"Business?" Williams froze for a moment. As an out and out opportunist, he suddenly realized something.
"You want to keep all the potions for yourself?"
Under any other circumstances, he would never have dared say that to Felix.
But Felix had long since handed over power to his successor. If the others joined forces, dealing with someone like him would obviously be much easier.
As for Tver, who looked like the devil himself...
As long as there was money to be made, Williams could praise even a devil into an angel.
His words clearly hit the mark. The crafty old men immediately straightened in their seats and paid even closer attention to the potions in their hands.
They still did not know the exact effects, but for a dying Felix to make this kind of decision, there had to be profit in it.
Enormous profit.
After all, in the pharmaceutical industry, a mature and effective drug that required no research and development costs at all was enough to tempt any tycoon.
A trace of resignation flashed through Felix's eyes, but his attention never left Tver. Tver did not answer him. Instead, the smile on his face only grew more obvious.
Clearly, even if Felix claimed he wanted to monopolize everything, this strange professor was never going to allow it.
"I only want to buy a few more doses of the potion that can treat cancer. Surely you cannot get angry at an old man who simply does not want to die."
He held up the empty bottle in his hand, leaving a small amount of potion deliberately at the bottom.
That was a trick he had kept in reserve.
If the potion really worked, he absolutely would not mind spending a few hundred million dollars to have it tested a thousand times over.
"You are right. I think this kind of potion suits me very well too, so I would like to stock up on some medicine for heart disease," Roby chimed in with a bright smile.
Cancer and heart disease were among the most troublesome illnesses in the world, especially for the rich.
As long as this potion could be proven effective and free of side effects, it did not even need to work perfectly. It would still bring in staggering profits.
Sato and Joshua exchanged awkward looks.
Their own conditions were troublesome too, otherwise they would not have suffered from them for so long.
But in terms of profit, they were far behind Roby and Felix.
For the first time in their lives, they bitterly resented the fact that they had not come down with some truly terrible disease.
"I want the potion for treating wounds."
"I want the medicine for the spine."
After thinking it over, the two of them made their decision.
If the effects were good, one could rely on high volume and low margins, while the other could charge a high unit price. Either way, the profit would be more than enough to satisfy them.
Just as Williams was about to speak excitedly, Diana suddenly said, "Too much luck potion is useless to me. I will take Williams's share instead."
Williams went blank.
His potion was undoubtedly the most profitable medicine in the world. If he could get his hands on it, the wealth it brought him would absolutely surpass everyone else present.
But if Diana was truly determined to take his share, he really did not dare oppose her outright.
"No, Madam, the luck potion must be even more powerful. Countless gamblers would flock to it. There is no need to focus on a potion like mine, the sort only men would need. It would tarnish your great image."
He stumbled through his attempt to persuade her, failing to notice that the others' eyes were growing brighter and brighter. Some of them even exchanged amused looks.
"I think you have misunderstood one thing. Who I sell the potions to, how I sell them, and how much I sell them for, all of that is for me to decide."
Tver suddenly spoke up. Otherwise, these old men demanding this and that would have started to think he was a lamb they could carve up at will.
"And the gift I gave you was my goodwill."
Felix let out a light chuckle and set the bottle in his hand back on the table with a crisp clink.
"Of course, we do respect Mr. Fawley's opinion. It is just that if someone does not want to buy, would it not be better to pass it along to someone else?"
"I think..." Williams started to speak, only to meet the threatening looks from Felix and Roby, along with Sato's and Joshua's helpless shrugs.
Without a word, Felix and Roby silently came to an agreement. They would split Williams's share with the mysterious Diana.
If Diana refused, then even better. The two of them could divide it between themselves.
Williams shut his eyes painfully. "I... fine, I do not want..."
"No, you do," Tver said firmly.
"No, I cannot..."
"You can." Tver waved a hand and pointed at the assistants and bodyguards standing around the conference table. "Everyone, tell me, can Mr. Williams do it?"
"He can!"
Under the stunned gazes of Felix and the others, the people they had hired suddenly went blank faced and shouted in unison.
"See? If I remember correctly, America is a democratic country. A decision like this fits the democratic spirit rather well, does it not?"
"What are you doing?!"
Felix shouted furiously at his own assistant, but it did nothing to change the vacant look on their faces.
"What did you do to them?"
He turned his anger on Tver, though there was undisguised fear in his voice.
Suddenly, he remembered the bodyguard from earlier, the one with the very real handgun.
If that could still be dismissed as a minor trick, something that would not matter as long as you stayed far enough away, then this, the ability to control the people closest to them with nothing more than a wave of the hand, was enough to make them truly afraid.
"I have no intention of clashing with you. In fact, I am very satisfied with your decision."
Joshua raised a hand with remarkable tact, but in truth, he was also giving Felix and Roby a way out.
Clearly, before they understood Tver's methods, even if they joined forces, there was no guarantee they would gain the upper hand.
So after thinking it over, Felix's face changed as quickly as if he were putting on a new mask, and a smile appeared.
"It is no problem. After all, you are the one selling them, so of course we will respect your decision, Professor Fawley."
"But what about Diana?" Roby suddenly asked.
"Do not worry. I will prepare another potion more suited to her status," Tver said casually.
"As for the specific effects of the potions, I imagine you are still not fully reassured. I can give you one more week to think about it."
"Within that week, anyone willing to do business with us can contact Ian. Just as you did with the face masks."
"So the reason those face masks work so well is because of you?" Felix finally made the connection.
"That is right," Tver answered with a smile, with no trace at all of the conflict that had just taken place between them.
"Remarkable. I think I will need to give this some serious thought."
Felix picked up the bottle from the table and strode out of the conference room. At the same time, his assistants recovered and followed after him in confusion.
He was probably off to think about Hogwarts and potions.
Tver and Bulstrode exchanged glances and smiled at the same time.
Seeing that, the others also bid Tver a friendly farewell and left one by one with their assistants.
"I apologize for insulting you earlier, Mr. Fawley," Williams said sincerely.
"And I also apologize for doubting you before. To be honest, I never really doubted the effectiveness of this potion. If you want, we can sign the contract right now."
"It is all right. I understand your thinking. Getting to know one another a little better will only help maintain our business relationship."
Tver pointed toward the door, indicating that there was no need to skip the testing stage just because he had given his help.
As for what might happen if the weakest man there, Williams, ended up with the most profitable potion, Tver hardly dared imagine it.
Once Williams left the conference room with a grateful expression, the only ones remaining were Tver, Ian, Bulstrode, Diana, and the assistants behind her, who had not moved at all the whole time.
"Your mannequins are rather interesting. They can actually make such lifelike reactions and movements."
Diana turned back with interest and even nudged one of the sturdy assistants with her foot.
Ian, however, stared blankly for a moment. "Mannequins?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce her." Tver stood up.
"This is Diana, one of the Hogwarts governors. She came today to cooperate with me."
"She is a witch too?!" Ian's eyes widened. "Then her business in this world..."
"It is all fake," Diana said with a mischievous smile. "If you search your memory carefully, you will realize there is no global chain of toilets in this world."
"..."
At that moment, Ian once again experienced just how terrifying magic could be.