Chapter 10: The Platform Owner

Melissa took one look at the message. "I'm the owner of the live-streaming platform." That one line left Melissa dumbfounded.  Her heart started pounding like drums in a parade.  The trending topic was inappropriate.  Had this already drawn the attention of the higher-ups? With her nerves jangling, she finally tapped the accept button. She had braced herself for an order to stop streaming.  Instead, she saw a message. "Hello, Ms. Peters. Do you still have those pills you listed in your stream last time? I'd like to buy a few." Melissa rubbed her eyes, not quite believing it. What on earth was going on? The platform owner hadn't reached out to lecture her.  He wanted to buy the pills? She quickly opened the shopping section in her stream.  The pills had already been bought last night. The platform owner, Ezekiel's, message knocked her for a loop.  She sat there for a long moment, mind blank. "What's wrong, Ms. Peters? Are you not free? If so, I can come by in person another day to pick them up." "No, not that," she typed in a rush. "I'm just surprised you want those... those pills." "Oh, that? Millennia Pharmacy has been promoting them. You didn't know?" Millennia Pharmacy? Melissa's heart gave a jump.  Wasn't that the place that first asked her for the pills? "I didn't," she wrote. "Makes sense. It's only been famous in our circle, so you wouldn't have heard. Anyway, I'd like to buy a few. Would your brother be okay with that?" "Let me ask him first, then I'll get back to you," she replied.  The pills wasn't hers, after all.  She had to check with her brother. "Of course. I'll wait for your reply!" She closed the chat. Only then did Melissa finally get out of bed.  When she stepped out of her room, she found Caspian on the sofa, sipping tea.  A scent she had never smelled before drifted over.  One whiff and the fatigue from her late night melted away. "Caspian, what tea is that?" she asked, walking over in her pajamas and rubbing her eyes. "It's the tea I used to grow myself," he said.  "I happened to bring some with me. Here, try it." Melissa accepted the cup he handed her and took a cautious sip. "Caspian, this tea is incredible." "Right? We don't have Spiritual Spring Water here, though. If I brewed it with Spiritual Spring Water, the effect would be even better." She decided she must have misheard and let the words slide past. The cauldron on the table was still warm to the touch.  The sight jolted her thoughts about Ezekiel. "Caspian, I might need a favor," she said. "What is it?" As far as he was concerned, he would do anything for his sister. "Do you want to rule the planet? Be a queen? If you want, I can make that happen." Melissa stared at him. "I don't want to rule anything," she said at last.  "Ezekiel, the owner of my streaming platform said he wants to buy a few of those pills. Do you have any left?" "Did the last batch sell out?" She nodded. "They sold out last night."  For some reason, the pills were absurdly easy to sell. "I thought no one would buy them. I happened to bring some with me today. Means these folks have some taste." "It seems Millennia Pharmacy bought them all and did a bit of promo for you, so Mr. Ezekiel contacted me today." "How many do you want?" Caspian reached into his Storage Space. Melissa still had not decided.  Ezekiel had said a few. Too few and he might think she was unreliable. If she asked for too many pills, Caspian might not have that many on hand. While she was still weighing it up, Caspian walked into the kitchen, grabbed a large stainless-steel basin, and with a flick of his wrist, poured a cascade of pills into it. Clatter, clatter, clatter! By the time Melissa came to, a heaping basin of pills sat in front of her. Melissa could only stare, stunned all over again by her brother.  She pointed at the pills, which looked like tiny yellow beans. "Caspian, this is... this is..." "Little pills," he said.  "Didn't you say your boss wants a few?" She opened her mouth and no sound came out.  Ezekiel had said a few. What lay before her was not a few. It was a basin.  And the pills that people liked so much were piled in a plain stainless-steel basin. She couldn't help doubting their value.  She had assumed they were not worth much. Yet Ezekiel had asked so humbly. All of this had her totally scrambled. "He only wants a few. This is way too many," Melissa said. "Too many?" Caspian waved a hand.  "I used to toss out a lot. These were the ones I kept and forgot to throw away." Melissa blinked.  She could finally sympathize with her viewers in the stream. "Then I'll pack a box for Mr. Ezekiel," she said.  "I'll put the rest back up in the shopping section." While Caspian fiddled with his phone, she counted. There were five thousand pills in total.  She drew in a sharp breath. That would be a tidy sum. She was boxing the pills when her phone rang.  Her screen lit up. It was her friend, Selina Rhodes. "Hey, Melissa." "What's up?" "I have something to tell you." Selina's voice sounded odd. "Don't tell me your rich dad showed up to take you home." From the day they met, Selina had told Melissa that her father was the eldest son of the Rhodes family in Jasperwood, and that one day he would come to bring her back.  They had grown up together, and Melissa never believed it.  Selina's mother was an elementary school teacher, and her father had supposedly died young.  How could a wealthy father appear out of nowhere?  For years, Melissa had teased her about it. On the other end of the line, Selina swallowed and said, "Mel, it's real this time. My dad really is Cyrus Rhodes. This morning, when I left the apartment, a dozen Rolls-Royces pulled into our complex!" "I'm at the Rhodes residence right now. My God, it's surreal, like something out of a fantasy!"