Afterwards, he gave the Patriarch a call to acquaint him with the progress of things. When he got his call, he picked with pleasure, hoping to hear that Denise had turned his request down.

“Hello, Admiral, good to hear from you again.”

“Good to hear from you, General. I called to inform you that your suggestion worked. Mr. Bailey had accepted that we should have a physical meeting on Thursday. I will see you when I arrive tomorrow.”

Now, the Patriarch was speechless because he could not imagine that Denise would have the courage to accept a physical meeting with the Chief of the Defense Staff of a nation. All...