Page 73 of The Naughty Professor

“Dr.Morgenstern?”

He nodded, answering in a bright, professional tone.“Rhoda!Tell me something good.”

I listened to half the conversation while watching the Manhattan skyline glide past the car window — towers of steel and glass reflecting the setting sun like a city made of light.

Felix’s voice shifted into that mix of excitement and focus that always made me fall in love with him all over again.“Yes… yes, we’ve run the numbers on the second trial group.No signs of dependency.Right.Wait—what?That patient?”

His eyes widened.

I leaned closer.“What’s wrong?”

Finally, he said, “Okay.Yes.Send me the data tonight.I’ll look it over before the gala.”He paused.“And Rhoda?Don’t tell anyone else yet.Not until we’re sure.”

He ended the call and just sat there, staring out the window.The light from Times Square strobed across his face — red, gold, electric blue — like a city-sized pulse keeping time with whatever was racing in his mind.

“Well?”I asked.“Do I get the dramatic reveal?”

Felix turned to me, eyes bright with that familiar spark — the one that meant something groundbreaking, possibly reckless, definitely sexy was brewing in that head of his.“They’ve done it, Thorne.The next serum.We’re calling itGenesis.”

The word alone felt heavy, dangerous.

“It doesn’t just alter confidence levels or perception like the first serum,” he said, breathless now.“Genesis restructures the genetic narrative.It reads a person’s neural signature — their self-concept — and reprograms their DNA to match it.In theory, it lets someone physically become who they believe they are.Not a mask.Not an act.A true biological rebirth.”

He laughed softly, almost in awe.“We’ve seen early trials — one woman reversed a degenerative disorder; another transitioned without surgery.It’s rewriting the rules of identity and healing.”

I studied him for a long moment.His excitement was contagious, but beneath it, I saw something else — that flicker of hubris that always shadowed brilliant discoveries.

“Felix,” I took his hand in mine, “are you sure this serum is a good idea?”

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