It wasn't that it was necessarily bad, but what the hell was up with the taste?

The liquid fizzed on his tongue but the aftertaste was like someone had boiled expired cough syrup and carbonated it just to spite humanity.

It was supposed to be fizzy like soda.

He had lived two lives, and done a lot of things but never… never… had he tasted something this vile.

Still, he tried to keep a straight face.

'God… if I die from this, bury me with a proper Coke. Or Sprite. Hell, even tap water is better than this swill.'

But then again, he had never taken one of their products in this life, so how was he supposed to know the "norm"?

Maybe this was their idea of fine dining.

Maybe in some bizarre corner of this world, people enjoyed torturing their tastebuds.

He lowered the can slowly, suspiciously.

"Alexia."

"Boss?"

"Here. Drink." He shoved the can toward her like it was a live grenade.

She blinked. "…Boss, are you serious?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he asked with the solemnity of a priest delivering last rites.

This was a matter of life and death — mostly hers.

Alexia stared at the can like it contained poison, which, honestly, was not far from the truth.

She sighed, raised her lips to the rim, the same place Lucius's mouth had just touched and braced herself as she drank.

Lucius folded his arms and waited.

Then came the show.

Her entire face scrunched like a dying raisin.

She looked ready to gag, her eyes watering and her throat was convulsing.

Unlike him, who'd kept at least a shred of dignity, she completely lost it.

She spat it out, coughed, then in an insane burst of willpower, forced herself to gulp the rest down just so she wouldn't look like a coward in front of him.

Then she did the unthinkable… she hurled the can to the ground, letting the rest of the wretched liquid spill across the factory's tiled floor, as if the earth itself deserved to share her suffering.

Lucius smiled.

"How was it?" he asked sweetly as they walked forward.

Alexia didn't even answer. She was too busy scraping her tongue with the edge of her clipboard like she was trying to erase the memory.

That was how bad it was.

At the entrance, the guards saw Lucius's face and didn't bother checking his ID.

The doors opened for him instantly. A single glance at them was enough.

Inside, three people waited at the ground floor. Lucius sized them up instantly.

In the middle: a fat man stuffed into a suit so tight it looked like it was screaming for mercy.

He was sweating bullets and smiling like a politician about to lose votes.

To his left: a shaggy-looking guy with unwashed hair, oversized glasses, and a drone controller clutched to his chest.

Probably the "tech genius." of the whole thing.

To the right: a sharp-faced man who looked like a manager, or at least someone pretending very hard to be one.

"Welcome to Fizzypop, Mr. Lucius," the fat man said, bowing slightly. "I hope you enjoyed the sample of our newest product."

Lucius's expression soured immediately.

His head turned slowly to Alexia.

"Alexia," he said smoothly, "please tell them about their product."

Alexia straightened, still pale from her ordeal.

She cleared her throat and stepped forward, clutching her clipboard.

Here's a rewritten version of Alexia's takedown — still long, sharp, and definitive, but smoother in delivery:

"To be completely honest, this product fails on every level a beverage is supposed to succeed at… the fizz is dull and lifeless, the flavor is harsh and unbalanced as well. The sweetness is so artificial it almost stings, and the aftertaste is bitter enough to make someone regret ever opening the can; instead of being refreshing or enjoyable, it leaves you with the urge to rinse your mouth out, which is the exact opposite of what people want from a fizzy drink."

When she finished, she stepped back behind him, clutching her clipboard tightly like a shield.

Lucius spread his arms wide, smiling with mock warmth. "Well, come on, folks. We don't have all day."

The three faces darkened even further from the harsh review.

"If I may," the sharp-faced manager said carefully, "what are you going to do?"

Lucius crossed one leg over the other, adjusted his cuff, and gave him a lazy smile.

"Doing your job better than you."

…

Not long after, Lucius sat in a large office they had scrambled to prepare for him.

He lounged with one leg atop the other.

Alexia sat beside him, clipboard in hand, looking every bit the composed secretary she was today.

In front of him stood a crowd of employees: flavor developers, marketers, managers, even the fat man who had greeted him earlier.

They all looked nervous.

Rightly so.

What Lucius had quickly learned was that different departments were responsible for different flavors.

Each group was told to bring one can of their "finest work" for review.

Which meant, unfortunately, he would have to drink more of this poison.

Correction: Alexia would.

"I thought you said they had good sales," Lucius muttered under his breath.

"The convenience shops I mentioned," Alexia whispered back, "were the ones meant for old people. Retirees with no taste buds."

Lucius's face froze.

'So I'm sitting here being tortured by what's basically retirement home juice? Oh, the council is definitely trolling me. Bastards.'

He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Well, Group 1," he said finally, beckoning with his finger.

A nervous-looking woman in a bright yellow Fizzypop uniform stepped forward, holding a can.

The wrapper was yellow too, with the logo splashed across it.

"Your name and what you're holding?" Lucius asked, eyes half-lidded.

"I-I'm Group 1 Leader, Kim…" She hesitated, then forced a smile. "Kim Dawson. This is the Orange-flavored Fizzypop."

Lucius didn't even touch the can. He flicked two fingers at Alexia.

She sighed, uncorked it, and took a gulp.

Lucius leaned back and waited.

He already knew how this was going to end.

Sure enough, her throat worked painfully as she swallowed.

Her eyes watered again, a single tear threatening to fall, and she politely handed the can back to Kim.

Lucius leaned forward, folding his hands. "Well? Is it good?"

Alexia shook her head slowly, lips pressed together like she was trying to suppress another gag.

Lucius nodded sagely.

"Thank you." He turned his head toward the rest of the crowd, voice snapping like a whip.

"Now Next!!!"

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