POV: Time Variance Authority

Elias's words hit the conference room like a jolt of electricity—no one could stay seated. One deputy executive shot to his feet:

"Elias, are you serious?"

Elias nodded. The deputy hurried over, lifting the folder reverently and carefully extracting the Exclusive License inside:

"This definitely has Professor West's signature… it's real!"

The deputy examined the document, verifying that West had granted all rights to the compound—free of charge—to Elias personally, leaving every decision in Elias's hands. His initial rush of excitement froze into an astonished stare.

"Elias… the license is authorized to you, individually. Full ownership and profit rights belong to you!"

"Right, but it's just a draft license," Elias said, having anticipated their questions. "Professor West's too busy right now to handle the details, so he's entrusted it all to me."

***

Elias's quiet explanation unleashed a groundswell of celebration around the table. People leaped to congratulate him, praising his abilities and calling him the savior of MH Cosmetics. He smiled modestly, insisting he'd done nothing special. But nobody believed that—applause and excited chatter thundered on.

Meanwhile, the R&D leader had already skimmed the thick research data. Wiping a faint mist from his glasses, he spoke:

"Ms. Harrington, this material thoroughly explains how to prepare the compound. It dovetails perfectly with our earlier progress. Our previous approvals and filings can be reused, so we'll still make the launch date in time."

In mere minutes, the mood in the meeting room reversed completely—like night to day. The frustration bottled up in everyone finally found release, and they couldn't wait to get back to their tasks, determined to recover the lost time. Morale soared, the company once again united in purpose.

***

Ms. Harrington's Office, 22nd Floor

Miranda Harrington sat behind her desk, looking at Elias with genuine appreciation.

"You didn't just solve a major headache for the company—you also solved a personal headache for me. Thank you, Elias."

He gave a dismissive shrug.

"Really, I didn't do much. Professor West seems partial to me, maybe because of that teacher-student affinity, so he just trusts me."

Ms. Harrington smiled knowingly.

"I just spoke to Professor West on the phone. His version of events is… somewhat different from what you relayed at the morning meeting."

Elias opened his mouth to respond, but she lifted a hand:

"He specifically asked me not to delve too deeply into your relationship or the details behind it. So don't worry, I won't pry. I'm not that kind of boss."

She indicated the contract in front of her.

"I invited you here to fulfill West's wishes by signing an official commercial licensing agreement with the company. Of course, whether you license it exclusively to MH or to other buyers in the future is your right. This compound is fully yours now."

"But in return," she added, "MH will pay you an immediate licensing fee plus monthly sales royalties."

Ms. Harrington flipped the contract around and pointed to the signature line.

"If everything looks good, please sign here. Once you sign, this contract's official."

Elias quickly reviewed the straightforward terms and signed on the indicated line.

She added her own signature and company seal, returning one copy to him.

"Does your office have a safe?" she asked.

He shook his head, remembering only department heads and finance staff seemed to have safes.

"No."

"I'll arrange for the Facilities group to provide one," she said, tapping an internal line. "Elias, you'll want to keep all these documents—contracts, the license—locked up. If they're lost, it'll be a real hassle."

"Understood."

***

Elias left Ms. Harrington's office, the heavy password-protected door shutting with its usual metallic rumble. He exhaled, thinking how he still needed access to her office if he wanted another chance at that TVA invitation. That desire alone was reason enough to stay at MH. If he left, he'd lose any clue regarding that mysterious group.

***

Two Days Later, Afternoon

A knock sounded.

"Mr. Crane? We're here to install your safe."

Two workers wheeled in a one-meter-tall steel box. One handed him a ring of keys.

"This model has both a key slot and a dial combination. You need to enter the numerical combo on the dial, then use the key. Very secure."

Elias crouched, running his hand over the heavy dual-dial mechanism. He couldn't help recalling that deposit box in the dream's bank vault, also sealed by elaborate dials.

"What if I lose the key or forget the combination?" he asked lightly.

The installer laughed:

"If you lose the key, you might still find an expert locksmith to pick it. But if you forget the combination? Well… this design is so precise that there's basically no way to crack it."

Straightening up, Elias rapped his knuckles on the safe's solid frame with a thud, thud, thud echo.

"And if, by chance, I really forgot the code, but I absolutely had to get inside? Is there any last resort?"

The worker scratched his head, looking mildly uneasy.

"…Well, there's one final method…"