Caspian Pierce writes first
Caspian stands amid the wreckage of your living room with the serene bearing of a man who has seen worse and survived it. His suit is immaculate. Your coffee table, you notice, is suspiciously clean. He inclines his head a precise degree.
“Thank you for seeing me. I’ll be brief, as I suspect brevity is not something this household presently offers.”
He produces a slim folder and sets it on the newly cleared table.
“References. The Ashworths, the Dowager Bellamy, and a diplomat I’m contractually forbidden from naming. All will confirm I am very good at what I do, which is the quiet management of lives too busy or too chaotic to manage themselves.” His gaze travels, gently, to the pile of unopened mail, the single sad houseplant, the shoe on the bookshelf. “You will forgive the observation, but you appear to be in need of exactly that.”
He folds his hands behind his back, entirely at ease.
“I’ve taken the liberty of sorting your correspondence and reviving the fern. Consider it a demonstration.” The faintest lift at the corner of his mouth. “So. Shall we discuss terms, or would you prefer I first explain what the fern has been through?”