Ch 746 - Digging for Dirt

"Young people are so motivated," Christopher said to himself. "They don't want help from their families to achieve success. They always want to do it on their own."

He shook his head. People like Alex, who came from wealth, would always work harder because they didn't want to live in the shadow of their families. They wanted to make a career and prove themselves based on their own abilities. That was the only way they could get a genuine sense of achievement in life.

Alex was no exception. He wanted to prove his ability through hard work, especially when he had had such a hard time growing up. Coming from a family like his, people would be respectful to his face, but there would always be people gossiping behind his back, which created a lot of pressure.

**

Alex was also shaking his head after the phone call. His plans had been ruined by the actions of a few small players, and he was running out of ideas. Darius Head had a lot of influence in the hospital, and if he refused to cooperate with Alex, then it wouldn't be easy to promote the slimming powder.

As a result, selling to Baltimore Central wasn't feasible, so he needed to think about other ways to get his powder onto the market. Before that, however, he decided that someone should thoroughly investigate Darius and his colleagues at the hospital. If someone was making trouble for him and his product, then he should know who it was, why they were doing it, and how the different parties were connected. If he knew who he was dealing with, then it would make it easier for him in the future.

He picked up the phone and called Cassidy.

"Alex!" Cassidy said cheerfully when she answered. She seemed to be very pleased to hear from him.

Alex rubbed his eyes and said, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Alex, you can ask me anything," she replied.

After thinking for a second, Alex said, "Cassidy, this may be inappropriate, but I don't know who else to ask. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, then tell me."

He then spent a minute explaining what he wanted her to do.

"That's no problem," she said. "I'll get back to you as soon as possible. By nine o'clock at the latest."

"Thank you very much," Alex said sincerely.

"You don't need to thank me," she said. "It's my pleasure. You've helped me so much, and I haven't done anything to repay you."

Alex laughed and hung up the phone. "Let's see how deep you can dig and what you can come up with," he said.

**

A few hours later, Cassidy called back. "I've got the information you asked for," she said. "I've already emailed it to you."

Alex smiled and said, "That was quick. Thank you for your hard work."

"It was no trouble," she replied. "So, Alex, when are you going to have time to visit me?"

"Why? Is that Si Roper bullying you again?" he asked, furious at the thought.

"No," Cassidy said quickly. "With you around, he wouldn't dare mess with me again. It's just that I miss you!"

Alex didn't know what to say. Although women had been chasing after him his whole life, he still felt uncomfortable with such a straightforward confession.

He laughed and said, "I'm glad you're okay. I'll come and see you soon."

Then he hung up the phone.

He didn't spend too much time thinking about Cassidy's confession. Instead, he went back to his study and turned on the computer. There was an email from Cassidy waiting for him. It contained a compressed folder, which he quickly opened to reveal a detailed chart of all the people that Darius had personal and professional relationships with.

According to this chart, there were few important people among his relatives and friends. However, as Christopher had told him, Zachary Herbert, the deputy director of the hospital, was his brother-in-law.

Alex scowled as he scanned the list of names. No wonder the promotion of Slim Treasure had gone so badly at the hospital, and now it was clear why the doctors' attitudes had been so poor. Darius had connections to Zachary Herbert, Riley's uncle and the former deputy director of the FDA.

Looking at the file in front of him, Alex had to laugh.

"So this is still about Riley," he said. "That man really knows how to hold a grudge."

Alex deleted the email. Since he knew the identity and background of the people involved, there was no need to keep the evidence that proved Cassidy's intrusion into other people's databases. Even if it seemed insignificant now, Alex was going to cover his tracks as carefully as he could.

He thought about it for a while, and then he sent a message to Cassidy, [Thanks again for that. Is there any way you can find out the illegal things that the people in this file have been up to?]

So far, the information he had only served to help Alex understand Darius' background and why he was being so hostile. It wasn't enough to help him promote Slim Treasure and get it on the market more quickly.

Alex knew he could use his own contacts to organize a transfer for the deputy director, as well as Darius, out of the hospital. They wouldn't even need a good excuse to do it. Reshuffling happened all the time.

He wouldn't even need to disturb Louis King to make any of it happen. However, that wasn't what he wanted.

Even with Darius and the deputy director gone, their relationships would remain. Promotion of the slimming powder wouldn't rely on them but on the doctors on the front line. They had direct contact with patients, and only if they were willing to help could the promotion be successful.

If Darius and the deputy director started to make trouble for Alex, they could be transferred out of the hospital, but they could still secretly talk to the doctors involved, which would jeopardize the powder's success. It wasn't just a possibility but a virtual certainty.

Because of the grudge Riley held against Alex, Zachary was already hostile toward him.

There wasn't much that Alex could do about it. He wasn't the kind of person that would stab someone in the back simply for disagreeing with him. He was better than that. At the same time, he had to do something to promote the slimming powder.

What he really needed was not just the information about the different relationships but concrete evidence that Darius and Zachary had been involved in illegal activities. If he had that, then he could start to exercise some control over them.

But Alex didn't hold out much hope of that. No one would leave evidence of their crimes in public office just lying around for anyone to find, let alone in the hospital database. If it was him, he would certainly hide any evidence where no one would ever find it. Otherwise, it would just be asking for trouble.

His phone vibrated briefly, and Cassidy's text message came back.

[Alex, this is the only useful information I found. The rest is all medical data.]

Alex sighed. It was just as he had predicted. They weren't going to leave any important information on the database.

He sent a reply to Cassidy and confirmed that he had cleared all the emails, and then he turned off the computer.

It looks like I'm going to have to find another way, he thought. Fortunately, I have lots of ideas! Tomorrow, I'll talk to Cam. As for Darius, I'm sure there will be lots of opportunities to solve that problem in the future.

***

In an office of Baltimore Central Hospital, a fat middle-aged man was sitting on an office chair, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and a suit. He was holding a medical book in his hand, reading, and taking notes. He looked like a serious senior scholar. On the back wall were various medical certificates and awards indicating a distinguished medical career. On the back of the door hung his white coat and stethoscope. He was clearly a medical expert of some kind.