A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 133

After submitting the complaint, I had my first meeting with Holmes.

I was somewhat excited, but the place where the legal team staff led me was unexpectedly Pierce's office.

When the door opened, an unexpected figure greeted me.

"The head of Goldman's legal team, Edward Manning."

He was the top official of the legal team.

Manning scrutinized me closely before speaking slowly.

"The Theranos side has proposed negotiations. I hope you will cooperate as much as possible."

Negotiations.

Did Theranos intend to be sued?

The lawsuit was merely a tool for intimidation; their true objective was to make me surrender to their demands.

But that was not an option.

From the very beginning, my goal was to drag Theranos into court.

"I'm sorry, but negotiations are not possible. I have an obligation to represent my client's position, and RP Solutions strongly wishes to sue Theranos for mismanagement."

At my words, Manning's eyebrows twitched.

"Do you know who the opposing lawyer is? It's Blackwell."

I had already been informed by Raymond.

He was the star attorney known as the "Michael Jordan of the legal world."

"If your opponent is Blackwell, your chances of winning are slim. Try convincing your client."

He seemed intimidated by the presence of a high-profile lawyer.

However, my determination remained unwavering.

"Unfortunately, my client's resolve is firm, leaving no room for compromise."

"Pierce!"

At Manning's sharp outburst, Pierce wore a troubled expression.

His usual confidence was nowhere to be seen, and only deep traces of fatigue and stress were etched on his face.

‘Looks like he's been through a lot.'

I could easily imagine him being dragged into meetings with executives over the past few days, struggling to explain this lawsuit.

I did feel a bit sorry for him.

"Negotiations are not an option?"

"Yes, that's correct."

This was business.

"……"

The way Pierce glared at me revealed his thoughts.

From his perspective, he probably wanted to order me to drop this case and put an end to the situation.

However, RP Solutions' CEO, David, was adamantly insistent on the deal with Ha Si-heon, making it a very tricky situation.

With a deep sigh, Pierce finally spoke.

"If you refuse to negotiate, we may find it difficult to support you."

It was a warning that if I didn’t accept Theranos’s demands, they would abandon me.

"I never instructed you to meet with reporters or the board of directors."

A clear message—he had left enough room to evade responsibility, meaning they could cut me off at any time.

But reality wasn't that simple.

"Eighty percent of the board has already resigned. And Kissinger has made it clear that he has no intention of returning."

Pierce pressed his lips together in silence.

His real reason for getting involved in this case was his connections with board members like Kissinger.

But now, those board members had already distanced themselves from Theranos, and I had personal contact with the most influential among them—Kissinger.

Considering his original intent, it was actually in Pierce’s best interest to support me, regardless of what happened to Theranos.

As Pierce fell silent, Manning’s face twisted.

"Negotiations…"

"There will be no negotiations. If Goldman wishes to take a different path from mine, I understand."

Manning opened his mouth again, but I cut him off.

Then, glancing at my wrist, I continued.

"Isn't it rude to keep our guest waiting too long?"

At my urging to move on and meet Holmes, the expressions of the two men darkened.

"Let's go."

Pierce's voice carried exhaustion, resignation, and a subtle determination.

Finally, we arrived at the conference room.

The moment the door opened, a familiar face came into view.

It was Holmes.

Beside her sat a middle-aged white man with an imposing presence.

Sharp eagle-like eyes and a chiseled jawline.

Was this man Blackwell?

Slowly, I shifted my gaze back to Holmes.

"We seem to be meeting quite often these days."

"……"

"You don’t look well. Are you all right?"

Holmes's complexion was indeed poor.

Fatigue covered her entire face, and the dark circles under her eyes were so deep they looked like bruises.

Just as she was about to say something—

"Vincent Blackwell. I represent Ms. Holmes."

Her lawyer cut in.

His voice was cold and firm.

"From now on, if you have anything to say, direct it to me, not my client."

The moment we sat down, Blackwell placed a recorder on the table as if he were drawing a weapon.

"May I record this conversation?"

It was a polite request on the surface, but a subtle form of pressure.

It was an unspoken warning that this meeting might serve as legal testimony.

"Of course."

A recorder appeared in the hand of the legal team head as well.

Like gunslingers preparing for a duel, both recorders faced off on the table.

Blackwell was the first to speak.

"We have sued Ha Si-heon for violating the NDA and defamation. He disclosed due diligence information covered by the NDA during a meeting with a Theranos board member and even distorted that information to incite conflict within the board. Furthermore, he orchestrated a false article in the Wall Street Times. As a result, Theranos suffered severe setbacks in securing investments, leading to a staggering loss of $4.9 billion."

His sharp gaze shifted to Pierce.

"Was Goldman aware of Ha Si-heon's actions?"

His question was not a simple inquiry—it was a subtle form of pressure. On a larger scale, it was an implicit threat that defending me would drag Goldman into the lawsuit as well. On a smaller scale, it was a strategy to provoke my superiors and isolate me.

Pierce silently turned to the head of the legal team, who responded calmly.

"Verifying the facts should be our first priority. Mr. Ha Si-heon, do you acknowledge the claims just mentioned?"

All eyes in the conference room focused on me.

Meeting their gazes one by one, I answered in a firm voice.

"None of it is true."

"Yo…!"

Holmes's voice was about to escape, but Blackwell’s hand clamped down on her arm.

Blackwell immediately turned his head toward me.

"You deny both accusations?"

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed.

Then, in a low and imposing voice, he filled the room with his presence.

"Mr. Kissinger's stance changed drastically after meeting with you. Are you saying you never mentioned anything about Theranos during your meal with him?"

"Ah, of course, I mentioned Theranos. However, I never disclosed any confidential information under the NDA."

"Lies!"

Holmes slammed her hand on the table and shouted, but I simply shrugged.

"I swear, I have never violated the NDA."

This was the absolute truth.

I had meticulously reviewed the NDA, knew exactly where the boundaries lay, and never crossed them—not by even the smallest margin.

I had approached the line as closely as a single strand of hair, but I never stepped over it.

The lawyer placed a firm hand on Holmes’s shoulder, calming her.

Then he refocused on me.

"Then what exactly did you discuss?"

"I showed him an article I had read, pointed out that it was about Theranos, and suggested that, given concerns about mismanagement, it might be best for Holmes to step down as CEO."

"……"

A heavy silence filled the room.

Their expressions made it clear—they hadn't expected me to answer so candidly.

Surprise breeds emotion.

And those swayed by emotion inevitably lose control and get dragged along.

Even Blackwell, who had seemed impenetrable, now showed a faint crack in his composure.

I let the silence linger for a moment before adding,

"Oh, and for the record, the information I mentioned was already published in a public article. That means it wasn’t an NDA violation."

"……."

A tense pause followed before Blackwell spoke again, his voice heavy.

"Even if it isn’t an NDA violation, the defamation claim seems solid. Didn’t you distort the facts to cause harm?"

"The subject of the article was Theranos. Therefore, it wasn’t a distortion."

"Are you certain that Theranos was the subject?"

"Yes. I heard it directly from the journalist."

The moment I finished speaking, Blackwell’s eyes gleamed like a predator spotting its prey.

"That brings us to the second charge. Wasn’t that article a fabricated piece orchestrated by you to damage Ms. Holmes’s reputation?"

"It was not."

"Are you saying you had nothing to do with that article?"

"No, I’m probably connected to it in some way."

Blackwell hesitated for a moment.

He hadn’t expected me to answer like this again.

Once more, I responded without hesitation, bluntly honest.

"I overheard some rather interesting conversations at a café near Theranos during the due diligence process. I simply passed that information along—I never imagined it would actually be investigated and published as an article."

"Are you admitting now that you were involved in the article?"

"It was just light gossip. If people get sued for every little thing like this, wouldn’t the world be far too harsh?"

At my nonchalant rebuttal, Blackwell’s face stiffened. A mix of disbelief and confusion crossed his expression.

After taking a deep breath, he spoke again in a low, threatening voice.

"This is no trivial matter. Because of you, Theranos suffered losses amounting to $4.9 billion."

Blackwell was doing his best to make the atmosphere as heavy as possible.

"Our demands are twofold. First, you must immediately contact the journalist and have the article retracted. Second, you must reach out to Mr. Kissinger and admit that the information you provided was unfounded."

With this, Theranos's intentions became clear.

They wanted to rewind everything.

As if nothing had ever happened.

However.

Unfortunately for them, their wish would not come true.

"I refuse. Let’s proceed with the lawsuit."

Because that was exactly what I wanted.

There was no room for negotiations.

The only destination was the courtroom.

A flicker of surprise crossed Blackwell’s eyes. Smiling, I continued.

"Coincidentally, my client has been preparing a shareholder derivative lawsuit against Theranos for mismanagement. We’ll file a countersuit."

"Think carefully. I hear you’ve made quite a fortune through investments, but $4.9 billion is an amount no individual can bear. If you cooperate now, we might drop all legal charges against you."

"I appreciate the concern, but we’ll proceed with the lawsuit."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"The moment this lawsuit is filed, your credibility will be shattered. You’ll be branded as someone who leaked corporate information and violated an NDA, recklessly spreading confidential details to the public."

"Oh, that’s fine. I’m more than willing to take that risk."

"………"

As I remained firm on taking the legal route, Blackwell's expression briefly flashed with something akin to disbelief—an unspoken *What kind of lunatic is this?*

After that, we went in circles, repeating similar arguments several times.

Eventually, Blackwell’s gaze changed.

"So, there’s no room for negotiation."

It seemed he finally understood the situation completely.

No bluffs, no games—I was determined to take this matter to court.

Yet, instead of resignation, his expression filled with confidence.

Like a warrior preparing for battle, his eyes sharpened with focus.

"Suing Theranos for mismanagement will be far more challenging than you think."

"Is that so?"

"Specifically, what grounds do you have to claim mismanagement?"

Blackwell’s question was razor-sharp.

He was clearly probing our legal strategy.

I could have remained silent…

But another thought crossed my mind.

This was just the beginning of the information war.

By revealing my argument, I could gauge how they intended to respond.

"For starters, I find it strange that the CFO position has been vacant for eight years."

"A missing CFO doesn’t necessarily prove mismanagement. In fact, Holmes has personally spearheaded investment acquisitions, achieving record-breaking results."

"But without a CFO, the revenue projections are practically fictional."

"Unfortunately, those revenue projection methodologies are classified under NDA-protected information. They cannot be used in court."

"How about the allegations of fraud in the competency evaluation process?"

"There was no fraud. Theranos possesses proprietary technology that required a different testing method. And that, too, falls under NDA-protected information."

"What about the poor working conditions that led to over half of the employees resigning?"

"Employee turnover rates also fall under NDA protections."

As Blackwell dismantled my arguments one by one with the NDA as a shield, a victorious smirk appeared on his lips.

"Truth" and "facts" are different things. Even if the truth exists, proving it in court is an entirely separate matter. No matter what evidence you present, it’s all protected by NDA. And any witness you bring forward will refuse to testify.'

"No witnesses will come forward… How can you be so sure?"

A sly smile crept onto Blackwell’s lips.

"During lawsuits, sometimes the deepest, most hidden secrets of a person’s life are exposed. For example, maybe they watched adult content on their company computer. Or maybe they had a drinking problem."

His words were a blatant threat—any witness who stepped forward would have their darkest secrets unearthed and used to discredit them.

"How many witnesses do you think will be willing to take that risk?"

Resting my chin on my hand, I nodded as if to say, *That’s a fair point.*

Blackwell, sensing his advantage, pressed on.

"Are you really willing to stake your entire career on the "courage" of these witnesses? Wouldn't it be wiser to resolve this situation differently?"

"Resolve this situation differently."

In other words, reconsider their demands.

But.

A quiet chuckle escaped me.

Did he really think I would gamble everything on the "courage" of witnesses I had never even met?

I met his gaze directly and said,

"The witnesses I mentioned are not Theranos's employees. They are the board members."

Theranos's board members were distinguished figures.

If they had been regular employees, he could have easily dug into their pasts and threatened them.

But could Theranos truly afford to do the same to former board members?

Blackwell’s voice grew sharper.

"Board members are also bound by NDA regarding any information they learned while in office. You must know this."

So, they planned to silence the board members with the NDA as well.

Another amused chuckle slipped out.

Either he understood what I was implying but pretended not to, or he was testing whether I was truly going to say it.

I spoke slowly but with certainty.

"Of course, I know that. But NDA violations aren't something the police arrest people for—it’s a matter that requires a lawsuit from the plaintiff."

Blackwell kept his expression neutral, but his eyes wavered slightly.

He already knew what I was about to say next.

And I made sure to say it.

"If Kissinger voluntarily violates the NDA and speaks out, will you really sue him?"