diff --git a/steel_decimal/src/parser.rs b/steel_decimal/src/parser.rs
index 288dddb..62e8cd9 100644
--- a/steel_decimal/src/parser.rs
+++ b/steel_decimal/src/parser.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use std::collections::HashSet;
 
 pub struct ScriptParser {
     math_operators: Vec<(Regex, &'static str)>,
-    number_literal_re: Regex,
+    number_re: Regex,
     variable_re: Regex,
 }
 
@@ -50,8 +50,10 @@ impl ScriptParser {
 
         ScriptParser {
             math_operators,
-            // Simple regex that matches numbers - we'll handle context in the replacement
-            number_literal_re: Regex::new(r"\b(-?\d+(?:\.\d+)?(?:[eE][+-]?\d+)?)\b").unwrap(),
+            // VALID REGEX:
+            // This captures the preceding delimiter (group 1) and the number (group 2) separately.
+            // This avoids lookarounds and allows us to reconstruct the string correctly.
+            number_re: Regex::new(r"(^|[\s\(])(-?\d+(?:\.\d+)?(?:[eE][+-]?\d+)?)").unwrap(),
             variable_re: Regex::new(r"\$(\w+)").unwrap(),
         }
     }
@@ -60,40 +62,40 @@ impl ScriptParser {
     pub fn transform(&self, script: &str) -> String {
         let mut transformed = script.to_string();
 
-        // Step 1: Convert numeric literals to strings
-        transformed = self.convert_numbers_to_strings(&transformed);
-
-        // Step 2: Replace math function calls with decimal equivalents
+        // CORRECT ORDER: Functions first, then variables, then numbers.
         transformed = self.replace_math_functions(&transformed);
-
-        // Step 3: Replace variable references
         transformed = self.replace_variable_references(&transformed);
+        transformed = self.convert_numbers_to_strings(&transformed);
 
         transformed
     }
 
     /// Convert all unquoted numeric literals to quoted strings
     fn convert_numbers_to_strings(&self, script: &str) -> String {
-        // Simple approach: split on quotes and only process unquoted sections
         let parts: Vec<&str> = script.split('"').collect();
         let mut result = String::new();
-        
+
         for (i, part) in parts.iter().enumerate() {
             if i % 2 == 0 {
                 // Even indices are outside quotes - process them
-                let processed = self.number_literal_re.replace_all(part, "\"$1\"");
+                let processed = self.number_re.replace_all(part, |caps: &regex::Captures| {
+                    // Reconstruct the string:
+                    // caps[1] is the delimiter (space, '(', or start of string)
+                    // caps[2] is the number itself
+                    // We put the delimiter back and wrap the number in quotes.
+                    format!("{}\"{}\"", &caps[1], &caps[2])
+                });
                 result.push_str(&processed);
             } else {
                 // Odd indices are inside quotes - keep as is
                 result.push_str(part);
             }
-            
-            // Add back the quote if not the last part
+
             if i < parts.len() - 1 {
                 result.push('"');
             }
         }
-        
+
         result
     }
 
@@ -119,7 +121,6 @@ impl ScriptParser {
     pub fn extract_dependencies(&self, script: &str) -> HashSet<String> {
         let mut dependencies = HashSet::new();
 
-        // Extract variable dependencies
         for cap in self.variable_re.captures_iter(script) {
             dependencies.insert(cap[1].to_string());
         }