I had planned to beat the devil at his own game. It all really started with an innocent request for partnership. The Eldor family was powerful not only in America but also in Europe. For us to fully dominate the European market, we needed them. They, in turn, needed a partner who was small enough not to threaten them, but strong enough to hold the market across the ocean. The game seemed fair from the start, but Christian made his first mistake by trying to take me out of the equation. This brought to my mind a possibility I had never considered. He tried to sideline me, feeling safe because he was on his home turf. He was so relaxed and confident, not even bothering to make a plan. After all, he was Christian Eldor, and New York was his city, wasn't it? I then realized he never expected a
