Nothing came out.
Eleanor nodded thoughtfully.
Then she turned toward the tall man by the window.
“Daniel?”
He stepped forward.
“Yes, Mrs. Halston.”
“Cancel it.”
Gavin blinked.
“Cancel what?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Our negotiations.”
Gavin stared.
“What negotiations?”
Eleanor picked up a leather folder from the table.
“The acquisition.”
The silence that followed seemed to swallow the room.
My head snapped toward Gavin.
His expression answered the question before I asked it.
Halston Capital had been planning to buy the agency.
Eleanor continued calmly.
“We had intended to acquire seventy percent of Mercer & Field by the end of the quarter.”
Gavin’s face became almost gray.
“The transaction would have valued this agency at approximately eighteen million dollars.”
Nobody breathed.
Then Eleanor closed the folder.
“But I do not invest in businesses whose leaders believe humanity is an obstacle to profitability.”
Gavin stepped forward.
“Mrs. Halston, please. One emotional decision shouldn’t destroy years of work.”
