Kyle returned after a while, carrying a suitcase. When he entered the room, it was empty, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when he saw the unguarded gold bars.

"She should have waited for me to return. What if someone stole the gold?" Kyle muttered. Then he remembered how easily the assassins had been captured and realized he was overthinking—no thief would leave this mansion alive if they dared to try.

He quickly arranged the gold bricks into the box and wheeled it into a room in the mansion—tomorrow he would come get it.

Kyle locked the door to the room where the gold was and was about to leave when he remembered her words, so he changed his mind and headed to the cold room.

Inside, he saw the fresh blood bags arranged in the left aisle. It looked warm, as if they had only been put there a few minutes earlier.

He looked at the blood bags, arranged by blood type, each one increasingly rare.

But he felt no urge to feed at all; what appeared in his mind and made his fangs throb was Cyra's pale, slender neck.

He longed to sink his fangs into her veins, but he knew it was impossible.

Reluctantly, he grabbed the two blood bags nearest to him and left the room without verifying their blood types.

Zane had just logged out of the game when he sensed Cyra's presence beside him.

"How long have you been standing there?" Zane asked as he stretched out an arm for her to help him up.

"Not long, just a few minutes. Can we go out tomorrow evening? I have a surprise for you," Cyra asked, pulling him out of the pod and turning it off.

Zane's eyebrows rose in curiosity. "What surprise? Are we going out to have fun? Or to end some people?" he asked, knowing they hadn't yet dealt with the people who intruded on their home.

Cyra's gaze landed on his furrowed brows, and she knew what he was thinking. "Don't worry about them. After three months, the cities will undergo a new rule." She smoothed his brows, her voice light as if she wasn't talking about something important.

"Then what's the surprise?" Zane asked curiously as they exited the game room.

"Hmm, it won't be a surprise if I tell you. Just get ready tomorrow; we'll leave as soon as the sun goes down."

Cyra's refusal to speak piqued Zane's interest. He looked at her, hoping to see a hint on her face, but she leaned in and stole a kiss before he could react.

Cyra wasn't satisfied and leaned in when Zane reacted, quickly blocking her lips.

"After dinner, we'll continue." He said these words and hurried toward the elevator at the end of the hall.

Cyra stared at his back, her grey eyes darker with desire. "Dinner then," she muttered huskily, her voice thick with promise that Zane would come to regret—his limbs felt like noodles, and his waist ached after Cyra was done with him.

But in the present, Cyra headed toward the playroom, where decorations were still underway. The room smelled of wet paint. A darker color scheme covered the walls, and a candle-shaped chandelier hung high from the ceiling, casting a soft glow.

The room needed to be aired out for a week before it could be used. All the equipment she will be using was being customized and was almost ready.

She nodded in satisfaction as she walked around the empty room, imagining where everything would go; she left once the smell became too strong.

….

The next day, Mira was awakened by a notification on her bracelet. She sat up, propping herself with one elbow, and lazily turned on her bracelet with sleepy eyes.

"Yawn... it's from Butler," she muttered to herself after seeing the message.

Then sleep cleared from her eyes, and she straightened up completely, already assuming it was something important.

"Get dressed and meet me at the garage." She read the message aloud, unsure why Kyle wanted to meet her so early—it was 7:30 in the morning.

Mira jumped out of her bed and hurried to her bathroom to get ready for the day.

By the time she reached the garage, it was already 8:30, and she hadn't even eaten breakfast or taken a sip of water.

Mira saw Kyle's figure inside the car and hurriedly jogged over to him.

"Enter," Kyle instructed before she could speak.

Mira had no choice but to suppress her curiosity, open the car door, and get in.

"Good morning." she greeted, facing Kyle with a questioning gaze.

"Hmm. We're leaving for the city today. Madam instructed us to buy out every large supermarket and mall in the city." Kyle dropped the bomb in a calm tone.

Mira was nodding along when his words suddenly clicked in her mind, leaving her speechless and only able to mutter, "Huh?"

Kyle didn't give her time to recover and signaled for her to open the suitcase. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Mira swallowed hard and unzipped the box, her mind blank at his words, but when she saw the suitcase's contents, her brain fried.

"Gold... gold... so much gold." She kept repeating these words like a malfunctioning doll. She even bit into a gold to be sure they were real.

Kyle found himself oddly pleased by her reaction—at least he wasn't the only one shaken by the sight of the gold bricks.

"I'm in charge of exchanging it, while you'll be in charge of the purchase and take over… business is what you're good at anyway." Kyle delegated their duties and started the car, driving at high speed towards town.

Mira was numb as she counted the gold bricks in the box. It wasn't until they boarded the boat that her mind came back to her.

Then she researched the city's popular supermarkets and malls. Her eyes darted around the screen as she made a long list.

"Butler, can I bring in some of my own people for the takeover? There's too much to handle alone. Supplier contracts must be maintained, and the staff and managers need to be evaluated. Some will remain, others replaced with seasoned professionals." Mira spoke briskly, already feeling stretched thin and wishing she could clone herself.

There was a lot to do, and they couldn't be careless, or the aristocrats would catch wind of their involvement.

"And someone must go on our behalf to acquire those businesses while Madam signs the ownership documents. Are we buying the land or just renting?" she asked after considering it carefully.

Kyle, who was blocking the sun with a large hat, waved and turned toward Mira with a drowsy look. "Do what you think is best? If you're short on funds, let me know." Kyle said in a laid-back tone; his main task today was to exchange gold for coins and nothing else.

Mira's eyes lit up; his words were like a lullaby in her ears. She quickly got to work, reaching out to her trusted subordinates she hadn't contacted in months.

They promptly sent her a message, stating their willingness to drop what they were doing and come help.

After she finished, her appetite increased, and she started searching for industries and businesses they could acquire.

This was the perfect opportunity to acquire assets. Fierce competition in the city had the aristocrats turning on each other—some even sabotaged others' businesses to expand their own economic power. All of this was due to the upcoming competition between the cities.

Mira's eyes gleamed with calculation, as the idea grew more feasible and profitable over time.

She needs Madam's approval to proceed. First, she will acquire the supermarkets and malls, then she will propose the idea.