InkBound
patreon
CH59 | DI
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 04:10:01 +0000 UTCRaymond’s voice carried a creeping chill, but Ha Si-heon shook his head calmly.
“I don’t know what Rachel told you, Raymond. I’m only stating the facts.”
“Are you truly close then?”
“It depends on the definition of closeness. I dine alone with Rachel for half the week; by my standards, that constitutes a relationship.”
“Rachel, she hid that fact from me?”
Anger was now woven into Raymond’s voice. His fierce eyes were emitting a murderous intent, yet Ha Si-heon shrugged nonchalantly.
“Even if she hid it, it’s nothing to worry about. Children often keep many things from their parents, not always for dangerous or bad reasons.”
Dangerous or bad reasons? The added ‘not’ was no longer heard by Raymond.
Raymond’s face hardened further. His fierce gaze pierced Ha Si-heon, who remained serene amid the tense atmosphere.
“My daughter and you are close… Is this just the friendship of ordinary young adults in their twenties?”
By now, Gerard was desperately praying in his mind.
‘Please, just say it’s a normal relationship…’
Ha Si-heon ignored Gerard’s fervent prayers once more.
“It’s not an ordinary friendship.”
‘You bastard!’ Gerard felt an urge to rush over and gag Ha Si-heon.
At this point, Raymond’s paranoid suspicions were about to explode.
“More than friendship… Are you implying a romantic relationship?”
“I never said it was more than friendship. It’s just a relationship that can’t simply be defined as ordinary friendship.”
“What kind of relationship is that?”
Surely, he wouldn’t say it’s a relationship where you’d sell out for 50 billion dollars. That would be pointless, but Ha Si-heon was unpredictable.
Gerard clenched his teeth and held his breath.
What would this madman answer?
“I cannot discuss it.”
Phew. At least this time, the response was somewhat better. At least it didn’t include ’50 billion’ or ‘selling out.’
However, the statement was still dangerous.
Raymond’s face twisted gravely as he caught his breath. Rachel and Ha Si-heon shared some special relationship. While acknowledging it, Ha Si-heon was determined to keep its essence secret. It was an intolerable situation.
“You said being honest was your strong suit, and now you’re evading?”
“A secret promised not to be revealed to others is an exception. I can’t discuss it without permission.”
“So, you share some dangerous secret with my daughter?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But it’s not a dangerous secret.”
The atmosphere was rapidly heading towards a disastrous end. A heavy silence hovered in the frozen air, the calm before the storm.
Raymond’s eyes emitted a lethal intent, but Ha Si-heon seemed unfazed, casually glancing at his wristwatch and then at Gerard.
“So, what was the reason you wanted to meet me today?”
Gerard could say nothing, only signaling with his eyes to Raymond that ‘now is not the time for such conversations.’
Ha Si-heon sighed deeply, then reluctantly turned back to Raymond.
“Alright. If you insist, I can explain, but I need the consent of the parties involved. May I make a call?”
Raymond, filled with anger, glared at Ha Si-heon, but soon realized glaring was futile and nodded begrudgingly.
Ha Si-heon then stood up briskly and headed towards the window.
Although far apart, the lounge was quiet enough that one could hear the conversation if they listened carefully.
“Rachel, your father is persistently asking about our relationship. Hiding it now seems pointless.”
Gerard and Raymond furrowed their brows simultaneously. Gerard feared what might be said next, and Raymond was chewing over a proper venue for his fury.
However, Ha Si-heon unexpectedly uttered a surprising word.
“May I speak about our deal?”
‘Deal?’
It was a term ill-fitting for Rachel.
After finishing the call and returning to his seat, Ha Si-heon broached an unexpected topic.
“Actually, not long ago, Rachel asked me for a favor. She mentioned a foundation called Castleman Foundation.”
“Castleman… Foundation?”
“It’s a rare disease affecting about 5,000 people a year. I’ve heard there’s hardly any treatment available.”
Gerard’s eyes widened.
‘Of course…’
Ha Si-heon was also involved with that foundation.
However, the explanation that followed differed significantly from Gerard’s expectations.
“Rachel asked me to help develop a treatment for that disease. She said it wouldn’t be a loss for me.”
“Rachel asked first?”
Ha Si-heon brazenly replied.
“Yes, that’s right. Why would I be interested in a rare disease foundation that doesn’t profit me?”
***
As the talk of a deal with Rachel came up, Raymond suddenly fell silent.
Instead, Gerard stepped in.
“But Rachel was never interested in rare diseases, why suddenly…”
Gerard had been skeptical of my explanation from the start. Well, he had a reason to be.
There were too many suspicious circumstances in my relationship with Rachel.
‘Staying silent only works against me.’
If I didn’t speak up, Gerard and Raymond would undoubtedly spin the partial information into a narrative that suited them.
‘A naïve princess duped by a swindler,’ for instance.
But Rachel and I had already aligned our stories.
I had done one thing.
That was to change the ‘narrative.’
“From what I heard, one of Rachel’s school acquaintances works at the foundation.”
It wasn’t a lie.
David’s fiancée, Jessie, and Rachel were really just one degree of separation from knowing each other.
In fact, two common names were found in the friend lists of Rachel and Jessie.
Both were surprised by that.
Anyway, my intent was to establish that Rachel ‘came to know’ the Castleman Foundation through such connections.
“But it turns out, Castleman doesn’t even conduct research on the cure for the disease. It seems Rachel was moved by a sad story.”
“There was no need for her to step in directly…”
“That part, I don’t understand either.”
“……”
Gerard seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
In narrative, plausibility is paramount.
An ordinary person wouldn’t rush into such an endeavor based solely on sympathy, so this development might seem a bit lacking in plausibility.
But if the protagonist is Rachel, it’s different.
This story fits her character and actions too well.
Compared to someone like me suddenly jumping into rare disease treatment, it’s a much more believable story.
“But why specifically you, of all people…?”
Out of many people, why did Rachel specifically ask for my help?
I responded with a faint smile.
“Have you forgotten? I have an algorithm with an 80% accuracy rate.”
“……!”
Yeah, this is my area of expertise.
“I can somewhat predict which medications the FDA will approve in the future. She asked if my system could also help identify potential treatment candidates.”
“……”
Again, the plausibility was perfect.
If Rachel was really dedicated to drug development, it makes sense she would be interested in someone known for insights into biotech stocks.
A look of understanding crossed Gerard’s face, but he soon showed his doubt again.
“So, you just agreed to help based on Rachel’s word?”
This was another angle of attack on plausibility.
A money-driven bastard like you wouldn’t perform a good deed for free just because Rachel said so, right?
I chuckled dismissively.
“Of course, I refused. I had no reason to do it. But then Rachel proposed a deal.”
“A deal?” Gerard exclaimed, astonished.
“If I cooperate with the development of the treatment, she promised to participate as an initial investor when I establish my hedge fund, investing a whopping 500 million dollars.”
Gerard and Raymond both looked shocked. 500 million dollars was not a small amount.
However, they did not contest Rachel’s capability to make such an offer, as it was entirely plausible for her.
Instead, Gerard’s doubt shifted direction.
“And you believed that Rachel had that kind of money?”
500 million dollars was not an amount someone of Rachel’s age would typically possess. It seemed absurd to dive into such a deal just based on her word.
I smirked.
“Of course not. I was skeptical at first. But it wasn’t long before Rachel invited me to her family home for Thanksgiving.”
“……”
“It was only after seeing her family’s mansion that I believed her words were true.”
“Could it be that the reason you were called that time was…”
Gerard trailed off. He was likely piecing together all the enigmatic behaviors Rachel had shown like a puzzle.
-If you can’t change the picture, change the narrative.
This advice meant to reframe already apparent clues.
The narrative I constructed was this:
After coincidentally encountering the plight of these unfortunate patients, Rachel couldn’t simply stand by. She decided to step forward to help develop a cure for Castleman’s disease.
Meanwhile, having heard about the unicorn with an 80% hit rate, she proposed a substantial sum to gain the cooperation of this unicorn. But when I refused, showing no interest, she continued trying to convince me, and thus we built our rapport…
In this altered narrative, it wasn’t me enticing Rachel, but Rachel enticing me.
If this narrative is accepted, then Gerard and his father will have to interpret any future clues within this context.
“So, did you ultimately accept Rachel’s proposal?” came a voice from my left.
It was Raymond.
“Yes, I had no reason to refuse. I promised to assist with the Castleman Foundation work until I establish my fund.”
“So, you’ll continue to work together.”
“Of course. That was the condition of our deal.”
Raymond’s gaze pierced me sharply.
No matter how much his daughter wanted this, having someone like me around was not pleasing to him.
“You’ve got yourself entangled in a troublesome situation because of my daughter. I’ll handle Rachel, so forget that promise.”
His intention to remove me from his daughter was clear, but I shook my head firmly.
“Sorry, but it’s too late to back out of the deal now.”
“There’s no reason for you to, I guess. But what if I create one?”
A cold smile played on Raymond’s lips.
“Rachel promised to invest when the time comes, I’ll cover for her instead. How about that? You won’t lose anything.”
It was an unexpected proposal.
Raymond offering to invest instead of Rachel.
‘Has he recognized my capabilities?’
After all, it’s a fund proven with a 650% return rate.
Really, if Raymond invested instead, he could both distance me from his daughter and make a profit, a favorable outcome for him.
“I’ll pay the initial 500 million dollars, and even compensate for your efforts so far.”
In plain words, it meant, ‘Take the money and scram.’
“The compensation for efforts…”
“It’s the cost of breaking the deal with Rachel. Name your price, I’ll match it.”
“50 billion dollars.”
“Cough! Cough!”
Gerard choked on his own breath, having heard this amount before.
Raymond looked at me incredulously.
‘Is that amount too much for them?’
After all, who spends 50 billion dollars just to get rid of a nuisance?
It’s not a question of having the money or not.
“That’s an absurd amount.”
Raymond stated flatly, but I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Can’t help it. Rachel and I have already drafted a contract.”
“A contract?”
“Yes. If I pull out now, I owe Rachel a penalty of 50 billion dollars.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Just two days ago, Rachel and I had indeed signed a contract with that stipulation.
Comments
Rch_ii
insane...
