Playing The Victims [BL]

Chapter One Hundred & Sixty | Fifth World

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Raphael didn't hold back. He proved his worth as a businessman as he proceeded to continuously question and argue every point that his youngest son had to offer. In doing so, the conversation dragged on for hours, with both sides refusing to back down.

As for what was going on outside of the room, and what had proven to trigger such a disruptive chain of events, was a thick folder of incontrovertible evidence that had landed on the desk of a handful of selected individuals. All of whom possessed a certain jurisdiction when it came to the health sector.

The knee-jerk reaction on behalf of WATSS came when one of these influential men attempted to contact one of the Westergaard's themselves; Fahren's name on the tip of their tongue as they read it straight from the transparent report in their possession.

The same man was kept on hold for ten minutes before Raphael answered as the first to respond, refusing to let it slip that he had potentially been undermined. Keeping private the fact that he was frantically gathering his coat and ordering, by the use of hand-gestures, to anyone in the immediate vicinity.

His last few hours had been an abundance of stress, so it made sense as to why he stubbornly refused to budge in light of the new information.

Both Raphael and Fahren had taken up a majority of the time spent in the meeting. Emilio didn't dare speak, threatened by the lingering glances he would receive from the Westergaard CEO every so often, while Sebastian and Andreas were equally as reluctant to speak up. Supporting either side would be tempting fate.

"You're under the misconception that I don't understand the benefits that such information would give to Radical Innovations." Raphael said as he sat with his seat sidewards on from the table, directly facing Fahren. He rested an arm on the table, and when he was finally prepared to give his response to his youngest's onslaught of persuasion, he tapped his hand against the surface.

"To put it bluntly, I know better than anyone. No matter what area of business you're in, the steps we take aren't too dissimilar. And what I keenly recognise, and what I believe you do not, is the sacrifices and risks we have to take in order to ensure our businesses succeed."

Raphael spoke to his son as if he were the only one in the room. "And what I am not about to do is sit here and let you become one of those sacrifices. Don't get me wrong, I don't discredit Griffin's miraculous technology in the slightest, and personally I feel like I owe him a debt, but business is one thing and safeguarding my family is another."

Fahren shook his head. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"If we speak up in support of the information that was handed over, then you will be under constant observation for who knows how long. You will be expected to provide sample after sample of your blood and that's just the beginning, and what happens if the next patient who comes along doesn't react the same way you did? The worst thing that can happen is that you be considered an enigma. Then you might as well become a lab-rat."

"That won't happen." Fahren sighed.

Raphael wasn't finished. "You have only just recovered, why do you insist on putting yourself in danger again?"

Fahren tried to remain composed. "You added my name to the agreement when it comes to having the ultimate decision on whether or not my private information goes any further than this room. Why did you even give me that right if you refuse to let me use it? I'm well aware of the publicity that this will get, and I'm more than aware that if push comes to shove, many eyes will be on me. But I say that it's worth it. And more than anything else, I believe I'm capable of helping or I wouldn't have insisted on it to Emilio in the first place."