Page 63 of Reverie
She eyeballed me while I did it, not looking at any of them for even a second. “Levvetor needs you to back them.”
“Oh, really?” I sat back and folded my arms over my chest. “What about you finding Bastian a different company? I’m pretty sure an employee offering to hook a client up with a competitor isn’t in our handbook.”
“You have every right to fire me, and I’m happy to resign if you feel I need to after my display in there.”
I started to tell her I wouldn’t be firing her, but she stopped me.
“I don’t care about my job.” She hesitated when I lifted an eyebrow. “Of course, I want to keep working for your company. It’s Stonewood Enterprises where la-di-da the sky’s not the limit. Although I must say, today, in that room, it seemed like your standpoint was the limit and no one wanted to overstep it or share a damn idea.”
I tried to say why that was. People needed to know who the boss was, when to be innovative, and when to shut up, but she barreled on. “Either way, yes, I want to keep my job, but I’m happy to step down and move on if you want. I just want you to reconsider Levvetor.”
“I won’t ask why. You know you need to explain yourself.”
She nodded, wringing her manicured nails in her lap. “A couple of years ago, the government tried to shut them down. Now, of course, no one ever came out and actually said that, but the FDA released a statement after a meeting they had with one of Levvetor’s biggest competitors. Levvetor appealed, lost millions, and just barely scraped by. I followed the news of it all very closely. Coincidently, I was doing a thesis on the company at the time. Their drugs work, Jett. They are saving lives at an extraordinary rate.”
“So do other pharmaceutical companies,” I said. It was the truth. But it was also the devil’s advocate in me. I had to come at it from all angles.
“Yes. At extremely expensive rates and by monopolizing the market half the time and sometimes to the detriment of their customers’ health. That competitor has a higher death rate with more side effects than Levvetor ever had and they know it. That’s why they tried everything in their power to shut them down.”
“And they will again.”
“Yes, they will again. And without you backing them, they’ll win. You and I both know it.”
“This happens all the time, Vick.”
“But maybe this time we can stop it.”
“I need you to be realistic at some point, Victory.”
“And I need you to disappear into my damn dream world for a second, Jett, and take a chance. Shoot for past the sky. Get into the damn stratosphere with me and save some lives here.”
“You were warning me about that mobster last night and now you want to get in bed with him.”
“It’ll be strictly business with them.”
“You sure about that?” The question shot out of my mouth loaded with a ton of different meanings, and I wanted her to answer every one.
She cleared her throat and broke eye contact with me. “Of course. Steven asked me to dinner tonight, and I’m … well, you know I’m committed to that. I’m not getting into bed with the mob.”
“Committed to what exactly?” I didn’t know why I was asking the question.
“I want a relationship, Jett.”
“Oh, and Stevie will give you one.” My tone was condescending. “He’ll also keep you nicely packed in a Stepford wife box.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I mimicked Stevie’s gormless face and whined, “Vicky.”
She stood up and paced back and forth in front of my desk. “This is irrelevant. Back to the meeting, please? Levvetor needs us, and Bastian doesn’t think it is a good idea to have any company other than Stonewood Enterprises invested in them.”
“Then, he should have put it on the table for me to take into account before the meeting.”
“So, you’re saying no based on principle?”
“It’s a matter of respect, Vick.”
“Levvetor is saving lives. Has it occurred to you that maybe lives are a little more important than you getting respect? Can we focus on that?”
