MTLNOVEL Chapter 223: Think Like War Generals
"I've made moves to try to reclaim the shares, but it's going to be difficult. And Morrison, he'll come again. He'll likely use CivicComms to get the Department of Health to investigate your funding model. Or leak something through his media channels."
Leonard shook his head. "Why's he pushing so hard?"
"He wants revenge, I think." Darren darkened his eyes. "For Ryan Anders."
Leonard looked at Darren for a moment, smacked his lips and sighed. "Well, whatever you need from Holloway Medicals, it's yours."
Darren shook it. "It's great that you say that, Mr. Holloway, because I do have somethings to ask of you."
Leonard's brow shot up. "Oh."
The two men sat silent for a while. Unlike the rest of the hospital which smelled faintly of antiseptic and lavender-scented air fresheners, Holloway's office has a more buttery scent to it.
Although now that event had been overtaken by the question of what exactly Darren was talking about when he said he had favors to ask of Leonard and Holloway Medicals.
This odd pairing had come to define the Holloway Medical Executive Wing. Darren had shares in Leonard's stocks and Leonard had shares in Darren's.
In fact, their partnership was the strongest amongst other of Darren's allies, backed by the system which gave Leonard an Ally Rating of A++.
Letting out an "are you ready?" sigh, Darren leaned back in the leather visitor's chair, hands clasped together, his gaze fixed on the man across from him.
Leonard Holloway, the second richest doctor in the state, but vastly becoming the most popular, waited with a resolute expression on his face. He pushed away his computer and gave Darren his complete attention.
"So," Leonard rasped, voice low but clear, "are you not going to tell me what this favor is?"
Darren shrugged. "Depends on how determined you are to take down Morrison for good."
Leonard's gaze drifted away in thought for a moment, then smacked his lips after he'd decided. "I won't necessarily say I wish to take him down, despite all that has happened between us in the past, but... If I'm going to look at his face any day, I'd rather I'm looking down at him." His eyes darkened. "Not up."
That almost made Darren smile.
"Besides," Leonard continued, "He's the one making the first move. He dipped in."
Darren nodded. "He's not just dipping in. He's gutting your supply structure from the outside in. He's leveraging your vendors, buying up secondary firms and supply chains, and rerouting contracts through shell fronts. If he continues, you'll either lose control or be forced into a corner. Possibly both."
"I know. I know. You've driven the nail to the head with that one, Darren my friend." Leonard exhaled through his nose, a low whistle. "Morrison is a bastard. He's always had the subtlety of a scalpel."
"No," Darren said coldly. "He's worse. For him to seek vengeance over Ryan Anders means they were close, and only a manipulative son of a bitch would hang around with another manipulative son of a bitch."
Leonard looked at him blankly. "You use such colorful words for a twenty-one year old."
Darren ignored that. "He's a surgeon, Mr. Holloway. Both literally and figuratively. A surgeon with no anesthesia. He's precise. He's cruel. And with the power he has, he's basically immune to lawsuits. We need to think like war generals, not businessmen."
Leonard tilted his head, eyes squinting at Darren. "I suppose this is when I hear of this favor?"
Darren's gaze stayed with him for a while before he looked away. "I need someone with your stand, Mr. Holloway. You must back me here."
Leonard stayed motionless. Darren reached across and handed a laptop to him. "We have to map this out. Start with the vendors."
From the looks of things, Darren had started doing that a long time ago. Leonard was impressed by the discipline of the work. On the screen, a page displayed a dynamic map of vendors, logistics firms, and contracts— all color-coded.
"You have been busy, Mr. Steele."
"The only way I can stay on the top is if the ones pushing me down are the ones to fall."
Holloway paused to look at his face. "Okay then. Your zeal has inspired me. Let's take a look at this."
Darren pointed at the screen.
"The ones marked Red are compromised. The ones marked Yellow are at risk. And Blue: clean."
Leonard's eyes narrowed. "Half the bloody screen's red."
"And that's what we know. Now, listen carefully. Here's how we fight back."
Darren outlined the first strike:
1. Buybacks and Phantom Holdings They would discreetly reacquire the compromised vendors via third-party entities that bore no trace back to Holloway or Steele Investments. Darren had legal ghost firms pre-registered in Luxembourg, Dubai, and the Caymans, primed for proxy action.
"We buy them back without him realizing it. Play dumb. Let him think he still owns the board."
2. Asset Bleed They would funnel bad contracts and high-cost operations into Richard's holdings. Essentially poisoning the well. Darren would reroute old legacy systems to Delta Health Tech, artificially inflate maintenance costs, and redirect insurances to companies that would delay reimbursements.
"Let his profits bleed slowly. Bureaucracy can be a weapon too."
3. Political Pressure and Soft Power Lobbying They'd leverage their allies in Calivernia's Department of Public Health and CalSenate Business Commission to put a magnifying glass over Morrison's sudden growth. Darren would have Rachel organize anonymous reports questioning monopoly practices and regulatory violations. Leonard still had a senator on his golf contact list.
"Don't play defense. Play whistleblower."
4. Undermining Trust in the Medical Sphere "We need to start leaking murmurs. Discontent. Stories of mismanagement, improper billing, expired medicines, anything that sours public confidence. Use forums, patient advocacy groups, and nurse unions. You don't fight a giant head-on. You give him a thousand cuts from beneath."
Leonard grunted. "That's damn dirty."
"But you agree it will be effective," Darren said simply.
"Yes. Yes. I agree."
5. Strategic Mergers and Pseudo-Alliances They would reach out to health firms Richard had not yet acquired but had his eyes on. Offer better terms, limited-time partnership models, funding for expansion if they don't sell. Darren had Amelia and Rachel preparing a slate of these targets already.
Leonard looked impressed. "This'll drain resources from him. He'll have to adjust."
Darren's smile was sharp. "Exactly. And now… we light the match."
He flicked his fingers and brought up a file labeled: Internal Reports - Morrison Hospitals.
"Over the last three years," Darren explained, "these hospitals have received multiple flags in insurance records — anomalies, inconsistencies, and irregular audit trails."
Leonard squinted. "Could be clerical errors."
"Could be. But cross-check with whistleblower sites and health watchdog reports… and you start seeing a pattern. Misdiagnosis billing. Unregistered interns. False cancer therapies. Insurance fraud. You name it."
Leonard's jaw tightened. "That could shut him down if it's made public."
"It won't be just public." Darren leaned forward, voice low. "It'll be surgical. Right press channels, sympathetic lawmakers, class action lawyers already fed documents anonymously. All hitting in sync. We have to do it in a way that stops him from using his power over the press to fight back."
He paused. "That's the crucial part."
Leonard nodded his head in agreement, taking it all in. "Alright, Darren. I've never seen a more strategic takedown like this in my life. And simply for the fact that I do not want to get on your wrong side... I'm in!"
Darren scoffed.
"So tell me, where do we begin?"
For a moment, Darren was quiet as he thought. Then, a devilish smile appeared on his face. "I know exactly where to start."
He stood and turned toward the panoramic window overlooking the city.
"The hospital that treated me like filth when I had nothing. The one that denied me help because I didn't look rich enough."
His voice was steel.
"For this phase, we'll be going to a part of the city I haven't been to in a long time."