Alex blinked in confusion.


    "I''m sorry-what did you say, Master?"


    The old man smirked.


    "You heard me, boy. This so-called ''world'' is a grand fake but. A cheap illusion. Have you ever bothered to question why you''re alive? What''s the purpose of life? Where do you go after death-and do you really believe you''ll live again once you''re dead?"


    A chill seized Alex''s spine. "Master, are you talking about reincarnation? We die, then return... but with a new life, right?"


    The old man''sughter rasped through the room like a rusted nail scraping metal.


    "Don''t tter yourself, kid. Who says you get a fresh start each time? What if, after you keel over, you snap right back to day one in the same tired script? Over and over. Like some glitchy video loop that never stops reying because you''re too blind and clueless to notice."


    Alex swallowed hard. "That''s... horrifying."


    "Horrifying?" The master''s lip curled, contempt dripping off every syble.


    "What''s really scary is that you''re alive right now and know absolutely nothing about what that means. You stumble around in a daze, clueless, day after day. Do you even realize how pitiful that is?"


    Alex clenched his fists but said nothing.


    "Get it through your thick skull, Alex." The master shifted, then swung the staff


    with surprising force, smacking the top of Alex''s head.


    "Find your way out before you waste another eternity."


    A sh of pain shot through Alex''s skull-and then, darkness.


    When he finally opened his eyes, the stark fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, and he realized he was hunched over a steel table in a modern researchb.


    Papers were scattered everywhere, leftover food containers stacked in precarious towers.


    He straightened, breath stuttering. The memory of the old man''s scoffing voice and the crack of that blunt staff still echoed in his ears.


    He touched his head, half-expecting a bruise.


    "Was that... a dream?" he wondered aloud, teeth clenched. But it had felt far too real. Far too vicious to be a mere fantasy.


    He cast a quick nce around theb, theputer screens blinking like a silent chorus.


    "All right," Alex muttered, rubbing the lingering ache on his scalp. "I don''t know what you were trying to show me, old man, but I''m listening."


    But he had work to do-a mountain of it. There was no time to dwell on dreams about reincarna or looping lives.


    One Week Later


    Jasmine nearly flung her phone when it buzzed for the eighth time that morning.


    She snatched it up to see Kelly''s name blinking. "Kelly, this better be good," she snapped, the toll of sleepless nights making her voice razor-sharp.


    "Oh, it''s better than good." Kelly''s excitement crackled through the line, ignoring Jasmine''s grouchiness.


    "Guess what, Jas? Alex pulled it off-he actually synthesized the Emerald Elixir!" "You''re kidding." Jasmine struggled to keep her voice steady.


    "It''s real. I''ve got it in front of me," Kelly said breathlessly "We even tested a sample. You won''t believe the results."


    A flicker of hope sparked in Jasmine''s chest. "On my way. Don''t you dare go anywhere."


    Less than an hourter, she was racing through the pristine corridors of Hilton Pharmacy''s cutting-edgeboratory.


    Kelly met her with a grin wide enough to split her face. She held up a small ss container, heart pounding like she''d discovered buried treasure.


    "Look," she breathed, uncorking it. Insidey a single emerald-green pill that shimmered like a jewel.


    "Ready for a test drive?" Kelly teased, offering it.


    Jasmine swallowed hard. "I... sure."


    She tossed the pill into her mouth, half-expecting a bitter aftertaste. But the taste


    was surprisingly refreshing, like the crisp snap of peppermint.


    The effect was instantaneous. A soothing tingle flooded her limbs, chasing off the exhaustion that had gued her for days.


    Her cheeks felt warm and subtly tighter, as if her very cells had gotten an upgrade.


    She raced to a small mirror on a steel countertop.


    The face gazing back was...hers, but improved-bright-eyed, vibrant, as if she''d just had a top-tier spa treatment.


    The dark circles under her eyes? Gone. Her skin practically glowed.


    "This is insane," Jasmine whispered, fingertips brushing her cheek in wonder. "If this is how a single dose works, I can''t imagine the impact on the market."


    Kelly rocked on her heels, eyes practically dancing. "All thanks to that rare Verdantheart Root Alex cultivated.


    Half a million dors on that root, but it''s paying off big time. We can keep producing this for decades, Jaz!"


    Jasmine bit her lip, a grin slowly curving. "He did it. That genius actually did it." All her worries-about Jericho Kane, about the pressure from corporate, about looming deadlines-briefly vanished. Hope reced the fear, shining so brightly it almost hurt.


    She exhaled, regaining a steely resolve. "We need to keep this under wraps until the right moment.


    Kelly''s brow furrowed. "Why hide it? Jericho''s about to announce SkinDew Essence next week-if weunch our product now, we''d kill their momentum."


    "A dark edge crept into Jasmine''s smile.


    "Exactly. We wait until his press conference. Let him gloat. Then we blindside him with the Emerald Elixir. Public humiliation. That arrogant jerk''s riding too high. Time to knock him off the pedestal."


    Kelly nodded, her grin morphing into a matching smirk. "This is going to be epic."


    That Same Afternoon - At the Lancaster Estate


    Jack Lancaster burst into the living room, brandishing a sleek invitation embossed with gold filigree. "Sophia! Tell me you''re taking me to Miss Kane''s birthday party tonight. I know Charles''s flying you in on his private jet. That''s the rumored n, right?"


    Sophia let out an annoyed sigh, her manicured nails tapping the invitation that had just arrived. "It''s true. He offered a plus-one, but-"


    ra sauntered in, lips curled in a condescending smirk. "I''m the one going," she finished.


    Jack whirled around, ring daggers at her. "You? Seriously?” His tone wasced with contempt. "You can''t even pronounce half the brands these people wear. You''re going to embarrass us."


    ra folded her arms, eyes narrowing with smug superiority. "At least I won''t show up reeking of desperation. The only thing you''re good at is slobbering over potential rich girlfriends."


    Jack''s cheeks burned red. "Maybe I''m ambitious. Ever think of that? And maybe Miss Kane would actually appreciate someone real instead of a two-faced snake in a designer dress."


    Sophia pinched the bridge of her nose, exasperated. "Both of you-enough. I can only bring one, and Mom already said yes to ra."


    "Really?" Jack''s voice cracked, his bitterness palpable. “I''m your own brother, and you''re seriously dragging along a stuck-up, second-rate-"


    ra''s eyes red with anger. "Watch your mouth, you ugly little toad. If you want to go so badly, how about you stow away in the luggagepartment?"


    Jack clenched his fists. "Oh, you think you''re hot stuff, huh? Truth is, you''re just as useless as a knockoff handbag. At least I have blood ties to this family. You''re nothing more than a plus-one hanger-on."


    "Oh, yeah?” ra snapped. "Better a plus-one than a plus-zero. Stay home and sulk, loser." 1