In Dubai, Rob Kenna feels his luck turning because Eddie Flood saw through the attempt to misdirect him and is now flying to Dublin. Rob accepts the cost because he believes Amy Wheeler requires an elite killer, not a disposable thug. Thinking through the job, Rob reflects that ordinary targets can be handled by ordinary men, but Amy is dangerous and skilled, which is why he hired Eddie in the first place.

Rob also thinks about the wider business around the hunt for Amy. He decides Nelson Nunez was right that Amy and the others had stayed at Emerald Bay, even if that clue did not immediately lead anywhere, and Rob plans to send Nelson a fee as thanks. For Rob, murder is not just violence but a networked trade built on useful relationships.

His thoughts turn to Eddie. The two men came from the same East London and Soho world, but while Rob built a criminal empire, Eddie remained a highly competent professional without bigger ambitions. Rob admires Eddie’s efficiency and lack of ego, yet cannot understand why someone so capable would not want the kind of wealth and status Rob has pursued.

While golfing with Big Mickey Moody, Rob tests that idea of ambition in conversation. Big Mick dismisses the appeal of becoming a billionaire, and Rob argues that money matters because people can see it and because it proves something. When Mick suggests Rob is still trying to prove himself to his father, Rob is stung; Mick answers that his own upbringing by two grandmothers taught him hard work rather than status-seeking.

After the exchange, Rob receives a message from Nelson Nunez saying he is coming to Dubai for a diamond conference and wants to meet with a proposition. The contact surprises Rob, but the mention of opportunity immediately excites him. By the end of the chapter, Rob recognizes that money and the promise of more business are what truly drive him, and he sees himself aligned with men like Nelson and Francois Loubet rather than with people satisfied with enough.