The New York sky was painted in shades of gold and lilac as Nikoly's private helicopter took off from the mansion's platform.
Luna watched the trail of wind that lifted her ornamental plants.
Shortly after, Lumine left in an armored official car, and Victoria, with her walk worthy of a CEO from a spy movie, boarded a silver Rolls Royce, waving two fingers and a lazy smile.
But before you go…
"Don't think too much about that idiot prince, huh, Luna," Lumine teased with a mocking glint in her eyes.
"Seriously, forget about Matthew," Nikoly added, already getting into the helicopter.
Victoria, with the subtlety of someone who loves to poke at open wounds, threw over her shoulder, "The last thing your foundation needs is you dreaming about indecisive nobles."
Luna forced a smile, but the vein in her forehead almost popped out.
"I'm NOT thinking about him, dammit!" he yelled, even when the helicopter was too far away to hear. "Idiots. All three of them."
She huffed, turned on her heels, and walked back into the mansion, stomping as if the marble had personally offended her existence.
Luna's office was a mix between the control room of a futuristic space station and the bedroom of a minimalist fashionista.
Smart opaque glass walls, shelves filled with rare books, a glass table with pink titanium accents, and a holographic panel that floated gently in the air.
She walked in, threw herself into the custom-made reclining chair, and screamed in a melodious voice.
"Ivy!"
Immediately, the AI assistant appeared at her side, looking like an executive secretary who had just stepped out of a corporate fashion magazine.
"Good morning, Miss. Would you like to begin the Malroth Foundation briefing?"
"Start."
Ivy tilted her head, and the room's lights changed to a faint, pale blue. A 3D screen appeared in front of her, displaying animated graphs, reports, and data. Her tone changed to something more objective, almost cold:
"More than 36,000 proposals were reviewed in recent days. Around 92% were automatically rejected. However…"
Luna arched her eyebrow, acknowledging that "however."
"One of the human-robots made a critical error in an investment in Africa. $3.2 billion was lost."
Luna didn't even blink. "Lost, what do you mean? You mean temporarily held in a case? Or are they really gone?"
"They disappeared. The scheme was extremely well-crafted. They used real identities from legitimate NGOs, combinations of fake data mixed with authentic ones. There were even connections to confirmed names in the local government. The bots couldn't detect the fraud in time."
Luna leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "And it leaked?"
"Not yet. But it is under investigation in at least three African courts. The foundation's lawyers predict the case will take between six months and two years. Depending on political interference, it could escalate."
Luna pursed her lips. "So our robots were deceived by well-trained corrupt people..."
"Yes, ma'am. They still follow ethical and auditable protocols. And they are not allowed to hack into national systems—which was exploited by this criminal network."
Luna took a deep breath, let her body relax for a moment, and then murmured, "Pause all pending investments. I want all resources diverted to monitoring, analysis, and support for initiatives already underway around the world. No new investments until further notice."
Ivy nodded. "Understood. Again, all future operations will be temporarily frozen, and active projects will be put into continuous evaluation mode."
"I don't want another scandal. Not a single coin will leave the foundation without me seeing it."
"Will be done. Updating priority: enabled."
Luna leaned back in her chair and let out a long sigh, staring at the mirrored ceiling of the office. "And to think I just wanted to sleep and watch dramas today..."
She grabbed her phone, checked the notifications, and hit airplane mode. "Not today, world. Today, I'm just... CEO mad at the planet."
"Ma'am, we have an update on the Malroth Foundation's funding following the temporary freeze on new investments."
Luna rolled her eyes, already expecting some absurd number. "Go ahead, go ahead. Impress me."
Ivy didn't hesitate. "With the activation of the 100x cashback protocol for spending on real, certified projects in more than 40 countries, the foundation received, in less than a few days, a cumulative return of...4.4 trillion dollars."
Luna made a face like she'd just heard her tea was lukewarm, not boiling. "Hmm. Trills? This has become routine, right?"
Ivy smiled gently. Few humans on the planet could say something like that and not sound ridiculous. Luna was one of those rare cosmic freaks.
"Growth estimates for the next 10 years exceed 70 trillion, considering approved spending and upcoming distribution cycles."
Luna drummed her fingers on the glass table. "And yet, there are idiots trying to scam us."
She stood up, walking to the office's picture window.
Outside, the New York sky was clear, almost cinematic.
Her reflection in the glass was worthy of a Forbes cover, only prettier.
"Let's settle this properly," she said, turning on her heel. "If the bastards know where to strike… then we should know where to place our shields too."
Ivy blinked softly. "Do you wish to activate the Foundation's physical expansion protocol?"
"Yes. Notify the president," Luna said, pulling out her iPhone and opening a dedicated app. "He can start buying buildings en masse. No half-assed deals. I want foundation headquarters on all ten continents."
"Including the three smaller, isolated continents?"
"Yes. If there are people, there is a need. If there is a need, the Malroth Foundation will be there."
Ivy began calculating as she projected a hyper-detailed planetary map into the air.
The geography of Luna's world was different from Earth's. Ten continents of varying sizes, thousands of countries, but like Earth, only a select few dominated the global economy, such as:
USA.
Imperial Chinese Confederation
United European Alliance
Imperial Phoenix Confederation (where Luna was born)
"For each continent, we recommend at least 1 continental headquarters, with secondary offices in countries with larger urban populations."
Luna paced back and forth, thoughtful. "The headquarters in the Phoenix Empire is already on the axis of the Americas, but I want seven more branches in the Americas, each branch. For China, I want a main headquarters and five other branches."
"Perfect. What about Europe?"
"One headquarters. Offices in 7 countries"
Ivy typed faster than any human could keep up. "Recommendations for secondary continents?"
Luna smiled with the boldness of someone who rules by the map. "Oceania? Two branches and an experimental headquarters floating among the southern archipelagos. Africa? I want three."
She sighed, already seeing it all in her mind. "And the smallest continents? Compact headquarters, with diplomatic human-robots. In each capital. Complete automation. Let them be mini triage and social intelligence centers."
"Understood. Starting building purchases, permits, mapping legal zones, and contacting local representatives."
Luna sat back in her chair, slowly rotating with her legs crossed. "Everything audited. No shady middlemen. Transparency is the new luxury."
"What about the name of the global expansion project?" Ivy asked.
Luna thought for a second and said with a half smile, "Call it: Project Ether Beam."
"Ether Ray?"
"Yeah," she said, already playing with her hair and checking Netflix. "Because if we're going to change the world… let it be with a divine ray."
Luna, slumped in the ergonomic office chair, began to run her finger through the list of dramas.
"Miss..." Ivy said with a small smile, "before you dive into more Korean novels, you might want to take a look... at the Tycoon System rewards for starting your first company."
Luna arched an eyebrow, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, right. The Diamond Tycoon Group. I almost forgot."
Ivy raised her hand, and a golden hologram emerged, sparkling like a diamond in the rough. The frame was elegant, with letters dancing in refined neon.
[Tycoon Rewards Unlocked – First Company Founded]
1. "Stellar Crown" Business Complex
Location: Center of the capital of the Phoenix Empire.
Description:
A set of 5 interconnected buildings, each with 110 floors, arranged in a star shape when viewed from above.
Exclusive design: Smart mirrors, fourth-generation solar panels, vertical gardens and individual helipads.
Each tower represents an element: Strategy, Research, Marketing, Development and Innovation.
Estimated value: 190 billion dollars.
2. Supreme Enterprise AI System – "ÆVA"
Fusion of the best features from OpenAI, DeepMind, Synthetica and HyperCore.
Ability to create business strategies, analyze competition in real time, predict global trends, and even suggest slogans based on cultural psychology.
Adaptive emotional interface with counselor mode, sarcastic mode and ice-cold CEO mode.
3. Premium Product: UltraClean LUX™ Facial Mask
Data delivered with:
Molecular formula registered with international patent.
Impurity absorption technology with third-generation purifying nanoparticles.
Production cost: US$0.45 per unit.
Average global sales value: US$120.
Production and logistics now scalable via AI ÆVA.
4. Startup Business Fund – $10 billion
Rule: restricted use only for business actions.
Tracked by the Tycoon System.
If used outside the scope, freeze immediately.
5. ZERØPHAGE Business Security System
Quantum military-grade cyber defense.
Capable of predicting, detecting and neutralizing hacker attacks in up to 0.0009 seconds.
Integrated with ÆVA AI and 100% autonomous.
6. 20 Human-Robot Executives
Each with unique appearance, specific skills and memories trained with international faculty faculty.
Absolute loyalty to Luna Malroth and Diamond Tycoon Group.
Fluency in 210 languages and culture of 97 business blocks.
---
The hologram floated in the air, silent. And Luna?
He simply yawned.
"Hm. I was expecting something more... dramatic."
"You've got a 110-story corporate crown and an army of robots in suits, Luna," Ivy replied, looking as if she couldn't believe she needed reminding. "Literally, an AI more powerful than all the central banks combined."
Luna scratched her chin thoughtfully.
"Okay. Okay," he murmured, pulling out his iPhone. "We'll use the buildings in the Phoenix Empire as our global headquarters. Send the girls the documents, and they'll work it out with the foundation's lawyers."
"It's already being done."
"What about this face mask?"
Ivy smiled. "If you launch UltraClean LUX™, you'll corner the premium market. Suggestion: Use the innovation building itself for production and storage."
Luna rolled her eyes. "Oh, so much work. But okay. Tell the executive robots to take care of it."
She stood up, stretching her arms.
"I'm going to do my skincare now. Maybe I'll use this LUX mask. At least I won't look like a zombie tomorrow."
Ivy chuckled softly. "It's ironic that you're a billionaire who monopolizes the skincare industry... and yet you wake up with the most perfect skin in the room."
Luna winked, heading toward the master suite. "Baby, I'm the sector."