The tension was more and more palpable between them. However, since it was Robert who initiated the meeting, Hayden thought it best to wait patiently until he would come to the point. After a while, when the topic of the firm was exhausted – to be fair, Hayden painted a humble picture of its reality – they changed the subject to Robert’s trips and work. Hayden politely asked about his fiancée, Veronique, whom he had only met briefly on the boat. The generous, but rather cold courteousness which Hayden had learned in his parents’ home and which manifested itself every time he felt threatened, became evident in his speech, and it kept distracting Robert. He couldn’t handle Hayden’s mannerisms, and it even crossed his mind that Hayden was making fun of him.
Hayden could see Robert’s fingers
