The Man Who Never Looked Away novel Chapter 191

Celestial Capital's boardroom, the apprentice analyst evaluation.

Mr. Coleman sat at the head of the table. To his left was Sigrid Sloan, the director of the Quantitative Research Department, and to his right was Jocelyn Chandler, the director of the Industry Research Department.

Chester Coleman stood at the front, delivering his presentation.

His model was flawless, each slide of the presentation looking like it came straight out of a textbook.

The conclusion: Renova Biosciences was undervalued. He recommended investment, projecting a thirty-five percent return.

After listening, Mr. Coleman nodded and turned to Sigrid. "The analysts in your quantitative department are quite skilled."

Sigrid smiled. "Chester is an Ivy League graduate. His financial modeling is incredibly solid."

Then, it was Lavinia's turn.

She walked up to the podium, plugged in her USB drive, and opened the folder. Her finger hovered over the mouse, hesitating.

Two presentation files sat on the screen.

One had "(Revised Version)" in the filename—the polished draft Jocelyn had helped her edit.

The other was her original draft. The filename simply read: Renova Biosciences.

Last night, while she had been working late to revise her report, Charley had come to pick her up.

He noticed something was off and asked what was wrong.

She explained the situation and asked, "If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

Charley didn't answer immediately. He thought for a moment, then asked, "Why did you want to become an industry analyst in the first place?"

Lavinia froze.

"I couldn't be a doctor," she had replied. "If I can do my part to support quality domestic drugs, helping patients access affordable and effective medication, I figure it makes up for that regret."

Charley looked at her. A few seconds passed before he spoke. "Does this report align with your original intent?"

The room remained dead silent for several seconds.

Mr. Coleman's expression darkened, but he didn't say a word.

Setting her glass down, Sigrid's tone was breezy. "Lavinia, the responsibility of the Industry Research Department is to conduct fundamental analysis, not to go on a witch hunt for academic fraud. How exactly did you dig up the postdoctoral roster at Clearspring Harbor? If we scrutinized everyone like that, what founder could possibly withstand it?"

Lavinia held her gaze. "If the founder's academic background is fabricated, how much credibility does his data really have?"

Sigrid merely smiled, deciding not to argue further, and glanced over at Mr. Coleman.

Mr. Coleman tapped his finger against the table twice.

Throughout Lavinia's presentation, Jocelyn's hands had been clenched tightly in her lap, her chest rising and falling slightly. But catching that glint of smugness in Sigrid's eyes, she took a deep breath.

Without looking at Lavinia, Jocelyn spoke in a measured, steady tone. "Lavinia's perspective is backed by her findings. I support a deeper investigation."

Mr. Coleman's eyes shifted slightly. He remained silent for a long moment.