Ava’s gut feeling had been right on the money. The other side was dead set on cutting ties.
She didn’t put up a fight. The universe was full of men. Losing one match wasn’t the end of the world for her.
But when a golden opportunity presents itself, only a fool would turn it down.
Leaning back in her chair, she kept her expression cool. “Since you said I could name my price,” she said, a hint of playfulness in her tone, “I think I’ll do just that.”
Benjamin studied her, his face giving nothing away. “Go ahead. As long as your demands are reasonable and within Mr. Blackwood’s means, we can arrange it.”
Ava had no real grasp of their wealth, but anyone who could afford a personal assistant was loaded. She paused, thinking it over carefully. After a moment, she spoke with a slight hesitation. “I want eight Level 5 beast cores. And one million star coins.”
To put that in perspective, a single Level 5 beast core was worth half a million star coins. Eight cores plus the cash came to a cool five million.
In her five years scraping by in the interstellar world, Ava had managed to save just over three million. What she was asking for was practically a robbery. She wasn’t entirely sure they’d agree. If they refused, she could always negotiate down.
But the moment the words left her mouth, her heart started hammering against her ribs. She forced herself to stay calm, holding Benjamin’s gaze with a steadiness she didn’t feel.
Benjamin’s brow furrowed. His eyes sharpened, a glint in them that made her stomach drop.
Had she pushed too far?
She opened her mouth, ready to walk it back. “If that’s too steep, I can—”
“Fifty Level 5 beast cores. And five million star coins. Ms. Ava Sterling, you must promise—no take-backs.”
Ava was stunned. Her mind went blank for a second. Did she hear him right? He was raising the offer himself?
Before she could fully process it, Benjamin swiftly pulled fifty gleaming beast cores from his storage band. He linked to her Lightcore ID and transferred the five million star coins directly into her account.
“The deal is done. Now, can you file for the dissolution?” Benjamin’s tone was urgent, as if he was afraid she’d change her mind.
He had expected her to demand a king’s ransom. Instead, she’d asked for a paltry eight cores and a million. That was almost insulting. It would be embarrassing for Mr. Blackwood if word got out.
So, Benjamin took matters into his own hands. He bumped it up to fifty cores and five million. This way, she wouldn’t get any ideas about coming back later with regrets.
“I’ll submit the application right now.”
Ava felt a spike of fear that Benjamin might suddenly snatch the offer back. Without wasting a second, she pulled up her Lightcore interface right in front of him. She filed the request to dissolve her match with Elias. The system timestamp flashed: 12:16, Tuesday, November 4, MGW.
Once the submission was confirmed, she turned to Benjamin, a brilliant smile spreading across her face. “See? It’s done. I’ve officially applied to dissolve my match with Mr. Blackwood. I even deleted him from my contacts! The system says it’ll take three months to finalize, so Mr. Blackwood will just have to wait.”
The Beastmate System had its rules. Maybe the so-called Beast God had quotas to meet. Every dissolution request required a three-month cooling-off period. During that time, you could cancel if you had second thoughts.
Cancel? Not a chance, Ava thought firmly.
Her efficiency seemed to please Benjamin immensely. His previously polite, plastic smile softened into something that almost looked like real appreciation. “Thank you, Ms. Sterling. I won’t take up any more of your time. Take care.”
With their business concluded, he left in a hurry. He was eager to track down the mysterious woman who had caught Elias’s attention. There was no time to lose.
Once Ava watched him disappear through the villa gates, she could barely contain her excitement. What incredible luck!
In just a few minutes, she had gone from comfortable stability to being seriously wealthy. Just like that—thirty million star coins richer. What a windfall!
If only she could run into more matches like this… She’d be set for life. It felt like winning the lottery without buying a ticket.
Clasping her hands together, she sent a fervent prayer upward. “Oh merciful and glorious Beast God, please send more generous matches my way!”
Clutching the fifty shimmering beast cores, she was too wired to even think about sleep. Instead, she headed straight for the training room. With these cores, she could stabilize her abilities immediately.
Sweet heavens—this felt amazing.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, Elias listened as Benjamin gave his report.
“It seems Ms. Ava Sterling knows when to quit while she’s ahead. Since she’s already filed for dissolution, we can leave her be. Our focus should now be on finding the female who saved my life.”
Benjamin bowed his head respectfully. “Rest assured, Mr. Blackwood. The hospital’s surveillance system is almost back online. Once we identify the woman who brought you here, tracking her down will be simple.”