Page 11 of Coming Home for Fall 2
“But theycancause esophageal damage,” Mallory said plainly. “We already knew that.”
“I most certainly did not,” he insisted. “This is the first I’m hearing about it.”
“That’s not true,” she snapped. “Donovan, we talked about this before, remember? A lot of the people who take the supplements experience get really sick that first month—”
“It’s the detox period,” he cut her off. “The supplements help people detox a lot of harmful chemicals in their body so that their–”
“Their microbiome can be in tip-top shape, aiding them in the weight-loss process,” she finished the sentence for him. “I know what the talking points are, Donovan. I had to repeat them over and over again while making my sales calls. And even more often when people called to tell me how nauseous they were feeling. But when people throw up a lot over a short period of time, it can cause harm to their esophagus.”
“And how do you know this? You’re not on the medical side of things.”
“I’m not on any side of things,” she reminded him. “But we were given a memo about this over a year ago. Our medical team did a study, and these were the findings. I came into your office right after reading it and we had a full discussion about this issue.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I did.”
“Okay, well then you clearly must’ve downplayed the whole thing, because I think I would’ve remembered if you told me people were being rushed to the hospital thanks to our pills! God, this is such a mess. We’re going to be shut down. I’m going to lose everything.”
If only because Donovan sounded upset enough as it was, Mallory refrained from telling him that she absolutely hadn’t downplayed the findings of the study, he just didn’t want to listen to what she had to say back then.
“Mallory, what am I going to do?”
“Why are you asking me? I don’t even work there anymore.”
“You were always my best salesperson,” he said. “You were the smartest person in this office. I thought maybe you wouldhave some idea of how I could get myself out of this. What have other companies done in this position?”
She laughed bitterly. “Deny everything? I don’t know.”
“There’s too much evidence,” he said solemnly. “Too many victims.”
Mallory put her free hand to her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “Donovan, I’m sorry this is happening. Er, no, actually that’s a lie. I’m not sorry this is happening. You made a cheap product with dangerous side effects, and so as far as I’m concerned, karma is just finally coming back to bite you in the butt. I can’t help you now. I’m not sure anyone can.”
“How can you say that? After everything I did for you?”
“What exactly did you do for me?” she demanded to know.
“I gave you a livable wage for one! And good benefits.”
“Those are thebare minimumrequirements for most employers, Donovan. Giving people a livable wage and the option to see the doctor once a year doesn’t make you a saint. It doesn’t undo all the terrible things you’ve done in the name of profits.” She grew more fired up the more she talked. “In fact, I’m really glad this is happening. I wasn’t the whistleblower, but I sort of wish I was. These products need to be ripped from the shelves and you need to face consequences for everything you did.”
“Are you serious right now?”
“As a heart attack,” she said. “Which, incidentally, I think those pills can cause as well. At least, I wouldn’t be surprised if they could.”
Donovan was quiet a moment. In the background, Mallory could hear some muffled voices, but since Donovan always kept his office door shut, she had to assume that the people talking outside of the room were actually yelling. It would seem things were falling apart over there as they spoke.
“You’re not so innocent, you know?” he hissed. “You sold these products to people for three years! If you really thought they were so cheap and dangerous, then what does that say about you? What areyourvalues, huh?”
She breathed out heavily. “Trust me, I have been asking myself that question a lot lately. I genuinely feel terrible when I think about the people who I might’ve been harmed after purchasing supplements from me. It makes me sick.”
“And yet you judge me?”
“Yes. I judge us both. You a little more though, since you were making a lot more money than me. At least I can say that I needed the job to pay my bills. You, on the other hand…” She trailed off. “I just, I don’t know what you want me to say. None of this is my problem anymore.”
“Okay, well it could be!”
“What?”
