Chapter 417 – Passive Inco with Emotional ROI
Sira nodded, tucking the pearl back onto Lux’s palm like she was handling a holy relic. "Even mortals can’t argue with magic materializing out of thin air."
Lux tapped his system ntally. ’System, please prep a valuation sheet. Sothing conservative but dramatic.’
[Understood, sir. Shall I also prepare a flow chart for "Parental Reunion Revenue Opportunities"?]
Lux’s mouth twitched. ’Not now.’
[Very well, sir. Suppressing urge to monetize.]
He pocketed the pearls carefully, then smoothed Ariel’s hair down with one hand. "Co on. You’ve got this."
They led her back through the hall toward the private room. She sniffled quietly, rubbing her eyes with her coat sleeve. Sira walked just a step behind, her aura dimd but still regal, like a bodyguard who just happened to be wearing designer heels.
Inside, Rava was waiting near the door, still composed in her silk blouse, a single pearl earring glinting under the soft light. Ariel’s parents—the couple—sat at the table, looking like they hadn’t moved since they left. The woman’s eyes were still red-rimd, but she straightened the mont they entered.
Lux’s entire deanor shifted as they crossed the threshold. The lazy smirk disappeared; his shoulders rolled back. His incubus aura folded neatly behind a mask of polished professionalism.
Business mode. Lobbying mode.
He greeted them with a warm, firm tone. "Forgive us for the interruption. We wanted to bring you sothing... tangible."
The man frowned faintly. "Tangible?"
Lux gestured for Ariel to sit between him and Sira, then remained standing for a mont, every inch the negotiator about to unveil a proposal. "When we spoke earlier, I ntioned that Ariel was rare," he said. "That wasn’t an exaggeration. She’s not just a lost child. She’s a living anomaly in your bloodline."
The woman hesitated. "Anomaly?"
"Ariel," Lux said gently, touching her arm. "Show them."
She blinked at him, confused. "Show them what—"
Lux reached into his pocket and withdrew one of the pearls. The glow made the low-lit room seem warr. "This," he said softly, laying it on the table.
The couple leaned forward. The woman’s breath caught audibly.
"rmaid pearls are produced only under certain conditions," Lux explained smoothly. "Most bloodlines lose the ability by adulthood. But Ariel... even now... can produce enchanted pearls. Consistent, high-grade, stable."
Sira leaned in just enough to look like a proud heiress presenting an investnt. "In other words: she’s very obviously yours."
The woman’s fingers hovered over the pearl. She didn’t touch it yet. "Enchanted..." she whispered.
Rava stepped forward, placing a small velvet pouch on the table. "I still have the sample," she said crisply. "Compare it if you like."
Lux nodded. "Of course, the DNA test will confirm everything formally," he added, his tone balancing warmth with precision. "But even without that, these pearls..." He let the implication hang.
The man reached out, his hand shaking, and touched the pearl. It pulsed faintly under his fingers, like it recognized him.
The woman looked at Ariel again, eyes wide and wet. "How..." she whispered. "How is this possible?"
Ariel opened her mouth, but nothing ca out. She just stared at the pearl, then at them, then at Lux.
Lux’s system popped another notification in his head.
[Sir, projected emotional ROI indicates tears converting to pearls at 3.2x market rate.]
He ntally shoved it aside. ’Not the ti.’
Aloud, he said simply, "Because she’s supposed to be yours."
Ariel blinked.
The woman’s hands flew to her mouth.
And then Ariel’s eyes welled again. Another tear slipped free, rolled down her cheek, and as it dropped—it solidified. Right there on the white linen tablecloth.
A pearl.
Softly glowing.
The couple gasped.
Rava’s professional mask flickered for the first ti. Even Sira’s eyes widened slightly.
Lux just watched. Calm. Composed. But inside, the CFO in him was already cataloguing: rare asset, living proof, impossible-to-counterfeit origin.
The woman reached out, trembling, and picked up the new pearl with both hands. Her eyes glistened. "It’s really her..." she whispered. "It’s... our daughter."
The man exhaled shakily, his other hand finding Ariel’s and holding it tight.
And Ariel—
Ariel didn’t cry again.
She just sat there, stunned, staring at the pearl in her mother’s hands.
Lux looked at them—at the trembling hands, the tears already forming again, the way the woman held Ariel’s pearl like it was the most sacred thing she’d ever touched.
And then he asked, voice low but clear, "Do you still want a DNA test?"
Silence.
A beat.
Then the father stood. Quietly. Walked to the side of the table where Ariel sat. He crouched—just a little—and gently placed his hands on the table near hers, like he was afraid to touch her without permission.
"We don’t need it," he said, voice rough.
The mother was already crying again. "We don’t need it anymore," she echoed, standing up shakily and crossing around the table.
And just like that—
They both hugged her.
Ariel froze at first, overwheld. Her breath caught.
Then her fingers reached up. Curled into the woman’s coat. Clung.
And she broke.
Fully, beautifully, unapologetically broke.
She cried like soone who had held everything in for too long—like a tide crashing over a dam that had cracked one too many tis. She didn’t sob gently. She wailed. She buried her face in her mother’s shoulder and let it all out—the pain, the loneliness, the abandonnt, the fear, the years of being told she was nothing.
Lux blinked once.
Because every tear she shed hit the ground and solidified.
Pearls.
Dozens.
So rolled off her chin, landing on the floor with soft clinks. So bounced onto the table. One hit Sira’s shoe.
And Lux’s system?
It lost its mind.
[Alert: Bio-Material Overflow Detected.]
[Item: rmaid Pearls X34... 35... 37...]
[Enchantnt Rating: 9.8/10 – Market Estimate: $1.2 million... now $1.5 million... Sir, it’s climbing.]
[Advisory: This is a financial event. Consider extraction. Should I initiate a bidding sequence, sir?]
’No.’
[Sir, respectfully... ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO LET THIS WALK OUT?! This girl cries literal luxury items. This is passive inco with emotional ROI.]
’Shut up.’
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