The reaction was instant. She closed her eyes and felt all her stress and problems melt away like butter. It overwhelmed all of her feelings, and she had to hold on to the desk in front of her to prevent herself from falling.
"Wha…what's this feeling?" Erica asked.
"That, my dear, is Joy. Do you feel better now?" Caesar asked.
Erica gulped and nodded her head. She never thought that a bad substance like Joy could give her the pleasure that she never knew she desired so bad.
It felt as if a whole new world had just opened right in front of her. She started to wonder why her parents, her school, and the church banned this kind of drug if it could bring happiness to the best extent.
"Is this what Joy feels like? I can see how people break the law just to get a taste of this," Erica said with her voice calm and a slight smile slipping on her mouth.
Erica couldn't speak until the ecstasy in her mind disappeared. When it was over, she immediately wanted to have a taste of that feeling again. Without any hesitation, she dipped her finger into the Joy powder and tasted it.
This continued with Erica relaxing on the couch with her eyes closed. She would take a hit as soon as the effects of the Joy was over.
Some people would feel an intense excitement from consuming Joy, some would feel ecstasy, some would feel happiness, and some—like Erica—would feel relaxed once their pent up stress was released.
After consuming a few grams of Joy, the effects of it on the body would only last for a few minutes or even seconds. The more you consume in one go, the longer the effects would last.
Of course, no sane person would consume more than a few hundred grams of Joy in one consumption. A normal person would eat a few grams and wait until the effects lessened. Only then would they consume more.
The last person who ate a whole 200 grams of Joy immediately made their brain go slump. Their brain became permanently deteriorated and they couldn't speak properly anymore.
But that was the case for the impure Joy that was manufactured by everyone. Caesar's product was 100% pure without any long-lasting effects. As of now, no one knows what will happen if they consume a lot of pure Joy in one gulp.
Erica, almost like a routine, dipped her hand into the Joy of powder. But she only felt the cold hard table. The sample of Joy was already gone in an instant.
"It's already gone? It's only been like 5 minutes!" Erica protested.
Caesar smiled and corrected her. "It's been 30 minutes. You enjoyed yourself so much that you didn't know how much time passed."
Erica laughed. Usually, she would feel stressed and anxious knowing that she had wasted a whole half hour doing nothing productive. That was lost time that she would never get back, which only added to her stress.
But now, she felt happy that she wasted time. All this time she did a lot of productive things that furthered her career, but she never felt happy. She didn't feel alive.
"The sample period is over. If you want more, then you would have to pay." Caesar said while showing her the 1 kilogram bag of Joy.
"How much?" She asked immediately. Money doesn't matter—she had all the money she needed. All that mattered was consuming more Joy.
"Since I want to build trust with you, I'll sell this at the street price. 1,000 Parou for 1 gram."
"100 grams. I can't pay it all in cash, but I can reduce it in your rent. You want this house, right? With 100 grams, you can live in this house for 5 months for free."
It was certainly a good and fair deal. With the rent for this house costing P20,000 per month, 5 months would be equal to the cost of 100 grams of Joy.
But Caesar didn't answer immediately. He just stood there and looked around the house, making Erica feel a little bit anxious. She really wanted to buy more Joy, but she didn't have the cash right now. She never carries a lot of cash when going out.
"Is this house not suited to you? There's better houses that you can rent. There's one in the south with three bedrooms…," Erica started to recite all the property she owned to try and entice Caesar to accept the proposition.
"No, this house is enough. But I won't stay here for 5 months. I'll upgrade to something better in 2 months. So, I'll sell you 40 grams right now."
Erica nodded, but inside, she was worried. She estimated that the 40 grams of Joy would only last for a few days. She wanted to consume Joy anytime she wanted—especially when she was at work during the most stressful times.
"Don't worry, I can sell you more in the future. You can always visit me here, and I'll sell it to you."
Erica felt relieved. She immediately took out a paper from her bag and worked up a contract for Caesar to rent this house for 2 months. She stated that the rent was already paid beforehand, but it was not specified how he paid.
Caesar took one glance at the contract and signed it without hesitation. Once it was completed, Caesar handed over a small bag with 40 grams of Joy to Erica.
"Thanks," Erica said honestly. This powder of his would save her from stressful situations that would take years of her lifespan away from her due to stress.
It was ironic. The substance that was supposed to take your future away from you was now giving her more time for the future.
Caesar smiled and said, "Don't worry. It was a transaction, and I'm always happy to help anyone that needs stress relief."
Erica heard Caesar's words and she got an idea in her head. She then smiled at Caesar and went out the door with a pep in her step, almost making her skip in the streets.
Caesar closed the door and looked at his first ever private home. It was clean, it wasn't stinky, and it was evidence that he was stepping up in the world.
In just one day, Caesar accomplished what most people would take a few years of hard work. People would exchange their blood and their life to gain the amount of money that Caesar earned without much problem.
He walked in the hallway and brushed his hand against the freshly-painted green walls. Even his step felt expensive as there was a red carpet under his shoes, muffling his footsteps.
He walked towards the end of the hallway and found the bathroom with 1 bathtub installed. He walked near it and opened its faucet, letting out a big flow of water.
Time passed as the bathtub was filled with clean water. This was the first time he was going to bathe with water that wasn't brown.
He took his time and soaked his whole body in the tub. He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting the time pass.
After about an hour, the doorbell rang. He had no visitors since no one knew he lived here. The only logical conclusion was that Erica had returned.
Caesar dried himself with the towel that was already there and put on his old clothes. He had no time to buy new clothes, so this was the only thing he could wear.
Even if he did have new and more expensive clothes, Caesar would still dress like a street kid. There was an inherent advantage to letting your enemies underestimate you.
Caesar opened the door and saw Erica standing behind it.
"Did the Joy run out already?" Caesar asked.
Erica opened her mouth, about to say that she was offended with the notion, but Caesar's words were correct. The 40 grams of Joy that she had purchased from Caesar only an hour ago was already gone.
"It is…but it's not my fault! Some people wanted to try it."
It was then that Erica stepped aside and showed that there were five more people waiting behind her. Caesar saw that they all wore expensive and professional clothes, with some exclusively fit for them.
But despite their good looks, the bags under their eyes and the stress lines on their foreheads made them look haggard.
This was exactly the look of Erica before she consumed the Joy and let out her stress. From that, it was easy to guess that these new people were of the same business as Erica: real estate agents.
"These are my fellow real estate agents. They want to buy your…product."
The men and women behind Erica all bowed their heads towards him as a sign of respect. They didn't discriminate against his poor look at all.
"May we know your name, good sir?" an old man asked as he removed his top hat.
Caesar smiled and answered. "I am Caesar. And I am the key to your happiness."