The Immortal Emperor Returns for His Daughter

6

When only the two of them remained, Yuna finally looked toward Arya and extended her hand in greeting.

"I'm Yuna, Ara's homeroom teacher. I heard that you had disappeared for a while and weren't able to see Ara. Seeing you now, it seems like you've finally returned."

Arya shook it and replied, "That's all in the past. From now on, I'll be the one bringing her to school every day. Please look after my daughter. If anything happens, don't hesitate to contact me."

Hearing that answer, Yuna paid close attention to the sincerity in Arya's expression and quietly concluded that the rumor about Ara being unwanted by her parents was nothing more than baseless gossip.

The woman nodded, then added, "Before you go, I'd like to ask that you pay closer attention to Ara, Mr. Arya. It's not my place to comment on how you raise her, but I've noticed that Kiara is a quiet, shy child who has difficulty getting along with children her own age. If possible, please talk with her more often and spend more time with her. It would be good to take her out for walks, let her play, and help her interact with others — so she can grow more comfortable with the world around her."

As though receiving a divine decree, Arya's expression turned suddenly serious. Rather than feeling offended, he felt grateful to finally understand what his daughter was missing.

Nodding firmly, Arya promised, "Thank you for the advice. I'll make sure to keep it in mind."

Yuna was once again surprised by his reaction. It was clear this man deeply loved his daughter. The rumor that Kiara was an illegitimate child, unwanted by her biological parents and raised only by her aunt, was nothing more than a rumor.

Just look at how sincerely and seriously Arya had responded the moment she offered advice about helping his daughter become more cheerful. Hadn't he agreed without hesitation, without a single word of protest?

If a parent like that didn't want his own daughter, then wouldn't nearly every parent in the world be guilty of resenting their own flesh and blood?

Yuna smiled, said no more, and bid him farewell.

Arya didn't stop her. He watched her leave, then turned his thoughts seriously to the advice she had just given him. Even if he had lived for thousands of years, this was the first time he had ever raised a child. He had no idea how to do it properly.

He had noticed that ever since they left the house, Kiara had grown quieter and more withdrawn. It had worried him, and he hadn't known how to address it.

Now, with Yuna's guidance, he could start making plans. But before that, there were many other things he needed to take care of.

And the most urgent of all was money!

There was no way around it. Even if Arya had no personal need for it, he was living in the modern world. Everything required money, and with money, everything became possible — whether for a better life, or simply for the sake of those who depended on him.

"Right... money." Arya touched his chin and began thinking about the fastest way to obtain it with his current abilities.

Honestly, he had far too many options. And the very first one that came to mind was robbing a bank.

With his strength, it would be effortless.

But as an Immortal Emperor — and more importantly, as a father — Arya immediately dismissed the idea.

His power was not what it once was. Though his body was immortal, his Primordial soul had been gravely wounded and was nearly beyond reach.

Even if his body was still stronger than ninety percent of the people on Earth, he had no desire to invite unnecessary trouble while Kiara still needed his protection and love.

There was also Lana — the woman he had longed for — who still knew nothing of his existence or fate. And then there were her parents' deaths, and Aruna herself.

There was simply too much to deal with. Until his strength returned, fewer problems were far better than more.

"Let's take it one step at a time."

In the end, Arya settled on the approach with the least risk and the greatest long-term reward — investing in a product.

---

In the western part of downtown Batu.

Inside a five-story corporate building, a woman in a black suit — beautiful, composed, and carrying an air of cool authority — stared at the reports scattered across her desk with a furrowed brow and an icy expression.

The striking woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties, pressed a hand to her temple and suddenly shot a glance at the younger woman standing nervously before her.

"There are only two weeks left before the new product has to be launched and brought to market. So tell me — what exactly is happening? What has the R&D team been doing? They keep asking for more time. How much more capital are we expected to pour into this? A hundred million? Two hundred? Three hundred? If this keeps up, the company's cash flow will run dry. The losses will keep mounting. If the new product still isn't ready within a week, we're looking at losses exceeding one billion. Do you understand what that means?!"

Karina, the young assistant serving as the personal secretary to the woman behind the main desk, looked mortified, her voice cautious and small as she replied, "President Evelyn, I've already pushed the R&D team to work faster, but the professors say that developing a product with no side effects while maintaining such a narrow range of uses is incredibly difficult. This is their first time attempting something like this, so—"

"I don't want to hear excuses!" Evelyn, the president of the pharmaceutical company — not yet thirty years old — cut her off immediately. "They have one week. If it's still not done, find someone else to finish it."

"But President, if we replace the R&D team mid-process, the costs will multiply several times over. And there's still no guarantee that the product will—"

"If you already know what needs to be done, then go do it!" Evelyn suddenly snapped, rising to her feet in anger.

"This is the only new product we have this entire year! If we fail, every other cosmetic company out there will take our market share, and we'll be pushed to the sidelines. The end result? Mass layoffs. Is that what you want?"

Karina shook her head quickly and answered, "I'll go to the R&D team right away and make sure they get it done!"

With that, Karina hurried toward the office door, eager to escape before the president — who was, beneath all that fury, remarkably beautiful — could find another reason to scold her.

But just before she stepped out, Karina stopped abruptly, hesitating as though she had something more to say.

Evelyn noticed and asked, her breath still tightly controlled, "What is it?"

"It's just..." After a moment's hesitation, Karina drew a slow breath and said, "There's someone here who wishes to meet with you, President. They claim to have something very important to discuss — and they said that if we turn them away, an opportunity like this won't come twice in a lifetime."

Evelyn's brow furrowed deeper at those words. Her face, already flushed from anger, darkened further — especially when she considered the sheer audacity behind what Karina had just relayed.

"It might just be someone wasting our time. You should probably forget about it, President." Before Evelyn could respond, Karina, reading the storm in her expression, quickly added those words and pulled the office door open to leave.

"Bring them in." The command surprised not only Karina, but Evelyn herself.

She didn't know why she had said it. Why had she told Karina to bring in this apparently unreasonable stranger?

The moment she saw who it was, Evelyn's expression immediately darkened even further.