Sign the Papers Mr. Langford novel Chapter 192

Maya shot up from her chair. "I'm going to the Ethics Board. They were the ones who demanded we add these new mechanisms in the first place! Now that we have, they're saying they need to audit us because they're new? Are they playing us?"

Phoebe blocked her path. "Sit down."

"I can't just sit here!"

"You will anyway," Phoebe said, pushing her coffee away. "If you storm in there right now, they'll just see how desperate we are. It makes us an easy target."

Maya's chest heaved as she took a few deep breaths, finally dropping back into her chair.

The metal legs scraped harshly against the floor.

Wren remained silent.

She was looking at the email attachment.

It was a document highlighting an anonymous risk warning.

It had no signature.

There were three points listed.

One: The head of the Stellaris project is currently embroiled in divorce litigation and domestic disputes, resulting in an unstable public image.

Two: Rumors of a personal relationship between the Xander Fund and the Stellaris lead call the independence of the funding into question.

Three: Patient narratives and data withdrawal mechanisms may be utilized as public relations tools rather than genuine patient protection protocols.

Maya let out a bitter laugh when she finished reading it.

"Rumors of a personal relationship? Who came up with that? A rumor about you and me would be more believable."

Phoebe shot her a glare. "Can you stop making jokes for five minutes?"

Maya pressed her lips together.

Wren closed the attachment.

Her fingers were ice-cold, but her face betrayed absolutely nothing.

Phoebe watched her carefully. "Don't take this all on yourself."

Wren shook her head. "I'm not."

She just realized how ruthlessly precise their opponent was.

They weren't attacking the technology.

They were attacking her character.

They dragged Harrison into the mud, twisting Stellaris and their patient protection protocols into nothing more than a slick PR stunt.

With this framing, even if the Ethics Board believed in them, they had to distance themselves to avoid a scandal.

Phoebe caught on immediately. "What about Clara Thorne?"

"I'll talk to her."

Wren looked at him. "There's no benefit in this for your fund."

Harrison closed the laptop.

"There is," he replied smoothly. "At the very least, it proves I'm not the male lead in your supposed romance."

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Wren wanted to thank him.

But the words caught in her throat.

As if knowing exactly what she was about to say, Harrison beat her to it. "Don't say it. Just make sure it's written clearly in the contract."

Phoebe gave him an appreciative look.

"You're suddenly much easier on the eyes, Mr. Xander."

Harrison chuckled. "I appreciate the compliment, Ms. Price."

Maya grabbed her pen and aggressively scribbled a few lines on a notepad. "So, where we stand is this: the Xander Fund steps back, the advocacy trust steps up, Stellaris submits the raw protocols in five days, and the whole project is put on ice for four to six weeks."