[{"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-57":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},1410818,1864,"Chapter 57: Obsession and Power","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>Chapter 57 – Obsession and Power\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car went quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside, the city was starting to shift. Morning shadows melting into midday light. People running to brunch spots. Drivers honking. But inside the car? Time crawled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I offer obsession,\" Lux said. \"Power. The kind of bond that makes people change their lives. I’ll give everything they want. But I don’t promise fairytales.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rava looked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for the first time, she didn’t have a comeback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t have a sarcastic quip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t have a jab to knock his ego down a peg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because that was honest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And something she wasn’t ready to admit she might actually want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shifted in her seat, legs crossing again, trying to disguise how tightly her thighs pressed together now. Her fingers curled in her lap. Eyes still on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you always this intense?\" she asked, voice soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only when I mean it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And gods, she wanted to kiss him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he was beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because he was rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even because his voice made her stomach do stupid gymnastics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because he was real in a way most people weren’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And she was dangerously close to falling for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which terrified her more than any bloodline ever could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Rava did the only thing a semi-functioning emotionally-deflecting kraken girl could do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked straight ahead, out the window, at nothing in particular, and said in the calmest voice she could manage,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re dangerous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t even pretend to be surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know,\" he replied, exhaling like it was a confession and a flex at the same time. \"And I prefer it that way.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice held no malice. Just... acceptance. Like being dangerous was just part of his morning routine. Coffee. Chaos. Charm. Repeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rava’s grip on her seat tightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don’t make relationships with dangerous people,\" she said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t raise her voice. Didn’t snap. But her tone had edges.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to sound cold. Firm. Unaffected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hoped—really, really hoped—her voice wouldn’t betray her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lux?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t push back. Didn’t smirk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just glanced sideways at her. Eyes steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like he knew what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then... he felt it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A... brush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes flicked downward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was not her hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something soft, warm, and slightly slick slid along his collarbone like it was testing territory. It coiled gently around his neck with a curiosity that was entirely not human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another strand crept upward, tracing the line of his jaw—like a question mark wrapped in nerve endings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And yeah.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rava was panicking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tentacles—those ethereal extensions of her emotions—were out. Not fully, not violently, but visibly. And worse? They weren’t trying to attack or defend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were clinging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One had already slithered inside his shirt, like it was shopping for warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Miss Bluewave,\" Lux murmured, voice too calm to be innocent. \"It seems your tentacles disagree with you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head snapped toward him so fast he half expected a crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? No—\" she started, and then saw it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saw the way one of her slick cobalt tendrils was gently wrapped around his wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another was lazily curled on his thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more were doing God-knew-what inside his damn coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let out a sharp sound that was half-gasp, half-horrified-kraken-noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh no. They—They—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They are adorable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux reached out before she could retract them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He caught the closest one—light blue, barely visible in the filtered sunlight—and held it with surprising gentleness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, as if he was greeting royalty, he brought the tip to his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And kissed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like it was the back of a noblewoman’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like it was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like she was perfectly normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rava froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brain. Empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Offline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single kiss burned hotter than most of her past flings. Her cheeks flared, her skin prickled, and her heart went into overdrive like it’d just taken a shot of espresso laced with liquid embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not disgusted by it?\" she whispered, her voice small—too small for someone like her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux’s expression didn’t change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why would I be?\" he said softly. \"You’re a kraken. You have tentacles. It’s normal. They’re your limbs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not blinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something warm and terrifying bloomed in her chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just the words. It was the way he said them. Matter-of-fact. Zero judgment. Zero fear. Zero hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had ever called her limbs \"adorable.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had kissed one like it was sacred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one had spoken about her nature without flinching—even a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt something sharp behind her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn’t ready for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before she could answer—before she could ruin the moment with words— the car slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft electronic chime signaled their arrival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver gently cleared his throat through the intercom. \"Sir, we’ve arrived at the boutique.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux blinked, then casually uncoiled the last tentacle from his shirt and adjusted his cuffs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Great,\" he said, his tone flipping back to practical business mode. \"Give me ten—fifteen minutes. I know what I need.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the door and stepped out, coat flaring just enough to catch the sunlight, shoes clicking sharply against the concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rava was still frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her tentacles had slithered back into hiding, but her heart was still doing parkour behind her ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took a long, slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’You’re a kraken. You have tentacles. It’s normal.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words played on repeat. Like a spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d spent her whole life mastering how to be less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less emotional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less reactive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Less alien.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he came along, kissed her tentacle, and acted like it was cute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She peeked out the tinted window and watched him walk across the boutique’s entrance like he belonged on a runway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course they did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had that kind of walk. That confident, slow, I-own-this-side-of-the-city stride. Like he’d been born with a private bank and an ego sculpted by dark gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He disappeared into the boutique.\u003C\u002Fp>",1015,"2026-06-05T23:57:11.778Z",1,"novelbin.me","bbf3ee18799e9205447ae79c12e2a64dbd19fc6dfd8adb0c41aabac95ea90444","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-58","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-56",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]