held in a sigh. They’d got the riches, why did people insist on bringing up the rags? Seriously. Why was that humble beginnings stuff always such a big deal?

      She forced her smile a little wider. ‘Yes, I’m very proud of him. But my mum’s family, the Hills. All this . . .’ She waved her arm towards the window. ‘The farm, the stables, the land . . . it’s been in Mum’s family for years.’

      ‘Interesting.’ Cass pursed her lips and scribbled something down. Turning her attention away from Liv, she said, ‘Your turn, guys. You know Liv better than anyone, right? How do you think she’d change without money?’

      The other three looked at each other.

      ‘I’m sure she’d be OK,’ Hetty said slowly. ‘You know, it’d be different from what she’s used to, but she’d adapt. Get a job; she’s got a lot of talents. I’m sure she’d be fine.’

      Duff rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. ‘I can’t really see that. Sorry, but I think you’d fall apart in the real world.’

      ‘For your information, I do live in the real world.’

      Duff laughed, ‘I love this girl! You think this –’ he waved vaguely round the room ‘is the real world?’

      ‘And how are we defining the “real world”?’ Cass said.

      Jez put his dad’s voice on. ‘Debt. Wondering how you’ll pay the bills or buy food. Lack of opportunities. Poor housing. Being stuck in a cycle of –’

      Duff clicked his tongue in disagreement. ‘Nah. If you’re poor, you go get a job and work at making money, same as everyone else. You can’t expect it on a plate. That’s the real world. Life’s what you make it, right?’

      ‘No!’ Jez’s head snapped up. ‘That’s a complete myth. Poverty is –’

      Cass held up a hand for silence, releasing a fresh wave of familiar summer perfume.

      ‘Guys, this is fascinating stuff, but time is not on our side. We can debate it later. Liv, remember to keep in camera shot, please.’

      Realising she had slumped deep in the sofa, Liv pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin.

      ‘As I said at the start, you need to be prepared for some difficult questions.’ Cass put her hand to her chest. ‘Devil’s advocate here. You don’t need me to tell you there are plenty of small-minded people ready to spill their vitriol across social media. Imagine I’m the nastier side of the internet calling you out for being selfish or a spoilt rich kid, what would you say?’

      Liv chewed her lip. Of course, Miss Olivia Loves attracted random nasties; that went with the territory. But her subscribers usually slayed the trolls before she even read their comments. And, not that she’d admit this to anyone, least of all Cass, she actually enjoyed watching these strangers froth at the mouth on her behalf.

      ‘I’d say it’s not true,’ she replied carefully. ‘I mean, I know I’m lucky, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about other people. I’d tell them all the things I’ve done for charity, like donating stuff. Clothes and things.’

      ‘Speaking for myself,’ Jez chimed in. ‘I am committed to using my good fortune to help others and I’m sure Liv feels the same.’

      Duff rolled his eyes so hard they were in danger of getting stuck round the back of his head and Liv suppressed a smile.

      ‘That’s right,’ Hetty added. ‘And we did fundraising at the prom, didn’t we? That was your idea.’

      ‘Yeah.’ Liv warmed to the theme now. ‘And I gave a genuine Hermès handbag for the raffle at Jez’s Valentine Auction.’

      Ouch. She plastered on a happy smile and rode the pang of regret that struck whenever she thought about that beautiful bag. Jez had whipped her into a state without giving her the opportunity to reconsider. And now her Hermès bag was gone forever, a victim of emotional blackmail.

      ‘And the fashion show last summer,’ Jez was saying in Cass’s direction. ‘I set up a charitable foundation with my parents, Connecting Together. We empower young people who find themselves in challenging circumstances, providing financial assistance as well as –’

      ‘I remember from your application,’ Cass cut in. She’d taken her phone out of the bag and was swiping at the screen. ‘Most of the applicants only talked about raising their own profile, but yours really stood out. It’s so . . . refreshing. One of the reasons we wanted to see more of you.’

      Jez shrugged, aiming for nonchalance, but Liv could practically see his head expanding.

      ‘If we get accusations about not caring about people less fortunate, then we have evidence to prove that’s not the case.’

      ‘Well, I’m very pleased to hear that,’ Cass said, ‘and I’m sure it’ll be really interesting for the audience, challenging their perceptions of privileged young people. But like I said, you need to be prepared for some difficult moments. And on that note, Liv, I’ve got a photo I’d like to show you.’

       Photo?

      The panic returned. Bigger, harder and sharpened into actual terror.

      Blood whooshed in Liv’s ears. How could Cass have the photo?

      ‘Photo?’ she said, only the slightest catch betraying her emotions.

      She reached out a shaking hand, but Cass pulled the phone out of reach, angling the screen in her eyeline.

      Almost sick with dread, Liv obeyed.

      At first she couldn’t quite tell what it was, but that really didn’t matter because it wasn’t the photo she’d taken almost a year ago. The photo he’d persuaded her to send him. The photo he’d promised he’d deleted. The photo he’d used to buy her silence.

      She breathed out slowly, dizzy with relief.

      Liv couldn’t quite fathom what she actually was seeing. The dim image showed a hump of something fabric. Bedclothes?

      ‘There’s a girl, lying down . . .’ she said.

      ‘And?’

      ‘She’s got her back to the camera, so I can’t see much. She’s got long dark hair. She’s wearing