Farrah: Are you sure this is safe? What if you’re being ambushed?
Chantal: It’s fine. I think.
Farrah: [screaming] AHH! What was that???
Chantal: A squirrel. I think I would’ve felt safer if I came by myself.
Lilian: Hi Chantal, thanks so much for responding to my message. This is my friend Kayla.
Kayla: It’s nice to meet you, Chantal.
Chantal: Kayla Flemming? You two know each other? Wow, Ambrose was right, you really did have someone on the inside!
Lilian: Kayla and I have known each other since we were kids. Who’s this?
Chantal: This is my best friend, Farrah.
Farrah: Shh! Don’t use my real name! Uh, I’ll just wait over there and make sure no one’s coming.
Lilian: I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on here, so I'll just cut to the chase. A few months ago, my sister Julianne used one of the SNOOT lubes and suffered some pretty bad chemical burns. She had some nerve damage and scarring that left her in a lot of pain.
Chantal: Oh my God, that’s awful!
Lilian: Yeah, it really is. She wanted to contact a lawyer, but she couldn’t afford to. But she knew whatever was in that lube was too caustic to be safe. She wanted to warn others, so she left a review. Ambrose contacted her and asked her to take the review down. She even offered her hush money. But my sister refused.
Chantal: Good for her! I can’t believe Ambrose did that. Well, I guess I can.
Lilian: It gets worse. Ambrose flew off the handle when she refused to remove the review. Unfortunately, my sister used her full name. A few days later, someone made an anonymous call to her job with some false accusations. She was fired and had to stop her medical treatments. We know it was someone associated with SNOOT, but we have no way to prove it. That’s when I contacted Kayla.
Kayla: I knew Ambrose was all about saving a few bucks wherever possible, so it didn’t surprise me that she was putting out harmful products. When I heard about what happened to Julianne, I had to do something to help. I offered to help her pay for a lawyer so she could get some justice. Unfortunately, we still had one other problem.
Lilian: We knew it was the lube that caused the burns, but we didn’t have any actual proof. Kayla suggested I do some recognizance by getting a job at SNOOT. She helped me craft the perfect resume, and I’ve been working on gathering evidence ever since.
Chantal: So why do you need me?
Lilian: It was the perfect plan on paper, but I’m not a detective. I was never able to get close enough to anyone important to gather the intel I needed. Then I saw you in Nico’s office late one night.
Chantal: [embarrassed] Oh.
Lilian: Yeah. I figured I could use your...connections to my advantage. I know that sounds awful, but it was also an opportunity for me to warn you about everything that’s going on before it caused you any problems. Knowing what happened to Kayla, I had to let you know.
Chantal: Wait, what happened to you?
Kayla: I was in the same situation then as you are now. A few years back, Nico was my boss. He started flirting with me, and I was taken in by how special he made me feel. He introduced me to Ambrose and said she could help me build my career.
Kayla: [continued] But then he started putting me down and shutting me out. When I got pregnant, he sent me money for an abortion and stopped talking to me. Then Ambrose suddenly cut me out of the company we were starting.
Chantal: I’m so sorry that happened to you. Trust me, I know now how stupid I was being by getting involved with him.
Kayla: You’re not stupid, Chantal. You’re kind. People like Nico and Ambrose will take advantage of that kindness, but that’s their shortcoming, not yours. I know this all might sound like a personal grudge, but I also know you noticed all the red flags just like I did. We chose to ignore them, but it’s not too late now to make this right.
Lilian: I know it’s a lot to ask, but if you have any information that could help us, my sister and I would really appreciate it.
Kayla: I can give you the lawyer’s contact information if that makes you feel more comfortable. I know lawyers get a bad rep, but he’s a family man and he really fights for his clients.
Chantal: I did find some things out recently that could help your case. Nico has documents in his office that show they've been getting their ingredients from unreliable sources. And he asked me to create some receipts that show they bought them somewhere reputable. He said the originals got damaged, but I know now that was a lie. I’ll give the lawyer a call.
Lilian: Wow, that would help a lot! Do you think you'd be able to get a hold of them to make copies?
Chantal: Yeah, they're locked in his desk but I can pretend I need something from the supply closet and ask to borrow his keys. He's in a bunch of meetings during the day, so I can sneak in there during one of those if you can keep watch for me.
Lilian: Sure! Thanks so much! I know this isn’t easy for you either and you didn’t have to get involved. But I’m so grateful that you did.
Chantal: I just hope it works out…for all of us.
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