Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 680 – Stable is a Lie

After he changed his clothes, Lux lingered by the wide archway near the kitchen, coffee mug now replaced by a glass of infernal tonic, spiced citrus and a little bit of corruption, the kind only a true Vaelthorn could drink on an empty stomach. The sweetness hit first, then the tang, then the gentle burn of demon-brewed magic that reminded him he was still alive. Barefoot still, because luxury, but at least now he looked presentable. Black slacks, dark green shirt rolled up just enough to expose forearms and of course, the charm of a cursed prince masquerading as a financial dominator.

He flicked his fingers again, and the system interface appeared mid-air, black and gold, etched like living finance scrolls.

[Greed System: Active]

[Hell Financial Department: Synced]

[Market Status: Neutral]

[Asset Flow: Normal]

[Global Infernal Market Volatility Index: Stable]

[Lord Zavros: Online – Location: Central Office, Tower 1]

[Lady Lust: Logged In – Sector: Enchantment Brands]

”Huh,” Lux murmured, sipping the rest of the tonic. ”No anomalies.”

No panic buying.

No divine sanctions.

No economic war drums echoing from the Abyssal corridors.

His dad was still working like usual, probably barking orders at board members while sipping some disgusting espresso sludge that only a Greed relic could stomach. His mom? Still logged into the enchantment division. Probably running a meeting in a silk robe and lipstick sharp enough to cut contracts.

Honestly? It was hilarious.

You’d think a demon lord couple would be too busy destroying beds and collapsing realms, but no. The Vaelthorns clocked in like it was Hell, Inc.

Lux smiled faintly. That’s how it should be. No drama. No alarms. But that also meant... if Zehar’s arrival was supposed to be part of some big economic sabotage?

It wasn’t.

Which meant it wasn’t sabotage.

Just personal.

Great.

He was still chewing on that realization when he heard it.

-Boom!

-Crack!

And then...

”TELL ME WHO SENT YOU!”

Sira.

Yeah. She was back.

Lux rolled his eyes and sighed, dismissing the system with a flick. ”Well, there goes the quiet.”

He stepped out toward the courtyard, walking through the polished blackstone corridor as sunlight filtered through enchanted skylights overhead. The soft hum of protective wards buzzed faintly. His bare feet padded along warm floors like a prince too expensive for shoes.

By the time he got to the outer patio, the ruckus had already escalated.

Sira stood in the center of the courtyard like a goddess of vengeance dipped in violet. Her raven hair whipped around her like a storm, her dark-red coat swirling behind her in waves of pride-woven fabric. Her horns glinted in the sun, and her fingers dripped with demonic power, dense, concentrated, precise.

Zehar, still in his jello blob form, hovered low to the ground and looked about one second away from either vaporizing the lawn or quitting life entirely.

”You think I don’t know who you are?!” Sira barked, voice sharp like cracked obsidian. ”You don’t sneak into my territory and survive.”

She summoned a series of dark bullets, dense, twisting orbs of pride and infernal energy, and threw them toward the slime with terrifying grace.

Lux’s eyes widened. ”Oh come on—”

Zehar, to his credit, dodged like a seasoned street rat. His body contorted mid-air, stretched, collapsed, and zipped across the patio stones like a demonic Roomba on steroids. The bullets exploded behind him in bursts of violet fire, shattering a lawn chair.

Lux raised his hand. ”Sira. Stop.”

She turned, nostrils flaring, lips curled into that dangerously beautiful scowl she wore better than jewelry.

”Stop?” she snapped. ”That’s a damn overlord, Lux. Are you out of your damn mind?!”

Zehar hissed from behind a decorative bush.

Lux walked forward calmly, slipping a hand into his pocket like he was about to offer a market merger instead of an explanation. ”He’s my servant.”

Sira blinked. ”Excuse me?”

”I made a contract with him,” Lux said. ”Bound him, branded him, and before you ask... yes, I’m fine. No missing organs. No cursed debt clauses.”

Sira crossed her arms, power still buzzing around her like static. ”You bound an ancient overlord, and you didn’t even tell me?!”

”I didn’t plan to bind him,” Lux said. ”He showed up, demanded I pay a debt that isn’t mine, and when I refused, he attacked.”

Her expression shifted, concern flickered beneath her fury. ”He hurt you?”

Lux gave her a look.

Then slowly unbuttoned the top part of his shirt, exposing the faint leftover marks on his collarbone and chest. The soft ridges of burned skin, the fading sigils, and one angry red line down his ribs.

Sira’s face darkened.

”He touched you?” she said, voice low.

Lux nodded once. ”Tried to claim me like a leverage point. Classic predator debt logic. I disagreed. I won.”

She didn’t speak for a beat. Her gaze burned into his chest, then up to his face.

”You okay?” she finally asked, softer now.

He smiled faintly. ”Healed. Elixirs. Dark healing. Regeneration’s back on cooldown, but I’m stable.”

Her jaw tightened. Her shoulders dropped. ”Still doesn’t explain why the hell he’s alive.”

Lux gave her a look like ’seriously?’ and gestured toward the disgruntled slime cowering behind a statue.

”Because he’s more useful alive than dead. I want to know how he found me and if he was sent by someone bigger. I can’t do that if I vaporize him.”

Zehar let out a low pu, clearly offended.

Sira growled. ”He’s dangerous.”

”I’m more dangerous,” Lux said simply.

She stared at him. Quiet. Eyes calculating.

Then she sighed, stepping closer. ”You’re still crazy.”

”And you’re still hot when you’re homicidal.”

That earned him a smirk. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

She bumped her shoulder against his as her power slowly faded, the last of the conjured bullets dissolving into the wind. ”So... jello-boy is your pet now?”

”Unfortunately,” Lux said.

Zehar hissed again.

Sira glanced back at the slime. ”He doesn’t look like much.”

”He’s not,” Lux said, ”right now. But he will be.”

She turned back toward him, studying his face. ”And you’re sure you’re okay?”

”Not even close,” he said. ”But everything’s stable.”

”Stable is a lie,” she muttered.

”But it’s a nice one,” Lux replied.