Spark & Stone - 29. Don’t Say You’ve Never Done Anything For Me

Chapter Twenty-Nine – Don’t Say You’ve Never Done Anything For Me

Heathcliff felt like an automaton as he moved through the house. First things first, he needed to sort out what the hell was going on with those so-called healthy drinks Aidan’s company was selling. If there was something bad in them, that was bad for him, too.

At least, that was a topic he could think about, as Aidan’s sudden decision to break up was still too much for him to process at the moment. A long time ago, he had realized that trying to sort out a disturbing situation or thought required a clear head, and that was something he couldn’t use right now.

Aidan’s rejection hurt, and he couldn’t allow himself to think of it at the moment. Maybe Aidan would cool down and come back, but, somehow, unlike the night before, that thought wasn’t so keen on settling his nerves.

He took one of the drinks out of the refrigerator and took a long look at it. Not that he ever drank such stuff, but he kept a few of the ones Aidan had brought for him around, just so that he could use for regular promotion. Could it be that he had mistaken? It was a generic drink, indeed, something he had known right from the start, somewhat healthier in the sense that it didn’t have a high concentration of sweeteners and sugar replacements, but, otherwise, nothing too over the top.

He took the cap off and sipped from the bottle. There was no sugar in it, by what he could tell, and what the list of ingredients was saying, too. Well, the label was nothing but printed words on paper.

Without one moment of hesitation, he picked his brother’s name from the list of contacts. “Hi, Max. I have a favor to ask.”

***

Aidan could still feel his eyes prickling as he entered the office. It felt unreal, but he had to get used to the idea, mainly since he had been the one to break it off with Heathcliff. It was all his fault, after all; but Heathcliff was just an arrogant, selfish bastard, too, he tried to tell himself over and over.

If he repeated that enough times, it would become real, eventually. Some small voice trying to tell him he was doing the wrong thing needed to be squashed and reduced to a puddle of neurons that had to have better work to do.

Aidan sat at his desk and tried to work, but his fingers, guided by some irresistible volition that seemed to come from an uncontrollable part of his brain, tapped in the name of Heathcliff’s video channel. He stopped resisting at some point, and he began to reread the thread. Apparently, now it had even more replies, and, while some commenters were trying to keep things toned down, others were simply outraged and convinced that there was something wrong with those drinks.

This wasn’t even about Heathcliff, he tried to tell himself. His boss needed to learn about this since it was their product that got in the bad spotlight, after all. With determination, he stood up and walked over to the door to the man’s office.

In few words, Aidan told the boss’s personal assistant that he needed to see him on a serious issue. For a moment or two, the assistant hesitated, but there must have been something in Aidan’s body language that looked convincing enough. Within a couple of minutes, he was seated on the lower chair in the room, in front of his boss.

“What’s this about, Spark?” the man boomed.

Unlike other times, Aidan didn’t feel impressed. There had been too many shocks in his life lately to care for a boss who liked to yell too damned much.

“People are complaining on Heathcliff Stone’s channel about our drinks giving them sugar rushes,” he replied promptly.

“People complain too much these days,” his boss shouted at him, in the same manner.

“With all due respect, sir, this is unprecedented, and we can’t dismiss such complaints.”

“How many people are we talking about? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands?”

Aidan could feel his jaw hurting. They weren’t selling millions, to warrant such a question. “At this moment, we’re talking about dozens.”

“Dozens!” His boss leaned back into his chair and pursed his lips, something that really made his face look like that of a giant toad. “Because some people on the Internet are talking nonsense, you come to me? Spark, you almost make me think you didn’t quite deserve that promotion!”

The pain in his jaw was getting unbearable. Aidan swallowed hard. “If that’s what you think, sir. But, please, hear me out. Today, dozens complain. Tomorrow, their number will increase tenfold. This could become viral and not in a good way.”

“Did Heathcliff Stone put you to come to me with this?” His boss said the words with unhidden disgust.

“He didn’t put me to come to you with anything,” Aidan replied. “He asked me to, and I believe he has the right to do so.”

“Why? Because he’s your boyfriend?” The last word had come out from the toad-like lips like it was poison almost ingested by mistake.

“No. Because he is a business partner, and his reputation is at stake, too. Also, the boyfriend part is not true, as you well know.”

Aidan couldn’t believe he was still keeping his cool under the artillery fire launched by his boss.

“Tell him he has nothing to worry about. Dismissed!” his boss yelled.

Aidan didn’t move. “This kind of situation requires an official statement from the company.”

“Are you trying to teach me how to do my job, Spark? Dismissed!”

Aidan felt all his blood rushing to his cheeks. There was something humiliating in how his boss was treating him right now. It wasn’t because of some former military training or whatever was making his boss behave like that. The man was a toad, indeed; as for what Heathcliff had said about him, now Aidan felt it to be real.

He stood up but didn’t leave just yet. “What should I tell Mr. Stone?”

“Tell him? Is anyone in the hospital or something? No. Just some people complaining because of who knows what reason. But, if you want so much to tell him something, tell him to keep his subscribers in check. If they’re badmouthing our product, that’s something that will make him lose money, too. It is up to him to convince them our product is within parameters.”

Aidan grimaced. He had pretty much said the same thing to Heathcliff earlier that day. Now, when the words were spoken back to him, he understood how they sounded. Heathcliff should have been pissed at him.

Instead, Heathcliff had tried to talk to him and keep him from leaving. Suddenly, Aidan felt small. Otherwise, everything else was true.

“You know what, Stone?” his boss interrupted his thoughts. “You’re off this contract. Apparently, you can’t handle such a situation.”

Aidan stood there, frozen. Was that punishment for talking out of turn?

“Did I make myself clear?” his boss said in an unpleasant, menacing voice.

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

He hurried out of the big kahuna’s office before being yelled at again. If there was something wrong with those drinks, it was up to him to discover it. In a way, it didn’t feel like such a shock to be taken off the contract. It felt, instead, that his boss was hiding something.

***

For days, Heathcliff had tried to reason with disgruntled people asking him about the drinks from The Healthy Shakers, and appease them without appearing like a condescending jerk. In the meantime, he had tried to get in touch with Aidan, but to no avail, since he didn’t pick up his phone or reply to messages. From the company, he had been informed by a dull and impersonal voice that Aidan Spark was no longer in charge of his relationship with the company.

Max was on it, and he was expecting some data any day now. In the meantime, it seemed as if his entire life was going downhill at the speed of light. There was a loss in subscribers, not a significant one just yet, but Heathcliff knew what that meant. People were starting to lose their trust in him.

As usual, he searched his inner peace through meditation and exercise, but, unlike many other times, except for helping him sleep, that didn’t provide him with all the answers. In a way, he knew he was stalling, and that he needed to call his father again, or at least, talk to Michael.

Heathcliff felt strangely alone in all that, and it was self-imposed. For the first time in years, he was starting to realize what it meant to be responsible for his own actions. Not that he was irresponsible, but his failure to keep Aidan by his side was a consequence of many choices he had made along the way in his life.

Maybe Aidan was right, at least a little. He had tried to be in control, dictating everything in their relationship, impatient with both their feelings. He had treated Aidan like a child, and, if the guy just answered his damned phone, Heathcliff would tell him everything, and apologize as he should.

Action was needed, but Heathcliff felt that going after Aidan right now might push them apart even more. He knew what the issue was. At least that was where all the meditation truly helped him -- to realize why he was upset, too.

Given a chance, Aidan had chosen his employer over Heathcliff. That was the real issue that he could not find himself letting go of; it wasn’t his habit to be jealous, but, in this case, he stupidly was precisely that. And jealousy was a new feeling he couldn’t quite understand, let alone deal with. It wasn’t even about sex or romantic implications; it was about trust, and it hurt him to realize how little of that Aidan had in him.

All he had to do was wait. The sound of his phone ringing sprang him into action. “Max,” he said right away, “what did you find out?”

“Heath, those people aren’t just talking smack. You gave me two samples, right?”

“Right,” he confirmed right away.

“Well, let’s just say that one is squeaky clean, as much as we can say about such a product, and the other is bound to send people with diabetes … well, not in a good place.”

Heathcliff could feel his blood coming to a halt. “What’s wrong with it?” he asked right away.

“It has more maltodextrin than a variety of drinks I tested for comparison,” his brother explained.

“I believe it is listed among the ingredients,” Heathcliff said.

“Yes, but the amount is the problem. And I know you’re not crazy about it, right?”

“Right. It’s just a cheap replacement for sugar, and nothing else. Just to make it have a bit of so-called palatable taste, I think.”

“It might also help people who exercise since it’s readily available as fuel to burn,” Max continued.

“I know all that. And I don’t condone it anyway.”

“I know. So, Heath, how come one sample was normal, and the other was so spiked with this shit?”

His brother was not one to cut corners. And neither was he. “One came from my fridge, and it’s the stuff Aidan brought over for me to promote during my videos. I bought the other from some random grocery store.”

Max hissed in displeasure. “Well, Heath, that’s nasty. The tests are conclusive, and you can always ask another lab to do them for you, just so that we don’t appear as having ulterior motives since we’re brothers. Still, you need to be careful with these guys. The moment you say something, they’ll just lawyer up.”

“Don’t you think I know?” Heathcliff snorted. “Scumbags always lawyer up.”

“What does Aidan have to say about this?”

Heathcliff chose to be vague on purpose. “He doesn’t say much these days.”

“He could help you out. Stand up for you.”

“But then, his job would be on the line,” Heathcliff replied.

He couldn’t bring himself to tell his brother about Aidan. There had to be something he could do to make Aidan come back. Now it was a bad time, and he needed to solve this issue first.

“If he cares about you, and the truth --” Max started.

“No. I won’t involve Aidan.”

“All right. Just don’t forget we’re all here for you.” Max knew when not to insist.

“I know. And thanks a lot for everything.”

He had barely said goodbye to Max that his phone started ringing again. He just hoped it wasn’t some trashy magazine to ask him if he was endorsing poison. It wasn’t anyone of the kind, luckily.

“Hey, Mikey,” he said.

“Now, Heath, could you please tell me why do I need to learn from tabloids that you broke up with Aidan?”

Could it be that Aidan had talked to reporters, given the opportunity? It felt unlikely, but maybe he didn’t know Aidan that well. “I didn’t want to bother you,” he replied simply.

“Oh, fuck. I meant that as a joke,” Michael said after a short moment of shocked silence. “I did read it online,” he added quickly, “but it looked like mere speculation. And I realized we haven’t talked in a while. What the hell is going on, Heath?”

“People fight,” Heathcliff explained shortly.

“It’s serious, or you wouldn’t sound like this.”

“Like what?” Heathcliff asked, with a sigh.

“Like this. And what’s this scandal with protein shakes or whatever?”

“Healthy drinks. The stuff I’m endorsing. Well, it’s pretty bad. What can I say? It’s one thing what they sent to me, and another what they sell in stores.”

“Shit,” Michael said under his breath. “And how did you find out?”

“My followers on social media started raising the issue, so I looked into it. I had Max examine the content from two different bottles. And he found out exactly what I told you. So it’s bad, in a nutshell.”

“You’re going to expose them, right?”

“That’s what I’m planning to do. But I need some time and plenty of care. Max warned me that they would not sit idle and let me do that to them. They’ll send an army of lawyers to fry my ass.”

“And Aidan? Oh no, is that why you two fought?”

“Not exactly.”

“If Aidan is the guy I think he is, he will help you if he finds out about this. I suppose not many people know the truth, at this point.”

“Just Max and you, except for me, of course. And let it be this way. Aidan doesn’t need to get involved in this.”

“Why? Even if he’s pissed at you, I think he would be on the side of truth.”

“And even if things are like that, what can he do?”

“He works there. He might be able to do more than you think. Talk to his boss, or find out what’s going on.”

“Maybe,” Heathcliff agreed. “But I don’t want him involved in any way.”

“So you think you’re keeping quiet to protect him?”

“Something like that.”

“I think you’re wrong. Aidan deserves to know. Wasn’t he involved in this project, too?” Michael asked.

“Not anymore. He was apparently pulled from it.”

“Now that’s odd,” Michael commented. “Don’t you think?”

“Mikey, I don’t exactly have time to speculate. I have a big problem, and I need to solve it and that without giving those assholes the chance to sniff what I’m planning. Yes, I intend to leave Aidan out of it.”

“Okay. But don’t be a stranger. It sounds like you need a friend more than anything right now.”

“That’s true,” Heathcliff admitted. “It feels like everything I’ve built all these years is in danger of crashing down. It might not feel to many people that what I do is real work --”

“You don’t have to say anything. You’re the hardest worker I know, Heath. So, shut up. Also, let’s get together tomorrow. I haven’t seen you in days, and I’m your best friend.”

“All right,” Heathcliff agreed with a small smile. “Lunch?”

“I’ll just come over, and we could play some squash later. I’m sure you need to work some anger out of your system.”

“You know I’ll destroy you,” Heathcliff joked.

“I hope so. And if it makes you feel better, it will be all worth it.”

He was still smiling as he said his goodbyes to Michael. The feel-good sensation didn’t last long, though. He needed to plan this carefully if he wanted to bring down those scumbags at The Healthy Shakers.

***

Aidan felt like an inside agent in a B-rated movie. He had already identified a pattern for everyone that moved throughout the department every day. If there was information kept away from prying eyes, it had to be well guarded, that, in the fortunate situation that it wasn’t stored someplace else.

Snooping around the database available for all employees to see and use had led nowhere, and Aidan hadn’t expected any miracles anyway. He needed to dig deeper, or maybe he was just fooling himself into believing he could find out anything.

In the meantime, he ignored Heathcliff’s calls and messages, deleting them without reading them. Heathcliff had no idea that the fact that they were no longer together was actually a good thing for him. Getting burdened with someone like Aidan would have come to light for what it was, eventually.

Right now, though, Aidan needed to prove, and not to Heathcliff but himself, that he could do something and make a difference. Watching the social media numbers for Heathcliff’s channels dropping was making his heart small. All the while, people’s complaints were getting louder, and even Heathcliff’s pleasant demeanor and courteous interactions didn’t appear to stave off the downfall.

Heathcliff Stone had made a really bad deal by signing up with The Healthy Shakers. Aidan knew enough to realize that getting back from such a situation would be hard even for someone as strong as Heathcliff.

Maybe he had played a role, too, getting Heathcliff to become too trusting, just because Aidan was working for that company. Maybe Heathcliff had let down his guard, and this wouldn’t have happened if he had been his usual self.

There was guilt what he felt, also over the fact that he had gotten involved with someone he was not supposed to. But there was something else, too, and Aidan didn’t want to go there. Heathcliff was better off without him.

Now, he just needed to focus on what to do to help his former boyfriend. By the looks of it, not much, he was that useless.

Aidan let his head drop on the desk, thinking in not very flattering terms of himself. His phone rang, and he checked it just to make sure that it wasn’t Heathcliff again. For some time, his phone had been quiet.

He straightened up in his chair and stared at the screen. It was Michael, and suddenly, he felt his heartbeat slowing down. Could it be that something happened to Heathcliff? Without hesitating any longer, he took the call.

“Hey, Aidan, I thought you weren’t going to answer,” Michael said.

“Hey, Michael. Sorry, I’m at work and ... Is Heathcliff all right?”

“You could and should ask him that directly,” Michael pointed out in a stern voice.

“We broke up,” Aidan explained.

“Quite a big surprise if I may say. Your company is ruining Heath’s credibility. You know that, right?”

“I am well aware,” Aidan replied, somewhat stiffly.

“And? Don’t you care? I thought you two were the real deal.”

“Apparently not.”

“Heath is tight-lipped about why you two fought about, and I see that so are you. I’m just telling you this. If you can, you should help him out.”

Michael was a no-nonsense kind of man, and Aidan liked that about him. But that didn’t mean that such a request was easy to comply with. “And what can I do?”

“You work there, and, I shouldn’t tell you this, as it’s a secret, but Heath has solid proof that those drinks are loaded with cheap sweeteners. Do you really like to be on the wrong side here?”

“I don’t,” Aidan said right away. “How is he?” he asked, his voice meek.

“He tries to put on a brave face, but I know him. Aidan, whatever happened between you two, if there’s something you know about this scandal, just lend him a helping hand. I’d say you should comfort him, too, but I am only calling as a friend. If you don’t want to do that, at least think about who’s truly in the wrong here. I pegged you as a decent, honest person. Was I wrong?”

Michael was making quite a strong point. Aidan pushed one hand through his hair, and right then, he noticed his boss’s assistant leaving and letting the door ajar. He stole quick looks around. At that hour, there was no one else left.

“Thanks for the call, Michael,” he said quickly and cut the conversation.

He turned off his phone with brusque moves and walked toward his boss’s office. They did things by the book at The Healthy Shakers. Also, the old fashioned way, the biggest credo of the company rang into his ears, as he moved quickly, sliding along the wall, like a criminal.

There was no time to think of consequences. If there was solid proof, something that could settle this scandal without putting Heathcliff in a bad light, it had to be there.

He entered the assistant’s office first and pushed the door behind him just to appear to be as it had been left earlier. A quick look around the room revealed what he was looking for. He pulled one drawer and began browsing through the folders, but there seemed to be nothing there.

Without one ounce of hesitation, he entered the big kahuna’s office. Luckily for him, it wasn’t closed. Now he felt even more like an intruder and someone who most probably lost his mind. Passing by the desk fast, he identified a few places where documents could be held.

Aidan was quick as he pulled open drawer after drawer. The clock on the wall seemed to stand still as he was moving about like a scheduled automatic vacuum cleaner, yet, for him, time seemed to fly.

This wasn’t right. If there was proof, it had to be there, he told himself for the umpteenth time. In frustration, he pushed back a drawer a bit too fast and caught it just in time so that it didn’t slam shut. Then, his eyes landed on the only place he hadn’t looked: the desk itself, on which a folder rested, neatly arranged.

Aidan opened it with one finger, and his eyes grew wide as he began to read and try to make sense of the words on paper.

He grabbed it and stashed it under one arm, decided to make himself scarce as soon as possible. At the door leading into the larger room with the cubicles, he stopped for a second. What would he do if he ended up face to face with his boss’s assistant?

There was no time to think up lies. He put one hand on the door handle and pulled it open. There was no one waiting on the other side. Picking up the pace, he headed straight to his cubicle and pushed the folder he had just stolen into his briefcase.

After that, he headed for the exit. The proof was there, indeed, but it wasn’t going to be for long.

“Finished already?” The boss’s assistant almost crashed into him.

“Yes. I’m done here,” Aidan said quickly.

“And I thought you would beat my record,” the woman commented.

“I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” Aidan said.

He moved the briefcase from one hand to the other. It wasn’t like the assistant had laser vision or something, but he could swear she was trying to see through him, that inquisitive her eyes were.

“Good night,” he said quickly and stepped into the elevator.

The assistant looked at him a tad confused as the doors closed. Aidan closed his eyes and let himself rest against the mirrored wall of the elevator. The shirt on his back was soaked through, but he had made it. It would most probably cost him his job, but he had done it.

***

Heathcliff was browsing through a list of independent laboratories and was debating which one to go for when someone rang the doorbell.

“Coming!” he shouted as he reluctantly let go of the laptop.

Who could it be at that hour? Maybe just a neighbor to ask him about who knows what. He opened the door, and stood there, surprised. Were kids playing pranks on him now? There was no one there.

The sound a car door closing made him look toward the end of the street. Jumping over the few stairs leading to his door, he hurried to catch the one person he had hoped so much to see lately.

“Aidan!” he called out.

But the car sped up and disappeared around the corner in a heartbeat. Heathcliff cursed loudly and headed back to the house. What was Aidan thinking now, ringing the doorbell and fleeing like that?

Something made a funny sound under his foot, and he looked down. Intrigued, he looked closer, and then picked up the folder left on his doorsteps. Quickly, he began leafing through it. Soon, a broad smile was splitting his face.

Heathcliff walked into the house with the folder in his hands. He didn’t need to plan a long fight with The Healthy Shakers, after all. He was no lawyer, but it felt like whatever was there, in that folder, was incriminating enough to cut whatever legal battle might have occurred truly short.

Thanks were in order, too. With the same smile on his face, he picked Aidan’s phone number and called.

Only to be sent straight to voicemail. His smile faded, and a frown emerged in its stead as he looked at the folder open on his table once again.

TBC

And that was that! I won't say anything more! What do you think happened? Where is Aidan? What's Heathcliff going to do? With only a handful of chapters left to go, I promise you there will be a conclusion  Not saying more, I hate spoilers with a fiery passion, lol! (So I don't want to be part of the problem)
 

Until next time,

Hugs and kisses,

Laura.

 

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