Chapter 18 - The Meridian AcquisitionThe executive boardroom of the medical center buzzed with quiet energy.
Three representatives from Meridian Health Ventures—having completely restructured their board following Arthur Vance’s retirement—sat waiting at the mahogany table. Marcus Vance sat to my right, reviewing the final financial distribution papers, while Harrison Thorne presided at the head of the table.
"Dr. Montgomery," the lead corporate representative, a sharp executive named CEO Richard Hayes, said, extending his hand as I walked in. "We’ve reviewed the phase-three trial data. It’s nothing short of revolutionary. Meridian is proud to finalize this twelve-million-dollar endowment exclusively under your name as sole principal investigator."
"Thank you, Mr. Hayes," I said, shaking his hand firmly. "Our focus has always been patient survival and absolute scientific integrity. We ensure our data remains uncompromised."
Marcus slid the certified contract documents across the table. With a steady hand, I took my gold fountain pen and signed my name at the bottom of every page: Dr. Claire Montgomery, MD, PhD.
No co-signers with hidden agendas. No compromised partners hiding behind stolen credentials. Just pure, undeniable excellence built through years of sleepless nights, surgical precision, and unwavering self-respect.
As the contracts were stamped and filed, Hayes looked across the table with a curious smile. "Word is that your former co-investigator’s institutional appeals were officially denied by the federal appellate court this morning."
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I didn't flinch at the mention of Ethan's name. It rolled off me like water off glass.
"Some experiments fail because the underlying foundation was flawed from the start," I replied smoothly, capping my pen. "You can't build a sustainable future on corrupted data."
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