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Aria’s hand seemed to lift in the air of its own accord. Halting Ajax mid sentence.
“Yes, Aria?” He sounded almost bored, and if he hadn’t been eye fucking her a moment ago, I may have believed his little act.
“Why are the pharmaceutical companies continually competing and bidding against one another? Surely, if The Society owns them, it would be smarter to share those resources between the firms, rather than compete?”
Holy fuck, Aria O’Luc had either just declared herself a player in the game, or she was a naive little girl who had no fucking idea what she was doing.
Ajax didn’t miss a beat when it came to answering her.
“One,” he raised a finger in the air, “they do share resources - that is how they have been able to supply medicines in such a timeous manner to the Globe, and two,” he lifted a second finger up, “we makemoremoney through giving the illusion of competition as it often drives the prices up in a way that is market-related, and acceptable,andthrough hosting competing companies, the public would never assume that we control them all - because much like you, Miss O’Luc, they would assume that the companies would share information in lieu of competing, but as you can see, it is not an either or circumstance.”
His goal was to embarrass her - make her feel small for having the balls to actually ask a question - to wonder exactlywhythings worked the way they did in this world that belonged to The Society. She blushed, and the hue on her cheeks just made me hate that fucker more. This is what they were good at - stomping out any fire that may have set someone apart as an individual instead of just a good little Society soldier.
The same girls who had leaned forwards when he spoke now snickered at Aria’s expense, and I made a mental note of who they were, if only so I didn’t find myself with my dick buried inside of them.
But then, Aria surprised me even more. She didn’t sit silently - didn’t duck her head down in defeat, instead, she pushed forward. “So, The Society would rather make the highest profit off ofmedicinesrather than offering the world a glimpse of non-competing pharmaceutical companies working side-by-side and creating thesamemedicines, simply at a fraction of the cost? The Society could actually save more people.”
And true to the prize fucktard he was, Ajax delivered a scathing reply that had me clenching my fists and marking him for a slow, painful death.
“Oh, excuse me, I did not realize that you were a bleeding heart. You did not seem to question these ethics when you attended your elite university, or when you went on your shopping expeditions - and, my goodness, Miss O’Luc,” he spoke in mock horror, “is that aBurberryshirt that you are wearing?”
He was a prize fucking cunt.
He dismissed her with a flick of his eyes, returning back to address the entire auditorium. “The Society has ensured that the globe and its populace have remained safe throughout history. We have been at the grassroots of economic development and job creation. We have teams and teams of people who work tirelessly for an array ofhumanityprojects that combat all the ugliness of this world. But,” he paused dramatically, “those projects require funding, and our pharmaceutical enterprises fund a lot of the good that we are able to do.”
A buzz of chatter and laughter filled the stands, and Ajax raised his hand, halting the noise as he plowed forward with his little lecture.
“Now, that isn’t to say that if someone is truly in dire need and requires these medicines but cannot afford them, that we won’t - and don’t - help. In fact, we have a number of NGO projects and community health-clinic run programs that give those in financial difficulty access to what they need - although there may be some administrative tasks those individuals are required to complete, the assistance is, and always will be, there.”
The crowd settled down slightly, but I noticed the looks of disdain shot towards Aria from a couple of women seated in the front row.
And that was when I noticed her. My blonde roommate sat two rows ahead of us. How had I not noticed her before? And now that she was raising her hand and calling attention to herself by the asshole running this lecture, the urge to protect her was nearly overwhelming. I wanted to shove her behind me and hide her from Ajax - shield her from his scathing words and shitty demeanor.
“Yes, Marissa.” Ajax answered her, inflicting an almost bored tone.
Marissa. That was her name. The name of the girl who shared an apartment with me and tormented my thoughts more than she should.
“So, if The Society essentially owns all the pharmaceutical companies, does that mean that they are responsible for our birth control?”
Her question was a leading one, and it wasn’t the question that gave me pause - it was the tone in which she voiced it, as if she was just as eager to burn this place to the ground as I was.
Ajax’s jaw tightened, and I watched in fascination as he fought to wrangle his agitation back in control.
“Yes,” he said, “I suppose that they are responsible for your birth control, seeing as they create it.”
My girl nodded and continued, “But do they specifically monitor The Society individuals’ medication and birth control?”
Since when did I start considering her ‘my girl?’
It was Ajax’s turn to nod his head in understanding. “Yes, they have everyone’s health records on file for medical purposes.”
She made a good show of feigning confusion, but before she could get another word out, Ajax thanked the attendees and dismissed the lecture, effectively shutting down her questions.
Wordlessly, Aria and I shuffled our way towards the door. Some Society chick hovered near the podium - near Ajax, but I wasn’t paying her any attention becauseMarissastood before me.
I heard Ajax fobbing the girl off in the background, but I couldn’t listen to them, not whenshestood in front of me, and suddenly, it was all I could do to not press up against her - to rest my dick against her ass. The scent of lemon andherwrapped around me, tugging me closer until I was mindless with onlyMarissain mind.
The crowd finally began to move, and I needed some semblance of control, if only so I wouldn’t run after her - corner her - demand things from her I wasn’t yet certain were wise. Instead, I turned my face slightly towards Aria, always keeping Marissa in my peripheral vision.
