Prescott seed to ponder my proposal for a while.
Is he going to grant permission?
Just as I began to harbor a sliver of hope,
He suddenly widened his eyes as if realizing sothing and shouted.
“Absolutely not! Making the first move from our side is forbidden!"
"Why?"
When I asked with a puzzled expression, Prescott let out a frustrated sigh and continued.
“What you really want to know is whether FDA approval is possible, isn’t it?"
“That’s correct."
"We cannot raise such questions under the na of the Heritage Group!"
His intense opposition was evident in his eyes.
It seed he had figured sothing out.
‘As expected, experience cannot be underestimated.'
Well, as a CEO himself, such insight was probably only natural.
Prescott continued his warning in a grave tone.
“No good result will co even if we step in. Regardless of the truth.”
It was a valid point.
No matter how my question was answered, the board mbers would inevitably look foolish.
If they were deceived by Hols’s lies?
Those supposedly distinguished board mbers would appear ignorant, as if they didn’t even know the basic fact that FDA certification is essential for dical devices.
But if they knew and still overlooked it?
In that case, the entire board would beco accomplices in this ridiculous and absurd fraud.
“Even the act of asking would insult them. It would only foster unnecessary animosity and bring us no benefit.”
The board mbers are individuals who have risen to the pinnacle of their respective fields.
If handled poorly, it could result in trendous damage for Prescott.
He could never afford to take such a risk.
Still, I decided to try persuading him one more ti.
"You never know. If the board truly didn’t know, they might even appreciate being warned in advance."
"Nonsense!"
Prescott scoffed and looked down at .
“You’re too naive.”
Naive?
It was an evaluation I had never heard before.
As I tilted my head at the fresh perspective, Prescott continued with a bitter smile.
“There are more people in the world who refuse to admit their faults. When criticized, they’ll only get defensive and try to justify themselves.”
He was absolutely right.
Humans are beings who feel pain when they realize their mistakes or errors.
A psychological pain comparable to physical suffering.
People get worked up and engage in keyboard battles over trivial internet comnts. Imagine how much worse it would be if national-level figures had their managerial competence questioned.
“The older one gets, the harder it becos to admit faults. Even if their knowledge of new technologies is lacking, they pride themselves on the wisdom born from experience.”
Yes, stubbornness increases with age.
And many of the board mbers are in their 80s and 90s.
“Even if they inwardly acknowledge their mistakes, these are people who would never voice such thoughts.”
Right, they are the figures who ended the Cold War.
If such individuals admitted to being duped by a shallow sche?
It would be a national disgrace.
“I will approach it as cautiously as possible.”
“I said no! I’ll probe the situation lightly, so don’t get involved in this matter!"
Leaving with a warning, Prescott walked towards the helm with heavy steps.
The liveliness he had when we first t was nowhere to be seen.
About an hour passed after that.
I found myself enjoying so leisure on an unoccupied yacht.
Prescott only reappeared after setting foot on land, delivering strict instructions.
“Do not act independently under any circumstances. Don’t contact Professor Carrington either.”
He even revoked his earlier permission for to et the professor.
Though mildly annoyed, I forced a smile.
"Understood. I will do as you say."
For now, I needed to appear obedient.
Only then could I seize the next opportunity.
After parting ways with Prescott, I quickly hastened my steps.
‘Should I go to the office…?'
It was only a five-minute walk from North Cove Marina to Goldman’s headquarters.
With so much to do, returning to the office to work seed like the rational choice.
However,
As I glanced at the surrounding scenery, my motivation to head to work quickly dissipated.
The vibrant atmosphere of a sunny Sunday afternoon was all around.
Every park I passed was bustling with families and couples out on excursions, while tourists busily snapped photos along the streets.
Of course, I wasn’t in a position to leisurely spend my ti like that.
But neither did I feel like heading straight to the office.
Eventually, I decided to take a walk along the Hudson River before heading to work.
A sort of compromise, I supposed.
As I strolled by the river,
Bzzzz!
My smartphone buzzed noisily.
It was a call from Raymond.
[You ntioned wanting to et the board?]
Prescott must have inford him.
So that’s what he had been doing in the helm, making calls left and right.
[There’s absolutely no issue with Theranos’ certification.]
Raymond conveyed the official stance in a firm tone.
He insisted this was definitely not a scam.
Of course, he probably wasn’t being sincere.
Perhaps he feared I might be recording the conversation, so he was resolutely declaring, “I do not believe this is a fraud.”
“What exactly makes it free of issues? I need a detailed explanation.”
[I don’t know the specifics either. I just heard that’s what the board said.]
Even the board hadn’t disclosed the details of the certification to Raymond.
If he pressed them for answers, he might face backlash from his esteed clients, so he couldn’t dig deeper.
Thus, I had to et the board myself.
Since I had no personal ties to them, I could freely ask questions without concern for repercussions.
However, there was no way to et them.
“Is there any way I can personally et the board mbers?"
Though it seed unlikely, I decided to ask anyway.
It was a request for Raymond to introduce .
[They are figures from the highest echelons of society. You can’t et them just because you wish to.]
As expected, his rejection was firm.
Well, it made sense.
Even in a small country like South Korea, it would be nearly impossible for an ordinary employee to et a minister.
In a powerful nation like the U.S., eting not just a minister but a Kissinger-level figure, treated as a hero, would be beyond imagination.
[In fact, I once ntioned you. I told them about a promising newcor at Goldman who had designed an innovative algorithm and shared the Genesis case as well.]
Yet, they still showed no interest.
While Raymond might have so ability to diate, arranging an actual eting would be difficult.
After all, they weren’t personally close; their relationship was strictly professional between a client and lawyer.
At the end of the call, however, he ntioned an intriguing piece of information.
[In two months, Theranos is scheduled for a private equity round.]
“Already?”
[Yes. It seems they’re in urgent need of funds and are expediting the process.]
Theranos had recently been burning through cash as they ramped up their operations.
As a result, they had decided to begin raising funds from major investors and institutions through a private equity round.
[There isn’t much ti.]
“Understood.”
After ending the call with Raymond, I quickened my pace.
The beautiful scenery no longer caught my eye.
My head was filled with a flurry of complicated thoughts.
‘Ti is tighter than I expected…’
Private equity rounds usually take about six months.
If it starts in two months and stretches out for six, that makes a total of eight months.
I had to bring down Theranos within that ti.
Right when people were captivated by Hols and throwing $10 billion at her.
At the exact mont when everyone’s expectations hit their peak, I had to expose the entire truth.
Just before the investnt funds were sucked into Hols’s pockets.
I must expose everything at that exact mont.
If I wait until after the investnts are made, it will be too late.
The reason for this is simple.
It’s much quicker to prevent a swindler from taking the money in the first place than to try to reclaim it once they’ve already pocketed it.
‘Eight months, huh!’
It’s not impossible.
As long as I can overco my first hurdle.
That is, the challenge of eting the board directly.
They are figures from the highest echelons of society.
I stopped in my tracks and instinctively looked up.
In front of stood the towering Goldman headquarters building.
The grand glass structure lood over .
From the vantage of those at the top, I likely wouldn’t even register in their view.
Let alone the Theranos board—they would probably look down on even the pinnacle of Goldman.
To them, Goldman was nothing more than a hired hand.
No matter how exceptional a young Asian employee within Goldman might be, expecting any reaction beyond a scoff would be unrealistic.
I must make them notice .
Within the two months before Theranos' private equity round begins.
There is only one way.
‘Reputation.’
The fact that they fell for Hols’s charm ans that fa is their weakness.
All I need to do is build a reputation comparable to Hols’s within the next two months.
Then, leveraging that status, I can push for another eting with the board.
‘This might actually work out better for .’
First impressions matter.
Instead of bowing and scraping before them as just another investnt consultant, it would be far more impressive if they were the ones requesting a eting with .
That would lend so credibility, making it easier to persuade them.
The strategy is flawless.
The only question is whether it’s possible to build such a reputation within two months…
A chuckle escaped my lips.
Well, why not?
There are two main ways to gain fa.
First, you can invest ti in building credibility and proving your worth.
This is a stable but reliable thod.
But what I lack most right now is ti, so this approach is out of the question.
Second, you can involve yourself in an attention-grabbing incident.
This is the strategy I must pursue.
If tid well, this strategy can generate imnse recognition in a short period.
Fortunately, I had the privilege of choosing my projects.
Thanks to an old agreent with Pierce, I had earned the right to designate one project per month as I wished.
Until now, I had used this privilege to network with individuals who might be useful in the future.
For example, fund managers destined to run renowned investnt clubs or people with strong connections to influential funds.
But this ti, it’s different.
This month, I plan to devote that privilege to an incident.
However, this led to another problem.
‘There doesn’t seem to be any noteworthy issue around this ti…’
A few major events that had shaken the biotech industry ca to mind, but none fit the tiline.
I needed an event that would erupt within the next two months.
And to my knowledge, no such event existed.
In that case, the choice was clear.
‘I’ll create one myself.’
It wasn’t a particularly difficult task.
All I needed to do was expose the scandals of companies that had caused trouble due to past corruption.
But the question was whether such actions would achieve the desired effect.
For example:
“Do you happen to know a company called Genesis?”
On a sudden whim, I asked the owner of a hot dog stand on the street.
The only response I got was a confused look.
“Genesis?”
“Oh, it’s the company that was at the center of that scandal that shook Wall Street recently…”
“Ha! Then of course I wouldn’t know.”
I tried asking the sa question while ordering coffee at a café and making paynts at convenience stores, but the responses were always similar.
“There was such a scandal?”
“This is the first ti I’ve heard of it!”
Although the Genesis scandal is legendary within investnt circles, the general public knows little about it.
This is a common occurrence.
Wall Street events often stay confined to Wall Street.
This is likely why the Theranos board rejected my eting request.
The fact that they reacted indifferently to the Genesis scandal indicates that their awareness level is not much different from that of the general public.
Therefore, an incident that only circulates within Wall Street won’t suffice.
If I were to create a scandal, it must be one that captures the attention of the entire United States—an event that draws the public’s eye.
All within the two-month tifra.
User Comments
0 comments from readers