Recently, I had strongly felt the necessity of securing an exclusive space for the upper class.
However, prestigious clubs with long-standing traditions, such as the tropolitan Club, operate under strict mbership recomndation systems, making it impossible for to join at my current status.
So, I found a place where I could beco a mber through an application process and decided to set up my eting there.
Thus, at 2 PM the next day, I stood in front of the Core Club building.
This place was known as a gathering spot for young elites.
“Mr. Sean, please follow .”
An employee who recognized at the entrance spoke in a composed voice.
Following his guidance, I stepped into a private passageway.
This passage was a designated route leading to the private suites, designed to allow movent without drawing the attention of other mbers.
At the end of the corridor, a concierge stood upright and greeted .
“Your companion has already arrived.”
As the door opened smoothly, Rachel ca into view.
But the mont I saw her, my steps halted involuntarily.
‘So this is how she looks usually.'
Rachel, who had recently left Goldman, was dressed casually in jeans and a light jacket instead of the usual two-piece suits she always wore.
Since I had only ever seen her in formal business attire at the company and the Castleman Foundation, her casual look felt rather unfamiliar.
Yet, even without any effort to dress up, Rachel naturally drew attention.
Without flashy accessories—perhaps because of it—her unique aura stood out even more.
“You’re here?”
I snapped back to my senses and greeted her with a smile.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just arrived a bit early…”
Rachel glanced around, looking slightly uncomfortable.
It seed that the atmosphere of the Core Club felt a bit overwhelming for her.
‘Does it look too extravagant?'
Rachel was soone who fundantally refrained from making hasty judgnts about others.
However, it was necessary to be cautious about giving off the impression of excessive indulgence.
Nobles tend to be wary of those who are easily swayed by money.
“I’m sorry for calling you to such a troubleso place. Lately, with all the public attention, it hasn’t been easy for to et people outside.”
As the Allergan dia campaign intensified, I had been appearing in the press three to four tis a week.
As a result, more people had started recognizing , making it nearly impossible to et in an ordinary café or restaurant.
In other words, choosing this location wasn’t about luxury—it was an unavoidable decision.
“Would you like to place an order now, or should I co back later?”
“Let’s order first.”
Since it hadn’t been long since I had lunch, I ordered just a drink and a dessert.
Feeling thirsty while waiting, I looked for water and noticed a bottle of Svalbard water on the table.
‘As expected, very ticulous.'
This water, sourced from Norwegian glaciers, is known as the purest in the world.
Taking a sip, the crisp and refreshing taste filled my mouth, leaving a lingering freshness.
As I savored the aftertaste, our desserts arrived.
‘The quality of the desserts isn't bad either.'
The Dom Pérignon Rosé sorbet retained its delicate champagne aroma while delivering a lively flavor.
The Kopi Luwak crè brûlée, made with one of the world’s rarest coffees, lived up to its reputation with its rich and aromatic taste.
“So, it looks like we’ll be able to hold a special exhibition next month! I’ll send you an invitation too, Sean!”
As I enjoyed my dessert, I listened to Rachel talk about her recent activities.
When the conversation naturally shifted toward galleries, I cautiously brought up the main topic.
“Speaking of exhibitions, I heard that Gagosian Gallery is holding a private one this week.”
“Oh? Are you going too, Sean?”
A small smile ford on my lips at Rachel’s question.
The way she said “too” indicated that she had also been invited.
It was the very exhibition that Carl Icahn would be attending.
‘That’s a relief.'
If I asked Rachel to take as her plus-one, she would likely agree without hesitation, given her personality.
I replied with a slightly bitter smile.
“No, I wanted to go, but unfortunately, it’s invitation-only…”
But this ti, Rachel’s response was unexpected.
Normally, she would have imdiately asked if I wanted to co along.
Instead, she clapped her hands, eyes sparkling.
“You like Firelei Báez too, Sean?!”
“……”
“She’s incredible, isn’t she? She’s already getting a lot of attention, but she’ll be even more popular in the future! Her colors are so intense they take your breath away… and every piece tells a story!”
‘It seems like she completely ignored what I said.’
The mont I ntioned the artist’s na, all of Rachel’s attention shifted to that topic.
She didn’t even seem to register that I had said I wasn’t invited.
“But didn’t you say before that you weren’t really interested in art, Sean? If even you find her work intriguing…”
I could easily pretend to be a devoted fan of this artist.
But that would be a rookie mistake.
‘If I get caught, it’ll have the opposite effect.’
To the wealthy, trustworthiness is crucial.
Rather than a harmless lie, extre honesty would serve better.
“I’m sorry, but as I ntioned before, I’m not really into art. I just heard this artist’s na for the first ti today.”
“Huh? But…?”
Rachel tilted her head in confusion.
She seed to be wondering why I would bring up the exhibition if I didn’t even know the artist.
“To be honest, there’s soone I really need to et at that exhibition—because of this campaign.”
“Oh… I see, for work…”
A faint hint of disappointnt flickered across Rachel’s face.
“So that’s why you contacted …”
We had promised to et again after our last encounter in Philadelphia, but I had kept postponing it for over a month, using my busy schedule as an excuse.
And now, the first eting I set up after all this ti was to ask her to take to an art exhibition for work.
Even if Rachel was generous, she couldn’t possibly feel good about being so blatantly used.
‘She must feel like she’s just being taken advantage of.'
It wasn’t outright displeasure, but a clear sense of dissatisfaction showed on her face.
I let out a bitter chuckle.
“I must seem… quite shaless, don’t I?”
“Huh? No, that’s not…”
“I know. It’s not great to only reach out when I need sothing.”
I spoke with a self-deprecating smile, as if I found my own actions laughable.
With a slight tone of disillusionnt.
“I know it sounds like an excuse, but I really did want to reach out a few tis. It’s just… I never found the ti…”
At this point, I let out a deep sigh.
“I thought I was confident… but managing a $12 billion fund as soone inexperienced… the pressure is imnse.”
Yes.
For soone who had just launched their first fund, this mont was a crucial first step.
The weight of it was anything but light.
“On top of that, so many people are watching…”
I clenched my fist.
Trying to hide my anxiety, but making it clear that I couldn’t fully suppress it.
“That’s why this campaign… must succeed no matter what.”
Would this be enough?
“Don’t push yourself too hard. No one is perfect from the start.”
Rachel’s expression softened as she tried to console .
That ant my act had worked.
But I couldn’t stop here.
What I needed wasn’t sympathy—I needed Rachel’s full cooperation.
And the best way to achieve that was clear.
“This campaign must succeed. We cannot allow Valeant to absorb another company.”
I looked straight at her and spoke with a hint of anger.
“Valeant is a corporation that exploits its acquisitions by hiking drug prices to absurd levels. No matter how much profit matters, raising the cost of rare disease treatnts by 1,000% is inhumane.”
“What? 1,000%?!”
Rachel’s eyes widened in shock.
As soone who had worked closely with rare disease patients at the Castleman Foundation, this would hit her differently.
“That’s unbelievable! Those patients rely on those drugs as their only hope…!”
“Exactly. We can’t let a company like that keep growing.”
Yes.
My obsession with winning wasn’t just about ambition.
It was about doing the right thing.
And with such a cause, Rachel would be eager to help.
Sure enough, her expression hardened with resolve.
“So, who is it you need to et at the exhibition?”
Her voice carried genuine determination to assist.
Without hesitation, I answered.
“Carl Icahn.”
“Oh!”
“Do you know him?"
“Yes, I've t him a few tis."
As expected, the world of the top 1% was small.
I didn’t bother hiding my intentions and asked directly.
“In that case, could you introduce to him?"
Having Rachel approach him would be much more advantageous than doing it alone.
However, her expression darkened for a mont.
“Huh? That’s…”
Sothing felt off.
Why was she looking so troubled?
“Is it too much to ask?"
“No, it’s not that…”
Rachel hesitated for a mont before speaking.
“Actually, I already have soone I’m going with."
The invitation included a plus-one.
That ant she could only bring one companion.
Of course, they wouldn’t turn away an extra person outright, but showing up like that in front of Icahn wouldn’t be appropriate.
In the end, I needed to persuade Rachel to change her companion to instead.
“Is there… any way to make it work? Honestly, you’re the only person I can ask."
This was a request for a good cause.
And knowing our dear princess, her choice was predictable.
As expected, Rachel gave an awkward smile and answered.
“No, it’s not that it’s difficult. Of course, we can go together. It’s just… there might be so backlash."
“Backlash?"
“The person I agreed to go with… is Gerard."
***
“I’ll talk to Gerard and get back to you.”
That was what Rachel said before we parted ways.
‘Gerard… That’s a na I haven’t heard in a long ti.’
Rachel’s older brother—handso in appearance but notoriously rigid in personality, often a headache to deal with.
It had been a while since I’d heard about him, but I had no particular desire to see him again.
“Oh! And this, too…”
Rachel rummaged through her bag and handed a small rectangular object.
“Take a look.”
It was a USB drive.
“I thought you seed disappointed last ti when you couldn’t et Jane…”
Jane was a Castleman patient participating in the Phase 1 clinical trial.
I had tried to et her during my visit to Philadelphia, but I had to cancel at the last minute due to a eting with Ackman.
“You really wanted to et Jane, didn’t you, Sean?”
That was true.
I needed to see every patient in person.
I had to ticulously record their side effects and symptoms and compare them with the ones I had experienced before my regression.
That was the only way to identify common symptoms in Castleman patients who needed a third treatnt option.
“I figured you wouldn’t have the ti to travel to Philadelphia given your current schedule… So I got David’s permission and the patients’ consent to prepare this.”
What exactly had she prepared?
“You’ll understand once you watch it."
I nodded and returned to my office to check the USB.
Inside were five video files.
They were interviews with Castleman patients, including Jane.
I clicked on the first file, the one labeled with Jane’s na.
On the screen, Jane appeared—a young woman in her twenties with striking red hair and freckles, exuding an air of confidence.
[Jane, why don’t you say hello to the cara?]
[Uh, this feels awkward. Hi, Sean! I’m Jane Crosby. I heard this clinical trial only started because of you…]
It was a video ssage.
‘Why would she even…?’
Honestly, I couldn’t understand Rachel’s way of thinking at tis.
[They told you wanted to et , Sean. Rachel said you were disappointed we couldn’t et… Thank you for your support.]
I hadn’t gone there to encourage her.
All I wanted was data.
[Shall we begin?]
The video continued with a familiar procedure.
Rachel explained the potential side effects.
Checking the playback ti at the bottom of the file, I saw that it was over two hours long.
‘I don’t need to watch all of this.’
But I decided to watch a bit more.
Since I had a rare opportunity to review a patient’s video, there might be so extra details I could pick up.
It might not be much, but subtle hints—like complexion changes, pupil movents, or slight breathing irregularities—could help infer symptoms.
As I ticulously analyzed Jane’s expressions on screen, Rachel continued to explain the risks.
[Jane, you have an underlying heart condition, which makes this particularly dangerous for you.]
[Yes, I know. But I still have to try.]
Her eyes reminded of Dylan’s.
The determined gaze of a soldier heading into battle, risking everything on the front lines.
That determination was unmistakable, even through the screen.
‘I should stop here.’
I had already gathered enough data.
There was no need to sit through a two-hour video.
However…
For so reason, stopping in the middle didn’t sit right with .
Rachel had gone through the trouble of preparing this video for , and shutting it off without watching it fully would be dismissing her effort.
More than that—
‘It would feel like running away.’
I was using Jane’s impending death to extract data.
Naturally, watching sothing like this made uncomfortable.
But turning away from that discomfort felt cowardly.
In the end, I left the video playing in the background while focusing on my other work.
Several hours passed.
Ding!
My phone chid with a new ssage.
It was from Rachel.
But just a few seconds later—
Ding!
Another ssage arrived.
This ti, from an unexpected sender.
The sender was none other than Gerard.
Apparently, he had started tracking down the reason for his invitation being canceled, and I had been identified as the primary suspect.
‘Let’s just ignore it.’
I had a bad feeling that this was going to turn into sothing annoying.
But there was no other way.
Giving up on attending the exhibition wasn’t an option.
eting Icahn was a necessity.
I had to bring him into my fold to take down Ackman in a spectacular fashion.
‘The question is… can I persuade him?’
Icahn was infamous for his eccentricity.
He was one of the corporate raiders who dominated the 1980s.
Not the type to be easily swayed.
If he were an actor, he’d be like a legendary veteran known for his difficult personality.
Would soone like him really form an alliance with a rising rookie like ?
‘Why would he?’
Yet, I needed to forge an alliance with Icahn.
Given his personality, I would only get one shot.
That ant I couldn’t afford any mistakes.
And so, with Rachel’s video still playing in the background, I ticulously crafted my strategy to persuade Icahn.
As ti passed, Saturday finally arrived.
The day of the showdown.
User Comments
0 comments from readers