Coming upstairs, I headed straight to the shower. There was an ensuite bathroom attached to Cassie's bedroom. It was just a small one, with a shower and toilet, but that was all I needed.

I stuck my hand in the shower and turned on the taps. Then I wandered back out to the bedroom while I was waiting for the water to warm up. I hung my robe on the back of the door, then yawned as I pulled my pyjama top up and over my head.

I tossed my pyjamas on the bed, then walked back into the bathroom. The shower had warmed up now, and was filling the room with a cloud of steam. I breathed in deeply through my nose as I stepped into the shower.

The cascading water hit the top of my head and flowed over my body in a way that was refreshing. It took away the lingering grime I felt all over me after spending so much time in that strip club.

Standing in the shower has always been my favourite place to think. There was something in the sound of the water rushing over me that helped clear my head and let me think straight. It gave me a chance to think ahead and plan my next move.

Jay was going to be bringing me a fake ID soon, so that was one problem solved. I just had to think carefully about what other problems I had. Then, once I had identified the problems, I would need to think of some solutions. And I would need to think of them quickly, before the hot water ran out.

The next thing that came to mind was having somewhere else to live. Lucas had already offered to give me a lift home, so he was bound to do that again. I needed a new home, but I wasn't sure how to get one.

Apartments needed money, and I didn't have any, so it was not like I could just go and buy one. And I wasn't sure if anyone would rent an apartment to a 17 year old girl.

As I thought more, I remembered my father's lawyer. He had all my money, so I wondered if he would be able to help me. I wasn't sure of all the details, but I probably had enough money in a trust fund to pay for an apartment.

I had been receiving phone calls from the lawyer's office to arrange a meeting. Though I hadn't felt ready to deal with any of that yet, so I had been letting them all go to voicemail. Perhaps it was time to call them back?

Or I could just go there, I thought. I had visited there once before with my father. He had been taking me shopping, but had needed to stop off on the way, so I knew the address. Plus they had been open on a Saturday, so I could go there today.

Peter and my dad had been good friends, as well as his lawyer. They played golf together, and he had been to our house a few times, though I had never actually spoken to him. But as we kind of knew each other, I figured he would see me without having to make an appointment first.

Yes, time to be decisive, I thought as I turned off the shower. I would get dressed and go and visit him. I acted swiftly, before I had a chance to change my mind.

I dried myself quickly and grabbed some clothes. The outfit wasn't so important, some skinny jeans and a baggy sweat top that had belonged to Cassie. My hair was still damp, and tied back loosely with a scrunchie.

I called out a quick goodbye to Mr and Mrs Jones as I walked out the door. Then along the quiet tree-lined street towards the subway station. It was a two block walk to the station I needed, so as I walked, my eyes were scanning around looking for a taxi.

It would be easier to take a taxi all the way to my destination, but it would be cheaper to go via the subway. Fortunately, Joe had paid me in cash for last week's work in the coffee shop, so I had enough money to pay for the trip. It meant I had the option to take either, it just depended on if I saw a taxi going past before reaching the subway station.

After I had been walking for about two minutes, I noticed a taxi coming up the street behind me. I held my arm up to get him to stop.

"East 34th Street, Manhattan. Office of A P Burke and Associates, please," I said, as I climbed into the back seat of the taxi.

The taxi driver just nodded and started his meter. As the taxi pulled away, I settled back in the seat. The driver looked back at me in his mirror, but he didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if he was waiting for me to talk first, but I didn't have anything to say to him, so we were both silent for the journey.

As the taxi slowly made its way north towards the Manhattan Bridge, I gazed out the window. I thought about the new identity that Jay was going to give me. I wondered if I should act differently when I got it. Would Olivia Jones be a different kind of person?

She would probably not be as rich as me. Being poor would have made her tougher though. She would have to be more driven to succeed. I had already given Lucas the excuse of needing money to pay for college. So that would mean she was intelligent and hard working too. I would need to think carefully and get into character when I became this new person.

I looked up as the taxi turned into 34th Street. "It's just up here, on the right," I said to the driver.

The taxi stopped outside a plain looking office building. The building had tall glass windows up the front of it that reflected the late morning sunlight. The entrance was obscured behind scaffolding that covered the sidewalk.

I paid the taxi driver with a handful of bills, including what felt like a reasonable amount for a tip. Then I got out of the taxi and walked towards the law office.

The entrance was cold, and much bigger than it seemed from the outside. The tall windows let in a lot of light, and it shone off the white walls and marble floors. The overall look seemed more cold and sterile. It felt more like a hospital than a law office.

There was a large metal and glass desk in the centre of the room, where a receptionist sat and glared at me. It seemed like the place to start, so I walked over to her.

"Hi. Olivia Brown, here to see Peter Bennington," I said.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, with a stern voice.

"Err, no," I said, nervously.

She stared at me for a moment with a look of disappointment. "I'll let him know you are here. Take a seat," she said, and pointed behind me to the left.

I turned around to see a few empty chairs and a small table off to the side of the entrance.

I sat and waited, and watched people in expensive suits coming and going. The offices seemed busy, even for a Saturday. After I had been waiting for around twenty minutes, the elevator doors opened to reveal a familiar face.

Peter came out and walked towards me with his arms outstretched. "Olivia, I'm sorry for your loss," he said, as he pulled me in for a hug. "Your father was a good man."

"Thank you," I said softly, as tears began to grow in my eyes.

Peter stepped back and released me from his embrace. "Let's go talk in my office," he said.

He then led me back into the elevator and pressed the button for the sixth floor. When the doors opened again, Peter stepped out of the elevator and started to lead me around a corner and along a short corridor. We soon arrived at a wooden door with his name written on it. Peter opened the door, then gestured for me to go inside.

It was a large office, with floor to ceiling windows on two sides that gave an impressive view up along 34th Street towards the Empire State Building. I wasn't sure, but I had the idea that a corner office like this was a sign of someone important.

"I hoped you would come to see me sooner," said Peter, as he pulled out a chair for me to sit down.

"Sorry, I had other things on my mind," I said.

Once I had sat down, Peter walked around and sat down at his desk. He quietly nodded and started tapping at his computer.

After a few minutes, Peter looked away from his computer screen. "Okay," he said, slowly. "I assume your father told you about his will?"

"Some of it," I said. "He mentioned that he had life insurance to pay off the mortgage on the house, and that it would all go to me."

"Yes, that's right," said Peter. "The mortgage for the brownstone in Park Slope is all paid off. And the title will be transferred to you, along with the rest of your father's properties."

"Wait, the rest of his properties? What do you mean?" I asked.

I was confused by this. I didn't know we owned any other houses, apart from our old house in London. But he was making it sound like there were loads of them.

"Yes, your father has purchased a number of apartments," said Peter, as he checked his computer for the details. "There's five in Brooklyn, plus another three in Queens."

It didn't make sense, how could my father have afforded to buy so many properties. The Mafia must have been paying him a lot more than I thought for his work. And he must have been investing that money.

"Of course, we will be taking care of those properties for you, as part of your trust fund," said Peter. "The rental income from them will be invested on your behalf."

Yes, rented apartments. That reminded me of the reason I had come here.

"Yeah, that was why I came to see you," I said. "I wanted help with renting a place to live. I didn't want to stay at home anymore, after what happened there."

"Of course, I understand," said Peter. "Though if you already own some apartments, would it make more sense to use one of those instead of renting somewhere else?"

"Yeah, I guess," I said. "I just didn't know about them before."

"Hmmm, yes, of course," said Peter distractedly, as he started looking at his computer again. "Three of them are currently unoccupied."

"Okay," I said.

"There's a two bed apartment in Prospect Heights," he said. "That's a nice neighborhood, and not too far from your current home."

"Yeah, I know the area," I said. "My math tutor lives over there."

"The contractors have just finished renovating it a few days ago. We haven't listed it on the market yet," said Peter.

"Sounds great. I'll take it," I said. "Do you have the keys?"

Peter thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't believe we would have got them back yet," he said. "But your father would still have had his copies. I would assume they would be in his safe."

"His safe? I didn't know he had one," I said.

"In his office, behind the Monet print," said Peter.

I tried to picture what my dad's office at home looked like in my mind. I had rarely gone in there while he was alive. My dad liked peace and quiet while he was working, and hated being disturbed. It was his private sanctum away from noise and distractions. I had learned as a young girl that when the office door was closed, it was best not to go in.

There were a few times, such as when my mum had asked me to take him a pot of tea. He always looked slightly annoyed at first, and would cover up whatever he was working on.

From what I remembered, I began to form the image in my mind. The large black desk with his computer on. The wood panel walls were covered with shelves of books and folders. And on the opposite wall, a framed picture of a pond with a bridge over it. That must be the Monet print that Peter was referring to.

"A picture of a bridge," I said. "Is that what you mean?"

"Yes," said Peter. "The safe is hidden behind the frame."

"Cool," I said. That sounded so mysterious. I couldn't really picture my dad having a hidden safe like that. It sounded like something for spies or criminals.

Peter shrugged. "If you say so," he said. "But I believe the combination was your date of birth."

"Oh, I know what that is," I said, then cringed at myself.

"Hmmm, okay. I will leave you to arrange that then," said Peter.

"Yeah, thanks," I said.

"And about your monthly allowance," he said. "I've set it to $5000 per month initially. But we can review that at a later date if it's not sufficient?"

My eyebrows raised at the number. $5000 seemed like a huge amount of money to spend in a month, wasn't it? Previously my parents had only given me $200 a month for my allowance, so $5000 was a huge increase. Though maybe living alone was a lot more expensive? I wasn't sure, as I had never thought about it before. But either way, I couldn't imagine what I would spend $5000 on every month.

"Err, yeah, that would be fine," I said.

"Well it should have started going into your account last month, along with an initial lump sum to cover emergencies," said Peter.

"It did? I've not been to the bank for a while, I didn't notice," I said.

Peter just nodded his head. "Well that should cover your moving costs, if you are going to take the Prospect Heights apartment?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, and shrugged. It wasn't like I had any better plans.

"Well if that was all, I have a lunch meeting I need to go to," said Peter.

"Err, yeah, I guess that's all I needed," I said.

"Well if you could see yourself out," he said. "And next time, if you could call my secretary first to make an appointment it would be more convenient."

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I mumbled.

"Not at all," said Peter, as he stood up from his desk and walked towards the door. "It was nice to see you again, Olivia."

I stood up and walked over to the door. As I got closer, Peter moved towards me and wrapped his arms around me for a hug. I stood still for a moment, as I felt Peter's hands stroke slowly up and down my back, and he let out a soft sigh as his face nestled into my hair.

After a moment, Peter released me from his embrace and walked back around to his desk. I wasn't sure what else I should say, so I turned around and went out the doorway.

"Bye," I said, as I closed the door behind me.

As I headed back down in the elevator, I couldn't believe how well that had gone. I now had a place to live, and plenty of money on the bank. It sounded like things were going my way.