Chapter 7 - WHAT DANIEL PROPOSED
Daniel did not describe it to himself as poisoning.
He described it as testing a belief.
That distinction mattered to him.
It did not matter to Emily.
He told Vanessa:
“If Emily gets an accidental amount, she usually just coughs and gets red.”
Vanessa asked:
“You’ve seen that?”
“Years ago.”
“So if the customer had the same thing…”
“It would show people are exaggerating the risk.”
The logic was terrible.
One person’s reaction could not validate another person’s exposure.
A home dinner could not prove a manufacturing process safe.
A mild reaction could not prove future exposures safe.
But Daniel was no longer thinking scientifically.
He was thinking financially.
He needed reassurance.
Then he tried to manufacture it.
Vanessa asked one question that should have stopped everything.
“What if she gets really sick?”
Daniel answered:
“She won’t.”
Not:
I don’t know.
Not:
We shouldn’t do this.
May you like
“She won’t.”
Confidence replaced uncertainty because uncertainty was expensive.
