The mood around the conference table was dark. Only a few knew why they were there but did their best to seem as perplexed as the others, not wanting their colleagues to learn that they were involved in the negotiations from the beginning. Even in the brokerage, it was better to play safe and not draw attention to oneself. No one was safe while downsizing and mergers dominated the wholesale more than IPOs or contracts.
Quickly, the mood turned into curiosity when the wide plasma screen lit, displaying the Hudson Biotech logo and below, a NASDAQ (NDX). They looked at each other, trying to understand who or what was Hudson Biotech, then the elevator doors opened, releasing an entire team of suits and ties and an incongruous man who had more the look of belonging on a golf course than in a c
