"Miss, please open the door."
Outside of the conference room, a man's voice was polite and steady, but also commanding.
Riley and the other executives in the office were startled, as they hadn't expected anyone to arrive so soon.
"Please open the door!" the man demanded again, louder this time.
He repeated himself several times, and then he began to bang on the door. Before Riley and the others could figure out what to do, the door was kicked open.
A group of aggressive uniformed men and women rushed in, showing an arrest warrant, all while someone filmed the scene. Some of the police officers went straight over to Norman, who looked utterly terrified.
Elon got up from his seat and demanded, "What is the meaning of this? How dare you barge in here like this!"
A middle-aged cop responded coldly, "Gentlemen," while nodding slowly to each one.
"You must be Elon Wexler, vice chairman of the board of directors of the Naysmith Group?" he asked, reading the name from a paper in his hand.
Elon snorted but didn't answer.
The cop then said, "We're looking for Norman Fuller. He's involved in the production and sale of a drug that has had harmful side effects and caused serious damage. We need him to come to the station for questioning."
Elon looked at Norman, making it obvious who he was.
Two uniformed men put their hands on the shoulders of Alf and Elon so that they couldn't move, while two others went over to Norman.
He shouted and struggled as they grabbed him and dragged him out of the room.
Riley was furious as he shouted, "Who sent you? What gives you the right to take him?"
"We have a warrant for his arrest," one of the officers said. "The sergeant signed it, so if you have a problem, take it up with him."
He went out into the lobby, where the other cops had Norman in handcuffs. "Take him away," he ordered.
It seemed that everything had fallen apart. Quality Pharmaceuticals was now under investigation, and all their products were being recalled. Norman and Alyssa had been detained, and Riley's passport had been confiscated to prevent him from fleeing the country. A few days ago, Dynamic Health had been widely praised as a miracle drug, and now it was considered the worst thing that had ever happened to many people.
Norman appeared on the cover of many newspapers, and he had become the face of the scandal, with journalists dubbing him reckless and dangerous.
The Naysmith Group's offices were subject to vandalism, and new rumors began to circulate as people dug into the family's past. In just a few short days, the Naysmiths had become the pariahs of Baltimore.
While this was all going down, Alex was busy at the Woodside Clinic. Baltimore General Hospital didn't have room for all the patients who were suffering from the effects of Dynamic Health powder, so many of the injured came to the clinic for treatment.
Sawyer, Sophie, Celeste, and Kendall, as well as the eight doctors, were working round the clock to help the patients. Maryann and Fabian were also helping as much as they could. Their phones constantly rang with calls from lawyers, doctors, the press, and politicians.
Maryann was urging the federal government to send them relief packages to help out, and Fabian, being a lawyer, was dealing with the dispute between the Robinson Group and the Naysmith Group.
Alex kept his head down and carried on, as if this disaster had nothing to do with him, but Maryann insisted on keeping him abreast of all the latest news.
"A total of eighty thousand jars of Dynamic Health powder were sold," she reported, while making herself a cup of tea. "And twenty thousand people are reported to have used it. Among those, three thousand had adverse reactions, and the rest are still under observation.
"All the patients who were injured after using it have been treated, and the speed of recovery is very fast. The first batch of cured patients has gone home. This has done wonders for the reputation of the clinic and the hospital. And you've become the conscience of the industry, Alex—a local hero."
Alex nodded, but showed no emotion as she continued to update him.
"The Naysmiths' lawyer also called us just now. They have withdrawn their complaint against the Robinson Group, and they're no longer investigating us. Lily will be able to come back tonight.
"Also, Alf Naysmith called to apologize to us. He said that they would cooperate with us, and he offered to compensate us for all our losses. And Elon Wexler also called to say that he would like to buy three thousand units of the Harmony Healing ointment for the clinic to use on the affected patients. They're clearly feeling guilty over there.
"Our pharmaceutical department hopes that our products can be quickly introduced into the major pharmacies, so that the patients who have been affected by Dynamic Health can buy them directly. That would speed up the healing process."
Alex remained relaxed, drinking his tea as he listened to her. He was more interested in the situation than he let on, and he took in everything she said.
When she was finally done speaking, he said, "I don't care how remorseful the Naysmiths claim to be. They're arrogant and rich, and they've never done anything but hold us back. I don't need to show them any respect. I want to get the lawsuit in motion as soon as possible. Tell Fabian to get it started.
"Let Lindsey deal with the medical department in Washington, D.C. She'll know how to deal with them.
"The situation is all under control now, so you should take a break and stop worrying about the details. Riley wouldn't dare take any retaliatory action for the time being."
He rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Maryann with concern. "You look tired," he said. "You need to rest and get some sleep."
She appreciated his concern, and she suddenly felt a bit emotional. It really had been a long couple of days, and it had all been rather overwhelming.
"If you have any questions, just ask," Alex added, knowing what she was thinking. "I'll tell you anything you want to know."
She looked in eyes, hesitated, and then she asked, "This was all your plan, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I arranged everything," Alex said, shrugging. "Riley was rude to you and refused to help you against the Thorntons, and then he threatened me. But he underestimated me. After that, every time he made an aggressive move toward me, I just pretended not to notice. I had already decided to teach him a lesson to let him know that he can't be a bully. He is a greedy and shameless man, and he'll pay for it.
"If I don't teach him a lesson, then he'll never change his ways. He deserves whatever punishment he gets. He has plenty of connections and resources through his family, so he'll probably get off anyway. But I can't make any mistakes with him or show leniency, or else I'll pay the price for it."
He paused and thought for a moment before continuing.
"Sure, the Naysmith Group was hit hard. Their stocks have plummeted, and their confidence is shaken. Naysmith Healing powder once monopolized the market, and then they moved on to Dynamic Healing, but now we've got the Harmony Healing ointment to replace it. Riley's greed was his downfall."
"What about Julie, though?" Maryann asked. "I don't understand why she betrayed me. Was that part of your plan too?" She hated that she had put her trust in Julie and had been let down.
Alex shook his head. "No, that had nothing to do with me. I suspect that Riley offered her a lot of money to help him. I never expected that she would be the type to accept a bribe like that. If I'd known, I would have stopped her. But the recipe for Golden Health would have been stolen either way."
Maryann felt disheartened. "I can't believe the lengths that people will go to for money. Greed is more powerful than I thought."
Alex shrugged. "I didn't really care about Julie, but I didn't want to see her die."
Maryann was shocked at how he could be so indifferent about a human life being lost.
Alex saw her pained expression, and although he wanted to explain, he thought better of it and remained quiet.
He had actually tried to protect Julie, but Riley had sent someone to kill her, and Alex had been too late. He had had no part in her death, but he still chose not to explain it to Maryann.