2: The Accident

Avery

The lights shone brightly. Almost blinding. I had to squint before I could see the detective in front of me. He motioned towards the nontransparent glass and the lights were turned away.

“They all must be getting frustrated out there because you haven’t said a word for five minutes. You’ve been spacing out, Mrs Montgomery,” he said drawing my attention towards him.

“I’m sorry. It’s been a crazy night,” I replied. How I got to the interrogation room was still a surprise to me. I had been in a daze.

“It sure has. I’m sure you know why you are here,” he responded narrowing his eyes at me.

I shook my head. I didn’t understand a thing about what he had said earlier and honestly, I just wanted to get out of here and get a moment to think for myself.

“The allegations are clear Mrs Montgomery. You are suspected to have been distributing drugs that caused harm to the people of the city. Do you know anything about these allegations?” he inquired leaning towards the table.

I frowned. “That’s impossible. I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

“I beg to differ. I think I’ve got the right person…”

“Look…”

He banged his hand on the table making me jump. “You are the president of Montgomery Pharmaceuticals, yes?”

“That’s right but that doesn’t mean…”

“It’s a yes or no question Mrs Montgomery. I expect you to answer yes if I’m right or no if I’m wrong. Do you understand?” he asked in a stern tone. I kept quiet for a while trying to calm myself. I just got to know the most shocking news of my life today and now I have a detective yelling at me and determined to prove an allegation I knew nothing of right.

“I understand,” I answered in a trembling tone.

“Good. Now let’s start over. You are the president of Montgomery Pharmaceuticals and everything that happens down from the production of drugs to the distribution has to go through you first because aside from being the president, you are also a licensed and well-known pharmacist. Right?” he asked peering into my face inquisitively like he was searching for something hidden.

“That’s right. I meant, yes,” I nodded in response. I wanted to add that not exactly everything went through me. The pharmacy was a huge chain in our business and I had assistants to help me out. That’s what they are hired for.

He hummed. He brought out a file and passed it to me. “Please, have a look,” he urged. I pulled the file towards me and flipped through it. My expression gradually morphed from that of confusion to shock.

“It’s not true. None of this is true. You have to believe me. I will never put anyone’s life in danger knowingly…”

“So you do admit that you know about it but you didn’t do it knowingly?” he asked cutting me off.

“No. I didn’t…”

“Mrs. Montgomery, ten people died in the span of two weeks and about twenty more are under medical care. Not to talk of those who haven’t started showing symptoms yet. We are not just talking about a mere mistake here,” he replied. I shook my head again, lost for words. I knew the drug he was talking about but I wasn’t aware it was in distribution yet.

In the company, we had different chains of production. I couldn’t supervise everything at the same time. I had no idea how the drugs got approved. Who gave the order? I was so confused and to top it all, he wasn’t willing to believe anything I was saying.

“I don’t know anything about this. The drugs were still undergoing tests the last time I checked,” I assured him. I had been so busy with the preparations for the position of CEO that I didn’t have time for anything else. Was that why Ethan did what he did? Because I was busy with work? Did my neglect lead to his infidelity? He checked his phone before nodding.

“Alright then. That would be all for today. You can go,” he responded. I stood up and headed towards the door. The detective stood up as well and his chair scraped the floor noisily.

“You might be a Montgomery but you are not above the law just because you are wealthy. I will make sure those innocent lives that were lost aren’t in vain. I will do whatever it takes. Remember that,” he said to me. My hand paused on the door knob. I was well aware that it was a threat. I gulped and without turning around, I left the investigating room.

“Avery,” I heard Mum call out to me in a loud tone. I tilted my head backward glad that I finally had a family member around.

“What have you done?” she inquired angrily. My face fell. Dad appeared behind her.

“Do you know the loss you cost us today? Our stocks are gradually plummeting. You are all over the news! This is the biggest blow we’ve had to Montgomery's name in years,” he declared. I glanced between the both of them in surprise. Were they seriously blaming me right now? Without inquiring about my own side of the story and how I was coping with the false accusations?

Tears stung my eyes. “I promise I know nothing about this…”

Mum grabbed both my arms and pulled me towards her, her eyes blazing with fury. “It doesn’t matter Avery. You should have known better. Today was the day of your succession and it was supposed to go perfectly well.”

“Mum, do you even know what I had to go through today? Aside from being accused of nothing I know of, I caught Ethan and Sasha together. He’s cheating on me…”

“You need to learn how to take responsibility for your actions Avery. You can’t keep blaming other people. Is this how you are going to keep behaving when you resume your position as the CEO? I’m highly disappointed in you Avery. I never thought you of all people could be so reckless,” Dad scolded shaking his head at me.

“That is if she becomes the CEO. Everyone watched the news. The shareholders might refuse to vote her in after the losses we incurred tonight,” Mum added. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I had thought that my family would at least listen to me but they were worse than the detective who interrogated me.

“Wipe your face and stand tall. Being weak was never what I taught you. We are the Montgomery family and we won’t be taken down so easily. I will have a meeting with the shareholders and seek this out,” he assured me before walking away scrolling through his phone.

“You are lucky you are not in handcuffs right now. Go home and for goodness sake, do not let any reporters take more pictures of you. It will only add to our current predicament,” she warned in a serious tone before walking toward my dad who was on a phone call. I turned around and walked towards my car dejectedly. They didn’t even notice I was gone.

There was no sign of concern for me on their faces even after I mentioned Ethan and Sasha. Their only concern was the welfare of the company and the CEO who would run it. I pulled the door of my car open but it was closed by someone who was standing behind me. I turned around and my gaze met with his broad chest.

“You can’t drive in this state,” Nathaniel declared.

I looked up at him with emotionless eyes. “I’m perfectly capable of driving home.”

“You are not. A lot happened tonight and you look lost…”

I turned around and opened the door but he shut it again. “Let me drive you home. Let me help…”

I spun towards him and screamed furiously. “We’ve known each other for more than ten years Nathaniel but why did you choose to speak to me today? All these years but why do I keep running into you when I’m in this messed up state? It’s so frustrating!” I rejected him years ago and now he had to catch me at my worst moment. This was the most hurtful and embarrassing moment of my life.

I willed myself not to cry. “Don’t follow me or try to stop me else I will report you for stalking,” I threatened before getting into my car. I started the engine and drove off. My eyes darted towards the side mirror and he was still standing there, unmoving. My head was in a mess. I had no idea what I was doing or where I was driving towards.

Suddenly, a bright light made me lose my vision momentarily. I glanced at it and my eyes widened when I saw a huge truck headed my way. I tried to avoid it but it increased its pace and collided with my car. A loud crash resounded in my ears before I knew it. I was sent tumbling repeatedly with multiple shards of glass cutting my skin. Blood oozed from my face and I struggled to breathe. But then I slowly lost my vision till I blacked out.