by Linda Verji
CHAPTER 9
When Eve had imagined the morning after sex with Carter, she’d assumed that she’d feel guilty and wouldn’t even be able to meet his eyes. Yes, at breakfast she couldn’t meet his eyes but it wasn’t because of guilt. It was because of the gooey feelings that engulfed her every time their eyes met. The secret wicked smiles he gave her when no one was looking sent heat flushing up her face. When he kissed her goodbye as she headed for work, all she wanted to do was drag him back up to their room so that she could get more. He had her so ruffled and flustered that she almost forgot that she was still trying to screw his mother over.
Did that mean that she was evil? Probably! However, there was no denying that she’d enjoyed herself last night and given a chance, she’d do it again.
“So what you’re saying is that there’s no truth to any of the things Nina Wu published?” a reporter asked drawing Eve’s thoughts back to the present moment.
As planned, today was the day of the press conference. The issue with La Belle’s conditioner was such a hot topic that every journalist who’d been invited to the press conference had shown up. The auditorium was crowded with people either typing fast on their laptops, taking shorthand notes on their notepads, or taking pictures and videos.
Eve was standing at the back of the room along with a few other La Belle employees studying the reporters. Sharon had already softened them up with a king’s lunch and loaded goodie bags which was why there no hostility in the room, just anticipation. In fact some people were even smiling. Eve guffawed underneath her breath. That would change soon.
Sharon, who was seated at the front with Charlie and a few other executives, smiled and shook her head. “No. None at all.”
“But she said that she tested the conditioner!” the reporter reminded everyone in the room.
“Either Nina Wu is lying or she used a bad lab… which isn’t a stretch considering her background.” Her voice filled with conviction, Sharon added, “La Belle has been around for eight-three years. We survived the Recession of 1937 and The Second World War because our clients know that we will always give our best regardless of what’s going on around us. We would never risk our stellar reputation by lying about what we put in it our products. The conditioner is part of the items in the complimentary gift bag that we gave you. You can test it for yourselves and see who’s lying.”
A reporter quickly raised his hand and when Sharon nodded, he asked, “How can we be sure that the conditioners you’ve given us aren’t reformulated?”
Good question! Eve hid a smile. The truth was that the conditioners the reporters were receiving were indeed reformulated. Over the last three days Sharon and Benisio had been working hard to at least create a few legit bottles that they could fool reporters with. They’d also sent emails to every legitimate cosmetics lab they could think asking them to let them know if someone asked for the conditioner to be tested. Informing La Belle would of course mean getting paid.
Honestly, Eve wondered what Sharon was thinking. Conning the reporters and strong-arming labs would only work for some time. But if just one person decided to be relentless about finding the truth, the whole charade would fall apart.
Sharon answered the reporter, “You don’t have to take my word for it.” She lifted a document and several people leaned forward to take a better look. “This is the results of the tests we redid on the conditioner and they say that everything is just as it should be. No parabens here.” She lay that document down then picked another. “This is certification from the FDA that our conditioner is exactly what we say it is.”
She paused for a beat before continuing, “Who will you trust? Nina? She’s just a talentless hack who’s got a reputation for pulling stories from thin air and even got fired because of it. Or will you trust the FDA whose job is to protect the consumer? They have experts who deal with this kind of thing every day. If our conditioner was not right, they’d be the first to call us out. But they haven’t. What does that tell you?”
Sharon was convincing and sounded very sure about what she was talking about. If Eve didn’t know the woman, she’d be swallowing her bullshit hook, line and sinker. In fact several of the reporters in the room were nodding in approval. However, that changed the very next second.
A female reporter lifted her hand.
“Yes?” Sharon gave her a questioning look.
“Then what do you say about the video that Nina just uploaded?” the reporter asked.
Sharon frowned. “What video?”
The reporter offered her a toothy grin. “Why don’t you just check it out first then answer my question?”
“Why don’t you just summarize it for me?” Sharon returned with a tight smile. “I don’t watch Ms. Wu’s videos. Too many lies to waste my time on.”
The reporter guffawed. “You’ll want to watch this one.”
“I don’t think so,” Sharon said. However, everyone with an electronic device in the room took it out just so they could see the video.
Seeing as no one was listening to her anymore, Sharon held her hand out so someone could hand her something to see the video through. An employee quickly rushed to the stage with a tablet and handed it to Sharon. The other executives and employees took Sharon’s cue and took out their phones. Eve was the only one who didn’t bother. She already knew what was on the video.
The reporter who was right in front of Eve used his laptop to navigate to Nina’s channel. Quickly, he found Nina’s newest video. And of course the title was just as inflammatory as usual. ‘Sooooo…. La Belle sued me and I love it’, it read, and was accompanied by several laughing emoticons.
Nina started off the video laughing like a banshee. When she could finally speak through wheezing breaths, she started, “Guys, guys, guys… so this psychotic, bootleg Cruella Deville who goes by the name Sharon Welling sent her lawyers back to me and this time they weren’t playing nice. Okay, I know what you’re wondering. Back? Yes, that’s right… this isn’t the first time that she-devil is sending her suited goons to me. Last time they came… no, you know what’s better than telling you about them? Let me show you-”
Immediately, a clip came on. The clip was footage of the first meeting between Nina and two of La Belle’s lawyers. And in it, they were discussing how much Nina was getting to shut up about the conditioner. In the next cut, Nina showed her bank account statement revealing that they’d indeed paid her. She then showed that she’d immediately donated the dirty money to a cancer center. If La Belle wanted to waste their money, then why not hand it to a worthy cause, she said.
The next clip showed a video of the same lawyers confronting Nina for taking the money then still publishing the article. Threats of being sued were thrown around and Nina walked out on the meeting.
Shocked gasps and murmurs echoed in the room as everyone watched Nina’s video. When it ended, all eyes turned to Sharon. Sharon looked horrified. Her eyes darted towards the exit as if she was considering walking out of the press conference, but of course the reporters couldn’t let that happen. Hands flew up at the speed of lightning.
Even without waiting for Sharon’s nod, the reporter who’d asked the initial question, yelled out, “So what do have to say about Nina’s video?”
Before Sharon could answer another reporter cut in, “Is it true? Did you bribe her?”
“Are those your lawyers?” Someone else butted in.
“Are you suing her because she took the money but still exposed you?” Another journalist jumped in. The questions flew around the room like ravenous hawks fresh out of their cage. Sharon looked like a deer caught in headlights and for a second, Eve thought that she might actually run. But that wasn’t her style.
Sharon straightened her shoulders, pasted a smile then lifted a hand to silence them. “Okay. Okay. One at a time, please. One at a time.” Her smile widened. “I can’t answer your questions if you don’t give me time to speak.” When the audience quieted somewhat, she pointed to a female re
porter, “Yes, Amanda. What do you want to ask?”
“I have so many questions. But first-” Amanda paused to drag to in a breath. “Are those your lawyers?”
“Of course not.” Sharon’s tone and chuckle gave the impression that she thought that the question was ridiculous. “Why would we send lawyers to her? Those people are probably just actors. She must’ve hired them to make it seem like we bribed her. If we were to bribe her, we would’ve certainly paid more than twenty thousand dollars. We’re not that cheap!” Laughs from the audience followed her last statement.
Give it to the woman! She knew how to spin a tale.
“So, you’re saying they’re not you lawyers?” another reporter asked for confirmation.
Sharon chuckled again. “No, those are definitely not our lawyers.”
Seriously? Eve snorted beneath her breath. Did Sharon think that denial could work in this situation? These were journalists; their jobs were to uncover lies. A simple search on the internet would reveal that the lawyers who had gone to Nina were employees of the law-firm that handled La Belle’s business. They were not actors. How would Sharon explain that?
Sharon answered a few more questions then marched out of the hall head held high like a commander who’d just won a great battle.
Eve laughed. This was going to be so much fun.
* * * * *
AS EXPECTED, THE internet was smarter than Sharon gave it credit for. Within an hour, there were several articles and video debunking the assertion that those two weren’t La Belle’s lawyer. Next came videos assessing the truth in Nina’s claims. The consensus was that Nina was a saint and Sharon was the anti-Christ. Those videos and articles were accompanied by comments from viewers and readers who were swearing that they were done with La Belle’s products. And they were not joking. Within two hours, stores carrying La Belle’s products began reporting mass returns of not just the conditioner but everything else.
By lunchtime, Sharon was having a full blown meltdown and Eve was having the time of her life.
“How could they let her film them?” Sharon ranted. She was in her office, pacing in front of her desk. Stephen Kunken, one of the senior partners of their law-firm, was seated on the couch looking like a terrified rabbit quivering before a furious bull. Eve was of course watching the show from her office.
“They said that they didn’t notice the cameras, and that she took the video without their knowledge or consent,” Kunken said.
Even though she was watching the whole thing through her laptop, Eve could see the beads of sweat that had formed on the man’s forehead.
Giving Sharon a nervous look, Kunken added, “We’ll sue her.”
“Sue her? What’s the point of that now?” Sharon stopped her pacing to glare at the man. “The damage is already done. Everyone now believes Nina. How will you fix that?”
Kunken gulped convulsively. “Um… I think the first thing will be to get rid of the two associates.”
“How will that help?” Sharon snapped. “Everybody already knows that they work for you and by extension us.”
“Yes, but we can say that they acted without the firm’s authority.”
The suggestion was enough to cool Sharon’s rage. Though still cutting, her voice wasn’t as loud when she asked, “What if they deny it?”
“They won’t.” Looking more confident by the second, Kunken added, “Those two are mercenaries. If we pay them enough, they’ll keep their mouths shut.”
“That could work.” Her expression thoughtful, Sharon crossed the room to settle on an armchair. “But I’m not paying them anything. I’m already losing millions per second because of your mistake.”
“No. No. I would never ask you to foot the bill. This one is on us.”
“Good.” Sharon paused for a moment then asked, “I still don’t see how this is supposed to work. If your lawyers say that they did it without approval, you’re the only one who’ll be safe. People won’t believe that they did it without getting orders from us. Why would they?”
“That’s the other part of the plan.” Kunken offered, “To make it clear that you weren’t involved at all, we need a fall guy on your end too. We’ll reveal that the fall guy changed the formula without your approval and that’s why you didn’t know about the issues. That person also gave our lawyers the order to bribe Nina Wu. Do you know anyone we can use?”
“It has to be someone higher up, right?” Sharon’s eyes narrowed in thought. “Someone who the press would believe has the authority to give such orders.”
“Right.” Kunken suggested, “What about your daughter-in-law?”
Eve’s heart bumped in alarm at the mention of her name, and she sat up straighter in her seat. Though she’d engineered the scandal, she’d never planned to be part of it, and she certainly had no intention of being the scapegoat. Why the hell was this man trying to drag her into it?
Say no, Eve silently pleaded with her mother-in-law.
On screen, Sharon seemed to be considering the idea.
Kunken explained, “Eve is involved enough in the business to be capable of giving such an order, and the press would believe that she’s motivated enough to want to keep La Belle safe. Also, she’s the one who met Nina first and negotiated the bribe. So if they ask Nina about her, she can confirm it.”
Sharon was silent for a long time, and the way she was tapping her chin left no doubt that she was intrigued by that thought.
Oh God! Please don’t drag me into it. Being painted as the mastermind behind the fiasco would ruin Eve’s plans. All of them. Eve wasn’t a religious woman, but she found herself closing her eyes and muttering, “Let her say no. Let her say no. Let her say no.”
Sharon finally spoke. “Eve would be a great fall-woman-”
Eve’s breath caught in her throat. Please, no!
Sharon continued, “-but she’s married to my son. I don’t want him getting dragged into any of this. Also, she might be capable of bribing Nina, but she has no authority to change formulas. She doesn’t even have a real job description. No one will believe that she did all that without me knowing and ordering it. It can’t be her.”
Woo… God answers prayers! Relief pulsing through her, Eve leaned back in her seat and heaved a loud breath. That was so damn close. She’d never been so glad to be just an ‘advisor’.
Kunken asked, “Then who else can we use?”
Sharon thought over it then suggested, “What about Charlie Mitchell, the head of marketing? He’s high up enough to be considered capable of giving the order. Also, he was once a member of the research department so people would believe that he was involved in corrupting the formula.”
Kunken frowned. “But would he be willing to take the fall for you?”
“He better be. All his children went to Ivy League colleges because of me and my connections. He owes me.” Sharon smiled. “Besides, if I offer him a fat retirement bonus and future consultancy work, he’ll happily walk into the fire for me.”
“Okay. Okay. Okay. We have a plan.” Kunken nodded. “Talk to your guy, I’ll talk to mine then we can coordinate our stories and give it to the press. Once you’ve made a heartfelt apology and reassured everyone that the rest of your products are great, it will stop the bleeding.”
You wish! Eve scoffed. The bleeding was just starting. By the time she was done with them, they’d be prime candidates for taxidermy.
CHAPTER 10
Carter couldn’t get enough of his wife. One taste and he was already addicted to her. Unfortunately, she and his mother had spent the last two weeks dealing with the drama at La Belle. Eve often came home late and so wiped out, that it felt criminal to ask for sex.
For the first time in his life, he regretted not taking an interest in the company. If he had kept an eye on it, maybe he’d be able to take some of the burden off Eve and his mother’s shoulders. But he hadn’t, and the only thing he could offer was emotional support which counted for little in this situation. It hurt that d
espite his own successful career, he was unable to help the two women who mattered most in his life.
Fortunately, things had cooled down a bit. After Charlie Mitchell had confessed to tampering with the formula without Sharon’s knowledge then bribing people to keep Sharon and the world from finding out, the rate of product returns had slowed down. Finally, Eve and his mother could take a break.
“Are you going to sue that Charles man?” Toni asked as they all sat in the living room. She and Mark had come over for dinner and to provide moral support. Except for Jackson who’d gone up to finish his homework, everyone else was now in the living room having after-dinner drinks.
“I don’t know.” Sharon sighed. “Charlie has been with us for over twenty years and this is his first mistake.”
“I know you value loyalty, Mom,” Carter said. “But you can’t just let him get away with this. He almost destroyed La Belle.”
“I agree with Carter,” Mark chimed in. “You can’t let this kind of stuff go. Other employees might take their cue from him.”
Carter glanced at Eve, waiting for her to give her opinion too. But all she did was sip her wine.
“The D.A is already coming for him, and we’ve already fired him,” Sharon said. “Throwing in more punishment seems like overkill.” She puffed out heavily. “But I’ll think about it.”
“How’s company’s value?” Mark asked. “Is it still declining?”
“It’s stabilizing… I think.” Sharon’s gaze slid to Eve. “Eve, did you check this afternoon?”
Eve met her eyes. “We’re not falling as hard today, and the minor shareholders have stopped unloading their shares.”
