Page 16 of Broken Surrender
CHAPTER 6
Desmond
Shin & Co Inc had never truly been an interest of mine. My late father had insisted that I take over the company from within, with the hope of eventually making it a part of our company, Universal Medical Industries, therefore giving us more power than ever. And though that plan had fallen into the background for a long time, I had always kept my father’s goal in mind.
Sitting in the main office building now, was impressive. Their security had been completely revitalized in recent years. Hundreds of tiny cameras were scattered throughout the lobby, and there were guards posted at every entrance and door, every man with headsets and semi-automatic rifles. I had to go through clearance before I was granted a meeting. What my researcher had found was absolutely true. Shin & Co Inc had hired the Marked Blooms Syndicate for increased security. That meant that whatever they were hiding was more nefarious than anyone could imagine. My father would have been amused.
An assistant held open the door for a group of three. Floyd Vaughn entered first. I had studied his photograph over the years; he had the same ash-gray hairline, the unmistakable pointy jaw. Two men in black suits stood behind him, their arms crossed over their chests, their guns hidden under their jackets. Vaughn didn’t go anywhere without them.
“Desmond Callen. What a pleasure,” he said, his tone tempered.
I stood, shaking his hand. “Floyd Vaughn,” I said. He smiled, his teeth whiter than a freshly printed resume. “The COO of Shin & Co Inc.”
“And so we officially meet.”
I settled back into my chair. “I was under the impression I’d be meeting with John Dalton today.”
Vaughn shook his head. “I’m afraid he’s on a business trip right now. Short notice for an event. He apologizes for the inconvenience. But anything you need, I can take care of for you.” He squirmed until he found a comfortable position. “Now, what can I help you with?”
“I brought the final proposal. John signed it last week.”
I handed over the manila folder containing a purchase contract I had forged, using John Dalton’s information. One of the guards eyed the materials, then returned to his stoic pose. Vaughn leafed through the papers, reading quickly.
“You want to make Shin & Co Inc a subsidiary of Universal Medical Industries, then?” he asked.
I had no interest in buying a dying pharmaceutical company like Shin & Co Inc. They had been diving further into the deep end for years, and there was no medication in the world that could save them. But this was what my father had wanted, and I enjoyed making people desperate, seeing how much they were willing to do to survive, whether that was in business, death, or pleasure.
Businessmen always fell the hardest.
“It would make for a great addition,” I said, leaning back in my chair with ease. “We have the hospitals, the doctors, the nationwide clinics. But adding a legacy like Shin & Co Inc, withourresearchers? Dalton knowsexactlywhat we can accomplish.”
Vaughn rocked back on his heels. “Shin & Co Inc has a long history, even before Dalton came to own it.” He paused, examining me closely. “I’m afraid I have to ask a few questions.”
Whatever it took, I was willing to placate him.
“Is Universal Medical Industries a family business?” Vaughn asked.
What an invasive question. “I’m afraidIam the only one left of my family.” Any record of my past, including my sister, had long since been erased. There was a lot you could get rid of in five years.
“That’s right. My condolences,” Vaughn said. He said it with such ease that my jaw strained, but I smiled, staying calm.
“What else?” I asked. Vaughn shuffled through the folder in front of him. “Tell me about yourself, Vaughn. How long have you been COO?”
It was a dick move, reminding him he was only second-best. His upper lip twitched. “About two years now.”
“And you climbed to the top by yourself?”
He nodded slowly. “I put in my hours.”
“And while Mr. Shin, or perhaps, Mr. Dalton, may prefer a family-run business owner, I can assure you that I created my enterprise from the ground up, like you secured your position.”
Vaughn’s smile cracked, waning under the pressure to sell and the intense need to please the owner of the company. What would Vaughn do now?
I pressed my fingers together. “What can Shin & Co Inc do for me?”
Vaughn’s eyes flinched for a moment, then widened in deference. “As you may have heard, we have a new medication ready for women suffering from Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder, or HSDD. We recently entered clinical trials and should seek regulation soon. It will,” he paused, grinning for effect, “revolutionize our country. Should even help with the declining population rate.”
It was intriguing that a pharmaceutical company that specialized in women’s health was exclusively operated by men. In the time that I had been researching Shin & Co Inc, I had only ever known one woman in employment, and, as to be expected, she was family, and long gone now. Despite their flaws, Shin and Dalton cared about that. But I still hated the fuckers more than I hated myself.
