Chapter 9 : Whiskey

*Amelia*

Today, I felt unstoppable. Gregory and I had made progress with two of the witnesses that had been bribed to stay quiet. Neither of them was quite ready to go on the record, but they had spoken with us and told us their stories, which were both very similar to my mother's.

Stacia, the woman I had spoken to, had been living with a breast cancer diagnosis. She was desperate for a cure and had turned to the MID Corporation when the doctors couldn't help her. At first, it seemed like a miracle; her tumors had shrunk dramatically in just a few short weeks.

But then, Stacia started to experience serious side effects from the drugs—nausea, hair loss, fatigue, her kidneys began shutting down—and eventually, her tumors began to grow at a frightening rate. By the grace of God, a surgeon performed a risky surgery and managed to remove most of the tumors. Once she stopped MID's medication, the tumors stopped growing. She was in remission now but suffered long-term effects from her ordeal.

When she tried to go public about their negligence and unethical practices, MID paid her off with a sum of $250,000 and asked that she shut up or they'd drown her in attorney fees. She couldn't risk losing her home, so she took the money and went quiet.

I was still lost in her story when I entered Adrian's office, excited to tell him what I had learned. Evelyn's eyes popped up when the door opened, and she chirped happily, "He's ready for you," before looking back down and rapidly typing on her computer.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside, my eyes immediately darting over to Adrian. He was sitting at his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration as he read through something on his computer screen. His hair was slightly more disheveled than usual, and he had black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

He had taken off his suit jacket and the top button of his shirt was undone, revealing a slight glimpse of his toned chest beneath. He looked up when I came in, and our eyes locked across the room. His dark eyes twinkled with recognition as he greeted me warmly, pushing himself away from the desk and standing up to greet me.

For once, he smiled at me in greeting, and his white teeth shone in the fluorescent lights. The sight alone almost made my heart stop, and for a moment, I remembered my very hot night during the weekend, with him in my mind.

"Amelia," he said, "I hope you had a good weekend?"

I nodded, still speechless at the sight of him. He came around the desk and stood in front of me, his hand outstretched. I shook it tentatively, my heart pounding in my chest as his fingers brushed against mine.

"Wonderful. Mine went well, too. I was able to learn a few things that should help our case along," he told me as our hands dropped away from each other.

We walked to his couch and sat down across from each other, "I know that even though I've told you you'll be a key witness, you are incapable of staying off the case as an investigator. So, tell me what you've learned over the weekend," he asked.

I was surprised by the lack of anger in his voice. He was dead on in his assumption that I wasn't going to stop looking for more stories like mine, and I started telling him about Stacia. I launched into the details, recounting everything I had learned over the past few days.

Adrian listened intently, leaning forward in concentration as I spoke. His face was filled with compassion for Stacia's plight, despite not knowing her personally himself. He seemed genuinely interested in hearing more stories like Stacia's, which surprised me. I didn't assume he was acting out of concern and compassion. I wasn't sure what his motive for revenge was against MID, but the more I saw these expressions on his face, the more compelled I was to find out.

He took notes while I spoke, then said, "I was lucky enough to get information from a woman who works directly for MID. None of it can be used in court because she didn't necessarily know I was interrogating her, but she admitted to using bribes to make sure nothing stopped their drugs from reaching the market. Stacia's story confirms that, and there are many others that follow the same pattern."

He stood up, looking solemn and determined. "I don't think they've realized what grief and tragedy do to people. Their ignorance is going to be their downfall, and I can't wait to stand over them once this is all said and done," he said firmly.

I nodded, feeling proud of what we had accomplished so far. Adrian had taken my suggestion of finding someone from MID that could be interrogated seriously- and it paid off. I also had to be honest with myself, his dangerous passion for the case was a huge turn-on.

His passion was also terrifying. I was worried about the lengths he'd go to, to win. My own path for vengeance had always been fueled by the thought that staying on the right path and doing work to remain a ‘good guy’ would eventually lead to justice.

Adrian gave off an aura of skepticism that the good guys ever emerged victorious. What I had heard about him troubled me, and I seemed to be drawn to him in spite of it. My body seemed to respond to his presence, which made me worry not only about him but also about my own judgment.

"I think a celebratory toast is in order, for a very good start," Adrian announced as he walked around his desk and pulled out an expensive-looking bottle of scotch and two tumblers.

"To a good start towards slaying the dragon," I said as we clink our glasses together in a toast. I could feel my nerves settle as the smoky liquid coated my throat.

I watched his throat work as he swallowed, and my skin heated at the sight. I glanced away quickly and was suddenly aware of the charged atmosphere in the room. Everything felt electric, as if sparks of energy were being passed between us. I was nervous to look at his face, so I kept my gaze averted toward my now-empty glass.

"Do you think this will work?" I asked him, trying to alleviate some of the awkwardness I was experiencing.

"I have high hopes," he answered, "We're on the cusp of shining a light of one of the most negligent incidents I've ever heard of a big pharma company being involved in. It's far from even started, but I feel good about what we have."

He had come so far since our first meeting, where he was distant and cold. Now he seemed almost like a different person- kind and passionate about the work we were doing.

He smiled at me again, and I smiled back. "It's so hard to be optimistic, but I can't lie. I feel it, too."

I had never been much of a drinker, and the scotch had made my skin flush and my mind just a touch fuzzy. I used the fuzziness to embolden my confidence and finally made eye contact with Adrian again.

He held my gaze but managed to keep his expression cool and impassive, masking the smoldering heat I had experienced earlier.

"Thank you for letting me be involved in this case," I told him.

He nodded in acknowledgment before offering me another drink, "No. Thank you, but I'm a lightweight. Another drink would put me under your desk."

His eyes widened, and I was embarrassed by the way that comment sounded, "I mean, uh, I meant that I would be drunk, not... I mean I wouldn't be under the desk for..."

My voice trailed off, and Adrian’s eyes shined with laughter that he was holding back.

"Under the desk, huh?" he said with a wry smile. "I didn't realize you felt that way about me, Amelia."

He poked at me, making fun of my embarrassment. He was obviously enjoying himself. I could feel the corners of my lips turning upwards without my permission.

"I don't feel anything about you," I replied curtly. "Don't flatter yourself."

His lips curled into a smirk, and his eyes twinkled with mischief. He cocked an eyebrow as if daring me. His expression was so infuriatingly attractive that my heart raced with conflicting emotions: I wanted to throw my arms around him or launch something at his head.

My confusion must have shown on my face because he laughed at me. "I'm just fucking with you. I knew what you meant."

Relieved that he wasn't taking my awkwardness seriously, I let out a small chuckle. The tension between us eased slightly, but there was still an underlying feeling of attraction lingering in the air. I watched him take another sip of his scotch and tried to think of something to say.

Before I could speak, Evelyn walked into the office unannounced. "Adrian, Rebecca Morgan is on line one for you."

Adrian looked up from his drink, all playfulness vanishing from his eyes at the mention of the name. It sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't figure out where I had heard it before.

"Thanks, Evelyn," he said, then gave me a look that told me our meeting was over.

Before he could kick me out, I said, "Thanks for meeting with me today. I have a trial I need to prepare for. I'll head out now. Have a good day."

I nodded toward Adrian and Evelyn, then walked into the reception area and out of his office entirely. I walked through the old courthouse and wondered who Rebecca Morgan was. I pulled my phone from my pocket and opened the internet app. I typed the name and hit the search button.

I was immediately reminded of how I knew her name, she was a top executive at MID. I scrolled through pictures and articles related to her and MID as I made it to my office. One headline, in particular, jumped out at me. It was buried under tons of positive articles about her philanthropy, and it was the only negative article I could find: MID Executive Rebecca Morgan Accused of Sexual Harassment.

Shocked, I clicked on the article and skimmed through it. The article detailed the allegations made against Rebecca Morgan by several male employees at MID. I briefly wondered if Adrian was aware of this, but I remembered how thorough and keen his sense of investigation was. There was no way he hadn't uncovered this.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a voice from behind me. I quickly spun around and saw that it was my boss, Michael.

"Do you have any idea why your emails are coming through empty?" He asked, his brows furrowed.

I shook my head no, trying to clear my thoughts as I realized I had been staring blankly at my phone for the past few minutes while researching Rebecca Morgan.

"I'm not sure," I said, still trying to process what I had read about her in the article, "Maybe there's a technical issue with the server."

Michael nodded thoughtfully then waved his hand dismissively. "Well, take some time to look into it, and let me know if you find anything." He then turned and walked away without another word.

My stomach knotted as I stared at the clock, dismayed that hours had evaporated while I was caught up in the evil world of MID. It had already consumed so much of my time since my mother’s death. I was ready for the case to be finished so I could fully move on with my life.

Rushing to my desk, I cleared my schedule and opened my inbox. My fingers flew over the keyboard as I composed an email to a contact who had experience at a different company I was looking into for a medical malpractice case. When I finished, I pushed back from my desk, relieved that I'd accomplished at least one thing despite my frittered-away afternoon.

I closed my eyes and felt my cheeks redden as I remembered earlier today in Adrian’s office. How my mouth almost got me in trouble. I needed to remember to watch my alcohol intake near him, because next time, I might not be ready for what would happen. Next time, I might admit that I want to take things further.