Chapter 5
I spent the next month rebuilding — not just my body, but my mind.
With five million dollars and Attorney Lin's guidance, I made my first investment. A small biotech firm specializing in ethical marrow donation practices. The irony wasn't lost on me.
The company was undervalued, overlooked by major investors. But I'd spent three years inside hospitals, watching doctors and understanding procedures. I knew this technology had potential.
Within three months, the firm's value doubled after a breakthrough in synthetic marrow replication. My investment tripled.
I reinvested. Again and again. Carefully, strategically, always staying below the radar.
Meanwhile, I monitored Ethan from a distance.
Attorney Lin kept me informed. Claire had made a full recovery and was now Ethan's official fiancée. Their wedding was planned for spring. Harrison Ashford was delighted — his daughter was alive and marrying the man he'd chosen for her.
The press called it a fairytale.
I called it a transaction.
Six months after I left, I was unrecognizable. My health had returned — not fully, perhaps never fully — but enough. My hair had grown back thick and dark. The hollows under my eyes had filled. I carried myself differently now, with the quiet confidence of someone who had survived the worst.
And my net worth had grown to twenty million dollars.
Not enough to rival Ethan. But enough to make moves.
One evening, Attorney Lin called with unexpected news.
"Ms. Dawson, a former Blackwell board member wants to meet with you. Discreetly."
"Who?"
"Thomas Reed. He was removed from the board six months ago after disagreeing with Ethan's expansion strategy. He's been quietly building a coalition of dissatisfied shareholders."
My pulse quickened. "What does he want from me?"
"He's heard about your biotech investments. He doesn't know your connection to Ethan — only that you're a sharp, fast-rising investor. He wants backing for a hostile takeover bid."
A hostile takeover. Of Blackwell Holdings.
The idea was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
"Set up the meeting," I said.
Thomas Reed was a silver-haired man in his sixties with sharp eyes and no patience for pleasantries. We met in a private dining room, and he laid everything out within ten minutes.
"Blackwell is hemorrhaging money. Ethan's been funneling company resources into personal accounts — mostly medical expenses for Claire Ashford. The board approved it because Harrison Ashford holds thirty percent of shares. But the other shareholders are furious."
"What's the play?" I asked.
"If we acquire fifteen percent of available shares quietly, we can force a board vote. Combined with my coalition's existing twelve percent, we'd have enough to challenge Ethan's position as CEO."
"And Harrison Ashford?"
Thomas smiled grimly. "Harrison doesn't know the full picture. He believes his investment is secure. If he knew Ethan had been bleeding the company dry..." He left the sentence hanging.
I thought about it. This wasn't just about revenge — it was about justice. About accountability.
"I'm in," I said. "But I have one condition."
"Name it."
"When this is over, I want the medical records released. All of them. The extractions, the falsified consent forms, everything. I want the world to know what he did."
Thomas studied me for a long moment. Something like respect flickered in his eyes.
"Done," he said.
With five million dollars and Attorney Lin's guidance, I made my first investment. A small biotech firm specializing in ethical marrow donation practices. The irony wasn't lost on me.
The company was undervalued, overlooked by major investors. But I'd spent three years inside hospitals, watching doctors and understanding procedures. I knew this technology had potential.
Within three months, the firm's value doubled after a breakthrough in synthetic marrow replication. My investment tripled.
I reinvested. Again and again. Carefully, strategically, always staying below the radar.
Meanwhile, I monitored Ethan from a distance.
Attorney Lin kept me informed. Claire had made a full recovery and was now Ethan's official fiancée. Their wedding was planned for spring. Harrison Ashford was delighted — his daughter was alive and marrying the man he'd chosen for her.
The press called it a fairytale.
I called it a transaction.
Six months after I left, I was unrecognizable. My health had returned — not fully, perhaps never fully — but enough. My hair had grown back thick and dark. The hollows under my eyes had filled. I carried myself differently now, with the quiet confidence of someone who had survived the worst.
And my net worth had grown to twenty million dollars.
Not enough to rival Ethan. But enough to make moves.
One evening, Attorney Lin called with unexpected news.
"Ms. Dawson, a former Blackwell board member wants to meet with you. Discreetly."
"Who?"
"Thomas Reed. He was removed from the board six months ago after disagreeing with Ethan's expansion strategy. He's been quietly building a coalition of dissatisfied shareholders."
My pulse quickened. "What does he want from me?"
"He's heard about your biotech investments. He doesn't know your connection to Ethan — only that you're a sharp, fast-rising investor. He wants backing for a hostile takeover bid."
A hostile takeover. Of Blackwell Holdings.
The idea was intoxicating and terrifying in equal measure.
"Set up the meeting," I said.
Thomas Reed was a silver-haired man in his sixties with sharp eyes and no patience for pleasantries. We met in a private dining room, and he laid everything out within ten minutes.
"Blackwell is hemorrhaging money. Ethan's been funneling company resources into personal accounts — mostly medical expenses for Claire Ashford. The board approved it because Harrison Ashford holds thirty percent of shares. But the other shareholders are furious."
"What's the play?" I asked.
"If we acquire fifteen percent of available shares quietly, we can force a board vote. Combined with my coalition's existing twelve percent, we'd have enough to challenge Ethan's position as CEO."
"And Harrison Ashford?"
Thomas smiled grimly. "Harrison doesn't know the full picture. He believes his investment is secure. If he knew Ethan had been bleeding the company dry..." He left the sentence hanging.
I thought about it. This wasn't just about revenge — it was about justice. About accountability.
"I'm in," I said. "But I have one condition."
"Name it."
"When this is over, I want the medical records released. All of them. The extractions, the falsified consent forms, everything. I want the world to know what he did."
Thomas studied me for a long moment. Something like respect flickered in his eyes.
"Done," he said.