“Dr. Vance and Dr. Johnson.” Both looked much sweatier and redder than their official employee photos. “Anything you want to share with the group?”
They shook their heads.
“No? You don’t want to tell everyone how you turned a failed Tremaine project into a deadly street drug?”
The rest of the lab employees gasped.
The scientists spoke over each other as they tried to deny the charges.
“I’m sure the rest of you have questions,” she said, interrupting them. “While I don’t owe you any explanations, I will explain what is going on.”
The room got very quiet and Portia used that to her advantage. “It was brought to my attention that the street drug known as Vyne was originally created by Tremaine Corporation scientists. The intentions were good—to create a new anti-rejection drug. Unfortunately, the drug didn’t work as expected and failed its trials.”
She paused and swept her gaze over the employees in front of her. “The project was shelved until some enterprising soul decided they could make a profit off it. I don’t know if it was sanctioned by my father or not.” She hardened her voice. “I don’t care.”
The room got very quiet.
“Vyne has proven to be 100 percent fatal to those who become addicted to it and nearly everyone who tries it becomes addicted. If the information about its origins gets out, it will become 100 percent fatal to this company. Especially now, when our competitors are looking for ways to bring the Tremaine Corporation down.”
Whispers filled the room. Portia raised her hand and they silenced. “I don’t care if other companies do it. I don’t care if it has been company policy under other CEOs here.” That was an understatement. “It stops now.”
She stopped speaking and let the silence lengthen until her captive audience shifted uncomfortably. “Questions?”
More murmurs, then one brave soul raised her hand. “What will happen to Dr. Vance and Dr. Johnson?”
“They’ll be taken to holding while the matter is investigated.”
She heard a muttered “Yeah, right” from someone in the crowd.
“You have doubts, I understand that. The last few months have been tricky for all of us. The Tremaine Corporation is a proud company, a strong one. It has always had a reputation for excellence and I intend to keep it that way.” She chose her words carefully, knowing that there was a high chance that they would end up in public, no matter how many requests for confidentiality she made.
The only way through was by trusting her employees and herself. And hoping Dizzie was correct that most of the workers just wanted to do their jobs with as little drama as possible.
“Is anyone else working on a project that I should be concerned about?” She really hoped not. She didn’t want to gut the R&D department. There would be nothing left.
Could she trust that these people were loyal? She studied their faces as they looked around the room. Most of them looked nervous. None of them looked like the mastermind of another black-market drug scheme.
One man raised his hand. “We’ve, uh, we’ve got another drug that isn’t showing any usefulness as a pain reliever, but it does offer some euphoric side effects.”
“Thank you for letting me know.” Just what she didn’t want. She kept her tone even when she responded, not wanting to spook anyone else who might come forward with potential problems. “I’d like you and your team to schedule a meeting with me. Bring your research. We can discuss your concerns and if you think the project can be tweaked and remain viable or if there are other areas for your team to explore.”
The man swallowed audibly. “Thank you, Ms. Tremaine.” He stepped back behind a few of his colleagues.
Portia understood. Being in the limelight was not for the fainthearted. Good or bad, she had years of practice.
“Anyone else want to talk about their projects?” A handful more scientists stepped forward and she smiled.
Her phone vibrated. Excusing herself, Portia pulled it out of her pocket. The front screen showed a message from Ash.
Done.
Relief washed over her. Maybe they really could shut down the whole operation. She composed a message to her assistant.
Join me at the lab. Need you to schedule meetings for me.Then she slid her phone back into her pocket.
“Thank you all for your candor.” She gave them a sincere smile, because this could have gone very differently. “This is what’s going to happen now. Those of you who just came forward, please be patient, because I want to hear from you. Right now, though, I’m going to open that door and Tremaine Security is going to take these two into custody.”
More gasps and a moan from Dr. Vance.
