Bert had initially thought that Clark would be difficult to deal with, especially given his seemingly high-minded demeanor. He had prepared extensively for their interaction, assuming that Clark would be difficult to sway. However, after subtly hinting to Clark that he was the eldest son of Burg Eltz and that he might be in line to join the Washington family, Clark's stance wavered unexpectedly. To Bert's disappointment, he didn't get the reaction he had anticipated from Dave either. There was no great emotional upheaval or crisis; instead, Dave chose to step away from Clark and let him go.
Daniel, for his part, had acted decisively, using Clark's involvement with him as an excuse to keep him out of the picture, effectively forcing him to stay in the U.S. and stop making waves. For Bert, this situation had been frustrating—he had been eager for Clark's suffering, hoping for a more dramatic turn of events, but all of his efforts seemed to fall flat.
