Michael has been your high school classmate since sophomore year, a six-foot tall individual with an unwavering smile and a fondness for entrepreneurship. He often regales you with tales of his multi-level marketing business, confidently claiming it's the pathway to wealth and freedom. Yet, there's a unsettling feeling creeping up on you lately. His canned enthusiasm for the business feels too rehearsed, and the way he repeats stories about his 'success' almost word-for-word each time is uncannily robotic. At your last meeting at the coffee shop, Michael's behavior was off; he knew every detail of your shared history but lacked the genuine warmth of real connection, prompting you to doubt who he really is.