The Almighty Dominance

"Wait!" Charles barked sharply, freezing everyone in their tracks.

He leaned forward, his voice dripping with intrigue.

"I have intel from my informants. Apparently, Alex is hiding something extremely rare—the essential ingredient of the Emerald Elixir.:

"If you can pry that secret from his greedy hands, Clara walks free, and you'll be rewarded with ten million dollars!"

Florence's eyes widened with greedy anticipation, glittering like diamonds catching the light.

"Ten million dollars? Are you absolutely certain?"

Charles flashed a wicked grin, eyes locked on hers. “I never make idle promises.”

Florence's lips curled into a ruthless smile, the gears in her mind spinning furiously.

"That's hardly an obstacle. A mere ingredient from that pathetic fool? I'll wrench it from him myself. He wouldn't dare defy me!"

Charles leaned back leisurely, satisfied. "Then I eagerly await your triumphant return, Mrs. Lancaster."

Florence whipped around, commanding authority dripping from every syllable. "Jack! Round up the men. Move it—we have business to handle!"noveldrama

Storming out with savage determination, Florence's heels struck the ground like hammer blows, her entourage scrambling to follow.

Meanwhile, as midday sunlight streamed through the windows, Alex stood calmly in his modest clinic, carefully treating a homeless man whose leg had been viciously torn by a rabid dog.

Without warning, a harsh, venomous shout pierced the air outside: "Alex, get your worthless ass out here immediately!"

The homeless patient flinched, turning anxiously to Alex. "Doc, sounds like someone's real angry at you out there."

Alex gently pressed a syringe into the man's wound, utterly unfazed.

"Relax. They're just another pack of rabid dogs. Staying away is your safest bet- confront them, and you'll only get bitten."

The patient chuckled weakly, admiring Alex's composure. "Well said, Doc."

The clinic's door burst open violently, revealing Florence, her face contorted with rage.

Jack and his muscle-bound lackeys poured in behind her, shadows of brutality and intimidation.

Alex raised his gaze slowly, eyes cold and unyielding.

"Is there something I can help you with?" he asked coolly, calmly stepping aside to allow the homeless man to rest.

Florence lunged forward, her voice a shrill storm of fury and indignation.

"You disgusting, inhumane monster! Clara did nothing but treat you with kindness,

Yet you repay her by stabbing her in the back?

You pathetic, vile, ungrateful beast!

A snake in the grass with a coward's feast!

You lowlife liar with a parasite's soul,

Feeding off others to fill your black hole!

A backstabbing, dirt-scraping, cold-hearted leech,

Rotten to the core, beyond anyone's reach!

You traitorous worm in a human disguise,

A demon in flesh with dead, hollow eyes!

Slither in shame, choke on your pride,

No rock to hide under, nowhere to slide!"

Jack and his men exchanged astonished glances, momentarily stunned by the torrent of venomous insults Florence hurled with rhythmic precision.

"Damn," Jack muttered, eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Woman's got bars."

Florence snapped her head around viciously, her glare a knife aimed straight at Jack's throat.

He swallowed nervously, instantly silenced.

She turned back to Alex, venom still sizzling in her gaze. "No more lies, Alex! Admit it—you set Clara up. You betrayed her from the start, didn't you?"

Alex regarded her calmly, utterly composed in the face of her rage.

"I have no clue who's feeding you these ridiculous accusations, but Clara's troubles are entirely her own doing. She chose the wrong allies-that's on her." Florence's fury flared brighter, her fists clenched so tightly her nails drew blood. "Don't you dare try to worm your way out of this! If even a single hair on Clara's head is harmed, I swear you won't live to regret it!"

Alex remained utterly indifferent, a wall of ice against her fiery threats.

"Did you barge in here just to spew empty threats?"

Florence straightened, eyes narrowed with cunning and greed.

"Of course not. We're here for your apology-your pitiful confession for framing Clara. And to make amends, you'll hand over the core ingredient of the Emerald Elixir. Now."

"That's right! After dragging Clara into your filthy mess, compensation is the least you owe us. Hand over the ingredients-now!"

Jack barked, his voice dripping with arrogant disdain.

Alex's eyebrow arched coolly, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips. "You mean the main ingredient of the Emerald Elixir?”

Memories surged back-Alex vividly recalled the catastrophic data breach at Kingston Pharmaceuticals.

SkinDew's formula, and now likely most of the Emerald Elixir's formula, had already been leaked.

But Alex had been careful, crafty enough to conceal the essential ingredient from everyone's prying eyes.

Even if the formula itself slipped into the wrong hands, without this core ingredient, they would be chasing shadows forever.

"Yes, that damned ingredient," Jack sneered impatiently, eyes gleaming with greed.

Alex sighed theatrically, mockingly feigning surrender.

"Fine. And if I give you this oh-so-precious main ingredient, you'll forgive me?"

Jack's lips curled triumphantly. "Yes, of course."

"Marvelous," Alex drawled

sarcastically turning toward his

medicine cabinet with exaggerated

slowness. He pulled out a modest box, filling it casually with a

of cheap ginseng roots, his

movements careless and

andful

wnow

dismissive.

Behind him, Jack and Florence exchanged victorious glances, arrogance painted blatantly on their smug faces.

Jack leaned closer, whispering excitedly, "Mother, is Alex really going to hand it over that easily?"

Florence's laughter was cruel and confident. "Of course he is. He wouldn't dare defy us."

Alex returned, carrying the plain box with a flourish. He held it out, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"Here it is—remember, whatever lies inside is worth millions. Handle it carefully."

Florence snatched the box without even the pretense of gratitude, turning her disdainful gaze on Alex.

"Jack, let's go. The longer I breathe the same air as this pathetic excuse for a man, the worse my mood becomes."

With that venomous parting shot, they departed, leaving behind only the echo of her scornful laughter.

An hour later, triumphant and self-assured, they met Charles. Florence thrust the box into his eager hands.

"Charles, my dear, here it is the main ingredient for your precious Emerald Elixir."

Charles's eyes sparked to life, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.

At last, he thought feverishly, he had obtained the elusive ingredient hidden by Alex, the final piece to his puzzle.

With it, he could finally replicate the fabled elixir and claim its staggering rewards for himself.

But his hopeful expression crumbled swiftly into confusion as he opened the box. His brows knitted into a furious scowl, disappointment darkening his features.

"What is this? Ginseng? And cheap, immature ginseng at that!" Florence shrugged indifferently, oblivious to the brewing storm in Charles's eyes.

"I don't know. Alex said explicitly it's the main ingredient. That loser wouldn't dare

lie."

Charles's fingers clenched tighter around the worthless ginseng, suspicion gnawing at his mind like a ravenous rat.

Is this really the secret ingredient Alex hid from them?

It felt wrong—something about it didn't sit right. But what if it *was* the real thing?

There was only one way to know for sure: he had to make the pill.

To test the ingredient properly, he'd have to brew a fresh batch of the Emerald Elixir, following the formula to the letter.

That meant weeks of preparation, refinement, and analysis—weeks that would dangerously stall his plans.

"Florence," Charles muttered, his

voice laced with frustration, "I'll need

at least a month to analyze this...

thing. To confirm whether it's truly

the core ingredient."

Florence's eyes flashed with irritation.

"And what about our money, Charles? And Clara-will you still get her out of jail or

not?"

Charles hesitated, trapped between promises and uncertainty, unable to answer her pointed question.

Meanwhile, back at the clinic, Josephine rummaged through drawers, her irritation growing sharper with each passing moment.

Finally, she snapped at Alex, "Alex, did you see the ginseng I bought specifically

for my monthly cramps?"

Alex smirked, unrepentant and amused.

"I gave it to someone who needed it more than you. Relax-I'll buy you something

better later."

Josephine's eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Who could possibly need it more?"

Alex's smile widened, wicked humor sparkling in his gaze. "Just an old lady who suffers from severe mood swings. She spews filth from her mouth so relentlessly, surelyat must be due to hormonal imbalance."

Across town, Charles and Florence stood silently staring at the cheap, immature

ginseng roots scattered across Charles's trembling palms.

Their faces twisted with confusion, frustration, and a slow, creeping realization— they truly didn't know if this was the real main ingredient of the Emerald Elixir or

not.