Chapter 32
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Dr. Silas Mercer did not look like a typical corporate CEO. When he arrived at the Whitmore Foundation the following afternoon, he was dressed in a relaxed, tailored tweed suit, exuding the warm, approachable aura of a beloved university professor. He had kind, crinkling eyes and a soft-spoken voice that immediately put the board of directors at ease.
Noah, however, watched him with the quiet, intense scrutiny he had learned from his mother. They were gathered in the main conference room.
"Mr. Whitmore, Evelyn, it is a profound honor to finally meet you both," Silas smiled, taking his seat at the head of the table. "What you have built here from the ashes of tragedy is nothing short of miraculous."
"Thank you, Dr. Mercer," Noah replied smoothly, leaning on his forearm crutches as he remained standing. "We are very proud of our work. Which is why we are highly protective of it. Your proposal is... aggressive."
"I prefer the term 'revolutionary'," Silas countered gently. "Aegis Therapeutics is on the verge of a breakthrough in neuro-regeneration. Our new compound, AT-7, has shown unprecedented results in restoring motor function in severe spinal trauma cases. But to get FDA approval, we need a robust, monitored clinical trial. Your patients are the perfect candidates."
"Our patients are children who have already been through immense physical and psychological trauma," Evelyn stated, her tone polite but laced with steel. "Subjecting them to experimental compounds with unknown long-term side effects is a massive risk."
"Every great leap in medicine requires risk, Evelyn," Silas reasoned, looking around the room at the other board members, playing to their ambitions. "Imagine a world where the children in those wheelchairs out there can simply stand up and walk away. That is what the fifty million dollars buys you. A chance to cure them, not just comfort them."
Several board members nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Noah felt the tide of the room shifting toward the charismatic doctor.
"I know exactly what it feels like to want to stand up and walk away, Dr. Mercer," Noah said, his voice cutting through the room with absolute authority. "I also know the devastation of false hope. What happens if AT-7 fails? What happens if the side effects worsen their conditions?"
"Our preliminary data shows the risks are minimal," Silas assured him smoothly.
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"I don't care about your preliminary data," Noah replied, locking eyes with the older man. "Before I even consider letting you near this foundation, I want complete, unrestricted access to every single piece of raw data from your animal and early-stage trials. My own independent medical team will review it. If they find a single discrepancy, you take your fifty million dollars and go home."
Silas Mercer’s warm smile stiffened, just for a fraction of a second. "Of course. Transparency is our core value. I will have my team send over the files by tomorrow."
