A dozen men mingled in the lobby outside the boardroom. Patrick immediately homed in on the only woman in the group. Natalia stood beside her father, wearing a sharply tailored emerald-green ensemble with a vest, tie, and jacket that still managed to look remarkably feminine. It was good to see a familiar face.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Patrick said, reaching out to shake her hand.

“I’ve got Count Sokolov’s shares to vote,” she said. “I’ll never have a vote of my own, but Father lets me sit in on the meetings and vote the count’s shares. Hello, Liam.”

“Natalia,” Liam acknowledged, but he was staring across the lobby toward where Andrew Carnegie stood alongside J.P. Morgan. “I didn’t realize he was so short,” he whispered. Andrew Carnegie was a colossus in the business world but only stood a few inches over five feet.

Before Patrick could reply, the doors to the boardroom were opened, and everyone began funneling inside.

The longest table Patrick had ever seen dominated the center of the room. It was so glossy it could be used as a mirror, and each seat had a nameplate before it. The owners of ten steel companies were here today. Frederick Blackstone took the seat at one end of the table, and J.P. Morgan sat at the opposite end. Between the two men, they were about to finance the creation of U.S. Steel.

“Gentlemen, please have a seat,” Frederick said.

Introductions were made, for these steel magnates had come from across the nation and some had never met before. Frederick went out of his way to welcome “my grandson William” to the table.

J.P. Morgan had complete control over his bank, and recording his shares was a simple matter. The Blackstone shares were a little more complicated, with Oscar representing most of the votes that had been submitted to him via proxy, and Natalia voting the count’s shares. Then it came to Liam, who stood.

“I expected to vote alongside my grandfather, but after careful consideration of the operating agreement, I believe the unions can get a fair shake from this company. I want to acknowledge my support of that agreement by voting in favor of it.”

Frederick looked stunned as he gaped at Liam, but Liam kept his gaze on Andrew Carnegie.

“I will make it my mission in life to ensure this new company thrives, both for the workers and the health of the company as a whole. Neither side can prosper without the other, and I hope to be a trusted go-between for both sides.” Liam swallowed hard and looked directly at Frederick. “I hope this doesn’t disappoint you.”

Liam sat, looking a little less confident.