Chapter 245

Grace

A few days had passed, and a subtle shift had settled over me. The raw despair had softened, replaced by a quiet determination. My movements held a newfound purpose, and resolve filled me. The curse was still a heavy weight at the back of my mind. Every time I woke up groggy and unrested, every new ache and pain reminded be of the borrowed time.

I entered Wolfe Medical and headed upstairs to my office. I wanted to get as much administrative stuff first before diving into research with Margaret and Seraphina. Amira entered my office with a knowing look.

"Who told you?"

"Eason." I nodded. "Is there really nothing we can do?"

Grace offered a small, tired smile. "Getting the drug done and affordable should help. For now, I need to focus on that."

She nodded. " I did my best and get whatever it needs to be done. Done to keep your stress at a minimum."

"Thanks. What's on the agenda?"

"Top of the list: you need new vendors."

I frowned. "New vendors? For what?"

"Botanicals, for one," she stepped forward and gave me a list. "I've already put together a list of potentials."

I glanced at the list. "What happened to old reliable, Mrs. Huang?"

"Bless her heart," Amira chuckled, a dry humor coloring her voice. "She's decided it's time for a well-deserved retirement and a trip to visit grandchildren in Bali. We need someone new, someone reliable who can handle the load."

That was odd. Mrs Huang never missed a payday.

I looked down. "And the pharmaceutical supplier?"

"… They had a problem with your political stance." She rolled her eyes. " I don't have my theories that they're connected to that guy who was. Nominated by blood movement to take your place, but nothing for certain yet."

I sighed. The drug was already expensive. What was I going to do without supplies?

"Can I guess that that's the same reason for the sudden change with Mrs. Huang? We've been working with her for years. As much as we argue about the price of materials, she never stopped working with us before..."

Amira chuckled, a dry humor lacing her voice. " I can't pull anything over on you, can I? But, are you sure? I'm pretty sure that woman really wants to take her business elsewhere."

I scoffed. "Mrs. Huang is more likely to try and squeeze an extra thousand dollars out of us for Hollen flowers in the height of the season than walk out on a contract this big for a vacation. She's not... exactly known for graceful exits or relaxation."

She threw up her hands. "Fine. She's none too happy about you not stepping down. But she was too... polite to say anything more than she felt a vacation would refresh her after all the political scandal."

I rolled my eyes. "And? What else?"

Amira nodded grimly. "There's also a general issue with the court case and the debt... Lots of accounts due."

I winced. Just what we needed.

"Anything else?"

"... a few of the vendors are being sued about the origin and quality of their supplies." She sighed. "Lies, of course, but when they agreed to not supply Wolfe Medical..."

"All the cases went away."

She nodded. "All of the people on that list are competitors and there are a few outside of the States. Counselor Brighthollow sent me a message about tariffs that I'm going to look over."

I nodded. "Anything you need from me?"

She pointed at the list. "Just that."

"Right," I said, a hint of a smile playing on my lips. "Leave it to me. I'll start making some inquiries."

I was sure I gave your head an idea or two.

"Of course," Amira replied. " The liaison hasn't come in today."

"So the universe does show mercy..."

Amira laughed and headed to the door.

"While we have a bit of peace," Amira continued, her voice softening, "focus on yourself, Alpha Wolfe. Delegate. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We're all in this together."

I nodded, a silent thank you for the unwavering support. The road ahead was uncertain, but I felt a bit better. I looked down at the list and groaned.

I went looking for information about the other suppliers we'd be replacing and found Amira's notes.

A lot of it had to do with our physician and not stepping down. Some people were demanding payment immediately because they weren't confident that we'd be able to pay them back, given the new debts.

Seeing the terms of payment change, all of a sudden we're irritated me. But there was nothing to be done about it.

"Hold on," I said, a frowning at the least. This list would cover most of our old vendors!

I sat back and groaned. I called Gabriel.

" Grace, how you doing?"

"I'm going to give you a list of names. I need some advice about who's useful and not going to suddenly decide not to do business with me."

"... Go ahead and give it to me."

Hours later, I headed downstairs with lunch to meet with Margaret and Seraphina. As we gathered around the lab bench, each of us pulled out our notes and traded notes for review. It was quiet for a long time before we came up with a new path forward and headed to start synthesizing.

Margaret meticulously measured out the chemical compounds and extractions, ensuring the stability and safety of it. I kept an eye on readings and took note. My hands were shaking at the thought of trying to measure anything. Seraphina used her magic to synthesize with a steady hand.

And the mixture did nothing but collapse into a sticky goo in the test tube. It didn't even turn remotely the same color.

A collective groan filled the air.

"Let's run through this again," Margaret suggested, her eyes scanning the carefully arranged ingredients. "We have to be missing something."

Seraphina nodded in agreement. "We're stuck. The theory is there, but there's something missing... Not to mention we need to be able to synthesize this with machines."

She sighed and gestured through the air. Her hands emanated a soft, ethereal glow. The goo started to boil and glow before it started to shrink and coalesce into a pill that looked just like the others we'd made.

I sank into a seat and watched the two of them reviewing the notes.

Minutes turned to hour. Hours turned into days as we kept trying new measurements, but they all ended up the same. I was so frustrated and tired, I couldn't keep my eyes open.

Seraphina's magic was great for not wasting the materials, but it wasn't going to help us in the long run. I stared at the test tube with a pout.

"Don't pout."

"I'm trying," I said. "Maybe we should scrap it all together."

"What?"

" Let's start over from scratch. We'll use the basis of the idea and try to get to it through a new route. Trying to work backward isn't working."

Margaret nodded. "Well, it's worth a shot."

I packed up my notes. "Tomorrow." I checked the phone. "Maybe later, after a bit of sleep and a lot of coffee."

I walked upstairs to check my email to see if I'd missed anything. There was a list of vendors from Gabriel with product lists. I smiled, sending him a quick thank you before getting on the phone and calling up the first person on the list.

A cheerful, albeit slightly bored, voice answered on the other end. "Gamma Pharmaceuticals, how can I help you?"

Taking a deep breath, I launched into my carefully prepared script. "Hello, I'm Dr. Grace Wolfe, head researcher at Wolfe Medical. A friend of mine referred me to your company, and I was hoping to learn more about the… specialized ingredients you offer."

There was a beat of silence, then a low chuckle. "Specialized ingredients, huh? Interesting. Let me guess, you were referred by Alpha Black?"

"Yes. I've run into an issue with my usual suppliers."

"My manager gave us all a brief explanation of the situation." Another chuckle, heartier this time. "We're flexible and fast, Dr. Wolfe. Now, what kind of special ingredients are you looking for?"

Relief washed over me, warm and welcome. I outlined a few ingredients that we needed for our usual treatments as well as the longevity potion.

"We'll need it ASAP." I paused. "And... well, I know there's a good chance that the president will--"

"We're a human company, Alpha Wolfe," the clerk said. "I'll have to ask you a few clarifying questions to put together your order. Do you have time?"

"Of course."

I drank what was left of the coffee in my office and answered his questions. His questions demonstrated a surprising depth of knowledge about botanicals. It was a refreshing change from dealing with suppliers who had clerks that knew almost nothing.

By the end of the conversation, I was optimistic. He said they had the products I needed and even a few others that I had hoped to get sometime in the future. The pricing was reasonable, even with the rush. I placed a small sample order, eager to test the quality of their products.

Then, I hung up. I slumped on the couch with a grin. I glanced at the picture of Cecil and Richard on my desk and felt exhaustion dragging at my eyes.

Maybe things were looking up.