Page 69 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

"I come up with the ideas, I’m not a chemist!” Arabella said, her attitude coming out. My lawyer shook her head.

“But the original patents included all formulations. If you, or anyone else in the Carrington family, came up with them, you should know why they were altered significantly from the original concept.” She said.

Arabella looked away, and I could tell she was faltering. By the time my attorney reached the fifth product, the judge had begun taking more notes. There was a question concerning an abandoned line of soothing products, and one involving issues with a fragrance oil.

Arabella answered every question with less detail. Soon she was using the same phrases for each answer. "I don't recall.” She would answer, or "I wasn't personally involved in that stage."

Finally, my lawyer turned away from her. “That will be all, Miss Carrington.” Arabella stormed off in a huff. Her face was red, and I bit my lip, hoping beyond hope that this would work. My lawyer turned toward me.

"I’d like to call Ivy Carrington." My legs felt strangely steady as I walked to the stand. After taking the oath, my lawyer smiled encouragingly.

"Ms. Carrington..." She began, holding up the scent replica formula.

"Can you enlighten us? Why did the original prototype contain omega pheromones?" I looked toward the judge.

"Because it wasn't originally designed for aesthetic purposes. It was designed as a medical necessity." Suddenly, the room went quiet. "It was designed for me, actually. I came up with it to solve a problem I was having." I continued before anyone could interrupt. "My scent glands are defective. I couldn't produce enough of my own scent to build confidence for myself, to replace what I couldn’t make on my own.” I explained. My embarrassment at admitting my medical condition was not as strong as my conviction to prove that I was telling the truth. “So, I used my own personal pheromones,” I said. Everyone in the court started murmuring. I glanced at my family. They looked pale - they never knew about my own experimentation, and why I created most products - but especially this one.

"The purpose of this product wasn’t to be a mild perfume. It was to replace real perfume for omegas with my same medical issue.” I looked around. “The pheromones were there because I wanted to recreate the experience of producing my own natural scent."

My lawyer nodded. "So why remove them?" She asked.

"Because I realized other omegas might enjoy wearing their perfume scent just for fun. Most omegas don’t have pheromone or gland issues. Sharing their scent without risking unwanted attention or putting an alpha into a rut was clearly a safer option. Once I understood there was a commercial market for perfume replicas, the pheromones became unnecessary." I explained. I glanced around. My family’s lawyers looked shocked - my whole family looked shocked.

My lawyer held up another document. "The calming lotion - please explain the origin of this product and why Prototype Three contains twice the concentration of oat extract as the final retail product.”

I smiled.

"That wasn't supposed to be lotion. It began as a heat recovery cream,” I said. Several people in the courtroom looked confused. "The original oat concentration was nearly double because it was designed to repair skin damaged by prolonged heats. Once testing showed customers wanted something lighter for daily use, I reduced the oat extract, and changed the oils to improve absorption." My lawyer handed me another file.

"And the nesting spray, can you give us insight on why this was shelved?” She asked. I looked it over.

“This product was originally supposed to be part of a six-piece comfort collection. That’s why the notes from earlier show several other products with a placeholder spot."

My lawyer displayed the product roadmap and looked at me. "Why weren't they released?" She asked.

I looked toward the judge. “Well, I’d assume it's because I left." Silence settled over the courtroom. "I hadn’t told anyone else what the product line would be yet. So of course they didn’t release it. I was the one behind the ideas. You could ask Nestwell why they haven’t released any successful products since I left.” I shrugged as I spoke. I could see my fathers tense from the corner of my eye.

My lawyer brought out another file. “Why did this product fail? No one from Nestwell could answer earlier.” She asked. I looked at the product.

"This fragrance oil crystallized below a certain temperature. The whole batch had to be thrown out.” I said, and my lawyer nodded. One by one, she had me explain the origin of the various Newstwell products, often having me go into detail about why they had been changed, promoted, or shelved. But always, she asked why it had been thought of in the first place.

As I answered, my confidence grew. Because every product I had created was meant to help people. And as I looked around, I realized that’s why Nestwell was faltering. They didn’t know how to help people - they only knew how to market and try to make sales.

I knew the background of every product, the chemistry, and the purpose. I was quizzed on which ingredients interacted poorly, and why certain formulas failed. I could explain why any product eventually became something entirely different. Over an hour passed before my lawyer finally stepped back.

"Your Honor, one final question." She looked at me. "Ms. Carrington, if someone handed you these formulations, could you identify which products became commercial successes?"

I smiled faintly. "Yes."

"How?"

"Because I know what problem each one was trying to solve. And if that product didn’t work, I’d find another way to solve it. It’s what I’ve always done. It’s why I created each product in the first place.” I said, beaming.

I looked toward the gallery. My family's table looked stricken. Clara whispered furiously to their attorneys, and George had his head in his hands. Aaron looked away, and Phillip, my father, just shook his head. Arabella's face was still pale.

Then I looked in the other direction - Hunter was smiling, bigger than I’d ever seen. Beside him, Elias looked like he was holding himself back from applauding. And Ronan had his arms folded, but beneath his stoic expression, I saw the hint of a smile. For the first time since the trial began, I wasn’t worried. My family may have overlooked me, forgotten me, and relegated me to an assistant. But that wasn’t who I was.

I was the daughter of the creator of Nestwell, and I was the person who built an entire product line. And now, everyone in the courtroom knew it.