chapter 6

It seemed that she had guessed right. The other side wanted to dissolve the match.

Emma didn't make it hard for them. There were plenty of men around; losing one was no skin off her nose.

Still, when an opportunity knocks, you don't just shut the door.

She leaned back in her chair, her expression cool. "Since you said I could name my terms," Emma said lightly, "I'll take you up on that."

Adam nodded. "Go ahead. As long as it's not outrageous and within Mr. Auris' means, we'll make it happen."

Emma didn't know the extent of their wealth, but anyone with a personal assistant probably wasn't short on money. She thought for a moment, weighing her options, then said, a little hesitantly, "I want eight Level 5 beast cores, plus 1 million star coins."

Outside, a single Level 5 beast core sold for 500,000. Eight of them plus 1 million in cash? That was 5 million altogether.

In her five years in the interstellar era, Emma had managed to save only a little over 3 million. What she just asked for was highway robbery. She wasn't sure if they'd go for it, but if they refused, she could always bargain down.

Still, after the words left her mouth, her heart pounded. She forced herself to look calm, staring steadily at Adam.

But Adam's brows pinched tight, and his gaze cut sharper than a knife.

Her stomach sank. Was I too greedy?

She opened her mouth to backpedal. "If that's too much, I can—"

"Fifty Level 5 beast cores and 5 million star coins. Ms. Emma Tibarn, you must promise—no take-backs."

Emma was stunned. Did she hear that right? He just raised the price himself?

Before she could blink, Adam pulled 50 beast cores from his band, added her Lightcore ID, and transferred 5 million star coins straight into her account.

"The deal's done. Now, can you file for the match dissolution?" Adam asked immediately, as if terrified she would change her mind.

He had been bracing for her to demand a fortune. Instead, she had only asked for that little. Eight cores and 1 million? Laughable—pathetic even. If word got out, it would be embarrassing for Mr. Auris.

So Adam took the initiative: bumped it to 50 beast cores and 5 million star coins. That way, she couldn't regret later and come crawling back.

"I'll apply right now."

Emma was just as nervous that Adam might suddenly snatch it all back. Without wasting a breath, she opened her Lightcore in front of him and submitted a request to dissolve the match with Kael on the Beastmate System. She even thoughtfully deleted Kael from her contacts.

After all, hesitating even a second would've been disrespectful to those beast cores and star coins.

Once everything was filed, she turned with a bright smile. "Did you see that? I've applied to dissolve the match with Mr. Auris. Deleted him as a contact too. The system requires three months before it's finalized, though, so Mr. Auris will have to wait it out."

The Beastmate System was built that way. Maybe the so-called Beast God had a quota to hit—every request to dissolve a match took three months to clear. During that window, one could cancel their application if they changed your mind.

Cancel? Yeah, not happening, thought Emma.

Her efficiency left Adam very satisfied. Even his polite, plastic smile softened into something almost genuine. "Thank you, Ms. Emma Tibarn. I won't keep you up any longer. Please rest well."

With business done, he left in a hurry. He still needed to track down the mysterious female who had caught Kael's eye. No time to waste here.

After Emma saw him leave the villa gates, she nearly jumped for joy. What luck!

Overnight, she had gone from comfortably stable to rolling in it. Just like that—30 million star coins richer. Jackpot!

If only more matches like this came her way… She would be set for life. Talk about cashing in without having to do anything.

Hands clasped, she prayed devoutly to the Beast God, "Oh merciful and glorious Beast God, please send me more generous matches like this!"

Clutching the 50 gleaming beast cores, she was too hyped to sleep. Instead, she headed straight for the training room. With the beast cores in hand, she could stabilize her ability immediately.

Sweet heaven—it felt so good.

…

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Kael nodded in approval as he listened to Adam's report.

"Looks like Ms. Emma Tibarn is sensible enough to know when to back off. Since she's already applied to dissolve the match, we can leave her be. Focus on finding the female who saved me."

Adam bowed his head respectfully. "Rest assured, Mr. Auris. The hospital's surveillance system is almost back online. Once we identify the female who brought you here, it'll be easy to track her down."