"Well done, Matthew," William said, smiling politely to Laurence.
"Thank you."
"May I have a word with you?" William said. "It will only take a minute."
"Sure," Matthew said, shutting his briefcase. "I'll be right back, Lauri," he said, and followed William from the room.
"In here," William said, pushing into an empty dressing room. The light from the hallway fanned into the room and aided their search for the wall switch.
Finding none, Matthew switched on one of the makeup tables mirrors. Twenty light bulbs lit up around the mirror's rim, and he turned around the chair facing it and seated himself. William pulled up a small stool and sat down.
"It all went very well, Matthew," William said. "I just wanted a moment alone with you to tell you how happy I am, especially after the shakiness we've experienced over the past few months."
"Thank you. And I understand. We've both had our own concerns, you on one side, me on the other."
"Yes," William agreed. "I sometimes didn't believe we would make it to this day, but we did, and now we're ready to move into the final phase." The final phase: ICP acquires Wallaby, and Matthew comes under William's command. "And they bought your response with nary a doubt," William said. "That was good. Because they're going to have a big surprise in a couple of months."
He was referring to the reporter's question that had been directed to Matthew minutes ago: "With this 'strategic alliance,'" the reporter had said, affecting a difficulty with the definition of the agreement, "aren't you afraid, Mr. Locke, of a possible ICP takeover of Wallaby in the future? Or is this perhaps something you may want?"