A Wall Street Genius's Final Investment Playbook-Chapter 140

The next day.

The courtroom was filled with tension.

The gallery was packed to the brim, leaving no room to stand, while two cameras keenly observed the proceedings.

One was for news coverage, and the other was for live broadcasting.

As public interest in the case skyrocketed, a cable network boldly decided to air it live.

‘The timing is perfect.'

Today, Ha Si-heon had only one goal.

To summon Kissinger as a witness.

Kissinger’s reluctance to take the stand was obvious.

‘He's afraid that his carefully built reputation will crumble.'

Even if he mustered the courage to reveal the truth, he would undoubtedly face backlash— "How could you not have known all this time?"

If that happened, it would ultimately put Kissinger’s incompetence and his responsibility under scrutiny.

The solution, then, was simple.

‘Make it so that he won’t be attacked.'

Today, Theranos would be in for quite the pain.

"The defense will now begin its argument."

Here, Ha Si-heon planned to turn Kissinger into a hero, ensuring that everyone would be enthralled by his revelation.

‘First, let's create a villain.'

Every heroic tale needs a formidable villain. Holmes was already widely disliked by the public, but her image needed an even darker shade of evil.

The first witness was a former sales team employee who had been fired.

"What was the reason for your dismissal?"

"Because I insisted on following the legally mandated eight-hour workday. At the time, the vice president…"

"Objection! This testimony violates the terms of the NDA."

As expected, Theranos’s legal team tried to use the NDA as a shield to block the testimony. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

However, Ha Si-heon’s attorneys calmly countered.

"This testimony pertains to the company’s organizational culture and working conditions, not specific job details. It does not fall under the NDA’s scope."

"Objection overruled. The witness may continue."

Naturally, ‘corporate culture' could not be protected by an NDA.

With the judge’s firm decision, the testimony resumed.

"The vice president’s surveillance was akin to that of a prison warden. He monitored attendance records every morning, threatening employees as if they were inmates in need of ‘reform.' In the end, I was fired simply for failing to meet his standards."

First, Holmes was painted as a ruthless slave driver.

"One day, Holmes handed out a book titled The Alchemist and said, ‘Newton is humanity’s greatest invention. I am not merely building a business—I am creating a religion. Anyone who refuses to devote themselves fully should leave immediately…’"

Next, her charisma was twisted into the delusions of a cult leader.

The next witness was an IT employee.

"You said you resigned voluntarily. Could you tell us why?"

"…Because I was ordered to use my technical expertise for unethical purposes."

"Objection! That matter is directly related to company operations and is protected under the NDA!"

Once again, the NDA barrier was raised.

"If the request in question falls outside the company’s legitimate business operations, then it is not covered by the NDA. Does this matter relate to standard corporate duties?"

"Not at all. That’s why I refused."

The barrier was swiftly dismantled.

And the next trait to assign to Holmes as a villain was…

"What exactly were you ordered to do?"

"I was instructed to retrieve pornographic material from the recently fired executive’s computer."

It wouldn't feel complete without this.

The courtroom erupted into chaos.

Gasps of shock and outrage rippled through the gallery, while the judge’s gavel struck the bench in vain.

"Order in the court!"

As the courtroom descended into disorder, public reactions to the live broadcast were spiraling out of control.

– This is the most Big Boss move ever.

– Isn't this a criminal case? Shouldn't the FBI be all over this?

– This is wilder than fiction. If someone wrote this as a screenplay, they’d be dragged for being unrealistic.

But Ha Si-heon’s plan was still far from complete.

Outwardly, he maintained a composed expression, but inside, he was practically humming with satisfaction.

‘Enough about villain traits. Now, let’s expose the crimes.'

The next witness was a research lab employee.

"What was the reason for your dismissal?"

"I was fired for reporting severe environmental and safety violations in the lab."

"Can you specify what those violations were?"

"Objection! That information pertains to internal company operations and is protected by the NDA."

Once again, Theranos reached for its NDA shield, but Ha Si-heon was quicker.

"Under CLIA regulations, clinical laboratory safety standards are federally mandated. Violating them is illegal, and illegal activities are not protected by NDAs."

After a few minutes of heated debate, the judge nodded.

"The witness may continue their testimony."

"Theranos completely disregarded chemical usage regulations. Expired reagents were stored alongside new ones. Even basic quality control protocols weren’t followed. To ensure consistent results, tests should be repeated at least three times, but…"

Before the witness could finish, a furious shout erupted from the back of the gallery.

"These criminals should all rot in prison!"

"How long are they going to keep hiding behind that damn NDA?!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The judge slammed the gavel three times, but the uproar refused to settle.

As security officers dragged out the protesters, the internet was already in an uproar.

– They used expired reagents in lab tests?!

– I’m a practicing doctor. The accuracy of test results is a matter of life and death. A misdiagnosis could lead to strokes, heart attacks—serious, fatal consequences.

– This isn’t just corruption—it’s attempted murder.

Since Theranos was a medical device company, their violations directly endangered human lives.

Meanwhile, Ha Si-heon allowed himself a satisfied smirk.

To the public, Holmes was now not only a slave-driving tyrant, a cult leader, and Big Boss— but also an attempted murderer.

She was no longer just an oppressive figure violating workers' rights. She was a public menace.

So, what was next?

‘Now, I just need to find the weakness.'

Having established the villain’s traits and crimes, the final step was identifying their downfall— a moment akin to the climax of a heroic tale.

The next witness.

"There’s a term we use here: ‘disappeared.’ Employees vanish overnight. No handover, no warnings… They just… evaporate."

Everyone in the courtroom held their breath.

The mysterious disappearances at Theranos.

The mystery that had been repeatedly reported by The Wall Street Times was finally being unraveled.

"I tracked down a colleague who had ‘disappeared.’ The next day, the vice president summoned me. He demanded to know why I had met them, what we had talked about."

"How did they find out about your meeting?"

"I have no idea. Maybe… I was being followed…"

"Objection. Speculative statement."

As soon as Theranos’s attorney objected, Ha Si-heon’s team smoothly shifted the direction of the questioning.

"What did your colleague say to you?"

"He said nothing at all. He just looked pale and begged me not to ask any questions, saying, ‘I can’t speak because of the NDA. If I do, I’ll be sued.’"

"You are also an employee of Theranos, aren’t you?"

"Yes, but even to me, his colleague, he said he couldn’t say a word. He told me that he couldn’t discuss anything about the lab… not even the smallest detail."

The key takeaway from this testimony was clear.

There was something—something immensely important—being concealed inside the lab.

What secret could Holmes, already exposed as a ruthless overlord, a cult leader, Big Boss, and an attempted murderer, be so desperate to protect, even resorting to surveillance and forced disappearances?

But when the next witness took the stand, the tension in the courtroom reached its peak.

It was none other than the missing researcher himself.

The very subject of the disappearance.

"What was your exact role at Theranos?"

"Objection! That information pertains to internal company operations and is protected under the NDA."

Theranos clung even more desperately to the NDA, trying to silence any discussion of the researcher’s work.

The witness hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I cannot disclose anything due to NDA restrictions."

But Ha Si-heon’s team did not back down.

"Have you ever used a competitor’s device?"

"I cannot answer that. It would be a violation of the NDA."

"Then, have you ever modified a competitor’s device for use?"

This was a reference to the question Ha Si-heon had previously posed to Holmes.

"Have you ever tampered with third-party devices and diluted patient blood samples?"

At the time, Holmes had firmly denied any such wrongdoing.

Then, in the next moment, an utterly unexpected and shocking twist unfolded.

"Under the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution… I invoke my right to remain silent."

One sentence.

But its weight sent shockwaves through the courtroom.

Invoking the Fifth Amendment meant the witness had the right to refuse self-incriminating testimony.

In other words, he had just all but admitted that he himself was implicated in a crime.

Public reaction spiraled into uncontrollable outrage.

-The Fifth Amendment? That’s the kind of line you hear in crime dramas—why is it being said here?

– So he’s basically admitting that a crime was committed and that he’s an accomplice, right?

– A trash company using NDAs to cover up crimes… absolutely sickening.

This was a major turning point.

Until now, terms like attempted murder had been used metaphorically—to highlight the gravity of the wrongdoing.

But the moment the Fifth Amendment was invoked, the case had officially crossed the line from corporate corruption to criminal activity.

Ha Si-heon’s team seized the opportunity and pressed forward.

The next two witnesses were also research lab employees.

"How exactly did you use the competitor’s device?"

But their responses were the same.

"I invoke my Fifth Amendment right."

"I invoke my Fifth Amendment right…"

One after another, the witnesses refused to answer.

– What the hell is the FBI doing?

– Every single one of them needs to be arrested. They’re all criminals.

The public’s perception of the witnesses turned ice-cold.

They weren’t seen as whistleblowers but as accomplices.

To most people, staying silent meant being complicit.

Then, Ha Si-heon called the next witness to the stand.

Emily.

Her role in this courtroom drama was clear.

She was here to explain why none of the employees dared to speak the truth.

"Have you ever been in contact with the defendant, Ha Si-heon?"

"Yes, I have."

"Did you provide him with any information regarding Theranos?"

"I shared details about the workplace atmosphere that were unrelated to my job responsibilities… and ultimately, I became a source for the Wall Street Times article."

She was the key whistleblower behind the explosive exposé.

Calmly, she recounted what had happened to her.

"Right after the article was published, the vice president interrogated me relentlessly about my conversations with Ha Si-heon. Not only that—I was followed wherever I went, and my phone was even stolen."

Paranoid surveillance and relentless harassment.

The courtroom fell into stunned silence.

"Then, I was forced to sign a statement promising that I would never speak to a journalist again. If I had already done so, I was to pay damages. When I refused, they threatened to sue me for NDA violations, drag out the lawsuit as long as possible, and seize my family’s home."

"Did you sign it in the end?"

"No. But then they escalated their threats. They told me they would ensure that no company in Silicon Valley would ever hire me."

"And even then, you didn’t sign?"

"No, I refused to the very end. That’s when they went after my parents. They told them that if I didn’t sign, they would lose their home. My parents pleaded with me to just sign it…"

Now, the reason for the other witnesses’ silence became clear.

Theranos had systematically and ruthlessly used employees' loved ones as leverage to keep them quiet.

– These monsters went after her family?

– Isn’t this straight-up criminal intimidation?

– This is organized crime, not a company.

At last, Holmes was exposed not just as a slave-driving overlord, a cult leader, Big Boss, and an attempted murderer— but also as a stalker and a criminal who threatened employees’ families.

Theranos was no longer just a corrupt medical device company.

It had become a full-fledged criminal syndicate, using NDAs as a shield to conceal its endless web of wrongdoing.

‘Let’s see how long they can keep quiet.'

Ha Si-heon smirked.

The moment was ripe.

It was time to prepare for the grand finale.

Meanwhile, as public calls for an investigation grew louder, prosecutors and law enforcement had yet to officially launch an inquiry into Theranos.

– Why? Isn’t this testimony enough evidence?

– Heads at the FDA are going to roll for letting this slip through.

– This is outright criminal—shouldn’t the FBI be kicking down their doors by now?

In response, media outlets began inviting legal experts to explain the complexities of the situation.

[Simply invoking the Fifth Amendment is not, by itself, grounds for launching an investigation. If law enforcement were to seek a warrant based solely on that, it would likely be dismissed due to lack of evidence.]

[Are you saying that even with all this suspicious evidence, nothing can be done?]

[Unfortunately, yes. To begin an investigation, concrete and direct evidence is required. Law enforcement agencies need undeniable proof—such as physical evidence or decisive testimony—to move forward.]

In other words, the witnesses invoking the Fifth wasn’t enough to get law enforcement involved.

More solid evidence was needed.

But that was the biggest challenge.

[Right now, the key witnesses and evidence are all locked behind NDAs.]

[But if illegal activity is involved, doesn’t that nullify the NDA? Couldn’t authorities grant whistleblowers immunity?]

[That’s the core issue. Immunity can only be granted based on a significant testimony, but whistleblowers need immunity to provide that testimony. It’s a classic ‘chicken or the egg’ problem.]

It was clear that something illegal had occurred inside the research lab.

But proving it was the real challenge.

Right now, the case desperately needed just one brave whistleblower.

Someone willing to disregard the NDA and testify to the hard facts.

Someone who wouldn’t be intimidated by the threats of this ruthless villain.

Someone willing to risk their career, their future—

even without immunity.

The world needed a hero.

And then, the next day—

An unexpected figure appeared in court.

The next witness, summoned by Ha Si-heon’s legal team.

"My name is Henry Kissinger."