Ian smirks, looking at his phone screen as he lounges in the sitting room he was escorted to while the Del Bosque family debates his fate, and he fate of the family, but he hopes his words and his reveal have an impact.
He opens his email to see a reply from Simone Montgomery, a local investigative journalist. He smiles as he reads it, an interview request. She's left her contact info in the email, so he shoots off a text asking her when she's free. When he sees that they can meet at his earliest convenience, his grin widens. The interview is set for an hour from now in a local Cafe out in Old Town, a good 40 minute drive from Casa Del Bosque. He hums as he stands up, and moves to leave.
Someone he vaguely recognizes as also being dismissed from the meeting room tries to ask him where he's going, and to stop him. “I have an engagement I need to see to, then I will be back. Don't worry.” he smiles disarmingly, and thanks his mother for her insistence he learned proper manners and participate in extracurriculars that tended to be filled with more of the upper classes. Without having done lacrosse and select team football as a kid, and participating in Greek Life in university, socializing with families at least in similar social circles to the Del Bosques, he would’ve felt too scrutinized and out of place to do any of this. That said, this family he is tied to has another thing coming if they think he cant play their game. They likely will underestimate him, but he will use his middleclass smile and charm to his advantage, disarming them and lulling them into a false sense of security. Let them assume.
“Seriously, I’ll be gone for maybe three hours, that should give everyone time to pick their side and debate, no? I will see you all for dinner, promise.” he says, voice earnest and eyes softening ever so slightly. “But I really don't want to be late, and I gotta get all the way down to old town. So, see you later!” he presses past with a wave and a smile. They let him pass with a bewildered look, watching as he finds his way back out of the winding halls of the main house. He makes his way to his car, and pulls out, turning on near-deafeningly-loud music to sing as he drives, windows down, to the parking lot for Old Town. The drive is warm and pleasant, and passes by with no incident as he gets into the city proper.
He finds a decent parking space and parks. He checks his hair and teeth in the car mirror, leaves his vest in the car, and makes his way to the cafe. He waits for Simone with bated breath, trying to snack on a cookie to occupy himself while he waits.
He thinks about the meeting he just walked in on and bore witness to. The fighting, the chaos. It is even worse than he thought it was, and such an influential family being in disarray… It’s like they've forgotten where their influence comes from and how to take charge. Maybe they really aren't fit for guiding Coronado anymore if they can’t even communicate amongst themselves. They squabble like school children, all of them. He sits back, leaning against the back of his chair, head hanging back as he sighs and wipes a hand down his face.
When he sits back up, he sees Simone entering, the jingle of the bells on the door having caused him to glance over to her. “Hi, over here! I am Ian Hale,” he stands and shakes her hand firmly. “I am Rafael's son, I have notarized document copies, if you would like, to verify?” he offers, and leads her to their table for the interview. “So, I am sure you have a million questions. I’m uh, pretty much an open book. Fire away.” he smiles with a touch of a smirk on his lips. Confidence clearly not a struggle for him, even in the face of telling the entirety of Coronado, and the world, who his father is. Exposing himself and opening up his life in a way he had never imagined he would, before now.
And well, too late to back out now, so, he may as well smile his way through and let the games begin.
