I Breathe Euro

Jack looked at the villa on the mountain. It was beautiful. A lady in a wheelchair sat in front of the villa gate.

There was also a maid beside her; she was smiling when Jack looked at her. She looked like she was around twenty-five years old and looked exactly like Amanda.

"That's my mother. Beautiful, isn't she?" Amanda said as she almost ran towards her mother.

As both mother and daughter hugged each other, Jack looked at them with interest, as both of them looked like they were twins.

"Mother, this is Jack." Amanda Introduced Jack, who was now wearing his T-shirt and jeans with a jacket.

"Hello, Ma'am," Jack smilingly greeted.

"Hello, are you her boyfriend? She went with you?" Amanda's mother asked as she looked at Jack. Jack was undeniably handsome—so much so that even she might have run away from home with someone like him.

"No, Mother, I met him after leaving home," Amanda said.

"Amelia, this is Doctor Jack." Mr. Smith came in with a smile and whispered in Amelia's ear.

"Oh! So you're that miraculous doctor?" Amelia looked at Jack with more interest; she never thought the doctor who invented the regenerative medicine could be here at her home and be so young.

"Well, I am not that miraculous," Jack said, and then Mr. Smith took them inside the villa.

The villa was grand but lonely; the villa was the only thing Jack saw when he entered the town.

"Look here," Amanda said, guiding Jack into the living room with a sense of excitement. She stopped near a massive window that stretched almost from floor to ceiling, its glass so clear it felt as though the world outside was within arm's reach.

As Jack stepped closer, his breath caught at the breathtaking view. The mountain sloped steeply beneath them, giving way to a sprawling town nestled in the valley below. Thousands of lights shimmered like a sea of fireflies, outlining the winding streets and cozy neighborhoods. The main square was ablaze with activity, its bright lamps highlighting a bustling market where tiny figures moved about like ants.

Further along, the glow of lanterns illuminated rows of stone buildings, their red-tiled roofs reflecting the soft golden light. In the distance, a grand clock tower rose proudly above the town, its illuminated face visible even from here, ticking steadily against the starry sky. The scene was alive with motion—cars winding along serpentine roads, distant music carried faintly on the breeze, and the faint hum of a world that seemed so full of life even at night.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Amanda said softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as though afraid to disturb the magic of the moment.

"That's the town; it's beautiful," Jack said as he also dreamed of almost the same thing for his island.

"The town is where everyone lives. My father is their employer," Amanda said proudly, her voice filled with a hint of satisfaction. However, as Jack listened, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, a subtle unease creeping into his thoughts.

As it was nighttime, Amanda took Jack to his bedroom, which also had a breathtaking view of only one highway leading towards the town.

"Jack, let's go for dinner," Amanda called softly as she entered the room, her voice gentle. She had dressed beautifully, the elegance of her outfit catching the light as she stood there, waiting for his response.

"You're looking beautiful," Jack said as he didn't answer her for her call to dinner but complimented her and walked towards her with a smile.

"Let's go," Jack said as he tapped on her back with two fingers.

"Y...yes," Amanda said, then ran beside Jack, who was calmly going down the stairs.

As Jack seated himself at the dining table, he looked around; everyone was present, even Clark.

Several maids came in with dishes. Jack looked at them, and all of them were wearing proper maid outfits.

"Ma'am, Do you feel pain in your joints?" Jack asked Amelia as they were seated in the living room.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"N...no," Amelia answered, as she was nervous facing such a handsome doctor.

"Alright," Jack then stood up and checked her pulse, although it was erratic at first, but everything was normal at the end.

Jack frowned, as he was not clear what was causing her paralysis; he wanted to check her whole body for research purposes, but as she was Amanda's mother, he had to put some distance.

"Alright, I need that lab as soon as I can; can you arrange some basic checking equipment?" Jack asked Mr. Smith as he doesn't have cash anymore.

"Yes, I will," Mr. Smith smilingly said, as he also wants to treat his wife, who's paralyzed for some time now.

"I asked you for a million dollars in cash," Jack said as he asked Mr. Smith to convert one million euros before.

"Yes, I couldn't with such short notice. You told me yesterday," Mr. Smith said.

"Alright, let's check on the lab," Jack said as he wanted to start working as soon as he could.

"Alright, let's go, doctor," Mr. Smith said, then took Jack and Clark out of the villa and showed them a huge barn-looking thing.

"That's a barn?" Jack asked as he looked at the red-colored building.

"Yes, it's for the prying eyes. Let's go," Mr. Smith said as he led Jack and Clark to a barn-like building. From a distance, it appeared to be made of wood, but as Jack got closer, he realized the entire structure was actually crafted from iron, designed to deceive.

Entering the building, Jack saw there were many facilities available for him to experiment on as he wanted, but the thing that attracted him the most was some green-colored serums that were placed inside a glass box.

"That's the serum," Mr. Smith gestured to Jack to the serum.

Jack went towards the serum; the serum felt erratic and alive.

Jack then took the notes on how it was made, and seeing the components, he nodded; the serum was almost ready.

"The serum is 87% correct; it just needs some tweaking, but this thing is weak," Jack said as he looked at the notes left behind by the German researchers.