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I get Liv settled into the back seat of the limo and then stand next to it with my face toward the sun. There is nothing sweeter than a calm, sunny day with temperatures in the low seventies. You get all the warmth and benefits of sunshine, without any of the sweat. I absolutely love it.
Curt and Conner come walking over to the car and the driver throws their bags into the trunk. They both look at me as if they are wondering where I am going to sit. I open the door where Liv is sitting and ask her to slide to the middle. Both guys quickly jump in from the other side.
“Anyone like a Bloody Mary to get the party started?” Curt picks up a bottle of mix and tips it toward Liv. She simply groans and buries her face in her hands.
“I’m good, but you two go ahead,” I tell them.
They both have a laugh at Liv’s expense before leaning back and closing their eyes. The car suddenly falls silent, so I turn toward the window to take in the scenery as we leave the airport. We make our way through a large grove of trees and then emerge into a residential neighborhood. The houses are large and well kept, but many of them appear to be centuries old. It’s hard to imagine all the changes that must have occurred since this city was founded nearly thirty centuries ago. The United States is so young by comparison. I wonder if it will even survive to be this old?
The driver makes a turn and takes us right along the shoreline of Lake Geneva. The beautiful blue water with the Swiss Alps in the background provide breathtaking views, making me glad that I chose the seat with the best vantage point. I glance at Liv and the two men; they all have their eyes closed. I can’t believe they are missing this. It’s absolutely gorgeous.
Pulling up to a majestic looking hotel, I give Liv a nudge. “It’s time to wake up sweetie.” She groans and gives me a look that is anything but sweet. I have a feeling she’s not going to be much fun today.
Trey
Making it to my meeting with a few minutes to spare, I sit down and begin thinking about Mandy and Liv. Part of me feels a bit guilty for abandoning them, but another part of me is glad that I had a good excuse to do so. Liv can be a handful on a normal day, but she is especially challenging when she has a brutal hangover. Poor Mandy. Hopefully Liv will just go to bed once they get checked into the hotel.
Who is Mandy? The question pops into my head again, as I pull the clinical trial data from my briefcase. I should be going over the data, preparing for my meeting, but my mind is stubbornly fixed on the gorgeous brunette who blew my mind the night before. I try to remember how her and Liv might know one another. I don’t recall her name ever being mentioned until we started planning this trip. I glance through the first few pages of the report still pondering Mandy’s actions. I guess if I saw someone trading a briefcase for a manila envelope, I would be curious too.
Another thing that strikes me as odd is the fact that she seemed so unnerved this morning. The woman who pulled off that bold maneuver last night, seemed much more timid in the light of day. I suppose I could blame it on the alcohol, but she didn’t seem wasted by any means. While blankly staring at the pages in my hand, my mind continues to try to solve a puzzle that contains very few recognizable pieces.
“Trey! Good to see you my friend,” Jürgen Gessner gushes as he enters the waiting area. Jürgen is the CEO of Switzerland’s fastest growing Biotech Company. The man is absolutely brilliant. After hearing him speak during my junior year of college, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life. The biotech field is changing the world, so since then I have tried to make as many high level connections as possible throughout the industry. Jürgen is one of the best and brightest.
“Hello Jürgen. I’m a bit jet lagged, but I think you will definitely like what I have for you.” I stand and hand him the report. “It looks like Restolza has missed the patient outcome goal for their first stage clinical trial.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Let’s go talk in private.” He takes off down the hallway with the excitability of a young child. “You and I are going to take the Anti-Aging field by storm!”
“Yes, we will…”
~~~
After spending the day with Jürgen, I arrive back at the hotel a few minutes after four. The door between the suites is open, so I wander through both rooms looking for the girls. Liv is crashed on one of the beds and Mandy is apparently in the shower. I walk over to the vanity where her purse and phone are both open to prying eyes. I have been wondering all day who she is and why she is really here. Maybe this is my chance. I pick up her phone and click the button. It’s locked. I glance inside her purse and see what is obviously a wallet, but I don’t want to do it this way. I set the phone down and step away.
