Ch 723 – The Trap

Everyone in the meeting room was silent, and Riley stood in front of the French windows with his hands in his pockets.

The somber mood hanging over them was almost palpable as they waited for him to speak.

Norman looked at the people around the table and saw many familiar faces, most of whom he had not seen in a very long time. He said hello to them all, feeling very uneasy about the precarious situation in which he now found himself.

Although he was the CEO of Quality Pharmaceuticals and he had always been respected, he was outranked by everyone at the table.

Now all eyes were on him.

"We didn't think you would come," Riley said calmly.

Thomas, by contrast, had a fiery temper and could no longer keep his cool. He stood up and shouted at Norman, "How could you let this happen? How could you be outsmarted by that slimy, underhanded doctor?"

Alf also looked displeased as he added, "Do you know the impact this is going to have on the Naysmith Group and how much money we're going to lose? Our reputation is ruined! We should never have let you near Quality Pharmaceuticals." He shook his head and took a few steps away, afraid that he might reach out and strangle Norman with his bare hands.

"We've had to barricade the doors, and our stock prices have plummeted," he added. "This is bad for the whole market. We've got a serious crisis on our hands, and we can't just buy our way out of it this time."

Norman shrank back in his seat, and his face became beet red. He finally accepted the reality of the situation, but he still played it down.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "I still don't understand."

Thomas feigned laughter. "What's the matter? Are you kidding? Have you missed the circus that's going on all around us?"

The other executives around the table grunted and shook their heads incredulously. None of them could believe Norman's ignorance, and they were unimpressed.

Alf leaned forward in his seat and said, "Norman, is this a joke to you? Are you stupid or just senile?"

He ignored Norman's sheepish expression and turned to the big-screen TV mounted on the wall behind him. "Shall we have a look at what's been going on?"

He pointed a remote at the screen, pressed a button, and the screen lit up. Immediately, they were bombarded by videos and photos of the victims of Dynamic Health and the chaotic scenes around the hospitals.

On every channel on the TV were people recounting their side effects and experiences after taking the drug. They had all used Dynamic Health powder, and they had all ended up itching and scratching until their skin was raw.

One by one, they showed their scars and placed the blame on the pharmaceutical company.

It also became evident very quickly that the only thing that had stopped the itching and had cured them was Harmony Healing ointment, Alex's new superior product. After receiving the drug at Baltimore General Hospital, they had all returned to normal.

"This is obviously a scam cooked up by Alex and Maryann over at the Robinson Group," Norman said. "They did this to smear us and to advertise their own product." He looked around at the disappointed faces and felt their silent condemnation, but he would not admit defeat. He still couldn't grasp the graveness of the situation or the fact that he had been played for a fool.

"You think this is all about advertising?" Alf asked, banging his fist on the table. "Even if it is, Quality Pharmaceuticals' reputation has been damaged beyond repair. Not only did we lose the money we invested, but we're going to have to shell out a lot more in lawsuits. It's bad for the entire Naysmith Group and our reputation as a whole—not just for the pharmaceutical branch."

He grew more agitated. "What do you have to say for yourself? How do you explain this to all the directors here?"

"Alf—" Norman began, but the old man slammed his fist down on the table again.

"Don't call me Alf! I'm a director of the company! You will call me Mr. Naysmith or sir."

"Yes, Mr. Naysmith. I'm sorry, sir." Norman turned pale, and he struggled to restrain his emotions. He took a deep breath to regain his composure.

"Sir, this doesn't mean anything," he finally said. "I know it's Alex and Maryann who are behind this. They've sabotaged us to regain their own foothold in the market. I'm pretty sure that the formula for Harmony Healing ointment is the same as Dynamic Health powder. The so-called injured patients are probably all paid actors."

His expression turned stony. "We should let the medical department investigate the matter thoroughly so that we can find out the truth."

Thomas laughed. "Norman, are you really that delusional, or do you think we're all stupid? There's no way they could have paid all those people." He took a sip of his coffee. "Is it so difficult to accept reality?"

"At first, we thought it was their doing as well," Alf said. "But then more and more people started experiencing the side effects, including several of our own colleagues and friends. Do you think Alex paid them off, too? They all scratched themselves raw after using the powder. We still don't know the full extent of everyone's injuries.

"Even your own employee, Alyssa, was a victim of it. If it wasn't for Alex's ointment, she would have been in a terrible state. There is no doubt about it.

"We've already made a quick comparison between Harmony Healing ointment and Dynamic Health powder. The ingredients and initial effects of the two medicines are almost the same, but there are some key differences. The results speak for themselves.

"We are now certain that this is not merely slander or a rumor, and it's not a low-level media conspiracy, but a well-designed scandal and sabotage."

He looked at Norman with great disappointment. "I really thought that you and Riley could handle this. I thought you'd be able to see through Alex's lies and scams."

Norman's expression was a mix of rage and confusion as he gritted his teeth. "It's impossible," he said. "How could this have happened? This medicine has been tested, and everything was perfect."

The entire board of directors was now using Norman as their scapegoat, and he was doing everything he could to cope with it.

Riley, who had been quiet the whole time, finally spoke up. "They weren't the right tests. To compete with Alex, I called in a favor at the medical department. They pushed it through without doing the routine tests.

"There are dozens of chemical tests stipulated in the regulations, but there wasn't time to do them. They believed in the efficacy of Dynamic Health powder, since it was supposedly the same recipe as Golden Health, so they didn't think it would be a problem.

"The effects of it were so good that almost everyone turned a blind eye." He sighed. "How did I not see this coming? Alex is a clever man."

Norman was still unconvinced and asked, "Is this really a trap set by Alex?"