GABE (Silicon Valley Billionaires 2)

Olivia sighed, which sounded very British and dramatic. “I’m not getting into that right now, but I would like to know: is it true? The patch has been selling really well for us over here, and I mean really well, but I don’t want to get involved with dealing with a Chinese company—”

“Nothing’s set in stone.”

“But is there a possibility? Why does Lauren want to sell Paragon right now? We’ve just gotten started, and we’re selling well over the projected numbers. The patients love the patch and so do the lab techs. Does she just want to get rich and get out? I thought she was in this for the long haul.”

“She is. I can’t really say more than that right now.”

“Well, I need more assurance than that. A large part of our fiscal planning for next year involves our agreement with Dynamica—if things are changing, I need to know.”

“I swear, as soon as I know something, I will tell you. You have my word.”

She sighed again. “Fine.”

I should probably have Skyped her. Historically, she’d always reacted well to my dimple. “Have you discussed this with anyone else?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

“You shouldn’t. This information isn’t coming from my office or from Paragon. It’s completely unverified—you should know that, and so should anyone else that you speak with. But I would like you to tell me where you heard it. I brought you in on this deal in the first place—I think you owe me that much.”

“I wouldn’t call the information ‘completely unverified,’ but I can’t tell you the source. I’ll leave it at that. I’m taking a risk by telling you, but I’m doing you a favor—you need to nip this in the bud, Gabriel. We just started distribution and I’ve always considered Dynamica a friendly partner. But if the patch changes in price or structure, my labs are going to be upset. Everyone’s been adapting to the new technology and making plans to convert to primarily using the patch for testing.”

I wanted to keep her focused on the upside. “That’s good.”

“Not if Lauren sells the company! This could permanently damage my reputation and my relationship with my labs, and I won’t be happy. Neither will anyone else. The Chinese can be difficult to deal with, and I happen to know that they will raise prices in an instant. No one wants that, especially not me.”

“Not me either. Thanks for the call, Olivia. I’ll be in touch soon.”

I hung up and started to pace, running my hands through my hair.

News of the impending sale had been leaked—which had the potential to blow up the deal. If my international partners got wind of the fact that the cutthroat and aggressively growing Jiàn Innovations might be purchasing Paragon, they would bail out of our agreement in droves. Li Na would not be pleased with the potential drop in earnings.

If she found out about this before we got Hannah back, there could be dire consequences.

Who had leaked this, and why? I stalk-paced around my office, considering the options. As far as I knew, Lauren hadn’t told her employees yet, just her board of directors. I hadn’t shared the news with anyone other than my brothers. Whoever had contacted Olivia was someone close to us, someone who understood that news of a sale to Jiàn Innovations would rattle our partners.

Someone who understood this could potentially implode the deal.

Olivia was upset, and she had reason to be: I hadn’t disclosed the possible sale, which meant I’d essentially lied to her. I’d built a massive empire on my own technical expertise, but more than that, I’d built relationships with people. People who believed they could trust Dynamica and trust me, because I delivered.

With everything going on, I hadn’t stopped to consider what was going to happen to my company’s reputation and prospects as a result of Li Na’s hardcore tactics. Paragon’s sale would cause shockwaves throughout my own ecosphere. I’d never been afraid of starting over, but I had people depending on me, including Lauren’s people, because I wanted to give them a safe haven when this was all over. That offer wasn’t born of pity; Lauren’s team was top-notch. If she became an executive at Dynamica, we could rule the biotech industry together.

But not if our reputations were trashed.

Maybe it was time to quit the business, I mused. I had enough money. I could go buy that island we’d visited a few short months ago. We could all live there happily ever after. Me, Lauren, Hannah, and Wesley… I might even let my brothers visit.

I stood by my window and looked out at the parking lot: it was full. I looked around my office, at the original artwork and couches…but the things I owned didn’t matter to me. The people I supported, however, meant everything.

I looked back at the parking lot. I could run and hide from the world, but this was my company, dammit, and Paragon was Lauren’s. And we’d worked for years to build everything we had. We had people depending on us, people with families and mortgages and car payments and dreams.

More important than all that—and all that was very important—this was bullshit. Li Na could bite me. She wasn’t going to take my family and everything that I’d worked for away from me.

I just had to figure out how to hold on.

And I had to figure out a way to keep Lauren away from Li Na. If the time came, she would sacrifice herself for Hannah. She wouldn’t even hesitate. That was part of the reason I loved her—she was fearless, more than she gave herself credit for. But I couldn’t let her surrender herself, even though I certainly understood. I would do the same thing, even though both Levi and Asher hadn’t brought Hannah home yet…

Ryan buzzed in. “What?” I snapped.

“Your brother Ash is on the phone.”