AllFreeNovel
Share Us
They all laughed.
“When I saw the numbers on my way here, I almost choked on my coffee,” another said as they all burst into a fresh round of laughter.
“Who knew finding the cure of some unpopular disease could be so profitable.”
I froze in my chair as I thought about Amy. Had she seen the news? Is she waiting in the office? How mad will she be? I could answer none of those questions, but instead of moping over it, I decided to handle what I could.
“Who did this?” I asked calmly.
The entire room went silent.
“I did,” Aaron Cooper confessed. “Shortly before this meeting, I made provisions for a press conference. I'm surprised you didn’t see it. Don’t you watch the news? Our company has been trending since then,” he explained. “You did a good job with the one you held earlier, but I think I speak for everyone when I say I made the best decision.” He was clearly proud of what he had done.
“You made the best decision? It wasn’t time yet,” I said, as my voice rose. “You have breached the lead scientist’s contract. What if she decides to sue the company?” I tried my best to maintain my cool.
“Well, she has already made us so much money, I'd be happy to give her some so she won't sue. It's an easy solution,” he laughed, and the entire room followed suit.
I always had a certain control over these meetings, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case anymore. I could feel my blood pressure rise and my brain just wanted to burst. Aaron Cooper was their savior. He had the upper hand now, and I was completely at his mercy.
“I am glad to see that you are all happy, so I guess we can end the meeting now.”
“Not so fast, Daniel. We have a decision to make.”
“What decision?” I asked.
“The future of the company. You and your father have toyed enough with it,” he smirked. “Should Daniel continue his tenure as the CEO of Reed Biotech?” he asked. “Those in favor should raise their hands.” Five of them raised their hands. I was surprised to see that some of them still wanted me to remain CEO after witnessing the stunt that Cooper pulled.
“That decides it, then. Effective today, Daniel Reed is no longer the CEO of Reed Biotech.”
I noticed that Jamie and Xander did not raise their hands. What were they thinking? Did they think they would be voted in when Cooper was evidently the one running the show? I needed to see Amy. I was really worried about how she would be holding up with all this.
“And who is going to be our new president?” one stakeholder asked.
Jamie and Aaron signaled as another election began. The only vote Jamie pulled was Xander’s while I left the room, disappointed in my brothers. They obviously struck a deal with Cooper to have me removed. I was disappointed in myself, too.
“Where's Amy?” I asked Auburn, who was the only one left in the lab.
“She left a little while ago,” she answered.
I got into my car and rushed to her apartment, where I knocked repeatedly and called out to her, but I got no response. I thought about going to the hospital, but I immediately shrugged off the thought. If she was there, she needed her alone time with Jordan and Jennifer.
I went home, undressed and submerged myself in my tub to shake off the stresses of the day. I tried to think, but my mind was blank. My phone rang multiple times, but I had no energy to pick up. I saw no way out of this.
Was this the end of Daniel Reed?
Chapter 41
Amy
“Couldyoupleaseputthese samples in the centrifuge?” I asked Damien, who happily obliged.
I was in high spirits today. I had pretty much achieved my dream. Now the team and I were working on perfecting the formula. We kept running tests, because I had to make it perfect. Jordan was to be the one of the first recipients of this formula as part of the trial group and so I had to make it right.
“How are things over there, Auburn?” I asked.
“Everything is perfect, no irregularities here,” she answered.
“That’s good!”
