Page 20 of Tell Me the Truth

“He did this!” I scream in Ellis’ direction. “He’s behind all of it.’

“Let’s wait to assault him when we can prove it.” Lance says. “Don’t beat him up just yet.”

“I promise you Alexandra that I had nothing to do with it.” Ellis pleads, seeming sincere. A sliver of me wants to believe him. I want it to be possible that he had no idea about what went down. I mean,how could you have that look on your face and still be guilty of something like this?

Then I remember,Well, it’s that same bullshit look that he’s had the past couple days while he lied, time after time to my face.

“Yes, you fucking did!” I feel a maelstrom of emotions begging to be let out. “And when I find the proof, I’m going to rain a lawsuit against you and your company. You’re going to wish you never met me or came after my company!”

Ellis is standing still. Sorrowful eyes are set on me. He doesn’t say anything, and his look confuses me.Obviously he is upset because he knows he’s in a world of trouble. Not because he cares about what I think of him.His choice to say nothing angers me further.

“You know what, Ellis. Get the hell out of here. I never want to see you ever again!” Yelling at him helps, since I can see my words have pained him. But there is still more I want to say; more I want to do. He should also suffer the feeling of loss that I am feeling. He should have everything that he cares about threatened to be taken from him.

“Fine,” he surrenders, softly. “You can throw all the lawsuits you want at me. But just remember thatI’mthe one here.Ishowed up. And despite how my board members would hate that I’m here right now,I’mtaking this risk to tell you I had no part in this.”

“Then you’re either ignorant or a master liar. And from my experience, it’s the latter.”

Being able to tell him these words gives me a strange sense of satisfaction and calm. Although, I don’t like the fact that there is a part of me that wants to believe he is telling the truth when he denies anything to do with the fire.

I am firmly holding on to that part of me that is still hurt by his lies, from his smiles, because of the way he makes me feel. It’s that same part of me that opened up to him. The part that allowed him to walk right in and trample on everything that I wanted him to have a piece of.

“Fine, I’ll leave. But, not because I want to. You should know that I very much want to be here with you to tell you everything. To convince you that I’m telling you the truth.” He is able to read my face and body language because next he says, “I will leave. Because you’ve asked me to. And because I’m going to get the proof that I had nothing to do with this fire.” With that, he turns and leaves.

Ugh, I was such an easy target. Ashamed and livid, I just want to stand here alone with my thoughts. “Go,” I say calmly to everyone.

It isn’t until then that I notice that the security guard had already rushed out of there. Lance and Tracey look at me like they are assessing my sanity. I shoot them a cold glare and they turn around to leave.

When they are gone, I remain standing, looking toward the burned building. My thoughts focus back on Ellis, and my stomach twists into knots.

“I’m not done yet.” He tells me. I turn my head, to view the face of the man I want to throttle.

Chapter Seven

Ellis

Wednesday

It is already a long day spent meeting with my board members and various upper-level executives. We’ve been discussing their part in figuring out how to start developing new drugs again and how to court the types of companies that want to work with us towards mutual advancement.

I am still at the office at 7:55 p.m. when I hear about the fire. I glance over at the television screen on the wall across from my desk, and see the headline scroll across the news ticker tape at the bottom of the screen. My heart immediately sinks. I grab the TV remote and change the channel until I find another news station that is actively reporting the story about the fire.

The reporter is standing in front of the burning office building. I turn up the volume.

“Witnesses say that the blaze spread quickly across the 5th floor of this West Sacramento building, which is occupied by the cutting-edge biotechnology firm Seth BioTech. Here I have Fire Captain Adam Price with me to give us a current update. Captain Price, what can you tell me so far about this fire and what it’s taking to put it out?”

I look over at the glass door to my office, to what is now an empty hallway. Moments earlier, Richard and Belinda were standing within sight.Can I draw a thin line from the news on the television to what Richard was whispering about? Was this what he meant when he said my father would have dealt with the issue? To be the bully of the corporate world?I immediately stand, feeling heaviness. I don’t want to believe that they are capable of endangering lives for the sake of profit. However, this kind of thinking is naïve, and I know it.

I look for the remote and turn up the volume even higher.

The fire captain is saying that the fire only hit the fifth floor. Targeting and incinerating everything in the laboratory. The guard who had been on duty stepped out for a ten-minute break when the fire started.

I am relieved to hear that there were no injuries or deaths reported. So, I know that Alexandra is alright.But what could have started the fire? Who?The fire Captain did not share any details or theories as to the fire’s origin.

As I listen to the news report, my chest starts to tighten. I think about holding a meeting of the board members.That’s exactly what they’re counting on.I know that if I react (to what they only see as a competitor getting ushered out of the way), then they would surely have even less respect for me. Sooner or later, they would figure out a way to take me out of the CEO seat.

My hands are tied.

My desk phone rings, and I rush to it, partly hoping that it is going to be Alexandra. But I know that is highly unlikely.

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