The next morning, sunlight steamed into Dante’s bedroom. He stood in front of his closet, with his phone pressed to his ear. “Liam, I need you to hold all my calls at Vertex and reschedule the meeting briefings. I will be in very late today.” “Of course, Dr. Vance. Is everything alright? Is it Daisy?” Liam’s voice was concerned. Dante smiled as he selected a tie, then he replied calmly, “Daisy is perfect. It is a Buisness errand. Just hold the fort till I return.” A knock sounded at the door suddenly. “Enter,” he called and held up a finger to pause Liam. Mrs. Elena peeked in and said cautiously, “Sir, your friend, Mr Caleb, is downstairs.” “Thank you, Elena. I will be right down.” Then he returned to the phone. “Liam, watch the office. I will be there when I can.” He ended the call, and glanced at himself in the mirror one last time before heading downstairs. As he descended the grand staircase, his phone rang. The caller ID read: Mr Reynolds. He answered immediately.

The tense board meeting finally came to an end. As members filed out one after the other, a small group, led by Mr Finch, gathered around Dante and Caleb in the hallway.“Dr Vance,” Mr Finch said, as he extended a hand for an handshake. “Allow me to offer my belated congratulations on your….ascension. It is a significant position.”Dante shook his hand in a modest manner and said humbly, “Thank you, Mr. Finch. But to be clear, I am merely occupying the seat. It belongs to my daughter. I am just her voice until she is old enough to use her own.”“Yes, yes, Ofcourse,” Finch replied, with a knowing twinkle in his eye. “But her success is inherently yours as well. A father’s stewardship is no small thing.” Then he leaned in and lowered his voice. “If I may ask, unrelatedly….the rumors are true? You are also at the helm of Vertex pharmaceuticals now?”Dante nodded humbly and replied calmly, “That is correct. I serve as the CEO and managing Director of Vertex.”A younger shareholder, Mr. Ch

The private dinning room at ‘The Vault’ was a space of quiet luxury, a huge contrast to the storm in Mason’s head. Peter swirled a glass of whiskey as he watched his friend’s tense profile.“So let me get this straight,” Peter began solemnly as he set his glass down. “The entire play was to get close to Reynolds, befriend the old lion, and then take his shares to get the leverage needed to push Clara out as CEO. Correct?”“That was the plan,” Mason said tightly and he did not touch his drink.“And now Reynolds is gone. Poof. Retired. And his massive bloc of shares, which is the key to everything, lands in the hands of Dante Vance. Clara’s ex husband. The man who as of yesterday, has full legal custody of the child Clara can’t stand. Did I miss anything?”“You have the depressing summary,” Mason confirmed, as he finally took a sip of his scotch.“Then this is not just a setback, Mason. This is catastrophe. Your stumbling block is no longer a reclusive old man who might be charmed. It i

“Gentlemen, the data is absolute. The binding time has improved by seventy percent. Neuro signal conductivity is holding steady. We are not looking at incremental gains anymore, we are looking at the threshold of viability.”Dante stood before a small group of three serious faced investors on Vertex’s conference room, with a holographic chart glowing between them.“These are impressive figures, Dr. Vance,” said Mr. Halstead, the lead investor peering at the glowing data. “But ‘threshold’ is not market ready. The market needs ‘certified.’ The world needs ‘available.’ The speed, while improved, still feels….cautious.” “The speed is deliberate,” Dante replied calmly. “This is not a race to a product lunch. It is a march towards a cure. Rushing a neuro-regenerative compound is how you cause catastrophic, irreversible damage. I will not have Exulum’s legacy be a lawsuit. It’s legacy will be healed patients.”Another investor, Ms. Reed, nodded slowly. “A principled stance. And a commercial

The bell at Crestview Academy chimed and a moment later, children began streaming out the main doors like a burst of confetti. Dante leaned against his car and spotted Daisy immediately. She was not walking, she was skipping, with pink backpack bouncing and a wide smile on her face as she chatted with a little girl beside her.“Daddy!” She yelled as she broke away from her friend and ran straight into his waiting arms.He scooped her up, and spun her around once before settling her on his hip, her familiar weight coming as a huge comfort. Then he asked lovingly, “There is my superstar! How was your day, sweet pea?”“Good! We painted butterflies! And I did not fall once in the gym! Not even a little stumble!” She announced with huge pride.“That is my strong girl,” he said as he kissed her cheek and caught the scent of crayons and childish happiness. “I knew you could do it.”As he buckled her into her seat, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Caleb….At Vertex. In your office with the