Chapter 35
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Silas Mercer did not leave quietly. When Marcus informed him of the board's decision, Silas immediately requested a private, off-the-record meeting with Noah. Wanting to look the man in the eye, Noah agreed, meeting him in the foundation’s serene outdoor garden.
The spring flowers were in full bloom, but the atmosphere between the two men was freezing cold.
"I must admit, Mr. Whitmore, I am deeply disappointed," Silas said, walking slowly beside Noah along the gravel path. "I thought you, of all people, would understand the urgency of a cure. You let a paranoid former employee ruin a historic opportunity."
"I protected my patients from a fraudulent trial," Noah corrected him smoothly, his crutches clicking rhythmically on the gravel. "I know about the micro-spasms, Silas. I know you scrubbed the adverse reactions from the data you presented to my board. You committed federal fraud."
Silas stopped walking. The warm, grandfatherly facade vanished entirely, replaced by the cold, calculating glare of a ruthless businessman.
"You are a very young, very naive man, Noah," Silas sneered quietly. "Medicine is a business. To achieve greatness, you have to break a few eggs. The FDA would have shut down years of research if they saw those spasm reports. Once we get the drug to market, we can refine it."
"You want to use children as collateral damage for your stock price," Noah said, disgusted. "Get off my property, Dr. Mercer."
Silas took a step closer, lowering his voice to a venomous whisper. "Let's drop the self-righteous act. Everyone has a price. What if I personally endow a trust in your name? Ten million dollars, completely untraceable, straight into your private accounts. You override the board, you approve the trial, and you become a very wealthy, highly praised pioneer."
Noah looked at the man, feeling a profound wave of pity mixed with fury.
"You really don't understand who I am, do you?" Noah asked, shaking his head. "Two years ago, a woman named Vanessa tried to steal this foundation. A year ago, a billionaire named Thorne tried to crush it. They both offered me money to look the other way. They are both in federal prison."
Silas’s eyes narrowed. "I am not a petty thief or a local politician, Noah. Aegis is a global powerhouse. If you make an enemy of me, I will destroy your foundation’s reputation so thoroughly that parents will beg to take their children away from you."
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"Try it," Noah challenged fearlessly, standing incredibly tall despite his crutches. "But if you ever threaten this foundation again, I won't just reject your money. I will expose your data to the FDA myself."
Silas adjusted his expensive jacket, his face pale with fury. "You have made a catastrophic mistake, boy."
