Then at the executives.
Then everything clicked.
Eleanor Halston.
Founder and chairwoman of Halston Capital.
Her photograph had appeared in business magazines for decades, although the photos I remembered showed darker hair and a younger face.
She had built a regional manufacturing company with her late husband and transformed it into an investment empire worth billions.
I actually laughed from shock.
“You’re Eleanor Halston?”
She smiled.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Gavin moved forward.
“Christopher, Eleanor was just explaining what happened, and obviously we didn’t have all the information when—”
She raised one finger.
Gavin stopped talking instantly.
“I have already explained this to Mr. Mercer,” Eleanor said. “But I would like to hear something from you.”
She turned to me.
“Did he truly fire you because you stopped to help me?”
I glanced at Gavin.
Four years.
Hundreds of late nights.
Missed dinners with my daughters.
An anniversary I once spent redesigning a campaign strategy because Gavin had promised a client impossible results.
