Page 21 of Tell Me the Truth

She’s going to think I did this,I think to myself as I reach for the phone.She’s going to resent me even more.

“Hello.” I say, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

“Sir, Megan Frost from The Daily Journal on line two for you,” my secretary tells me.

Deflated, I respond, “Tell her I have no comment. I’ll be taking no interviews for now.” I slam the phone back into its berth, angry that it wasn’t Alexandra’s voice on the other end.

Reporters are likely already circling, looking for a story. I know this is all part of their big plan in search of their big scoop. I don’t doubt that I’ll have to talk to them at some point.

It wouldn’t surprise me if some lofty reporter will force some connection between Alexandra and I dating, and the fire. Some analysts could hint there would be losses incurred at Seth BioTech. They could point to the pictures of Alexandra and I together. Assumptions would be made that because of our relationship, Brent-Sigma could swoop in and save the day, with the price of Seth BioTech shares, of course.

Richard and his crew had this planned from the start, I am starting to believe.And I handed them the extra detail that they needed on a silver platter. I can’t openly go against them now. They don’t deserve the satisfaction. Or the power.

But, I can talk with Alexandra.

Without further thought (and so that I won’t change my mind), I grab my jacket and head straight for the parking lot, then head for Seth BioTech.

Driving over to the fire, I wonder about what I am going to say to her that will make any sense.I wouldn’t even believe me, I think to myself. I know convincing her that I had nothing to do with the fire is a far stretch, but I still have to try to talk with her.

I also know I am taking a big risk going to Seth BioTech in the first place. It is both going against Richard’s plans and playing into them. If he finds out later that I went to the fire to see Alexandra, he would definitely try to spin the story in favor of booting me out of the CEO’s chair.

Nonetheless, when I arrive, the fire trucks and other first responder vehicles are in the process of leaving. I bring my car to a halt three buildings away. I don’t want the Press to see me there.

I take off my jacket, roll up my sleeves and put on a baseball cap before I get out of the car. Sneaking past the lights, the cameras, and the bustle of everything, I manage to find my way to a security guard who is standing, looking up at the building.

“Excuse me, sir.” I ask him. He looks up at me, with a faint spark of recognition. “Can you please bring me to Alexandra Seth?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, man. You came at a really bad time.”Captain Obvious. But, something about him tells me he is a nice guy who just wants to do the right thing.

“Hey look. I promise I’m not a reporter, I’m her friend. Just here to see if she’s alright and offer her my support. If you bring me to her, you’ll see that she knows me. I want to help her tonight if she needs my help.” I flash him a look to say I am sincere. But it also maybe says that I’m not going anywhere until I get what I want.

“Follow me, sir.” Thankfully, he doesn’t take too much time to ponder a decision. He turns around and leads me to her.

When I see the hatred on Alexandra’s face, the tightening in my chest gets stronger, as if completely blocking out my airway. She lunges to punch at me, but her coworker stops her. I try to get out the words that I had nothing to do with the fire, but there is too much commotion between us and her coworker tries to calm her down. Anyway, I wouldn’t believe me if I were her.

What I could tell her sounds absurd to me. I had nothing to do with the sabotage, but somehow I also knew everything about it. After all, I have an idea that some at Brent-Sigma are tied to the fire. I can look back at conversations and occurrences these past two days and believe that I know who played a part. But as much as it pains me, I can’t tell her mere theories until I have proof. I need to handle it quietly, before they cross another line.

When I walk away from Alexandra, it is because it’s what she says she wants. But, I immediately start to think about how I am going to get the proof she needs and that I didn’t know anything about the fire. I also realize that it is more important, however, to figure out who started the fire. I know it has to be someone inside Seth BioTech.

So, when I am out of sight of Alexandra and her two co-workers, I step behind a parked vehicle and keep watch until her coworkers leave, and she remains standing alone. Looking at the burnt building.

I move up beside Alexandra, facing the building. “I’m not done yet.”

“You lied to me,” she slips the words through her gritting teeth. “You had every chance to tell me the truth about who you were, but you didn’t. You took me to bed while you were trying to sabotage my research. Ha! I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. What a stupid, desperate fool I am. I expect as much from Brent-Sigma.”

Let her speak. Let her say all she wants to say. The only way I might possibly be able to get through to her is if I listen to her first.

“I never lied to you,” I let out, meekly. While that was logically true, I did lie to her. By using my omission of the whole truth as some excuse for why I did what I did, I was selling her short. “No, I’m sorry. Of course… What I mean…”

“Right,” she interrupts, already having comprehended the situation. “You just left out the most important part about yourself; being the CEO of the company that is trying to buy out mine. Big, powerful, all-important Ellis Brent. Mister bigshot extraordinaire. The family business, my fucking ass. You left out ‘The family Empire’. That would have been the truth. The fucking global pharmaceutical company that wants to…” She trails off, swallowing the rest of her thoughts.

Fumes of frustration and gloom seem to replace the words that are left unsaid. Her look of helpless disappointment sear into my brain.

She can’t say it, but I know what she is thinking. Those words. The thought racing through her mind. The whole reason why I couldn’t tell her who I am.It is my company that has designs on hers. To swallow Seth BioTech bite by bite, then chew it up into unrecognizable pieces.

The way she is talking and the look on her face. She is disgusted just looking at me.

She runs her hands over her hair, to the ponytail holder tying her hair in back. Then she bends over and picks up pieces of charred petri dishes that had melted into one another. I am holding on to hope that she is stuck between believing me and thinking I am to blame. That way, at least there’s a chance.

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