Chapter 3 - The Coldest Handshake
Logan felt his pulse accelerate, but his exterior remained colder than marble.
He adjusted the cuffs of his white lab coat and opened the door to the executive lounge.
Sitting on a leather sofa was Graham Sterling.
Age had grayed the man’s temples, but wealth still draped over him like an expensive coat.
Beside him sat a striking young man in his late twenties, possessing the same sharp aristocratic features.
Graham looked up, an easy corporate smile sliding across his face as he extended his right hand.
"Dr. Thorne, it is an honor to finally meet the man revolutionizing modern vascular medicine."
Logan looked down at Graham's outstretched hand.
He did not take it.
Instead, Logan calmly pulled out a chair opposite them and sat down without breaking eye contact.
Graham's smile faltered slightly as he pulled his hand back, clearing his throat to regain control of the room.
"This is my younger son, Julian," Graham said, gesturing to the young man beside him.
"Julian recently graduated with his master’s in public health and is preparing to take over our family foundation."
Julian offered a polite, somewhat arrogant nod toward Logan.
Logan observed Julian's unblemished, picture-perfect face.
He realized in an instant that this was the child Graham and Celeste had chosen to keep and celebrate.
This was the trophy son who fit seamlessly into their immaculate penthouse lifestyle.
"Let’s skip the pleasantries, Mr. Sterling," Logan said evenly, his dark eyes locking onto Graham's.
"Why is Sterling Pharmaceuticals suddenly so interested in my surgical ward?"
Graham leaned forward, dropping his voice to an intimate, business-like whisper.
"Your work with pediatric vascular tissue is five years ahead of the current market."
"My board wants to fund your lab with fifty million dollars, no strings attached, in exchange for exclusive licensing rights."
"We want the Thorne name alongside the Sterling brand."
Logan almost laughed out loud at the sickening irony.
The very family that threw his flesh and blood into a hospital garbage bin now wanted to buy his name to clean up their public image.
Graham stared intensely at Logan's face during the pitch, his gaze brushing across the crimson birthmark several times.
Yet, there was no flicker of recognition, no pang of buried guilt in Graham's cold blue eyes.
To Graham, Logan was nothing more than a profitable asset with a cosmetic flaw.
"My answer is no," Logan stated coldly, standing up to leave.
"Dr. Thorne, wait," Graham said, his tone turning sharp and commanding.
"Nobody walks away from fifty million dollars without a reason."
"I have fifty million reasons, Mr. Sterling," Logan replied, his hand resting on the brass door handle.
"You discarded things in your past that you now wish you could own, but my work is not for sale to you."
Before Graham could demand an explanation, Julian suddenly let out a strangled gasp from the couch.
May you like
The young heir clutched his left temple, his face draining of all color as his eyes rolled back.
A split second later, Julian collapsed sideways onto the glass coffee table, violently seizing.
