Aurora stood, closed her laptop, and walked out with him back into the lab. The moment the team saw her, more cheers followed.
Aurora lifted her hand gently to quiet them down. "It’s not just thanks to me," she said, her voice steady but kind. "This is a result of everyone’s hard work. I’m proud of all of you."
The team beamed at her words, visibly moved.
Then, turning back to Dr. Maxwell, Aurora gave her final instructions. "Professor Martin, start the preparations. It’s time for L Pharmaceuticals to go live. Make the public release under your name."
Maxwell blinked, stunned. "Wait... Boss... why under my name? Why not yours?"
"It doesn’t matter whose name is on the patent," Aurora said, her gaze distant now. "What matters... is that this medicine reaches the people who need it."
Maxwell stared at her, feeling a lump form in his throat. There was more to it. He could feel it.
"...Is it because of what happened last year?" he thought.
Aurora sensing his question, expression didn’t change, but her eyes darkened just slightly.
Maxwell understood the message.
Last year... when Dr. Lia’s secret lab in Y Country had exploded... the world thought she was dead.
Maxwell had been devastated. For weeks, he had refused to believe she was gone. He kept telling himself...
’It’s not easy to kill the Devil.’
And now... here she was.
Alive. Breathing. Standing right in front of him.
God had listened to his prayers.
Maxwell almost went senile thinking about Luna all those months. The pain of losing her... the guilt... it had eaten him alive.
She wasn’t just another student to him. She was like his own child... a precious life he had nurtured with care.
He still remembered when she was little... those bright eyes that sparkled with curiosity... that restless mind always eager to learn.
Even as a child, her presence carried a strange, powerful aura... shouting her desire to conquer knowledge.
He had taken her in as his apprentice without a second thought.
And by the age of fifteen... she had already outshone him. Outsmarted him. Outpaced him in ways that both frustrated and filled him with pride.
Such a brilliant soul... such a rare gift...
Surely... the heavens couldn’t be that cruel... could they?
Maxwell gave a small nod. "Alright then. I’ll take care of it. The papers... the announcements... everything will go under my name."
Aurora’s lips curled into the faintest smile. "Good."
Deep inside, Maxwell knew why she wanted it this way.
Dr. Lia was a legend in the medical world. If this breakthrough appeared under anyone’s name but mine, it would draw unwanted attention from dangerous places... and the world would start hunting for her again.
Everyone knew Dr. Lia as my apprentice—one of the only three I ever took under my wing. They called me the wizard of the science world... but she... she was my brightest star.
Rumors would rise. Eyes would turn towards her. And Aurora... Luna... wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.
"Well, as you say, Boss..." Maxwell said with a small smile. "Also... there’s something I’d like to discuss with you."
Aurora nodded and motioned for him to follow. Together, they returned to her private chamber.
As the door closed behind them, she asked, "Did the results of the blood test come out yet?"
Professor Martin gave a tired sigh and nodded. "Yes... they did." He ran a hand through his greying hair before continuing, "Whoever this blood belongs to... is a very poor soul, alas..." he said quietly.
"Various drugs... chemicals... have been present in his system since a very young age. The strange thing is... they weren’t just random.
Everything was methodically administered... planned... controlled. And now... it’s like the toxins have fused with his blood cells at the cellular level."
He paused, looked up from the report, and asked, "Is... is this person still alive?"
Aurora didn’t reply. She just took the report from him and started reading.
The results... were same.
But this time, thanks to the high-tech equipment and Professor Martin’s precise methods... the report was clearer... deeper... more detailed.
"So..." she said, flipping to the last page, "Did you also run the DNA comparison? Do we have a match?"
Professor Martin shook his head with a tired sigh. "It’s... complicated," he said. "The DNA patterns don’t match... at least not according to the system."
There’s something strange going on. I’ll need more time to confirm anything."
He hesitated for a second, then added, "I know I shouldn’t speak out of turn... but... Boss, this looks like a lost case.
The level of toxicity... flushing this out of the system will be nearly impossible. The body... it won’t last much longer."
Aurora’s gaze stayed steady. "It’s in the process, Professor Martin," she said simply.
Maxwell blinked... then chuckled, suddenly remembering something. "Ah... yes, you’re right... My old age... I nearly forgot," he said with a grin.
"If you’re the one working on this... then there’s no problem at all. When the godly doctor is the one saving a life... even the Grim Reaper wouldn’t dare to get in the way."
Aurora let out a small laugh. "You’re flattering me again, old man."
Maxwell smiled fondly, but then she said something that froze him mid-laugh.
"Tell me, Professor..." she said casually, almost like a joke. "Did you ever wonder... that this might be my blood?"
Maxwell’s laughter stopped.
For a full second, the room went quiet.
He turned... staring directly at her with wide eyes.
"...Stop joking, Boss..." he said with a nervous chuckle. "How... how could that be possible...?"
Aurora just sighed, setting the report down on her desk.
Without giving him an answer, she stood up and stretched lightly.
"Well then... it’s time for me to go check on my prey," she said with a small, dangerous smile... and with that, she walked out of the room, leaving Maxwell standing there... still replaying her words over and over in his mind.
It’s not possible... is it? Maxwell’s mind raced. She doesn’t look ill... though... her features... they have changed.
She’s a bit chubbier now... softer around the edges... and those sharp, striking features she once had... now only faint traces remain.
But this medicine... these toxins... they would have affected her since childhood. And I saw her when she was a child... it doesn’t match... none of it matches...
He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache creeping in.
And when had she ever joked ?
Was she... pulling my leg?
Or was there something she wasn’t saying...?
Maxwell let out a nervous chuckle, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling building in his chest.