Curvy Conquest Read online

  I was so disorientated by everything that happened last Saturday, it took me a few hours to call Max and let him know of my latest tragedy. He was so shocked, he put an end to his weekend with his old university buddies and his round of golf to rush to my side. When he got to my place, Lia, Lexi and Devin were already at my apartment comforting me, but I was a total mess. Here I am, a twenty-four-year-old woman who’s lost every person she’s ever loved in the last five years, and now I’ve lost my furry best friend. Why does this keep happening to me? What have I done to deserve so much pain and suffering?

  I spent the weekend and eventually the entire week following my cat’s death at Max’s penthouse because it was unthinkable for me to spend one more second at my place without Leo. Devin and Lia helped with burial details because I had been to too many funerals in the last few years to deal with another one. Max took such great care of me. He allowed me to grieve. I locked myself in one of his guest rooms and I spent the entire weekend watching movies—I needed to find a distraction to numb the pain. Every few hours, Max would check up on me and he’d come sit next to me and force me to eat. By the time Monday rolled around, I dreaded going back to work because deep inside I know had Jennifer not pushed me to take those stupid pills home, Leo would still be alive.

  I was ready to confront the bitch, but to my surprise her secretary told me she had an unexpected trip to Hong Kong due to a family emergency and left first thing Sunday morning. Apparently she was due to be out of the office all week long and she should be there by the time I get back from my appointment with the vet.

  I spent the week trying my best to get work done, but it was extraordinarily hard. I regretted having to wait and not being able to unleash my fury on Jennifer, but this was not the kind of conversation suited for an email. I needed to look her in the eyes.

  When I got to work last week after Leo’s death, I was too shaken to talk openly about my loss with my colleagues, but I did muster up the courage to write a post on my personal blog to update my followers. Unknowingly to me, Cori McDaniel, one of the personal assistants to Erik Buchanan, one of the VPs, read my confession and the next thing I knew, the entire office was rallying around me to comfort me.

  Last week was right up there with the worst moments of my life.

  * * *

  The drive to Dr. Mills’s office takes longer than nine days ago. There’s nothing quite like Monday morning traffic in New York. As I ride alone in the elevator to the vet’s office, I can’t help but wonder why he’s summoned me so early in the day. I already know Leo is dead. What more can there be?

  To my surprise, when I open the door to Dr. Mills’s office, there are already quite a few anxious pet owners waiting their turn with their furry best friends on their laps.

  I guess Dr. Mills’s assistant must have read my mind. “It’s crazy how many accidents happen on a Sunday.”

  “It’s quite surprising.”

  “Is your dog or cat outside?” the assistant asks, searching for my pet.

  “Ah, no. Not quite. I’m here because Dr. Mills wanted me to come in to share results from tests about my cat.”

  “Yes, you must be Ms. Westerman.”

  “Candice, please.”

  “Candice, go right ahead. Dr. Mills is waiting for you.”

  “Are you sure?” I blurt out, looking in the direction of the busy waiting room.

  The young woman sitting behind the desk smiles compassionately. “Don’t worry about those guys. There are three other vets on staff on Mondays. They’ll all be taken good care of.” She winks.

  Before I can respond, Dr. Mills opens the door to his office and greets me.

  “Candice. I thought I heard your voice. Please come inside my office,” he declares, gesturing for me to follow him.

  “Good morning Dr. Mills.”

  “Good morning. Please take a seat,” he says, pointing to a chair across from his desk.

  “How was your weekend?”

  “Busy. I worked Saturdays, as you know, but I spent all day yesterday reading the reports I received from the lab about your cat.”

  “Oh.” I didn’t expect Dr. Mills to dive right into the heart of the matter without the customary chitchat.

  “Candice, where did you get the pills your pet ingested?”

  “I’m an editor at Sassy magazine. A few weeks ago, my boss told me a potential advertiser wanted to run an advertorial in our magazine and it would be a good idea for me to test these cleansing pills. She’s been pushing me for weeks and finally I caved in and took the pills home ready to test them.”

  “What’s an advertorial?”

  “It’s when an advertiser buys ad space in a publication, but we wrap it within an article to make it look more informative than sales-y.”

  “I see. So you didn’t take any of these pills?”

  “No. I’ve been traveling and I didn’t have time to start. In fact, I only brought the box home a few days before Leo died. To be honest, I’ve been resisting the idea of putting a substance I know little about in my body. Maybe that’s the real reason I’ve been procrastinating.”

  “Thank God.”

  “You look worried, doctor.”

  “I’m extremely worried, Candice. We’ve found a list of ingredients that are not approved by the FDA and in many cases are considered illegal for consumption in America in the pills your cat ingested.”

  “What?” I’m scandalized at the idea I could have put Leo in harm’s way by taking those stupid diet pills home.

  “A lot of these ingredients are not only illegal here, but also in Canada, Australia and many European countries. The most troubling part of this is the fact the label says these pills were manufactured in the US, but many of the ingredients can only be found, to my knowledge, in China. There’s no way a lab in this country could produce these without raising serious red flags.”

  “This doesn’t make sense.”

  “Precisely. It doesn’t… unless the manufacturer in involved in illegal activities.”

  “My God.”

  “My niece is in the fashion industry, like you, and a few years ago she lamented about how China was taking over the world of fashion production. She said a few clever Italian brands were cutting costs by producing as much as they could in China and then shipping the merchandise back to Italy, where they’d put the finishing touches and slap a ‘Made in Italy’ label on the garment even though ninety percent of the product was made in Asia. I was horrified by such practices, but then again, I’m not a businessman—I’m a doctor.”

  “I can’t believe what you’ve shared. It’s terrifying to think we could be vulnerable as consumers.”

  “Candice, I’ve been obsessing over your case since you came in because your cat was clearly poisoned, but I didn’t want to alarm you until I had more facts.”

  “Poisoned?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry to have to drop this bomb on you.”

  “So Leo didn’t die because they were ordinary cleansing or diet pills?”

  “No. Had they been capsules you had bought at a drugstore or a natural food shop, your cat might have had cramps, vomiting or in the worst case diarrhea, but the ingredients he ingested were lethal. In large enough dosage, they are so potent they could kill an adult hippo. Your case has gotten me wondering if the company behind these pills aren’t getting ninety per cent of their production done in China and smuggling the goods in the US and adding a few FDA-approved ingredients before slapping on a ‘Manufactured in America’ label and fooling everyone.”

  “Ha,” I scream out before clamping my mouth shut with my hand.

  “I hate to be the bearer of such bad news, but I thought it was important for you to know. It was also important for me to find out exactly where you had purchased these.”

  “Are you saying anyone who might have taken these would be looking at a death sentence?”

  “These things are never clear-cut. Some people will feel ill soon after digesting them and others mi
ght require a higher dosage. That said, in the long run, there’s no way of surviving this list of ingredients.”

  “I’m distraught by this news.”

  “That’s exactly how I felt all day yesterday.”

  “There’s something more, doctor.”

  “What?”

  “When my boss gave me pills she assured there were loads of medical studies and pages of testimonial from happy customers, but I couldn’t find anything at all and I spent hours doing Google searches. My gut was uneasy about these pills from day one and it’s almost as if I was trying to buy myself time.”

  “It’s a good thing you trusted your gut in this matter or else your life could have been in danger.”

  He’s scaring me here.

  Does Jennifer know any of this? She was so pushy with these pills, I have to question her motivation.

  “Your words are alarming, Dr. Mills.”

  “They should be. If these pills are sold anywhere in America or online there are tens of thousands of people potentially at risk. I was so concerned about these findings last night, I put one of my junior assistants on this case and she’s trying to track down retailers and online merchants who are selling these. The public must be warned.”

  BOOK 4—CURVY CONQUEST

  Chapter Eight

  I’m too disheartened to face anyone at the office. I call Maleficent, who’s back at the office from her trip to Hong Kong, to let her know I’m going to work from home because I have a terrible headache from all the emotions. To my surprise Jennifer doesn’t fight me.

  I’m grateful to push back my confrontation with her by another day. I need to calm myself down or I’ll risk saying things that will get me fired. As I frantically type the words to an article and pretend my world is still intact and Dr. Mills didn’t share overwhelming news a few hours ago, I play over my short conversation with my boss in my head. Contrary to her usual take-no-prisoners attitude, she was incredibly understanding and almost warm, which shocked the hell out of me because the queen of mean has never had one kind word to say. Maybe she feels guilty because she’s the one who insisted on me taking these stupid pills home to test.

  “I need coffee,” I say, stretching and getting up out of my chair. I take a few steps towards my kitchen, but my phone rings. I quickly turn on my heel to see who’s calling me. Lia.

  “Hey, are you calling to check up on me?”

  “Yes and no.” Her voice is unusually cold.

  “What’s up? You sound different.”

  “Candy, have you heard the news about Damon West’s mom?”

  “Lia, I’ve had a few things on my mind other than an arrogant rapper’s drama, let alone what happens in his mother’s dating life.” What the hell? Has she forgotten Leo died nine days ago? Why would I clog my head with gossip?

  “I think you need to Google her name immediately, Candy.”

  I’m about to protest, but something in Lia’s voice suggests I should do as I’m told. “I don’t understand why you’re pushing me to do this,” I say as I type Marvel West’s name in the search engine. “I despise Damon West and his baby-momma TV reality trash star Kaliah Darnadovich. I don’t care how much money they have, they are tacky and lack class…” I stop talking as I make out the words on my screen before gasping in disbelief. “Oh my God, Lia.”

  “Exactly, Candy. She died the day after Leo and the shocking news was all over the entertainment tabloids and gossip websites, but the newswire about the cause of her death came in fifteen minutes ago and it’s already gone viral.”

  I read aloud the headline flashing on my screen slowly, unable to believe my eyes. “‘The LA coroner’s office confirms Damon West’s mom, Marvel West, is dead after having taken a diet pill by the name of BoostaSlimz-X30 Green’—” I trail off. “This woman died from ingesting the same pills as my cat.” I’m so devastated, I can’t contain the torrent of tears rolling down my face.

  “Candy, I’m sorry to force you to relive this, but when I saw this monster news come in, I knew there was more to this. Apparently, Marvel bought the pills online.”

  “I met with Dr. Mills this morning, Lia. These pills were filled with poisonous ingredients that are illegal in the U.S.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  During the next thirty minutes I recount my conversation with the vet. I barely take a breath, afraid my courage will fail me and I’ll hold back details. By the time I’m done, I’m exhausted and I have a pounding headache.

  “I can’t believe this story and I can’t believe your boss has been pushing you to take these. I’m so happy you never—”

  “—took the pills.” I finish Lia’s sentence and we both remain silent at the realization of my words. “I’ve been thinking about this ever since I left Dr. Mills’ office. Jennifer was trying to push me to take a product that had never been approved by the FDA. I could never understand why she was such a cheerleader for this company. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I confront her,” I sigh.

  “You plan on approaching her with the vet’s findings?” Lia asks, panicked.

  “Yes, of course. This is all her doing. Not to mention she’s the only one right now who knows who’s behind these pills.”

  “Candy, has she mentioned anything to you since your office found out about Leo’s death?”

  “She was dealing with a family issue in Hong Kong.”

  “Is that an excuse? The woman could have emailed you to say she was sorry for your loss. Have you heard anything from her?”

  For the first time, it hits me Jennifer is the only person in our company who hasn’t called, texted or emailed me about Leo. Her assistant knows and all of the top executives know, so I’m sure she must have heard all the gruesome details. Not to mention I spoke briefly this morning and she still didn’t extend her condolences. “No. Not a word, Lia.”

  “I’d keep this close to your chest for now until she brings it up. I know she’s a bitch, but I find it strange she’s the only person who’s not extended her condolences. A few of the VPs who were overseas reached out to you, but your boss can’t take thirty seconds to send a quick email?”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  “You should call Dr. Mills and inform him of this latest development. He doesn’t strike me as the type who follows celebrity news, although at this point the medical community must be buzzing about Damon West’s mom.”

  “Why? Leo is dead. Marvel is also dead. What’s the point?”

  “Call me crazy, but something tells me Dr. Mills would want to know about this if he doesn’t already. These pills are lethal, he said so himself, and the company behind them needs to be stopped before they kill more innocent people or pets.”

  Lia’s words send a chill down my spine. I was so consumed by my own grief, I didn’t think of the fact other people could potentially end up six feet under if the truth doesn’t come out. Dr. Mills was speculating this morning, but Marvel’s death is far too real.

  “You’re right. Dr. Mills needs to be made aware of this,” I whisper. “Let me call him now.”

  “Do you want me to come over later when I’m done with work? I don’t think you should be alone.”

  “I’m going to go back to Max’s place tonight. I wanted to come back to my apartment after Dr. Mills’ autopsy report, but I find it hard to sleep here without Leo’s presence.”

  “Good, as long as you’re not alone, because this is a lot to process in one day.”

  “This day has been brutal.”

  “Big hugs. I have to get back to work, but call me if you need to talk.”

  “Thanks, Lia, for being such a great friend.”

  I hang up the phone and I place it on my desk before hiding my face between my hands. This news is so heavy and it’s eating at me. I still don’t know what to make of Jennifer’s reaction, or lack thereof, to the death of my cat or her involvement with these deadly pills.

  “Coffee. Now I really need more coffee.” I peel myself off
my chair and march to the kitchen area to get a fresh cup of coffee before calling Dr. Mills with the latest bomb Lia dropped on me. “I can’t handle any more drama without caffeine.”

  Thanks to the magic of Nespresso, it takes me no time at all to sip on a strong dark roast espresso. I walk back to my desk with a lump in my throat. I decide to finish my cup of coffee before dialing Dr. Mills’ office because I have a suspicion there’s more bad news coming my way once I share the latest chapter in my drama.

  I open the window to my browser to continue reading about Marvel West’s tragic death when I notice I’ve received a new email. What now? With the day I’ve had so far, I’m tempted to ignore the email, but this one comes from one of my blog readers. The support from my incredible fans has been a blessing and I’ve made sure to answer each and every one of the heartwarming messages I’ve received. I click on the message and after reading the first few lines, I stop breathing.

  Candice,

  I read your blog post and I’m sorry for the loss of your beloved pet. I had no intention of contacting you so quickly, but Marvel West’s death and the latest news that’s already gone viral have expedited things. I’m sorry to say this, but there is a direct link between your cat’s and Marvel West’s deaths.

  Unfortunately, those two tragic deaths are also tied to your parents’.

  I wasn’t planning on revealing my identity so soon, but there are a few things you need to know urgently. My real name isn’t Annie Smith, as you know. It’s Laurie Paddington. I was your dad’s biomedical lab assistant and I worked very closely with him on most of his research and testing. After your parents died, I quit my job at Bio-Cytrax Cosmeceuticals and I went into exile. I needed to hide because I couldn’t handle things and I knew too much. I mustered up the courage to reach out to your grandmother’s attorney eighteen months ago, but he abruptly stopped returning my calls. When I read about the details of his death, I went deeper into hiding, fearing for my own life. I knew too much to believe it was an accident.