The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 31

"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of commercializing Project Vitas." Inside the office, Garrison Foster's voice was firm and resolute.

David Lancaster leaned back in his chair, folding his hands with an amused expression.

"Oh? No intention of commercializing it? Then how exactly do you plan on letting your research benefit patients around the world, Dr. Foster?"

Garrison's gaze remained calm and composed.

"You don't need to worry about that. Metropolitan General Hospital is a public institution in the United States, so the government will naturally handle the rollout of the Vitas research. My team will retain absolute control over the pricing strategy and intellectual property—that is our bottom line. The original goal of Vitas was to ensure that as many patients as possible, regardless of their wealth, could afford an effective treatment. I'm sorry, Mr. Lancaster, but I refuse to compromise my principles."

Hearing Garrison's words, Dean Quinton secretly admired the young man. He hadn't misjudged him; Dr. Foster never disappointed.

A cold smile touched David's lips.

"Dr. Foster, I admire your idealism. But the reality is that without sufficient resources, ideals don't get you very far. From what I understand, now that Project Vitas has entered its third phase, it requires a highly specialized culture medium—the White Microbe, sourced from deep beneath the Antarctic ice. And since this microbe cannot yet be artificially cultivated, only a handful of facilities in the world can provide a stable supply..."

Zachary Quinton's heart sank, a heavy sense of foreboding washing over him.

"Mr. Lancaster, what are you trying to pull?"

"Heh. Dean Quinton, Dr. Foster, it just so happens that those core suppliers of the White Microbe have long-term, exclusive strategic partnerships with Knox Corporation. If we can't reach an agreement regarding Project Vitas... then the supply of your critical raw material might become highly unstable. It might even... stop altogether."

"That is a blatant threat!"

Zachary snapped. He hadn't expected the man to be so direct, resorting to such despicable tactics.

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