[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati":3,"chapter-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-198":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1410609,1864,"Chapter 198: You Abducted Me","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-198",198,"\u003Cp>Chapter 198 – You Abducted Me\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith looked at Lux like she was inspecting a rare gem she’d already decided to purchase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well,\" she said, voice honeyed, with just the right note of lazy dominance. \"At last, we meet, Mr. Lux Vaelthorn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux chuckled—low, amused, like he was halfway to being impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Honestly?\" he said, stepping in slowly. \"I thought it would be some masked freak trying to carve out my liver for money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She laughed softly. A real laugh. Smooth, confident, indulgent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Disappointed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux gave her a slow once-over. \"Mildly. But... you do dress the part. Your Highness.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He offered a mock bow, not deep enough to be sincere, but just enough to toe the line between respect and amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith’s eyes gleamed. \"You should’ve just come when I called.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You didn’t call. You abducted me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because,\" she purred, \"I knew you’d reject me if I did it politely. So I skipped the boring part.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux blinked. Then grinned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And here I thought lamias were all subtle seduction and slow venom. But kidnapping? That’s a bold twist.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bold is the only language I speak,\" she said, swirling a crystal goblet of amber wine. \"Besides... I know that dragon heiress has put her eyes on you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux raised a brow. \"Mira?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled. \"She’s territorial. It’s adorable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So this is a jealousy-fueled flex?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith sipped her wine like she was too rich to care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not at all,\" she said. \"I simply don’t like competition getting to you before I do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smirked. \"You really could’ve just sent an invitation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And risk you declining me?\" She tsked. \"No one’s ever refused me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He arched a brow. \"You’re really betting hard on my pride not kicking in right now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I tried to find about you,\" she said, setting the goblet down on a nearby gem-studded tray. \"I really did. No background. No trace. No history. Nothing before this year. Just... receipts. Expensive ones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze didn’t waver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know power when I see it, Mr. Vaelthorn. And you? You walk like you have a throne no one else can see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned forward now, elbows resting lightly on the curve of her coiled tail, posture regal and poised like a queen halfway through a conquest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I also know,\" she continued, her voice dipping into something silken and sharp, \"you have a particular eye for truth. A dangerous skill in this age of replicas and con artists.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her jeweled fingers tapped once on the velvet box between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You spot lies the way others spot price tags. You ruin fakes without flinching. And that makes you... valuable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux just smiled, slow and unreadable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t know who he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she knew enough to be dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made her interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Flattery,\" Lux said, \"will get you a lawsuit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It will get me results,\" she said, her voice as smooth as polished ruby. \"That fake Phoenix Egg you exposed at the auction? Masterful. I nearly bought it myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her glass, swirling the amber liquid inside. \"But then you happened. Right on cue. You didn’t just ruin the moment. You ruined the illusion. Publicly. Spectacularly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux raised a brow, expression mild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That wasn’t me,\" he said, lifting his hands in mock innocence. \"Probably just a coincidence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith let out a rich, low laugh. A real one. The kind that uncoiled down her throat like velvet smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nice try,\" she said, eyes gleaming like dagger-points in the dim light. \"I know it was you. Even the way you watched it happen gave you away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux shrugged, lips twitching into a half-smile. \"I was bored.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s a good excuse,\" she replied smoothly. \"One of my favorites, actually.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her snake tail shifted behind her with a lazy, sinuous motion—like a god resting after a conquest. Then she leaned forward, just slightly, and added, \"And if you’re curious about what happened to the good Duke who tried to sell that pathetic forgery...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She made a slow slithering sound across the floor, her coils subtly tightening around the legs of the sofa. Her thumb came up, ran slowly across her neck in a mock slicing gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s dead,\" she said, eyes never leaving Lux’s. \"Along with his mistress. They tried to flee last night. Didn’t get far.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t flinch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply tilted his head, studying her like he was recalculating the risk-to-reward ratio of humoring her any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t take betrayal lightly, I take it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I take offense at wasting my time,\" she replied. \"There’s a difference.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m starting to see that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned back again, wine glass hovering between her fingers, her jewels catching the warm lamplight like captured lightning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I pay attention to people who break illusions,\" she said. \"People who make liars bleed. And I reward them. So...\" She smirked. \"You’re going to help me tonight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help you with what exactly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t answer right away. Just waved one languid hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A snakefolk servant emerged from the shadows—tall, smooth-scaled, silent. He carried a velvet-lined black box and placed it gently on the table between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t move. Just watched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith rested her chin on one bejeweled knuckle. \"Tell me,\" she said softly, \"is it real?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux glanced at the box. Then down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, nestled in midnight velvet, sat a flawless white diamond. Huge. Cold. Glittering like a frozen god’s tear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t touch it. Didn’t need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magic was faint. Controlled. Buried like old secrets. Whoever had forged this wanted it perfect. Wanted it to pass under even magical scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shimmer was flawless. Too flawless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the small flaw on the lower left edge? Deliberate. A known trait of authentic Draconite Royal diamonds. A detail a forger would copy. A detail someone like Lux could see through, even without his system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes flickered—just faintly. Gold slipping into the edges. Infernal whisper trailing across his vision like smoke under glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s a fake,\" he said at last. \"But not a cheap one.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith’s smile bloomed like a blood rose in fresh snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew it,\" she said. \"My instincts were close—but you? You make it certain.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned forward again, predatory grace layered under velvet and silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ll be accompanying me to the exhibition,\" she said. \"You’ll tell me what’s real. What’s not. And you’ll make it obvious when someone lies to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux leaned back, one arm draped over the sofa’s edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And if I refuse?\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1076,"2026-06-05T23:57:11.778Z",1,"novelbin.me","d38701163ad57f0ff12a75ed7cc4d09a4403c5f4395d17828228f019118c7bd4","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-199","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-197",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]