[{"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-203":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},1410764,1864,"Chapter 203: I Don’t Come With a Price Tag","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-203",203,"\u003Cp>Chapter 203 – I Don’t Come With a Price Tag\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had been an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A full sixty minutes of Lux Vaelthorn casually deconstructing the hopes and dreams of elite collectors one artifact at a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Overpriced.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Worth it, but barely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fake. Cheap fake.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Real, but cursed. So yes—but only if you hate your heirs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith didn’t say much during those assessments. She didn’t have to. Her eyes said it all—gleaming like coins dipped in wine, cataloging every breath Lux took.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And her assistant? That poor soul practically wore his fingers to the bone trying to keep up, scribbling frantically in that gold-edged notebook while Lylith stood silent and stunning like a serpent goddess surveying her treasure map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux wasn’t sure what she planned to do with the information. And honestly, he didn’t want to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buy it. Trade for it. Sabotage the pricing negotiations just to make someone cry over a missed zero. Or maybe even leak the fakes to the media and watch reputations crumble like stale fortune cookies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wouldn’t even blink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Lux?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He admired that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had a particular look when something caught her attention. A slight shift in her pupils. A tilt in her lips. It wasn’t lust. It wasn’t greed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was acquisition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Oh, I want this,’ her expression would whisper when she spotted something worthy. A rare spirit-bound crown? Her gaze practically lit up. That shattered temple ring etched in lost dialect? Her tail twitched like she was already calculating how to steal it out from under a rival’s nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other items, though? Just as quickly dismissed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just gave ’Mm. Not bad. Toss it in the maybe-pile. Or feed it to my vault for aesthetic purposes’ kind of look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had tiers in her mind, and Lux could see them forming in real time. Items she needed. Items she could use. And items that were beneath her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the end, they had made a complete lap of the gallery, leaving behind a trail of silent tension, blushing collectors, and at least three professional appraisers who were now reconsidering their careers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the exhibition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, the gallery still bustled, the overpriced wines still flowed, and egos were still being polished to high heaven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lylith and Lux?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that, they disappeared from the public eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back to the velvet-lined corridor. Past the roped security enchantments. Into her private VIP suite—an extravagant lounge of sunken silk couches, ceiling mirrors, and polished marble warm to the touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scent inside was soft but heady—jasmine, amber, and something darker. Almost serpentine. The kind of fragrance that whispered of dry deserts and wet silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the doors sealed shut with a golden hiss, Lylith flicked her tail once—sharp and commanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her aides bowed and left without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silence they left behind was decadent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slithered toward the largest sofa and dropped herself onto it like royalty off-duty. No shoes, obviously. Her coiled lower half half-draped across the plush cushions like a lazy flex. Scales shimmered like wet obsidian under the amber light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux leaned against the wall. Crossed his arms. Waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because something was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could feel it in the air—the shift. The twist. The uncoiling of something that had been tight all day long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You did well,\" Lylith said finally, stretching with feline grace. Her tail gave a single, satisfied flick. \"Very well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux tilted his head. \"And?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. \"And I liked it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised a brow. \"Great. Now where’s my payment?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith turned slowly—her gaze dripping with amusement. \"Payment?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" He pushed off the wall, strolling toward her with his usual half-lidded stare and effortless arrogance. \"You don’t expect me to work for free, do you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not,\" she said smoothly, straightening her spine just enough to reach for something... unseen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she extended her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Palm down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fingers poised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The back of her hand gleamed under the golden light—adorned only with a thin ring of emerald and platinum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll let you have me,\" she said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blinking once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s... a hand,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she replied. \"You may kiss it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tone remained perfectly neutral. \"You should be honored. No one’s ever been allowed to kiss my hand. Not even the Archduke of Sulkar. And he proposed. Four times.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re comparing me to someone who wears gemstone socks and thinks ’market crash’ is a kind of cocktail.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her smile widened, just a bit. \"And yet even he didn’t get to touch me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux stared at her outstretched hand like it was a spreadsheet error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is your idea of payment?\" he asked, voice laced with amused complaint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s more than money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Would you rather I give you a briefcase full of diamonds?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux sniffed. \"I don’t need that.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith chuckled under her breath. Then leaned back, resting her arm across the top of the sofa as she watched him—eyes glowing faintly, tail flicking in slow waves behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You don’t like it?\" she teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No.\" Lux crossed his arms again, gaze narrowing with a smirk. \"You said I could ’have you.’ You made it sound like something substantial. This is more like a ceremonial handshake for nobles who haven’t touched grass in three centuries.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith’s eyes gleamed. \"So you do want more.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Obviously.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You want me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\" He paced forward now, slow, predatory. \"That’s the deal.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lylith’s lips twitched faintly. \"You make it sound like I’m a commodity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You said it yourself.\" Lux’s tone was silk over steel. \"You’re value. And I collect rare assets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let that hang in the air for a moment. Not angry. Not offended. Just... curious. Her eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming like polished jade caught under candlelight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not some relic you can auction, Mr. Vaelthorn,\" she said smoothly. \"I don’t come with a price tag or a user manual.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smirked, voice lowering as he stepped closer. \"Good. Manuals are for people who don’t know how to handle fire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She chuckled, low and dangerous. \"Careful. You might burn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am the fire,\" Lux replied, his eyes flashing with that molten gold for a heartbeat. \"And you’re the one playing with matches.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1046,"2026-06-05T23:57:11.778Z",1,"novelbin.me","26384373a1d427f49b5df721c749d2ca70046f0512052f0d887bc22aa3f53db9","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-204","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-202",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]