Chapter 103 Captured Image
The private dining room was quiet again.
Xavier Lala sat across from Veyra, his hands still folded on the table. His eyes were still fixed on her face. The shock had faded, replaced by something else. Curiosity. Respect.
"This is complicated," he said.
"I was going to say unprecedented."
Veyra smiled. It was a thin smile. "Welcome to my life."
Xavier leaned back in his chair. He studied her for a long moment.
"Your honesty is surprising," he said. "Most people in your position would have hidden their past. Kept their cards close."
Veyra shook her head. "I don’t have time for games. If we’re going to work together, we need trust."
"And secrets?"
"Everyone has secrets. I don’t expect you to share all of yours. But I won’t lie to you about mine."
Xavier nodded slowly. "That’s fair."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "Your educational background. You mentioned you dropped out after high school."
"Yes."
"How did you develop a drug like SN1818 without formal training?"
Veyra looked at him. "You assume I had no training."
"You said you dropped out."
"I dropped out of university. I didn’t stop learning." She paused. "I read textbooks. Medical journals. Research papers. I taught myself chemistry. Pharmacology. Biochemistry. I spent years in the library. In the lab. In the corner of my apartment, running experiments on my own."
Xavier stared at her.
"You taught yourself."
"Yes."
"From textbooks."
"And online courses. And anything else I could get my hands on."
Xavier shook his head slowly. "That’s remarkable."
"It’s called determination."
Xavier leaned forward. His voice was lower now.
"Dr. Harrison told me you’ve been granted special admission to Etran Medical University."
Veyra nodded. "I start in September."
"That’s a prestigious school."
"I know."
"And you’ll be attending while running a pharmaceutical company?"
"I’ll be attending while building the world’s number one pharmaceutical company." She paused. "That’s the plan, anyway."
Xavier’s eyebrows rose. "The world’s number one?"
"Yes."
He studied her face. The calm expression. The steady eyes.
"You’re not joking."
"I never joke about business."
Xavier was quiet for a moment. Then he smiled.
"You’re ambitious."
"I’m realistic. The industry is changing. The old giants are slow. They’re burdened by bureaucracy. They can’t adapt." She paused. "We can."
Xavier leaned back. His arms crossed.
"We," he repeated.
"Yes. We." Veyra met his eyes. "You have the money. The resources. The connections. Your company is solid. Your reputation is clean."
"And you have the technology."
"I have SN1818. And I have more. That was just the beginning."
Xavier’s expression flickered. "More?"
"Other formulas. Other treatments. I’ve been working on them for years. I’ve been waiting for the right partner to bring them to market."
Xavier was silent for a long moment.
Then he said, "You want to turn my company into the world’s top pharmaceutical firm."
"I want to turn our company into the world’s top pharmaceutical firm."
Xavier looked at her. At the young woman sitting across from him. The one who had slapped him. The one who had told him he passed. The one who had just offered him the chance of a lifetime.
"You’re asking me to gamble," he said.
"I’m asking you to bet on us."
"The Zed family will come after us."
"I know."
"They’ll block every move we make."
"I know."
"They’ll try to destroy us."
"I know." She paused. "But they won’t succeed."
Xavier’s jaw tightened. "You’re confident."
"I’m determined."
He was quiet for a moment. Then he extended his hand across the table.
"Then let’s make a deal."
Veyra looked at his hand. Then at his face.
She reached out. She shook it.
His grip was firm. Warm. Steady.
"Deal," she said.
They held the handshake for a moment longer than necessary.
Then they released.
Xavier leaned back. His face was flushed. His eyes were bright.
"I’ve never met anyone like you," he said.
"Neither have I."
They both laughed. A short, shared moment of release.
Xavier looked at her. His voice was softer now.
"What’s next?"
"We get to work. I’ll send you my research. You’ll send me your financials. We’ll agree on terms. And then we’ll build."
They stood up. Xavier walked around the table. He stopped beside her.
He extended his hand again.
"Partner," he said.
Veyra shook it.
"Partner."
Not far away, in the shadow of a decorative pillar, Wesley Wynn stood still.
His phone was in his hand. The camera was open. He had been watching them for the past few minutes. The conversation. The handshake. The moment their eyes locked.
He raised his phone.
He pressed the shutter.
The image captured the two of them, standing close, their hands clasped, their eyes meeting.
He looked at the photo. The lighting was good. The composition was perfect. They looked like two people who shared something intimate.
He opened his contacts. He scrolled to Dorian Thorne.
He typed a message.
Thought you might find this interesting.
He attached the photo and he pressed send.