“You are a decent man.”
“I’m trying.”
She smiled.
“That’s usually what decent men say.”
I kissed her.
Then I knelt and hugged both girls, who were already arguing over crayons at the coffee table.
“Where are you going, Daddy?” Maddie asked.
“To a meeting.”
“Is it a good meeting?”
I thought about that.
Then I said, “I think it might be.”
Claire looked up from her coloring page and gave me a serious nod like she was sending me into battle.
“Be brave.”
That one almost undid me.
I kissed the tops of both their heads and left.
Daniel Parker’s office sat downtown in a brick building with huge windows and the kind of clean, calm lobby that tells you somebody in charge actually understands first impressions.
No gaudy logo wall.
No fake energy.
Just quiet confidence.
The receptionist looked up when I approached.
“I’m here to see Mr. Parker. Evelyn Parker sent me.”
Her face changed immediately.
“Of course. He’s expecting you.”
Of course.
Those two words nearly made my knees weak.
I was led to a conference room with a long wood table and a view of the city that made my old office look like a storage closet.
I laid out my folder and tried not to fidget.
At 2:03, the door opened.
Daniel Parker walked in.
He was taller than I expected, early forties maybe, with the kind of composed presence some people wear without trying.
Not slick.
Not arrogant.
Just steady.
He shook my hand firmly and sat down across from me.
“Sebastian. I’ve heard a lot about you in the last eighteen hours.”
I managed a smile.
“I hope not all of it was bad timing.”
A corner of his mouth lifted.
“Not all.”
He didn’t waste time.
Neither did I.
That was one of the first things I liked about him.
He asked about my work history.
My approach to client relationships.
How I handled failed campaigns.
What I thought made a message land.
How I measured trust.
Trust.
Nobody had ever used that word in an interview with me before.
At least not like it mattered.
So I answered honestly.
I told him I believed people could smell desperation in a pitch.
That attention might get you a click, but trust gets you a commitment.
That too many campaigns shouted when they should listen.
That the best outreach wasn’t manipulation.
