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Chapter 10 - Donations, Drones, and Emotional Drama

The headlines exploded like elegant fireworks across the world's screens:

 "Luna Malroth creates Global Foundation for Poverty Eradication."

 "Augustus Malroth's daughter moves the Empire with a promise made to her father."

 "Billionaire heiress already has the support of three major aristocratic groups."

Luna's phone began vibrating so hard it nearly fell off the marble countertop she was leaning against, sipping tea with honey and ginger—courtesy of her lingering emotional hangover.

The first call came from Victoria. 

"FRIEND, I LOVE YOU!"

 "Victória? Have you seen the interview?"

"I SAW THE INTERVIEW, YOUR OUTFIT, YOUR FACE, AND THE WHOLE WORLD FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

 "Calm down, breathe—"

 "NO! I want to donate. The Lancaster Group wants to contribute. An initial, symbolic ten million. And I demand that my donation come with a holographic statue of me smiling in a refugee camp."

Luna laughed. "Send it straight to my CEO."

The second call was from Nikoly.

 "Luna. What an initiative… worthy of a good emperor."

 "Thank you, Nikki…"

 "I want the Hoshinami Group to support the foundation's educational arm. We'll develop language technologies for children. Send me your contact number."

 "With pleasure. His name is Hiro. He'll love you."

Lumine called right away.

 "Chief..."

 "Lumine, my Swiss crystal!"

 "Are you okay? This is all too much."

 "I'm a mix of megalomania and gastritis. What about you?"

 "I want to donate. The Edelweiss Group wants to fund the construction of art schools in war zones. Painting saves souls."

 "You just made me cry. And I hate crying with Dior makeup on."

With the initial donations added up, almost 100 million had already been sent to the foundation before its official website even existed.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes…

The Philanthropic Management Robot-People began to organize themselves into units.

The "President of the Foundation", UGP-001 Hiro, was already starting the bureaucracy:

International registration documentation

Purchases of strategic land

Diplomatic Connections with Non-Aligned Nations

Contracts with award-winning architects and respected NGOs

Hiro was impeccable. A robot with serene features, dark hair, formal clothes, and a virtual briefcase containing maps of the world's misery.

Luna called him "my adamantium CEO with the soul of a Zen monk."

But what Luna wasn't ready for was the next name that appeared on her iPhone 16 Pro's display: Matthew Solarius

She froze. Literally.

The heart beat as if German techno was playing again.

He took a deep breath. 

And he answered. "...Hello?"

His voice, warm, polite, formal. "Miss Malroth."

 "...Prince Matthew." She spoke as if treading on thin ice in stiletto heels.

 "I watched your interview."

Break. Learn. Deadly.

Luna was already shrinking in her chair, waiting for a joke about her drunkenly dancing like an octopus in love.

But then he continued, completely ignoring the nightclub topic.

 "I would like to say, on behalf of the Phoenix Empire, that your initiative is admirable. The Malroth Foundation is already resonating with diplomats and heads of state. We are grateful."

Luna blinked. "...Thank you?"

 "If there is any possibility of a partnership between your foundation and the Phoenix Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, we would be honored."

She mumbled something generic, like, "Sure. We can look into that later."

 "I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day, Miss Luna."

Click.

The call dropped.

Luna stared at her cell phone.

Silence.

No: "About that day, sorry I dodged."

No: "You used me as a pillow in public."

No more: "You danced close to me like a panther in a trance."

NOTHING.

She tossed her phone onto the velvet sofa with an aggressive sigh. "He didn't say. ANYTHING. About the nightclub."

Ivy, floating with her British robotic composure. "Perhaps the prince has chosen to maintain a diplomatic stance."

 "Or maybe he's pretending nothing happened to drive me CRAZY!"

She stood up abruptly.

 "Who ignores being grabbed by a drunk and embarrassed woman? That's… ANNOYINGLY NOBLE!"

Ivy raised a holographic eyebrow. "Feelings detected: frustration, shame, desire for revenge, residual attraction."

Luna murmured. "I'm dancing with another prince at the next party. EMOTIONAL NUDITY, UNDERSTAND?"

Ivy simply recorded the plan as "Emotional Reaction Level 7. Strategy: Elegant Chaos."

Luna was in an aesthetic mood.

Nothing serious, just that silent anger that sets in when a prince who held you in his arms on a dance floor… decides to pretend nothing happened.

Result?

Therapeutic purchase.

Luna stormed into the Phoenix Empire's most exclusive mall like a tailored storm. The imported marble floor reflected her powerful silhouette, and VIP presence sensors alerted the entire floor:

"Omega-Tycoon level client detected. Release Genesis Protocol."

Doors opened like theater curtains.

She took off her sunglasses and muttered, "Let's start with the stylistic carnage."

In an Imperial Haute Couture store, the most exclusive store in the mall. Only five customers were served per year, and Luna was there like a storm of glamour.

She was welcomed with glasses of chilled prosecco and classical music in the background.

She chose a black dress with reflective fabric that looked like it was made of liquid shadow—created with threads of lunar silver and silk made by chrysalises cultivated in absolute silence.

Price? $3.2 million.

Luna's reaction? A smile.

 "Send five of these. Different colors. I want to feel dangerous in every shade."

He then chose a sculpted, tailored suit with architectural shoulders and hand-sewn white crystals.

Two more evening dresses made from petals preserved in magical amber.

And a gray dragon leather faux leather overcoat, bulletproof and boredom-resistant.

Store total: $22.4 million.

Time spent: 37 minutes.

Result: The store renamed the 2030 line as "Malroth Collection".

In another store known for its Aesthetic Engineering shoes.

 Luna arrived, took off her heels, and said, "I want to feel like a millionaire with every step. But without the pain, please."

The manager selected a heel made of laser-cut obsidian crystal, with shock absorption by hidden gravity pads.

 "I feel like I'm walking on clouds tempered with pride."

After: knee-high boots made from eco-friendly aerial snake leather, dyed in imperial wine.

Sports shoes with jewels embedded in the soles, "to run away from gossip with dignity" as she said.

And of course, the highlight: a pair of holographic stilettos that changed color depending on the light.

Cost? $9.7 million.

She bought twelve different pairs.

Because walking in style… was a form of emotional protest.

In another Eternal Bags and Clutches store.

There, Luna didn't ask for models.

She asked for editions that no longer exist.

A clutch made of northern ice diamonds.

A shoulder bag made with enchanted gold threads, sewn in a workshop that has been closed for 200 years.

And a mini bag with dimensional embroidery — which floated discreetly beside its owner like a silent butterfly.

Average value of each piece: $2.1 million.

Purchased: 19.

Total: $39.9 million in pure pocket status.

In another store, he chose watches that didn't just tell time, they told moments that deserved to last forever.

The first choice: a watch with a black sapphire face and an adamantium strap, which projected personalized constellations upon touch.

The second: a minimalist wristwatch that adapted to the wearer's heartbeat and changed style according to their mood.

And a third: made with internal gears of alchemical crystal, capable of withstanding a 100-story fall and still touching Clair de Lune.

Luna bought all three. Plus two extras, on a whim.

Total: $17.5 million.

In another store, she said casually, "I need earrings that say, 'I'm rich, but don't ask how.'"

The attendant smiled.

Luna left there with 20 rings, 8 pairs of earrings, and a necklace with a perfumed aura.

Total jewelry: $41 million.

When Luna got tired of shopping, Ivy reported how much she spent:

Total shopping time: 3 hours and 22 minutes

Total spent: $134.5 million dollars

Number of bags transported by drones: 52

Number of attendants fainting from happiness: 3

In the limo, back at the mansion, Luna nibbled on a cherry truffle dipped in French cognac and said to Ivy, "Matthew who, again?"

Ivy smiled holographically. "Unidentified prince filed under 'temporary irrelevant emotion'."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Side effect of consumption?"

 "No. Clinical diagnosis of absolute aesthetic superiority."

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