Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

She reached for the handle, then paused. "…Lux?"

He raised a brow.

"Thanks. For… last night. And this morning. Even if you were mocking me."

"I wasn't mocking," he said smoothly. "I was listening."

Her chest warmed. She gave a small nod, then pushed the door open. Before she could step out, though—

Lux leaned over. His lips brushed her cheek. Quick. Casual. Sinful.

"Go burn the world, little fox," he whispered.

She froze, tails puffing again, heart hammering.

And then she was gone, swallowed by the chaos of her building.

Lux leaned back, smirk tugging at his mouth, hand drumming the wheel.

Onward to Nightlight Studio.

Inside the building, Fiera could barely breathe. Not because of the mountain of work waiting—though, there was plenty of that—but because her heart was still drumming in her chest like a trapped animal. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it was the sheer volume of orders, assistants shouting, clients waiting, phones buzzing.

But no.

She knew the truth.

It was Lux.

Everywhere she looked, people were already noticing. No one said it out loud—everyone was too busy, too professional, too focused—but she saw the glances. The double takes. The way their eyes lingered on her hair, her skin, the glow that still clung to her even under fluorescent lights.

She looked different. Better. Alive.

Not like a hungover fox dragging herself through deadlines. Not like the Fiera who cried into her wine glass last night.

She remembered fragments. His voice. His smirk. The heat in his eyes when he told her she didn't have to prove herself to anyone but the world. And yeah, she remembered the other thing too—the teasing part, the thing he claimed she said. Her trying to seduce him. Her whispering things about his aura.

Her face flared red. She shoved the memory down hard. 'That didn't happen. He made it up. He must have. Right?'

But even now, with assistants shouting at her about fabric shipments and a celebrity line's urgent adjustments, her thoughts kept circling back to Lux.

And then—

Aelitha.

Standing near the entrance of the design floor like a thorn dressed in silk.

Her cousin's eyes locked on her immediately, and they were filled with dissatisfaction. No—resentment. Pure, ugly dissatisfaction.

Because Fiera hadn't just arrived. She had arrived spectacularly.

Aelitha's chest burned the moment she saw Lux's car roll away. Lux himself—driving Fiera. Lux, who had thrown her out of his mansion last night. Lux, who had returned the suit she'd given him like it was cheap cloth. He even didn't say a thing. The suit just showed up there, inside her car out of nowhere.

Her humiliation was still raw. She could feel it every time she blinked.

And here was Fiera—her cousin, the one who was supposed to look weak and pitiful—walking in with glowing skin, perfect hair, fox tails swishing high, and the smug aura of someone who had spent her morning with him.

It made Aelitha want to scream.

She'd come here today with one purpose. To cause a scene. To plant doubts. To spark whispers about Fiera's incompetence. Maybe a missed order, maybe a late arrival. Enough to taint her cousin's shine.

But now?

Now everyone had paused.

Assistants mid-step. Designers mid-sentence. Even the models trying on sample gowns had turned to look.

At Fiera.

And it wasn't pity in their eyes. It was admiration. Shock. Some of them even smiled.

Like Fiera was the star.

Not her.

Never her.

Aelitha's nails bit into her palm. She wanted to rip that glow off her cousin's face.

Fiera noticed her immediately. Of course she did. That silk dress, that perfect smirk trying too hard, that fox tail curling with controlled venom.

Her chest tightened. For a second, panic threatened to choke her—like always. The family reflex. Step back, let Aelitha shine. Don't fight. Don't challenge.

But then—Lux's words echoed.

"You don't have to prove anything to her. Or to them. You just have to win."

Her tails flicked once. Hard.

She straightened her shoulders and walked past Aelitha without a single word.

The assistants swarmed her. "Miss Fiera, the emerald silk shipment is delayed—"

"Client from House Loraine wants a fitting by noon—"

"Celeb rep just called, they want an exclusive piece—"

"Noted," Fiera said sharply, her voice carrying, confident. "Move the racks left. Adjust the fitting schedule. Double the seamstress team on the Loraine order. And tell the rep they'll have their exclusive piece by tonight."

The room moved.

Like a machine snapping into place.

And Aelitha? Left standing. Forgotten.

Her jaw clenched. "Fiera," she hissed, stepping forward.

Fiera turned slowly, tails swishing. "Yes?"

Aelitha's smile was sharp enough to cut. "You look… different. Late night?"

Fiera's ears twitched, but she didn't flinch. "Busy morning."

Aelitha's smirk widened. "With Lux?"

The room stilled for half a second. A dangerous question. A pointed dagger thrown underhand.

Fiera's face heated, but she didn't back down. She smirked. "Yes. He drove me here."

Aelitha froze, her smile faltering for the briefest moment.

Fiera stepped closer, voice soft but sharp. "Something wrong with that?"

Her cousin's tail bristled. "You're shameless."

"No," Fiera corrected, eyes flashing. "I'm just winning."

The assistants pretended to be busy, but everyone was listening. The tension was thick, electric.

Aelitha tried again. "You think glowing skin and a car ride makes you competent? You think Lux will fix your messes for you?"

Fiera tilted her head. "Funny. Because the only mess I see right now is you."

Her words landed like a slap.

Aelitha's lips parted, but no words came out. For the first time in years, she had nothing. No cutting remark. No clever jab.

Fiera leaned in just enough to whisper, only for her cousin. "Lux gave back your suit, didn't he? He told me this morning."

Aelitha flinched.

Fiera smiled, all teeth. "Guess I'm not the one who needs fixing."

The assistants moved faster, like the room itself had chosen sides. Orders flew, fabrics shifted, the hum of industry swallowing the tension.

But everyone saw it.

Everyone knew.

Fiera had walked in and stolen the day.

And Aelitha? She'd lost before she even opened her mouth.