Chapter 1 #2
“Malcolm,” I reply, because using a first name is a subtle push. It makes people feel like we’re already closer than we are. “Welcome to The Regent Club.”
We shake hands. His grip is firm, practiced. Mine is firmer, and I keep my right side relaxed so it doesn’t complain.
Roberto gestures to the others. “Eleanor Pierce, David Halbrook,” he says, then to the woman beside them, “and Jenna Sloane, general counsel.”
Pierce is elegant, older, eyes sharp, the kind of board member who has been in rooms where decisions were made that ruined lives without a second thought. Halbrook looks like a former athlete who learned finance from the ground up. Sloane is controlled, posture tight, eyes watching everything.
I greet each of them with the right amount of warmth. Warm, not needy. Confident, not arrogant. Interested, not predatory.
“Thank you for joining us,” I say. “I know you all have a great many options for how to spend your time. I don’t take it lightly.”
Ms. Pierce lifts her flute slightly. “A charming start.”
“I aim to be accurate,” I reply.
Halbrook’s smile is faint. “We’ve heard you’re the charming one.”
“Who told you that?” I let my smile widen. “I may have to send them a gift.”
Pierce lets out a light laugh.
Crane nods toward the room. “You’ve built something significant here.”
“We did,” I agree. “And we’re building the kind of infrastructure that protects it. Not just cameras and guards. Systems. Processes. Access control that doesn’t rely on luck or personality.”
Sloane’s gaze sharpens. “That’s what Northstar does.”
“I know,” I say, and keep it simple. “That’s why we’re talking.”
Crane’s expression shifts into business. “We’re here to listen.”
“Good,” I say. “Then I’ll be clear about intent. We’re not looking to buy a logo and slap our name on it. We’re looking to acquire a firm whose compliance record is part of its value. You’ve built trust in your space. We want that trust integrated into ours.”
Eleanor Pierce studies me. “Well, that’s the right language.”
“It’s the true language,” I reply. “You can’t build exclusive access for high-net-worth clients if the people running the door are compromised.”
Halbrook tilts his head. “Compromised is a broad term.”
“It is,” I agree. “Which is why I like firms that define it precisely.”
A small, approving flicker crosses Sloane’s face. She doesn’t like me, not yet, but she respects competent conversation.
Crane’s eyes narrow, just a touch. “You’ve done your homework.”
“I always do,” I say, then soften it with a smile. “I’m also aware you’re not going to make decisions based on a conversation beside a sculpture at a gala.”
Pierce’s lips curve. “No. We are not.”
“But,” I continue, voice easy, “this is where we decide whether we’re even worth the next meeting. Whether we speak the same language. Whether we respect the same constraints.”
Sloane holds my gaze. “Constraints matter.”
“They do,” I say. “And we want to work within them.”
Crane shifts his weight, glancing briefly at Pierce and Halbrook, then back to me. “You’re saying all the right things.”
I shrug slightly, careful with the movement. “I’m saying the things that are true. If your value is your compliance record and your discretion, then the acquisition only makes sense if we protect that. Otherwise, we’re paying to destroy you. And how would that make sense?”
Halbrook lets out a quiet breath, amused. “That’s blunt.”
“It saves time,” I say.
Pierce’s eyes flick to Roberto, then back to me. “And you think your organization can maintain that standard.”
Roberto’s posture stays neutral. He knows when to let me speak.
“Yes,” I say. “Because we have skin in the game. The Regent isn’t an experiment. It’s a flagship. And flagship problems don’t stay quiet.”
Crane takes a sip now, finally, like he needed to decide whether I was tolerable first. “We have internal processes that would need to be satisfied before any of this goes anywhere.”
“Of course,” I say. “I have done my homework. Nilsson, whom I was hoping to impress here tonight.”
I shift and make like I’m looking around.
“Ah, she won’t be attending tonight,” Crane says. “She was supposed to, but she flew out of a different location, and her flight was delayed. But if we choose to go forward with another meeting, she’ll be there.”
“But you really will have to work hard to impress her,” Pierce adds, almost casually. “She’s thorough.”
Halbrook’s tone is drier. “She’s infuriatingly thorough.”
Crane’s mouth tightens like he’s had his own battles with her. “She’s precise. Ethical. And she doesn’t bend.”
“Sounds like the kind of person you want watching your house,” I say with a pleasant smile.
Sloane’s eyes stay fixed on mine. “She’s the kind of person who won’t let someone buy the house if the foundation is cracked.”
“Good,” I say again, and mean it.
Pierce watches me closely. “Most people don’t react that way when they hear there’s a person who can stop them.”
“Most people assume stopping is personal,” I reply. “I assume it’s professional.”
Halbrook huffs a quiet laugh. “That’s a nice line.”
“It’s also accurate,” I say. “If Nilsson is the gate, then our job is to ensure we walk through it.”
“Fair,” Crane says, and his tone carries a fraction more openness than it did a minute ago. “You’ll get your meeting.”
“And I’ll come prepared,” I reply.
Pierce studies my face for one last beat, then gives a small nod that feels like a preliminary approval. “I look forward to seeing how you handle her.”
“So do I,” I say, and the truth of it sits steady in my chest.
Roberto steps in smoothly, reclaiming the flow. “If you’ll excuse us, I want to make sure you’re introduced to a few of our partners this evening. And of course, enjoy everything The Regent has to offer.”
Crane nods. “Thank you.”
Handshakes again. Smiles. The right words. The right distance.
As Roberto guides me away, the crowd swallows us back up.
When we’re out of earshot, Roberto leans slightly toward me. “Be careful.”
“With what?” I ask, still smiling at a passing guest like I’m enjoying myself.
“With Nilsson,” he says quietly. “If she’s as incorruptible as they say, you can’t do your usual thing.”
“My usual thing is winning,” I murmur.
Roberto’s voice stays calm. “Your usual thing is pushing until people move. Don’t push her. If you spook her, she doesn’t just say no. She documents why.”
I nod once.
My side gives me another twinge, and I breathe through it without letting my smile change.
“Good,” I say under my breath, almost to myself. “I like a challenge.”