The past was like a dagger lodged in my heart, and every time I revisited it, the pain was sharp and unrelenting.
My parents were renowned experts in biopharmaceutical research. At its peak, Rivers Biotech, the company they founded, was the uncontested leader in the industry.
Their names frequently appeared in major news outlets, often accompanied by the glowing title, “The Pioneers of Biopharmaceutical Innovation.”
When I was seventeen, they developed a groundbreaking drug aimed at treating genetic disorders. The early trials were highly successful, drawing attention and admiration from across the industry.
But tragedy struck when the drug moved to the final clinical phase. The first group of patients. who received the treatment all died of drug toxicity.
What followed was an onslaught of damning evidence aimed squarely at my parents.
Accusations of greed and fraud surfaced. Rumors swirled that they had substituted cheaper ingredients to cut costs, carried out inhumane human experiments, and even acted as spies for foreign powers.
The ultimate blow came when my parents, overwhelmed by the accusations, allegedly committed suicide.
I was at school, participating in a track meet when the devastating news reached me.
I never got to see them one last time.
I didn’t believe a single word of the rumors.
I told myself that the deaths were simply the result of unforeseen complications in the treatment process. My parents, unable to bear the guilt of the tragedy, had made a tragic, impulsive decision.
But Norman told me otherwise.
He said their deaths were part of a meticulously planned conspiracy.
My parents were deeply engrossed in their research and had little interest in running the company’s business affairs. Much of the commercial operations were entrusted to a family friend and neighbor–Julian’s father, William Ford.
I remembered William as a kind, warm man who always seemed eager to help.
Julian’s mother, Sharon Hills, used to make me delicious treats whenever I visited.
For a time, I had all three meals a day at the Ford house, and they managed to feed me until I gained a few pounds.
