Lucas sat in his cluttered office, fingers drumming against the polished wooden desk. His golden eyes flickered with frustration as he stared at the piles of research papers scattered before him. His normally pristine workspace looked as chaotic as his thoughts.
Ethan's condition was deteriorating. Time was running out.
He pushed up his glasses and took a deep breath before picking up his phone. His hands were steady, but his heart pounded.
"Isaac," he said, voice clipped.
On the other end, Isaac scoffed. "Took you long enough to call. You know, I was in the middle of hacking into Shaw family's twenty-year-old archives. Unlike you, I actually—"
"Isaac." Lucas cut him off, his tone sharper than usual. "This isn't the time."
A pause.
"…What happened?"
Lucas exhaled. "Ethan's condition is critical. We need that formula."
A rustling noise came from the other side of the line, followed by Isaac's voice. "You mean the one Luri found in the game?"
"Yes."
