Chapter 5 - The Poisoned Chalice
The victory at Monaco was intoxicating, but Evelyn knew the war was far from over. The Lumière Prime (the Beta-compound) was flying off the shelves. The stock price skyrocketed. Marcus’s shell companies, heavily invested in the stolen generic, were hemorrhaging cash.
But the five percent failure rate Dr. Aris had warned her about was a ticking time bomb.
Two weeks after the launch, Evelyn was sitting in her Chicago office when Chloe burst in, bypassing the intercom entirely.
“Ms. Sterling, turn on CNN. Now.”
Evelyn grabbed the remote. On the screen was a renowned Hollywood actress, her face blotchy, red, and swollen, weeping into a microphone.
“I trusted AURELIA,” the actress sobbed. “I used the new Lumière serum, and it caused severe chemical burns. My dermatologist says the scarring might be permanent.”
The ticker at the bottom of the screen read: AURELIA STOCK PLUMMETS 15% FOLLOWING CELEBRITY LAWSUIT.
Evelyn muted the television, her face an unreadable mask. “How many others?”
“Fifty reported cases this morning alone,” Chloe said, trembling. “Class action lawyers are already circling. And… Marcus Thorne just bought a controlling interest in the media conglomerate syndicating this story.”
Of course he did. Marcus was weaponizing the side effects, pouring gasoline on the fire.
The door to her office flew open, and Julian stormed in, flanked by two members of the Board of Directors.
“You rushed the Beta-compound!” Julian yelled, slamming his hands on her desk. “You bypassed FDA safety protocols! The board is convening an emergency meeting in one hour. They’re voting to remove you as CEO for gross negligence.”
Evelyn looked at Julian. The panic in his eyes was real, but there was something else hiding beneath it. Triumph.
“You’ve been busy, Julian,” Evelyn said softly.
“I’m trying to save this company from your ego!” Julian retorted.
“Are you?” Evelyn stood up, pressing a button on her desk. A massive screen on the wall flickered on, displaying a complex web of financial transfers. “Then tell the board why you received a wire transfer of five million dollars from Thorne Capital three days before the formula was leaked.”
The two board members gasped, stepping away from Julian.
May you like
Julian’s face went bone-white. “That—that’s a lie. That’s fabricated!”
“Is it?” Evelyn said, stepping around her desk like a predator. “You sold the old formula to Marcus. And when I switched to the Beta-compound, you tipped him off about the side effects. You orchestrated this entire media circus.”
