No, thank you

'No, not for me, no,' you tell him. 'I'm a married man myself.'

'No ring, Mr. Prince?' Pascal asks.

'Oh, uh...' you say a little panicky, looking at your hand. 'Must have left it at home this morning. My wife will be pissed.' You laugh, and Pascal quickly joins in with the awkward laugh.

'Anyway, it's not like I don't cheat on her sometimes,' you continue. 'What can I say? I have my desires. You will too, if you're not already. Marriage runs stale very fast.'

'Well, thank you for the advice,' Pascal answers after a while. 'But I love my fiancée very much. And I don't plan to cheat on her.'

'Good, good!' you say, taking a bite from one of the bagels. 'That was a test, Pascal. I only want to work with honest men, and I think you are an honest man.' You've given up on interrogating him now. You need to stay in your cover, and it would seem weird if you kept asking about this subject. It doesn't seem like he wants to give that information to a stranger now, anyway. You needed to find another angle.

'That's great!' Pascal smiles. 'I'm glad I passed. And I can guarantee you, that I am a very honest man.'

The both of you laugh. Then you get up and shake his hand. 'I will call you about the paper on a later date, if that's alright? I need time to make my decision. But I will say, you are very close to what I'm looking for.'

'Yes, that would be fantastic!' Pascal says enthusiastically. 'Thank you, sir.'

'I'll let myself out,' you say before walking through the door. 'We will speak again soon, I should think.'