Thursday morning at the Dover estate did not begin with the usual quiet elegance.
It began with the distinct, unmistakable sound of a multi-billion-dollar corporate empire being run from the dining room table.
Airis woke up late, the sunlight streaming through her curtains.
She stretched lazily, the Aegis Bioskin sliding frictionlessly against her silk pajamas.
With a single, lazy thought, her 'Absolute Psychokinesis' brought her fuzzy slippers from the closet directly to her feet.
She glided downstairs, following the scent of freshly brewed espresso and baked goods.
When she entered the sunlit dining room, she stopped in her tracks.
Alexander Dover had completely commandeered the long mahogany table.
Three high-end laptops were open, displaying cascading graphs and international video feeds.
Two secure smartphones were resting near his coffee cup, and he wore a sleek silver earpiece.
He was in his shirtsleeves, his tie discarded, projecting the terrifying, absolute authority of a global CEO.
"Richard, I don't care if the Berlin logistics team is stalling,"
Alexander was saying, his voice a low, lethal baritone that probably made grown men weep in boardrooms.
"You tell them they have exactly four hours to finalize the acquisition, or I will personally buy their parent company and liquidate their entire department by Monday. Am I clear?"
Before Richard could presumably stammer out an apology, Alexander's sharp eyes caught Airis standing in the doorway.
The transformation was instantaneous and entirely comical.
The lethal corporate warlord vanished.
Alexander pressed a button on his earpiece to mute the call, his face instantly melting into an expression of absolute, doting warmth.
He stood up so quickly he nearly knocked over his espresso.
"Airis! Good morning, sweetheart," Alexander beamed, rushing over to pull out a chair for her.
"Did you sleep well? Are you cold?
I had Mrs. Gable turn the central heating up two degrees, just in case. Do you want hot chocolate? Mrs. Gable!"
"Dad, I'm fine," Airis said, unable to suppress a small smile as she sat down.
"And I slept perfectly."
"Are you sure?"
Alexander pressed, hovering over her like a very large, expensive helicopter.
"No nightmares? If you want to talk to someone, I have the best trauma therapist on the East Coast on a retainer. I can have her flown in by noon."
"Dad, I promise, no nightmares. I'm just hungry," she reassured him.
Alexander nodded solemnly.
"Right. Food. Yes."
He tapped his earpiece.
"Richard. The Berlin acquisition is on hold for twenty minutes. My daughter needs her breakfast."
"But sir, the shareholders—" a tiny, tinny voice squeaked from the earpiece.
"Richard, do not make me repeat myself,"
Alexander said coldly, terminating the call. He turned back to Airis with a bright smile.
"Now, what sounds good? Waffles? An omelet?"
Lin Ye's twenty-seven-year-old soul sat there, absolutely marveling at the sheer absurdity of the situation.
A man capable of shifting global markets had just paused a multi-million-dollar merger so he could oversee the production of her morning waffles.
"Waffles would be lovely, thank you," Airis replied.
Before Alexander could relay the order, the dining room doors swung open, and Victoria entered.
She was wearing a matching set of incredibly plush, unnecessarily fluffy pink silk robes.
She carried a silver tray laden with what looked like an entire department store's worth of skincare products.
"Alexander, stop badgering the poor girl,"
Victoria scolded lightly, setting the tray down next to the laptops.
"She doesn't need a therapist today. She needs a mother, a spa day, and aggressive relaxation."
Victoria turned to Airis, brandishing a small jar of green paste.
"Darling, I have cancelled all my gallery meetings.
Today is dedicated entirely to your mental well-being.
We are doing the imported matcha mud masks, followed by a deep-tissue massage from the masseuse I just hired, and then we are binge-watching terrible romantic comedies until our eyes bleed.It is non-negotiable."
Airis looked from her father, who was personally pouring her a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, to her mother, who was currently tying a fuzzy pink headband into Airis's golden-blonde hair.
I am a walking extinction-level event, Airis thought dryly.
I have the telekinetic power to summon a meteorite from the exosphere.
And I am currently being held hostage by a fuzzy pink headband and a mud mask.
[Ding!]
[Optional Task Triggered: The Weight of Affection]
[Description: Endure the extreme, overcompensating pampering of your billionaire parents without breaking your teenage facade.]
[Reward Dispensed: Mental Buff - 'Patience of a Saint'. (Reduces the psychological exhaustion of familial over-doting by 90%).]
Airis mentally accepted the buff. She was going to need it.
The Anatomy of a Billionaire Lockdown.
The rest of the day devolved into a hilarious, heartwarming sequence of aggressive pampering. Lin Ye had never experienced anything like it.
10:00 AM - The Mud Mask Incident: Airis and Victoria sat side-by-side on the plush living room sofas, their faces coated in thick, green matcha clay.
Alexander, still on a conference call with Tokyo, walked past, did a double-take at his green-faced wife and daughter, and without missing a beat, gave them a thumbs-up before continuing to ruthlessly negotiate steel tariffs.
1:00 PM - The Catered Lunch: Since going out was deemed "too risky" by Alexander's newly instituted security protocols, he simply brought the restaurant to them.
A Michelin-starred chef arrived under heavy guard to prepare a five-course meal in the Dover kitchen.Airis ate perfectly seared wagyu beef in her pajamas.
3:30 PM - The Art Therapy: Victoria decided Airis needed "creative expression" to process the trauma of the bus hijacking.
She dragged Airis into her sprawling studio.
For two hours, the corporate soul of Lin Ye tried his absolute best to paint a pretty vase of flowers, while Victoria enthusiastically praised what was objectively a very mediocre, lopsided watercolor blob.
6:00 PM - The Movie Marathon: Alexander finally closed his laptops.
The three of them piled onto the massive, U-shaped sectional sofa in the private home theater.
Mrs. Gable brought in bowls of truffle popcorn.
As a notoriously cheesy rom-com played on the massive screen, Victoria wrapped her arm around Airis, resting her head against her daughter's shoulder.
On Airis's other side, Alexander sat close, his large hand gently resting on the back of the sofa behind her, a silent, immovable barrier between his family and the rest of the world.
Airis sat perfectly still, a piece of truffle popcorn halfway to her mouth.
The Aegis Bioskin kept her physically safe.
The Absolute Psychokinesis gave her the power of a god.
But sitting here, sandwiched between two parents who had dropped their entire lives—and millions of dollars—just to make sure she felt safe after a scare... that was a different kind of armor altogether.
Lin Ye had spent the last two years of his previous life coming home to a dark, freezing apartment, where the only sound was the hum of the broken refrigerator.
He had forgotten what it felt like to have someone ask how he slept. He had forgotten what it felt like to be completely, unconditionally cherished.
A sudden, unexpected warmth bloomed in Airis's chest that had absolutely nothing to do with the System.
She leaned slightly to the left, resting her head against Victoria's shoulder, while leaning her other arm casually against her father's side.
Alexander looked down, a soft, immensely relieved smile crossing his face. He gently patted her arm.
"Comfortable, sweetheart?"
Alexander whispered over the dialogue of the movie.
"Perfectly," Airis murmured, closing her sapphire eyes.
She didn't need to go to school.
She didn't need to investigate the secret supernatural factions tearing up the city highways.
Let them fight their secret wars.
Let the world outside the wrought-iron gates burn if it wanted to.
She was Airis Dover.
She was grounded for her own safety, her face smelled faintly of matcha, and she was experiencing the ultimate, overpowered cheat code: a happy, loving family.
For the first time since her rebirth, the soul of the exhausted salaryman truly, fully exhaled, settling into the pure, slow-paced daily life she had been promised.