Chapter 79: Richest Teenager in the world
Alicia frowned, dissatisfied with his response to her warnings. But she couldn’t stop him. It was his choice.
"Fine," she sighed. Then she walked toward one of the storage units built into the side of her workstation and tapped the surface with two fingers. A small compartment opened with a soft mechanical hiss. She reached inside and pulled out a sterile syringe sealed in transparent packaging.
She turned and tossed it toward Scar.
He caught it effortlessly.
"But remember," she said, sounding ominous, "I warned you."
Scar ignored the caution and reached for the purple vial. But before he could uncap it, the teenage Ai voice from earlier echoed sharply from the concealed ceiling speakers.
"Alicia!" She called out. "Your mother is approaching the garage."
Alicia’s eyes widened. "Oh, crap," she gasped. "Um... thanks, Ashley." Then she quickly spun toward Scar, pointing to the serum. "Hide that. Now."
Scar glanced down at the vial. "Why?" he asked.
"Just hide it!" Alicia shot back, her voice dropping into a frantic whisper.
Scar raised an eyebrow but obeyed, vanishing both the serum and the syringe into his inventory. Before he could even ask what was going on, Alicia sprinted across the lab to the lounge. She dove onto the couch, yanked a thick blanket entirely over herself, and went completely still. She looked like a lumpy, formless mound of laundry.
Scar stood there, absolutely bewildered. "What are you doing?" he asked in awe.
"Shhh!" Alicia’s hushed voice came from underneath the blanket. "Can’t you see I’m trying to hide."
Scar chuckled in amusement but said nothing more. A second later, footsteps echoed from the top of the glass escalator. Jane walked into the lab, glancing around the massive space. She spotted him almost instantly.
"There you are!" Jane said, a look of relief washing over her face as she walked down the stairs. "I didn’t think you’d actually come down here. I’ve been looking all over for you."
Scar smoothed out his expression, falling into a casual posture. "Oh, sorry about that. I just wanted to check on Alicia."
"Oh, I see," Jane hummed, looking around the workstations. "Where is she, anyway?"
Before Scar could think of a response, her gaze landed on the suspiciously blanket-covered lump on the couch. A warm, knowing chuckle escaped her lips.
"Alicia, honey?" Jane called out gently. "Are you pretending to be asleep again? You only do that when you’ve done something wrong." She folded her arms. "Should I be worried?"
From underneath the blanket came Alicia’s muffled voice. "No, Mom. Everything’s fine."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"Yes." Alicia replied quickly.
"Alright," Jane exhaled. "Don’t forget to shower, and make sure you eat something besides chips today, okay?"
"Okay, Mum. Whatever you say." Alicia said.
Jane turned her attention back to Scar. "Are you ready to get back to training?" she asked.
"Yes, definitely," Scar nodded. "But I’ll meet you there. I want to say bye to Alicia first."
Jane smiled knowingly. "Alright. I’ll be waiting for you."
Scar nodded.
Jane turned and headed back up the escalator. As soon as the metal door slide shut at the surface, Alicia immediately threw the blanket off, sitting up with a massive, dramatic sigh of relief.
"That was close," she exhaled sharply.
Scar chuckled, crossing his arms. "So, care to explain what all that was all about? he asked. "Why’d you tell me to hide the serum from your mum?"
Alicia rubbed the back of her neck nervously, hesitating for a moment. "Well..." she began. "a while back, right after the serum was decommissioned, I sorta kept selling it illegally to those who were really desperate to get one."
Scar eyes widened. He was stunned yet again. The more he got to know this girl, the more wildly interesting she turned out to be.
Seeing his expression, Alicia quickly scrambled to defend herself. "What?! It was a long time ago! And it’s not like I did a completely bad thing... They wanted it, and I wanted their money. So, I gave them the serum, and took their money. It was a simple exchange," she claimed. "But... Mom found out eventually, and she forbade me from ever making or selling it again. She doesn’t know I still have some left."
Scar stared at her for a second, then he burst into laughter. It was a genuine, uncharacteristically bright laugh that echoed through the massive lab. He stared at her, not just in awe, but with a deep, strange sense of admiration. What she had just described sounded exactly like something he would do.
Alicia frowned, crossing her arms. "Why are you laughing at me?" she pouted.
Scar shook his head, a wide smirk lingering on his face. "Nothing. It’s just... we might have a lot more in common than I thought," he chuckled.
Alicia chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "What does that even mean?"
"Don’t worry about it," Scar deflected smoothly. He walked a few steps closer. "But I have to ask... what drove you to become a drug deal..." he paused, quickly rephrasing his words. "I mean, why’d you sell the serums illegally? Don’t you get enough allowance?"
Alicia sighed. "I do. But sometimes I need a lot more capital for some off-the-radar projects. Projects my mom definitely wouldn’t approve of," she chuckled. "So, I had to resort to selling some of my inventions to get money to make even more inventions. It’s kinda like an investment."
Scar nodded in understanding. What she said made perfect sense. Just looking around told him how expensive this place must have been to set up. The machines alone probably cost more than most people’s homes. And it wasn’t like she had endless resources to simply just keep on inventing. Of course she would try to get funds from any available source.
"But that was in the past," Alicia added casually, leaning back against the couch. "Now, I’ve made a ton of money from selling my visors and licensing a bunch of other stuff I made. I also earn from a few endorsements and small-scale businesses. Oh, and I bought seventy percent shares of a software company two years ago. I basically own the whole thing already." She chuckled, saying it so casually as if she was just stating the weather.
"Seventy percent?" Scar’s jaw dropped.
"Yeah," Alicia giggled. There was no ounce of pride or ego in her voice. She said it like she had just told him she owned a pair of shoes. "And if the logistics are correct, currently I should be the world’s richest teenager."
Scar was momentarily speechless. The richest teenager in the world was currently standing in front of him in wrinkled pink pajamas, hair in a messy ponytail, in a lab that looked like a beautiful constructed armory dedicated to tools of destruction. If not told beforehand, nobody would ever believe this girl was a super-intelligent, ruthless tech tycoon. She looked and behaved so ordinarily, as if being a billionaire was no big deal at all.
Scar found himself genuinely impressed. She was everything he actively desired: power, intellect, and limitless wealth, all combined into one unassuming package. If he hadn’t wanted to be her friend before, he absolutely wanted to now.
"Wow," he chuckled. "You’re really amazing, Alicia."
Alicia blushed slightly, letting out a nervous chuckle. "Nah, you’re just saying that because you know I’m rich now," she said, waving her hand dismissively.
Scar laughed again. "That’s part of it," he admitted shamelessly. "But seriously—what you’ve accomplished so far, and at such a young age, is really impressive. I think you’re awesome."
"Thanks," Alicia smiled.
Scar smiled back.
They stared at each other for a long moment. The teasing banter faded, replaced by a sudden, heavy silence. Alicia’s eyes flickered down to his lips for a fraction of a second before she quickly cleared her throat, breaking eye contact and looking at the floor.
"You, uh... you better get going," she stammered slightly, her cheeks flushed. "Before mum starts wondering what’s taking so long."
Scar also snapped out of the trance, taking a step back "Yeah. Um... see you later, then?"
Alicia nodded, a warm smile returning to her face. "Yeah. See you later."
Scar looked at her one last time before turning to leave. He sprinted up the glass escalator, reaching the top in a literal instant. But just before he stepped into the lobby, Alicia called out from below.
"Oh, right! One more thing!"
Scar paused, looking back down over the railing. "What’s that?"
"I can’t stop you from taking the serum," Alicia said, her voice echoing up the shaft. "But if you’re going to use it... do it in your room."
Scar raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Alicia offered a bright, cryptic smile. "Just trust me."
"Okay," Scar nodded slowly. "Bye, Alicia."
"Bye, Roy." Alicia said back.
Roy walked into the arrival lobby and pressed the intercom button. This time, the heavy metal door slid upward all the way, confirming his suspicion that the half-open stunt from earlier had been a deliberate, sassy prank by the AI. As he walked out into the bright afternoon sun, the synthesized voice of the said Ai... Ashley, echoed through the external comms.
"Thanks for coming," Ashley giggled. "Maybe bring a flower next time you visit. She likes pink roses."
"Good to know." Scar chuckled as he left the place. He walked straight back to the estate arena.
He found Jane in the center of the ring, going through a series of fluid, stretching routines. She spotted him approaching and smiled.
"I was just doing some warm-ups before we get started," Jane called out, dropping into a perfect split. "Do you want to join in?"
Scar walked up to the edge of the mat, cracking his knuckles. "No, I’m good."
Jane effortlessly pulled herself up from the floor, bouncing lightly on her toes. "Okay. So, which martial arts style would you like to learn first?" she asked. "Kung fu? Karate? Jiu-jitsu?"
Scar smirked, his eyes turning cold and calculating. "Krav Maga."
Jane froze, visibly stunned by his choice. She dropped her guard, looking at him with deep concern. "Are you sure? Krav Maga is incredibly aggressive compared to traditional martial arts. It’s not a sport, Roy. It’s designed purely for lethal combat and survival."
"I know," Scar said flatly. "And that’s exactly why I want to learn it." He stepped closer, adjusting his posture. "But I already know the basics, I just want to get better. So, why don’t we start with a fight first."
Jane furrowed her brows. "A fight?"
"Yeah," Scar said. "I’ll show you what I know, and you can show me how to be better. It’s much more efficient to teach that way."
Jane stared at him for a long moment, analyzing the sudden shift in his aura. She slowly smirked, slipping seamlessly into a highly balanced fighting stance. "Very well," she chuckled. "But you should be prepared for a lot of pain."
Scar mirrored her stance flawlessly, raising his fists. "That won’t be a problem," he whispered. "I’m already used to pain."
"We’ll see about that," Jane chuckles darkly. Then, without hesitation, she charged forward like a phantom.
Scar furrowed his brows, dug his boots into the concrete, and charged right back at her.