“Miss Scott, we’ve heard that you advised an artist from your company to take weight-loss pills. She’s now in the ICU because of complications from those medications. Is this true?”
Upon hearing the reporter’s question, the doctor showed his frustration. “Weight-loss pills can have serious side effects. They should never be used carelessly!” he said firmly.
A reporter quickly shoved a microphone towards the doctor, asking about Reese’s condition.
Keeping his professionalism, the doctor replied, “I’m sorry, but the patient’s condition is confidential. We can’t share any details without permission from the patient or her family.”
Standing protectively in front of a confused Bianca, Blake said firmly to the reporters. “This is a hospital. Please respect the privacy here and don’t cause any disruptions. Our agency will issue a statement about this. For now, you need to leave. If you don’t, I’ll have to call the police.”
Having already gotten their story, the reporters quickly left the corridor.
“Are you okay, Bianc?” Blake asked, focusing on Bianca.
Bianca pinched her fingers to calm herself and looked at Blake.
“Thank you, Blake. I’m fine.”
Soon after, the doctor called them to his office.
“Here’s the situation,” he said seriously. “The patient overdosed on weight-loss medication, which caused multiple organ failures. She’s stable now, but she’s still in a coma. It’s hard to say when she might wake up.”
Hearing this, Bianca felt faint and almost collapsed, but Blake quickly supported her.
“How did this happen? That medication shouldn’t cause such severe side effects,” she murmured, struggling to believe it.
The doctor, irritated by Bianca’s reaction, said, “Her life is priceless! As her employer, you can’t just focus on business. Her health and well-being should come first. Please get her family to the hospital immediately.”
Leaning on Blake for support, Bianca left the doctor’s office in silence.
“Bianc, what’s going on with these weight-loss pills the doctor mentioned?” Blake asked, worried. He knew Bianca wasn’t someone who would put trainees at risk for weight loss, and Reese wasn’t even a trainee-she was just an employee.
“Blake, I’ll explain everything later. Right now, I need to check something urgently. Can you please contact Reese’s family for me?” Bianca asked urgently.
“Of course,” Blake replied with a nod.
Grateful for his help, Bianca quickly sent Reese’s family contact information to him.
Without wasting any time, Bianca rushed to the medical research institute.
On the way, she saw that Reese’s incident had already made headlines online.
Public opinion quickly turned against Bianca, with social media filled with negative comments.
“Have you lost your conscience, Bianca?” one comment read.
“How could you give your trainee low-quality weight-loss pills for a quick fix? Is your thirst for success so great that you ignore human life?” another accused.
“The moment she gained a bit of fame, she started exploiting her artists. I hope her unethical company shuts down soon!” wrote someone else.
Bianca turned off her phone, deciding to ignore the online outrage. It was important for her to stay calm and not panic.
Half an hour later, Bianca waited outside the medical research institute. She had called Leonel earlier to get access to his office.
As soon as she entered the room, she asked urgently, “Reese took the weight-loss pills you gave me, and she started foaming at the mouth and had to be rushed to the ICU. Are there any known side effects of this medication?”
Sitting across from her, Leonel replied calmly, “The medication has recently undergone clinical trials, and no significant side effects were reported. We’re planning to launch it on the market soon.”
“Then why did Reese…” Bianca started but was interrupted.
“Are you sure she didn’t take any other pills?” Leonel asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bianca was left deep in thought, considering his question.
Bianca thought it over carefully. When Reese collapsed and was taken to the hospital, reporters swarmed her, immediately asking about the weight-loss pills.
Bianca recalled that she had given Reese the pills privately.
The question was: ‘How did the reporters know about this unless someone had leaked the information beforehand?’
“Could Reese’s medication have been tampered with?” Bianca asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
Leonel, resting his chin on his hand, replied, “It’s still possible.”
Bianca’s mind raced with thoughts. Considering the possibility of tampering, she decided to check the company’s surveillance footage from the past week for any clues.
As she prepared to leave, Leonel’s voice stopped her. “If the medication was swapped, then the real one must be with the person who did the switch.”
After leaving the research institute, Bianca’s phone buzzed with a call from Dave. “Bianc, I saw the news. How’s everything going?”
Bianca explained the whole situation about Reese and the weight-loss pills.
“I can hardly believe this,” Dave said. “Don’t worry. I’ll find out what happened.” Then he ended the call.
Bianca returned to the hospital and found Reese still unconscious.
Seeing her, Blake stood up and walked over.
He sighed and said, “I contacted Reese’s family. It turns out she’s lived with her neglectful aunt since childhood. Her aunt is so tight with money that she probably won’t come.”
Looking at Reese lying in the ward, Bianca felt deep regret. She thought, if it weren’t for her actions, Reese wouldn’t be in this condition.
“I’ll take care of all her medical expenses. No matter how much it costs, I’m committed to her recovery,” she said.
Blake gently intervened. “I’ve already covered it.”
Bianca insisted, “It’s my responsibility. I can’t let you bear the cost. How much have you spent? I’ll transfer the money.”
Blake stopped her, placing his hand over her phone. “Bianc, don’t worry about the small stuff. I’ll take care of the hospital bills. Right now, we need to address the growing public backlash. It’s reached a peak.”
Bianca clenched her fists and said, “Someone set a trap to harm Reese and target me. I won’t let them succeed.”
Before she could continue, a deep, masculine voice spoke from behind.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Bianca Scott?” a man in a black jacket asked.
Bianca turned to him and replied, “Yes, that’s me. And who are you?”
The man showed her a police ID for a moment before putting it away. “I’m with the police. Mr. Evans asked me to look into the weight-loss pill incident.”
He smiled and added, “We’ll keep this investigation private to avoid alerting any suspects.”
Bianca nodded, recognizing the discreet approach. She hadn’t expected Dave to get the police involved so quickly on her behalf.
It would certainly make things easier if the police could help.
Bianca shared the entire story with the officer and gave him a copy of the company’s surveillance footage.