Page 21 of His Daughter

The Vanguard was already humming when I stepped off the elevator. Elise stood. An associate appeared with a file. Graham appeared at my left elbow, launching into the afternoon schedule before I'd made it three steps.

"The Bloomberg interview is at two. Conference room B. Nolan declined to participate."

I wasn’t surprised. Nolan had never shown up for any interviews.

"Julian confirmed. He'll sit in," Graham continued.

I scoffed. "Julian would sit in on a dental exam if there was a camera involved."

Graham adjusted his glasses. The ghost of a smirk. "The interviewer is Meredith Kane. Financial correspondent. She's sharp."

"Good. I like them sharp."

I found Julian in my office. Not behind my desk this time — he was on the couch, legs crossed, scrolling through his phone.

"Caine finally agreed to a meeting. We’ll see him in three weeks," I said.

Julian looked up. "You're kidding."

"I never kid about acquisitions." I set my briefcase down. "I called him directly. He’s going to be really difficult to deal with. Now come on. We have an interview to handle.”

The conference room was prepped by one-thirty. Two cameras, professional lighting, the Vanguard logo positioned just right behind the interview chairs. Nolan walked past the open door, glanced inside, and kept walking.

"Nolan," I called after him. "Care to join us?"

He stopped and turned. "No."

"You'd look great on camera."

"I look great everywhere. That's not the issue." He adjusted his cuff. "I’m not interested."

"Fair enough." I smirked. "More screen time for the rest of us."

He walked away without responding. Julian appeared beside me, running a hand through his sandy hair.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded.

Meredith Kane was exactly what Graham warned me about — sharp, polished, with intense eye contact. Dark hair, a good suit, and a handshake that stayed on half a second too long.

"Declan James Hale. Thank you for having me." The right corner of her lips curved.

I unbuttoned my jacket and settled into the interview chair. "The pleasure is entirely mine, Meredith."

Julian sat to my right, leaning back, relaxed, the picture of effortless composure. The red light on the camera blinked on.

The interview was good. She asked about the Lassiter acquisition — the structure, the timeline, the market implications. I gave her enough to keep the audience interested and not enough to give our competitors an edge. Julian jumped in with the financial context, making complex debt structures sound like dinner conversation.

"The Vanguard has acquired fourteen companies in the last five years," Meredith said, glancing at her notes. "Total enterprise value north of six billion. You've been called the most aggressive acquisition firm on the Street. Do you agree with that characterization?"

I smiled. "I'd say we're the most precise. Aggression is sloppy. We're deliberate."

"And the Caine Media acquisition? Can you confirm the deal is in play?"

"I can confirm that we find Roland Caine to be a fascinating conversationalist." I tilted my head. "Beyond that, you'll have to wait with everyone else."

She smiled back. The camera's red light blinked. Julian was grinning beside me.