“As far as I know, Mr. Damaris’ vision for this project was to give patients a fighting chance. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.” Despite her efforts to explain, some team leaders continued to whisper among themselves, casting suspicious looks in her direction.
The conference room was so quiet that she could hear one of the leaders whisper. “If anyone has any concerns, please don’t hesitate to voice them. I’m here to listen,” Roxanne said courteously while looking at the team leader.
The team leader turned around and met her gaze. After a few seconds of silence, he expressed his doubts. “Ms. Jarvis, you were the only one who negotiated with Damaris Group, and we had been kept in the dark throughout the negotiation.”
Roxanne lowered her gaze slightly and responded softly, “I’ll explain everything if you wish to know what transpired.”
She felt a little uneasy as she looked at the faces before her. Undoubtedly, she had acted unilaterally and set the price without consulting her team.
After witnessing the change in Jack’s behavior, Roxanne realized she could not tolerate how apathetic medical practitioners were toward patients.
Everyone fixed their gazes on her, waiting for her to explain. Roxanne gathered her courage and said, “I proposed a price of a hundred twenty for the medicine, but Mr. Damaris insisted on three hundred.”
A heavy silence settled in the room after she uttered those words. Roxanne could see how serious they were, and it seemed they began to understand the picture. “Sorry, but I want to know why you set that price. A team leader finally voiced out his doubt.
Roxanne tried to stay composed and explained, “I want patients to be able to afford the medicine. Doing so might incur losses in the short term, but the long-term benefits are worth it. By doing so, we’ll also improve the reputation of the research institute.”
In other words, she put the interests of patients and the research institute before her, while Jack only prioritized Damaris Group.
After explaining the situation, Roxanne smiled at everyone. “That’s my two cents. If my idea doesn’t sit well with you, and you want to bail, I won’t hold it against you. But I hope we can all keep the technology used to produce the medicine a secret.”
Once again, the room fell silent, causing Roxanne to clench her hand on the table. She could not shake off the unease in her.
“I agree with you.” Someone spoke up and threw his weight behind her. Roxanne’s eyes lit up with delight.
The leader continued, “I appreciate your support. We’ve been putting our heart and soul into this research institute for so long, and what Dr. Jarvis did is also in the best interests of the organization. I hope her decision can take us to the next level.”
“I agree that Mr. Damaris’ pricing is a little steep, another team leader said. Everyone else then chimed in with their support for Roxanne. Roxanne was pleasantly surprised. “Thank you for backing me up.”
Roxanne had thought they would side with Jack, considering how close they were to him. All the team leaders had somber expressions on their faces. “Dr. Jarvis, we believe in your vision. We want the institute to succeed.”
Roxanne let out a sigh of relief and redirected the conversation back to the matter at hand. “So, does anyone have any leads on the medicinal herb suppliers we can reach out to?”
As it turned out, everyone present had been working at the research institute for many years and had some connections in the pharmaceutical industry.
They immediately started brainstorming and discussing the potential medicinal herb suppliers they had in mind.
