the Italian countryside, enchanted with its food, small villages and shops, the art, and the rolling hills studded with grape vines and olive trees. Away from his lab, Jeffrey was able to completely relax and he joined her in attempting to eat and drink as much as they could. For a welcome change, he even seemed somewhat normal.
The Italian men were as captivated with Maria as the American men. Wherever they went, she was the object of slavish male attention. Men passed her in the streets, softly telling her how beautiful she was, sending wine to her at dinner, and blowing kisses to her. If possible, Maria became even more beautiful, glowing in the spotlight of all the male attention. It was an unforgettable two weeks.
Maria and Jeffrey returned to California and settled into married life. They bought a condominium in Irvine near Moore Labs. Maria was soon promoted to what Moore Labs referred to as a "scientific assistant." Her new job consisted of doing secretarial work for a pool of five Moore Lab scientists. She loved the work and felt she was beginning to have a glimmer of what Jeffrey did in his scientific research.
Jeffrey was becoming renowned for his work on anti-aging hormones. Moore Labs had submitted his discovery to the Food and Drug Administration and they were now waiting for the government approvals to be completed. They wanted to be able to get the drug on the market as soon as possible. The FDA had approved their trials on the rats and they were now starting trials on humans. Everyone in the industry knew it would be one of the biggest blockbuster drugs to ever hit the market. The stock price of Moore Scientific Laboratories had risen dramatically in anticipation of FDA approval.
The discovery came at a very good time. The baby boomer generation was reaching their sixties and had a fear of all things which indicated they were aging. This was the generation that wasn't supposed to age. If there was a magic elixir to delay aging, the boomers would be standing in line to buy it. Billions of dollars in new sales were on the line.
Several years, happy years, went by for Maria and Jeffrey. Then one day, disaster struck. It came on a Wednesday afternoon, in Maria's office. She was preparing to leave for the day and decided to go to the ladies' room before she and Jeffrey met in front of the building for dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. She left her purse on her desk.
Dan, Jeffrey's good friend and fellow scientist who managed the five scientists in the pool for which Maria had been hired, walked out of his nearby office ready to quit work for the day. He definitely looked like his life had been spent in a lab. Pale-faced and overweight with thinning hair, it was apparent to anyone who looked at him that this was a very cerebral man, not a gym rat.
He idly noticed Maria's purse on her desk and wondered if she had forgotten to take it with her. He walked over to it, intending to put it in one of her desk drawers. He noticed that the clasp on the purse was undone and it was open. He couldn't help but see a vial inside which was clearly labeled "Property of Moore Scientific Laboratories." He was very familiar with the vials, as all experimental products must be stored in them. There had to be a designation of what was in the vial so there would never be an inadvertent, dangerous mistake, which could prove costly to Moore Labs. He took the vial out of her purse and saw the designation on it for Jeffrey's experimental anti-aging hormone.
The government was getting close to giving approval for the hormone, but the approval was still months, if not years away. Dan began to have a sick feeling about his discovery. Jeffrey was the only person who knew how to make the hormone or have access to it. Had he allowed the drug to leave the high security lab without company approval? Could he be administering it to Maria? This was a violation of company policy that was both unethical and illegal. Dan heard
The Italian men were as captivated with Maria as the American men. Wherever they went, she was the object of slavish male attention. Men passed her in the streets, softly telling her how beautiful she was, sending wine to her at dinner, and blowing kisses to her. If possible, Maria became even more beautiful, glowing in the spotlight of all the male attention. It was an unforgettable two weeks.
Maria and Jeffrey returned to California and settled into married life. They bought a condominium in Irvine near Moore Labs. Maria was soon promoted to what Moore Labs referred to as a "scientific assistant." Her new job consisted of doing secretarial work for a pool of five Moore Lab scientists. She loved the work and felt she was beginning to have a glimmer of what Jeffrey did in his scientific research.
Jeffrey was becoming renowned for his work on anti-aging hormones. Moore Labs had submitted his discovery to the Food and Drug Administration and they were now waiting for the government approvals to be completed. They wanted to be able to get the drug on the market as soon as possible. The FDA had approved their trials on the rats and they were now starting trials on humans. Everyone in the industry knew it would be one of the biggest blockbuster drugs to ever hit the market. The stock price of Moore Scientific Laboratories had risen dramatically in anticipation of FDA approval.
The discovery came at a very good time. The baby boomer generation was reaching their sixties and had a fear of all things which indicated they were aging. This was the generation that wasn't supposed to age. If there was a magic elixir to delay aging, the boomers would be standing in line to buy it. Billions of dollars in new sales were on the line.
Several years, happy years, went by for Maria and Jeffrey. Then one day, disaster struck. It came on a Wednesday afternoon, in Maria's office. She was preparing to leave for the day and decided to go to the ladies' room before she and Jeffrey met in front of the building for dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. She left her purse on her desk.
Dan, Jeffrey's good friend and fellow scientist who managed the five scientists in the pool for which Maria had been hired, walked out of his nearby office ready to quit work for the day. He definitely looked like his life had been spent in a lab. Pale-faced and overweight with thinning hair, it was apparent to anyone who looked at him that this was a very cerebral man, not a gym rat.
He idly noticed Maria's purse on her desk and wondered if she had forgotten to take it with her. He walked over to it, intending to put it in one of her desk drawers. He noticed that the clasp on the purse was undone and it was open. He couldn't help but see a vial inside which was clearly labeled "Property of Moore Scientific Laboratories." He was very familiar with the vials, as all experimental products must be stored in them. There had to be a designation of what was in the vial so there would never be an inadvertent, dangerous mistake, which could prove costly to Moore Labs. He took the vial out of her purse and saw the designation on it for Jeffrey's experimental anti-aging hormone.
The government was getting close to giving approval for the hormone, but the approval was still months, if not years away. Dan began to have a sick feeling about his discovery. Jeffrey was the only person who knew how to make the hormone or have access to it. Had he allowed the drug to leave the high security lab without company approval? Could he be administering it to Maria? This was a violation of company policy that was both unethical and illegal. Dan heard
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