Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 625 – Emergency Mode

That was what Lux told himself as he smiled one last time at Vira, fingers still tingling from where she’d ’oh so casually’ grazed his skin. She didn’t even realize it, but she’d played right into it. Thinking she had him cornered, distracted, vulnerable.

Please.

Lux Vaelthorn didn’t get drunk on Lust.

He lingered at the party for fifteen more minutes. Mingling. Chatting. Smiling. A drink in one hand, his jacket draped just loosely enough to keep the rumors hot. The other demons didn’t approach him like prey or predator. They approached like shareholders trying to read the numbers on an unannounced quarterly report. His presence wasn’t just gossip. It was currency.

He played into it, of course. Laughed when he was supposed to. Flirted lightly with two Pride lesser noble daughters who didn’t know the meaning of personal space. Nodded to the Hell Court treasurer like they were still friends.

And through it all, his brain was already running the numbers.

How much damage had been done during his disappearance?

How much ground did Zavros lose?

And how many security breaches had pinged the Vault system while he was too busy getting tied to a bed and pampered like infernal royalty?

He didn’t know.

But he would.

Eventually, he made his way to Asmo, who was lounging on a chaise with one leg draped over the arm like a decadent, oversexed god. Eros was seated beside him, hair tousled, shirt unbuttoned, looking way too satisfied for someone Lux had just seen crying in a coffin a week ago.

Lux gave them a lazy two-finger salute. ”I’m heading out. Thanks for the invite.”

Asmo waved a hand. ”Try not to get tied up again, kiddo. We need you alive and solvent.”

Eros grinned. ”I will drop by your place once in a while if I have time. My bride had woken up, so I will be busy after this.”

Lux smirked. ”Just tell me when.”

He didn’t wait for a comeback. Just turned and walked away, past velvet curtains and gold-trimmed columns, out through the double doors of Lust’s central palace.

The second he stepped outside, the heat of the infernal sky hit him like a breathless reminder...

Yeah. He was home.

The sky was molten, endless gradients of violet and ember red, the kind of backdrop that made mortals cry and poets scream. It shimmered with the faint static of mana storms in the far distance, where the outer realms pulsed and boiled with soul traffic. The air smelled of ozone, ash, and something sweeter... burnt sugar, maybe. A trace of Gluttony nearby.

Lux tilted his head back, eyes locked on the horizon.

There.

The Greed Tower.

Far in the distance, but unmistakable. The tallest spire in the Infernal Realm. Sleek. Obsidian. Edged in gold like a dagger dressed for a gala. It glittered like temptation itself, pulsing with greed-coded mana and layered with centuries of enchantments, contracts, and sigil circuits too complex for most to even perceive.

His father built the shell.

But he... Lux, he was the one who put in the veins. The blood. The network. The vaults. The power grid. The automated contracts. The soul currency liquidity buffers.

That tower wasn’t just a building.

It was a system.

It was him.

Lux sighed once, cracked his neck, then opened his wings.

Tacky. He knew.

Flying to the tower like this? Yeah. Flashy. Dramatic. Way too loud for someone who liked to work behind the curtains. But this wasn’t about stealth.

It was about message.

Let every demon, spy, and bitchy ex who watched the sky tonight see this.

He was back.

He jumped.

Wind slammed into him, greedy fingers rushing past his face, tugging at his open shirt, sending his black pants whipping around his legs. His wings spread wide, catching the hot currents and pushing him upward, then straight toward the tower.

He could’ve teleported. Could’ve summoned a transport.

But no.

He wanted this.

He wanted to be seen.

Because after what happened? The silence, the system lockouts, the rumors?

This wasn’t about vanity.

This was about stability.

If the demons thought he was out of play, the vultures would move fast.

He wasn’t giving them that window.

The landing pad at the tower’s top floor lit up as soon as his mana signature pinged the grid. Runes activated. Defense systems blinked off. And the massive black glass doors slid open like a breath held too long.

A few staff members were already there.

Lux landed on the entrance, not the landing pad.

Calm. Covered in sex bruises and divine bite marks.

A hush spread.

One receptionist blinked so hard her contact seal fizzled.

An analyst dropped a tablet.

A courier with three reports in hand stopped walking mid-step.

”My Lord...” someone whispered.

Another voice, shaky, relieved, spoke louder. ”You’re back.”

Lux brushed a hand through his hair. ”Yeah,” he said casually, his voice silk over steel. ”Looks like you missed me.”

They stared. At the bruises. At the state of his clothing. At the calm, tired, pissed-off look on his face that screamed he had not come back empty-handed.

He looked around.

Chaos. Everywhere.

Screens flickered with news bulletins.

Analysts were on triple calls.

Interns sprinted between divisions with glowing contract scrolls.

The scent of too many demonic espressos burned in the air, mixed with stress pheromones and desperation.

Lux raised an eyebrow.

”Things look... cheery.”

A junior assistant practically stumbled toward him. ”Mr. Vaelthorn! Sir! We’ve had —uh— several contract violations, investor panic, minor soul vault breach attempts. Lord Zavros managed to hold most of it but, uh, the Tower— Greed sector’s been on emergency mode since your... disappearance.”

Lux sighed. ”Where’s my father?”

”In the main office, sir.”

”Great.” Lux adjusted his jacket. It didn’t close. The bite mark above his navel peeked out. Subtle wasn’t even an option at this point. ”Tell him I’m coming up.”

”Right away, sir.”

”Oh— and prep Conference Room A,” Lux added. ”We’re going live in thirty.”

”Press conference, sir?”

”Online. Let the media know. They’ve been starving.”

”Yes, sir!”