The Almighty Dominance

Chapter 217

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's laughter rasped through the room like a rusted nail scraping metal.

"Don't flatter 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 stired script? Over and over. Like sglitchy video loop that never stops replaying

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 syllable.

"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 flash 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 research lab.

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 glance around the lab, the computer 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 tto dwell on dreams about reincarna or looping lives.

Chapter 217

One Week Later

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

She snatched it up to see Kelly's nblinking. "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 hour later, she was racing through the pristine corridors of Hilton Pharmacy's cutting-edge

laboratory.

Kelly met her with a grin wide enough to split her face. She held up a small glass container, heart pounding like

she'd discovered buried treasure.

"Look," she breathed, uncorking it. Inside lay 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 plagued

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, |

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 dollars 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 replaced 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.

Chapter 217

Kelly's brow furrowed. "Why hide it? Jericho's about to announce SkinDew Essence next week-if we launch 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. Tto knock him off the pedestal."

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

That SAfternoon - At the Lancaster Estate

Jack Lancaster burst into the living room, brandishing a sleek invitation embossed with gold filigree. "Sophia! Tell