The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

David waved a hand dismissively and sighed, "Look at him. Does he look

confident to you? Honestly, I'll be thrilled if he doesn't just faint from exhaustion right there and then."

His tone was dripping with disdain.

"You can't really say that. Devon's got some real talent," the Vice President chimed in.

David shook his head, "That's just people blowing smoke."

The Vice President pressed his lips together, choosing not to continue the debate, and instead glanced over to where Conrad was. His eyes held a curious gleam.

Earlier, his apprentice had come to him, promising that this year he'd clinch the top spot.noveldrama

He was eager to see if he'd deliver.

Time flew by, and before anyone knew it, two hours had passed.

The assessment was about to wrap up.

Conrad turned off the burner, slipped on some oven mitts, and carefully removed the pot from the stove. After a few more minutes, he opened it up to reveal the charred remains inside, his eyes flickering slightly.

Next to him, Devon also turned off his stove, not bothering to look around. He carefully extracted the product.

Just two capsules, but they were glossy.

Devon stared at the capsules, his brows knitting together. He already looked a bit pale, and the added gloom only made him look worse.

Only two capsules had turned out right.

When Conrad glanced over, he saw Devon stashing the capsules into a box with a blank expression. Conrad's eyes narrowed-only two?

But soon, a smirk played on Conrad's lips. Given Devon's state of mind, making even those two was probably a stretch.

He shifted his gaze back to the medicine box in his hands, his fingers tightening around it. This year's top spot was as good as his.

Before long, the other pharmacists finished up too, placing their products in boxes that were promptly collected.

Seven boxes made their way to David and the other Vice Presidents. The boxes weren't labeled with names, but each had a unique mark to prevent any mix-ups.

This was to keep things fair and square.

As everyone waited for the results, they crowded around the President and the Vice Presidents, eyes tense with anticipation.

Conrad stood tall among them, one hand tucked in his pocket, his fingers lightly brushing a porcelain bottle. His face held a look of confident determination.

As time ticked by, the Vice Presidents reviewing the products reached the last box. Their expressions shifted to one of surprise and delight.

"This is another S-grade medication. Looks pretty good, and it's for regulating the internal organs. Quite intriguing," one of the Vice Presidents remarked quickly.

"If I say this could take first place, I doubt anyone would argue."

"Let's wait for the President's final say."

Hearing the chatter, David set down the box he was holding and, after scribbling a score on a nearby paper, picked up the much-discussed final box.

As he opened it, he chuckled, "Let's see this highly praised medication that's supposed to be the grand finale, the first..."

He didn't finish saying "first place" when his voice abruptly stopped, the smile on

his face freezing as he swiftly picked up one of the capsules.

His brows furrowed deeply this medication...

The Vice Presidents around him exchanged puzzled looks, unsure about the sudden change in David's expression.