 Chas cracks under the pressure of handling an issue for Declan in addition to his own book, going on a road trip to deepest Leicestershire until Declan rescues him. Meanwhile Shane Longman is poised for a merger with a bigger Japanese partner, supported by Peter Longman but mistrusted by wise head Leonard Ansen. Protocol faxes and business dinners ruffle feathers, until they discover through Wendy s old flame Michael that really such Ikeda mergers are asset-stripping takeovers; Declan and Chas  emotional re-entry causes the outraged Ikeda Chairman to tear up the whole deal.