Chapter 25 Break up
Aiden
"There's something I've always wanted to talk to you about."
She looked at me the way she always did when she wasn't sure what was coming although not nervous exactly, just watchful.
She was still, probably steeling herself for what I was going to say next, before I even said it.
I picked up my coffee, and took a sip.
“It's not bad.” I added, because her expression was doing something I didn't want it to do for the next five minutes while I was trying to make a coherent argument.
She relaxed slightly then said, “okay”
I set the cup down.
The idea I was about to discuss with her, had been sitting in my chest for about three months. I've been running the numbers, I consulted my lawyer once and had a conversation with Miles that went nowhere useful because he got excited about the branding even before I finished the first sentence.
But I hadn't said it out loud to the person it actually concerned yet, because saying it out loud to her was different from planning or saying it anywhere else.
"I want to start something." I said. "Outside of Diahtech, a separate venture."
She was quiet.
"Medical technology." I continued. "There's a gap in the neurological tech space that nobody is filling properly, and I've been looking at it for a while. The research is there, the demand is there, the funding is accessible if the proposal is strong enough." I paused. "I want to build it."
"Okay." She said carefully. "That's a significant move."
"It is."
"And you're telling me because…"
"Because I want you to build it with me."
The room went very still.
She looked at me for a long moment, then looked at her coffee, then back at me. "Dr. Korran”
“Aiden” I corrected her.
“Aiden…” she trailed off.
"Hear me out before you say anything else," I said, because I knew what was coming, I'd anticipated it, it was one of the reasons I'd taken three months to have this conversation. "This isn't a favor. I'm not offering you something because I feel sorry for you or because I think you need help."
She opened her mouth to talk, but then swallowed the words back.
"I'm offering it because you're the most precise diagnostic mind I've worked with in eleven years of practice." I continued.
"Every paper you've touched in the last fourteen months has moved our research credibility by a margin that directly benefits the department. Because when you flagged the Nakamura imaging inconsistency last month, you saved that patient from a treatment plan that would have cost him eighteen months of unnecessary intervention." I stopped. "This is a business decision, Liana. I need a partner, and you're the right one."
She was quiet for a long time.
“In building this, we're building a legacy, and solving people’s problems at the same time.” I said again.
"You've run the numbers." She said finally, not as a question.
"Three times."
"What about the funding?"
"I have two potential investors already interested. The proposal needs a second name on it before I go back to them."
Something shifted in her expression. "You already have investors."
"Interested investors." I corrected her. "Nothing is signed yet, and nothing moves until you decide."
She raised an eyebrow. “What if I reject the partnership?”
I knew that she wasn't going to because I've seen the way she handles patients, how articulate she is, ensuring she leaves nothing out.
That's the kind of partner I want, the one willing to make an impact and save lives.
“You're too passionate about saving lives to say no.”
She turned her coffee cup in her hands, “so what's the structure?”
“Equal partnership” I said, “fifty fifty, every decision, direction and hire.”
She nodded slowly. “And the name?”
I'd thought about this the longest, in fact longer than finances, and investor conversations. I wanted the name to be something that would follow her, that would be attached to whatever she built for however long she built it.
“WhitmoreTech.” I said.
She stilled, her eyes wide.
“Your name leads, and that's not negotiable.”
She looked at me with an expression I couldn't fully read. Surprise and something quieter.
“Why?”
“Because in the coming years, your name is going to mean something in this industry,” I said simply. “I'd rather it be on the door from the very beginning.”
She looked away, allowing the silence to stretch for a moment.
“What about you?” She finally asked.
I own a piece of Diahcorpration already.
‘You should worry about me.”
“I'll think about it.” She finally said.
“Of course, I wasn't expecting an immediate response from you anyway.” I replied, taking a long sip from my coffee.
“How long do I have?” She asked.
“As long as you need,” I replied. “It's not like the investors are going anywhere.”
She nodded slowly, still turning the cup, then she looked up again. “So you put my name first, without asking me.”
“I was fairly confident you wouldn't have an issue with it.”
“Aiden…” she trailed off then chuckled. “You're very sure of yourself.”
“After eleven years of working, if I'm not confident at this point, I wonder when I'd be.” I laughed.
“That's impressive,” she replied, with a teasing smile spread across her face.
“So… how's Liam doing?” I asked. “it's been a while since I saw him.”
She smiled widely. “He's good, growing up well,”
“I'm glad.” I replied, and a comfortable silence passed between us.
Knowing that the conversation was about to change its dimension, I emptied my cup of coffee.
“I'll let you get back to your patients then,” I said, standing.
She nodded. “thank you for the coffee “
“You barely even touched it.”
She pouted. “you know I would have, if I wasn't busy being ambushed.”
“Oh well…” I laughed. “the Cafe staff would come get her tray.”
Walking back down the corridor to my own office, I ran the conversation back through my head, and a smile broke out of my face.
I tried to check what had gone well and what hadn't, what I should have said differently.
But everything has gone well.
She was going to say yes, I knew that before meeting her, perhaps that was the only reason I'd been able to walk in at all.
We were going to do this together, and in the years to come, she would be bigger than anyone ever imagined.
Although I don't know what happened between her, and Liam's father, I'll make sure to give her all the support she needs to build something that matters.
He would certainly regret whatever it is that led to their break up…