Yes! Finally Tycoon

The hot steam still danced along the bathroom walls, and Luna, with flushed cheeks, puffed softly upon seeing Matthew rising from the bathtub with the tranquility of a Greek god. He stretched, the sculpted body perfectly defined without a hint of shame, while Luna did her best not to look directly. But she failed. Miserably.

"Seriously... my boyfriend is a cardinal sin," she muttered quietly, averting her gaze before her mind started writing improper fanfics with her own boyfriend as the protagonist.

Matthew laughed as he left the bathroom, leaving Luna alone in the steam with her existential and hormonal crises.

As soon as he left, she finally got out of the bathtub and dried herself slowly, running the hairdryer through her long golden hair while murmuring complaints to the mirror. "He teases me... and then leaves as if he did nothing… That elegant bastard."

Dry, fragrant, and confused about her own impulses, Luna ignored the closet filled with hundreds of signed luxury pieces and went straight to Matthew's closet. She pulled one of his dress shirts and put it on over her still warm skin, letting the huge shirt fall halfway down her thighs. Out of pure stubbornness and perhaps unconscious provocation, she chose to wear only panties underneath. No bra. No shorts. Ready for dinner, or perhaps to cause a mild heart attack to someone.

Calmly descending the mansion stairs, she found Matthew in the dining room with the table already set by domestic robots. He smiled upon seeing her, but his eyebrow raised slightly upon noticing the lack of... layers.

"That shirt belongs to you now," he said, pulling out a chair for her.

"It always did, you just didn't know," Luna replied with a mocking wink, sitting down with the elegance of a modern empress dressed in temptation.

While they dined, Matthew wiped his lips with the napkin and then said, "I talked to Kael earlier today."

Luna raised an eyebrow, chewing slowly before answering. "Hm... and? Anything important?"

Matthew nodded with a slight smile, pushing the plate aside. "We verbally signed a diplomatic agreement. Me, representing the Phoenix Empire and Phoenix Solarius, and him, representing Cryon."

"And the project?" Luna frowned. She knew Matthew well enough to understand he didn't do parlor politics — if there was diplomatic talk, big gears were turning.

"Clean energy for all 500 million people of the polar empire," he replied, crossing his fingers on the table. "Cryon wants to enter the new era of sustainability strongly. They will use the satellites from Project Helios Orbital."

Luna's eyes widened, surprised. "REALLY?!"

"Yes," he said, then with a playful air, "But since we are family, because Kael is Victoria's boyfriend... I offered a 50% discount per satellite."

"You gave a discount of a billion and millions of dollars per satellite...?" Luna almost choked on the wine. "You want to give me a heart attack, is that it?"

Matthew laughed. "Calm down, love. Deliveries are scheduled. And besides, we have technology to increase production on a large scale. And honestly..." he leaned slightly over the table "...the diplomatic impact is incalculable. Cryon will be a 100% orbital clean energy empire. That sets a global precedent. And who provides the technology? Us."

Luna looked at him, still in shock, but with a growing pride burning in her chest. "You are becoming dangerous, Matthew. The kind the world respects... and fears."

"And you are getting more and more charming," he replied with a smile, his eyes scanning how the white shirt subtly shaped her body. "Literally wearing my victory."

"Oh my god," Luna murmured, grabbing the napkin and throwing it at him. "Stop flirting like that or we'll go upstairs now and dinner will stay untouched."

"Hm... tempting. But I think I still want dessert."

"What kind?" she asked with a mischievous look.

"Both," he answered without hesitation.

And Luna laughed out loud, with that sincere and free laugh she only let out when she felt completely at peace. Then, sighing, she leaned back in the chair and murmured.

"Okay. So... energy for Cryon, official diplomatic relationship between our empires... Kael better fight to make up for the discount. I just hope he brings a giant gift next time."

"Maybe he'll bring vacuum-packed snow."

"If it's crystal clear, I accept," said Luna, raising the wine glass. "To the billions to come, and to discounts that turn into global diplomatic domination."

Matthew raised his glass as well, his eyes fixed on her as if nothing else existed. "To my economic empress and queen of billion-dollar chaos marketing."

They toasted.

Luna took another bite, chewing calmly while commenting casually as if talking about the weather:

"Victoria's kind of freaking out about her father-in-law... the emperor of Cryon." She made a dramatic pause, holding back laughter. "The old man calls Tycoon every day just to chat, ask how her lunch was, give headache tea tips... those things old diplomat grandpas do who suddenly decided to be present fathers-in-law."

Matthew raised an eyebrow, resting the fork on the plate with an ironic smile at the corner of his lips.

"He must have finally accepted her as Kael's official." He murmured, shaking his head. "The old man was always paranoid about these political arrangements disguised as romance. I remember that until two years ago, any diplomat who approached Kael was scrutinized to the tenth generation. Some little nobles were even deported just for enrolling in the same academy as him..."

Luna laughed with her mouth full, wiping her lips with a napkin before retorting with a sarcastic look:

"And to think it was with Victoria that he let his guard down... the couple was as awaited as unexpected." She rested her elbow on the table and made a circular gesture in the air with her hand. "They met at the New York gala, and the next day they were already stuck together. Literally. Victoria called me the next day with a hoarse voice saying she had drunk too much and 'maybe' slept with him."

"Maybe..." repeated Matthew skeptically, taking a bite of the sautéed vegetables.

"Exactly." Luna chuckled. "Drunk Victoria is a classy danger. But at least now she has a whole frozen empire as couple territory. Imagine Kael locking her in an ice castle just to keep her away from journalists."

"And you?" Matthew looked at her sideways, a mischievous gaze. "Want me to hide you in a solar castle if the media goes crazy about our relationship?"

Luna made a playful grimace, then theatrically crossed her arms.

"Unlike Victoria, my relationship was much more... carnally controlled." She looked at him with half-lidded eyes, challenging. "We met at a club, you took me to dance when I could barely walk in a straight line, and somehow, I became a drunk octopus clinging to you all night. We just missed going straight to the room."

Matthew coughed lightly, trying to keep composure while his eyes betrayed a slight nostalgic gleam. "And you still say I was the one who fell in love first?"

Luna slammed her hand on the table, pointing her finger like a true court accuser. "You did! You fell in love first. I was drunk, confused, and you were already there, looking at me like you were going to put me on a golden pedestal. That makes you the submissive one in the couple. I am the Alpha."

"Oh great..." Matthew rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Here comes the 'I'm the alpha because you loved me first' theory."

"It's a meme and I adopted it because it's true!" She threw her hair back dramatically. "You 'receive', Matthew. Accept it."

Matthew kept a total poker face. Silence. Only his patient and resigned breathing as he looked at the woman sitting in front of him, wearing his oversized shirt and bare legs, talking about relationship memes while dinner cooled down.

"Is this the price of dating a billionaire CEO?" He finally asked, bringing the fork to his mouth with resignation.

"No," Luna smiled like a satisfied predator. "This is the prize."

They both burst into laughter, the sound of intimacy filling the mansion's dining room with an almost magical lightness.

Matthew stood with the empty plate, walking to the sink while Luna still nibbled the remaining risotto.

"By the way," Matthew turned back, leaning on the counter, "tomorrow there will be a Phoenix Solarius announcement about the first test of the orbital solar satellites. ArcSys will broadcast the launch of the first prototype live."

Luna raised her eyebrows, excited. "Already? That was fast!"

"Yeah," he smiled sideways. "And if all goes well, in two months, the empire's first pilot city will run 100% on orbital energy."

Luna smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Then she tilted her head thoughtfully. "I need to prepare a celebration party."

"Of course you do." Matthew laughed. "With you, everything turns into a gala with dress code."

"Dress code, orchestra music with a DJ remixing, Michelin star buffets, and holograms of northern lights on the walls. The minimum, Matthew. The minimum."

He laughed even more, walking back to her and pulling her chair close. "And to think I just wanted to eat in peace and ended up being the passive alpha of a billionaire octopus."

"Hey!" Luna pushed him lightly with a mischievous smile. "An adorable billionaire octopus. Admit it."

"Adorable... and completely irresistible." He leaned in, voice low in her ear, and Luna felt the hairs on her neck stand up with the intimacy of that whisper.

"Watch what you say..." She replied provocatively. "What if I decide to prove I'm still the Alpha."

"Only if it's now." Matthew retorted in a soft challenge.

But Luna just smiled, standing theatrically and saying with a hair flip. "Later, boyfriend. For now, I need to make a call. Priorities, love."

Matthew sighed, laughing, and watched her until she disappeared upstairs.

And there he was. The "submissive" one in the relationship. But with a smile on his face of someone who knew that, even if he was the one receiving... he definitely hit the jackpot.

On the other side, already in the bedroom, with a sigh and her hair still a bit damp from the intense night, she threw herself on the bed, activating the holographic interface with a lazy gesture.

"Holographic call with Nikoly, Lumine and Victoria," she murmured to the system.

Moments later, three floating windows opened around her. Nikoly had dark circles under her eyes, clearly coding late into the night. Lumine, as always, impeccable in one of Tycoon's command rooms, and Victoria… well, Victoria seemed to be in her closet, with dozens of dresses tossed behind her.

"So?" Victoria said first, with a tone of tired curiosity. "Did something happen?"

Luna yawned theatrically, stretching her arms above her head and letting Matthew's shirt slip dangerously off one shoulder. "Just wanted to share something before sleeping… Matthew just told me the first official test of Project Helios Orbital will happen soon."

The three straightened instantly.

"Already?" Nikoly's eyes widened. "But the latest update from Phoenix Solarius said the satellites were still in calibration phase..."

"Yeah." Luna shrugged, resting her chin on the pillow. "But apparently, things moved fast. Including..." she looked at Victoria "...Cryon already contacted Phoenix Solarius."

Victoria gave a small laugh. "Yes, they contacted them. Kael told me. They want to implement the satellites to provide clean energy to five hundred million people across the entire polar continent. Can you believe it?"

Luna raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise. "Funny. Matthew just told me the same thing. Only..." she pursed her lips. "He mentioned that Kael was the one who suggested the proposal."

"Makes sense," Lumine commented, with her usual analytical voice. "Cryon is increasingly dependent on alternative energy sources. But..." her eyes narrowed. "Matthew gave a discount, didn't he?"

Luna blinked, feigning innocence, but no one was fooled. "...maybe?"

"Luna." Lumine's voice became sharper than a blade.

Nikoly moved closer to the camera as if trying to force the truth with her gaze. "Discount of how much?"

Luna muttered something inaudible.

"Huh?" Victoria frowned. "Say that again."

"Fifty percent, okay?!" Luna finally exploded, cheeks red with embarrassment. "He said we are family, that Kael is his future brother-in-law and all… and... well… he just wanted to help."

The three fell into complete silence.

Lumine closed her eyes slowly, breathing deeply as if counting to ten mentally to avoid freaking out.

"Luna, dear," she began with threatening calm, "do you realize we're talking about hundreds of orbital satellites with a unit price over one and a half billion dollars? That represents tens of trillions in potential... you let half of that slip."

"It wasn't me!" Luna quickly defended, hiding her face in the pillow. "It was Matthew! I'm just... just informing what happened..."

"Still," Nikoly retorted, already typing something on the holographic keyboard beside her, "Phoenix Solarius is Tycoon's main partner in this project. If prices are reduced too much now, other countries will demand the same benefits. This could... escalate."

"Guys, at least it was Cryon," Victoria tried to soften. "If it was some competitive empire like Ignis or Aethelgard, then I'd freak out."

"That doesn't change the fact we are setting precedents," Lumine replied. "But..." she sighed "fine. Let's do this: Victoria, check with Kael if there's room for a diplomatic price adjustment. Nikoly, calculate the fiscal impact for the next three quarters. And Luna..."

"Hm?" came the muffled voice of the blonde, still buried in the pillow.

"...Tell Matthew next time, we want to be consulted before he starts doing charity with satellites worth more than some cities."

"Understood..." Luna replied quietly, feeling like a naughty teenager caught cheating on a test.

The call ended shortly after, and Luna stayed lying there, staring at the ceiling.

"Family, he said..." she murmured, muttering softly. "Next time, I'll pretend I'm deaf."

Downstairs, Matthew smiled lightly upon seeing Luna's name appear on his holographic agenda with the notification: "scolding meeting – mission accomplished."

He laughed to himself and murmured. "My favorite cardinal sin."

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