The next morning, Leo awoke to a thrilling sight. Four new orders. His jaw dropped. He had sold more overnight than Mr. Kim had in a week at the new price. The fifty-dollar price point wasn't a failure; it was a filter. It had found its audience.
He immediately noticed the first order. Customer: Kyle Jensen. The same guy from California. Four more bottles.
Leo beamed. "He liked it! A repeat customer!" He felt a surge of pride and gratitude. This stranger, this Kyle Jensen, was the one who had broken the seal, who had proven his online store could work. He deserved a bonus.
As he packed the four bottles into a larger box, he made a decision. He took a fifth bottle from his stock and added it to the package. On the new thank-you note, he wrote: Thank you for being my first customer, and for your repeat business! The fifth bottle is on the house. Your support means the world. -Leo, Founder of Clarity.
The second order was for a single bottle, also going to California. He didn't recognize the name—a 'Brandon'—but he suspected it might be a friend of Kyle's. He packed it with the same meticulous care. The remaining two orders were from New York and Illinois. The ripple effect had begun. He spent the entire morning in a joyful haze of printing labels and taping boxes, the sounds of his own burgeoning enterprise filling his small apartment.
With his orders ready for shipment, Leo knew he couldn't put it off any longer. The business card from Evelyn Hayes had been sitting on his counter for days, radiating an intimidating aura of wealth and importance. His heart hammered in his chest, but he forced himself to pick up the phone and dial the number.
A woman's voice, as smooth and calm as he remembered from the story Mr. Kim told, answered on the second ring. "Evelyn Hayes."
"Uh, hi, Ms. Hayes," Leo stammered, feeling like a kid again. "My name is Leo. Mr. Kim from the corner mart gave me your card. You... you were interested in my water?"
"Leo!" Her voice warmed immediately. "Yes! Thank you so much for calling. I apologize if this sounds forward, but your product is... extraordinary. I gave some to my grandfather, and he said it was the first time in ten years he's woken up without his joints aching."
Leo's eyes went wide. He knew the water had effects, but he was only just beginning to understand their scope.
"I'd like to repeat my offer," Evelyn continued, her tone all business but laced with a personal urgency. "I am prepared to buy your entire production run. Name your price. I'll have a courier service pick it up daily."
Leo's mind raced. It was the dream offer. A guaranteed sell-out every single day. Financial security for life. But he thought of his new website, of his first customers, of the brand he was trying to build. If he sold everything to one person, Clarity would just be the private stash of a rich family. He didn't want that. He wanted more.
"Ms. Hayes... Evelyn," he said, forcing confidence into his voice. "I am incredibly grateful for your offer. And I'm thrilled it's helping your grandfather. But... I can't sell you my entire stock. I've just launched my brand publicly. I need to service my new customers, too."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Leo held his breath, expecting her to be angry.
"I see," she said finally, a note of respect in her voice. "You're a businessman, not just a water bottler. I understand. Very well. Let's make a different arrangement. Can I place a standing daily order for, say, five cases? That's sixty bottles a day. I will, of course, pay the full fifty-dollar retail price. You can bill my account weekly."
Leo did the math in his head. Sixty bottles a day was three thousand dollars. Every day. It was an anchor client of unbelievable scale. "Yes," he said, his voice a little shaky. "Yes, we can absolutely do that."
After ending the call with plans to arrange the first pickup for the next day, Leo felt dizzy. He leaned against his wall, his small apartment suddenly feeling like the center of a rapidly expanding universe.
He had money now. Real money. And his first thought was of his father.
He went to his new business bank account online and made a transfer. He sent two thousand dollars to his dad's checking account, a number he knew by heart from old bills. It wasn't enough to solve all his dad's problems, but it was enough to make a real, immediate difference. A quiet thank you for all the years of gruff, misplaced, but genuine concern.
A few hours later, his phone rang. It was his dad.
"Son? Did you win the lottery?" Frank Costello's voice was a mixture of shock, confusion, and suspicion.
Leo laughed, a real, unburdened laugh. "No, Dad. Nothing like that. The money's from my company. It's doing really well."
"The... the water thing?" Frank asked, disbelief evident.
"Yeah, the water thing," Leo said, his smile audible. "And listen, there's a package on the way to you. It should be there tomorrow. It's a case of Clarity. I want you to drink it."
"Leo, I'm not drinking some fifty-dollar snake oil—"
"Just try it, Dad," Leo interrupted gently. "Please. No more tap water, no more cheap coffee. Just drink this for a few days. See how you feel." He paused. "And hey... if any of your buddies from the union are complaining about their backs or feeling tired, maybe give them a bottle. Tell them where they can buy more if they like it. The website is clarity-water.com."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Frank Costello, a man who understood the world through hard labor and calloused hands, was trying to process the fact that his "slacker" son had just sent him two grand and was now giving him business advice.
"...Alright, son," he said finally, his voice thick with an emotion Leo couldn't quite place. "I'll try your water."