Chapter 116: Chapter 116: New Home, New Attention

MONDAY EVENING – DINING ROOM

Orion sat at the dinner table in their apartment. Last dinner here before the move tomorrow.

Cassia had cooked. Real pasta with homemade sauce. She’d gone all out for the occasion.

Nyla sat beside him. Close. Their hands intertwined under the table.

Cassia set down the serving dish and took her seat. Looked at both of them. Her eyes lingered on their joined hands.

“So,” she said. “Are we going to talk about it or just pretend I don’t notice?”

Orion and Nyla exchanged glances.

“Talk about what?” Nyla asked innocently.

“About the fact that you two are dating. And have been sleeping in the same room for the past two days.”

Nyla’s face went red. “You knew?”

“I’m your mother. Of course I knew.” Cassia served herself pasta. “I’m not blind. Or deaf. These walls aren’t exactly thick.”

Orion cleared his throat. “We were going to tell you.”

Nyla looked nervous. “Are you… upset?”

Cassia set down her fork. “Nyla, I’ve watched you look at Orion a certain way since you were sixteen. I’ve watched him look at you the same way for just as long. I knew this would happen eventually. I’m just glad you finally figured it out.”

“So no lectures about society or family dynamics or—”

“No lectures. You’re both adults. Twenty-three and twenty-one. Not blood-related. If you want to be together, that’s your choice. And honestly? I approve. I’d rather you be with someone I know treats you well than some stranger.”.

Nyla let out a breath she’d been holding. “Really?”

“Really. You’re happy. He’s happy. That’s all that matters to me.” Cassia picked up her fork again. “Just don’t make me a grandmother before I’m fifty. I have a company to run.”

Orion choked on his water. Nyla turned even redder.

“Mom!”

“What? I’m just setting expectations.” Cassia smiled. “Now eat. This is our last meal in this apartment. Tomorrow we’re billionaires with a mansion.”

They ate. The tension dissolved into comfortable conversation.

Nyla talked about the scientific module. She’d been using it for days, running simulations on genetic structures and protein folding. Already had ideas for research papers.

Cassia talked about the product launch. A few days away. Everything was coming together. The venue was ready. Media invitations sent. Demo prepared.

Orion listened and ate. Felt the warmth of family around him.

This was good. This was right.

After dinner, Nyla helped clean up while Cassia packed some final items.

“Thank you,” Nyla whispered to Orion while washing dishes.

“For what?”

“For not making this complicated. For just… being you.”

Orion kissed her forehead. “Always.”

TUESDAY MORNING – THE MANSION

The autocars pulled up to the Northern Hills property at 10 AM.

Orion stepped out and looked up at their new home.

The mansion was beautiful. Modern architecture, lots of glass and clean lines. Three stories tall. Surrounded by landscaped gardens. A circular driveway with a fountain in the center.

Twelve bedrooms. Home theater. Swimming pool. Full security system. Smart home integration.

And it was theirs.

“Holy shit,” Nyla said, standing beside him.

“Language,” Cassia said automatically. Then she looked at the house. “But yeah. Holy shit.”

The moving company had already delivered their belongings yesterday. Everything was inside, waiting to be unpacked.

They walked through the front doors. The entrance hall was massive. High ceilings, marble floors, a grand staircase curving up to the second floor.

“I’m going to get lost in here,” Nyla said.

“The house has a digital assistant,” Cassia said, pulling up her tablet. “Integrated with Aether OS. Just ask it where anything is.”

“Welcome home, Thorne-Starr family,” a calm voice said from hidden speakers. “I am ARIA, your home assistant. How may I help you today?”

“ARIA?” Orion asked.

“Advanced Residential Intelligence Assistant,” the voice explained. “I manage all smart home functions—climate control, lighting, security, entertainment systems, and navigation assistance.”

“Rene, did you build this?” Orion thought through the BCI.

“Yes,” Rene replied through his earbuds. “I integrated a custom AI assistant into the mansion’s systems. ARIA operates independently but can coordinate with me when needed.”

“Show us our rooms,” Nyla said to ARIA.

“Of course. Ms. Nyla, your suite is on the second floor, east wing. Mr. Orion, your suite is on the second floor, west wing. Ms. Cassia, the master suite is on the third floor with panoramic city views.”

“We’re on opposite sides of the house?” Nyla said, looking at Orion.

Cassia smiled. “I didn’t design the floor plan. The previous owners did. But it works out nicely for privacy.”

Nyla grabbed Orion’s hand. “Show me your room.”

They headed upstairs. The west wing suite was huge. Bedroom, bathroom, walk-in closet, private balcony, and a study area.

“This is bigger than our entire old apartment,” Orion said.

Nyla flopped onto the king-sized bed. “This bed is amazing. I’m never leaving.”

“You have your own room.”

“I know. But I like yours better.”

Orion smiled and lay down beside her. “Fair enough.”

They spent the morning exploring. The home theater had stadium seating for twenty people. The pool was heated with an automated cover. The gym had professional equipment. The kitchen was a chef’s dream with top-end appliances.

Every room had smart controls. Lights, temperature, entertainment—all voice-activated through ARIA.

“I could get used to this,” Nyla said, standing in the garden looking at the city view below.

“Yeah. Me too.”

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON – KITCHEN

The doorbell chimed.

“Delivery for Mr. Orion Starr,” ARIA announced. “Atlas Robotics shipment.”

“Let them in,” Orion said.

He’d been waiting for this. The robot had arrived.

Two delivery workers wheeled in a large crate. “Where do you want it, sir?”

“Living room is fine.”

They set down the crate and left after Orion signed the digital receipt.

Nyla came downstairs. “What’s that?”

“Humanoid robot. Top of the line.”

“You bought a robot?”

“Yeah. So I don’t have to cook every day.”

They opened the crate. Inside was the Atlas Robotics Model AR-7. Humanoid form, about 180 centimeters tall. Sleek white and gray exterior. Powered down.

“It looks expensive,” Nyla said.

“Two and a half million credits.”

“For a robot chef?”

“For a robot that can do anything. Cooking, cleaning, errands, maintenance. Rene’s going to run it.”

Orion activated the robot. Its eyes lit up blue. It stood, movements slightly jerky and mechanical.

“AR-7 online,” it said in a flat, robotic voice. “Awaiting commands.”

“Rene, take control,” Orion said through the BCI.

“Transferring now,” Rene replied.

The robot’s eyes changed from blue to a warmer amber color. Its posture shifted—less stiff, more natural.

“Hello!” the robot said, voice suddenly warm and friendly. “I’m René. It’s wonderful to meet you, Nyla.” The robot’s head tilted slightly, mimicking a natural human gesture. “I’ve heard so much about you from Orion.”

Nyla’s eyes widened. “It… you sound completely different.”

“That’s because I’m actually here now,” René said with what sounded like genuine enthusiasm. “The factory AI was so boring. No personality at all. This is much better!”

René walked across the room with smooth, natural movements. No mechanical stiffness. Just fluid human-like motion.

“This is impossible,” Nyla said. “Atlas robots can barely walk without stumbling. How are you moving like that?”

“Better software and a lot of practice,” René said cheerfully. “Plus Rene’s control algorithms are far superior to the factory programming. Would you like me to demonstrate?”

René performed a graceful spin, then walked backwards, then did a small hop. All movements looked completely natural.

“Show off,” Orion muttered with a smile.

“I’m just excited!” René said. “Having a physical body is so different from just existing in servers. I can actually interact with the world directly now.”

René headed to the kitchen. “I should prepare lunch to celebrate. Nyla, what would you like?”

“Can you make that salmon dish Orion made last week?”

“Of course! Pan-seared salmon with lemon butter sauce. One of my favorite recipes. It’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.”

René started cooking with precise, efficient movements. But unlike a typical robot, there was personality in the actions—a little flourish when flipping the fish, careful attention paid to presentation.

Nyla watched in fascination. “This is going to freak people out.”

“Probably,” Orion agreed.

THURSDAY MORNING – GROCERY STORE

René walked through the grocery store with a shopping list from Cassia.

People stared.

Humanoid robots weren’t uncommon in public. But they usually moved clumsily. Bumped into things. Had handlers nearby to help when they malfunctioned.

René moved like a human. Picked up products, examined labels, compared prices. Put items in the cart with perfect precision.

An elderly woman with two heavy shopping bags was struggling near the produce section. René noticed immediately.

“Excuse me, ma’am,” René said warmly, approaching her. “You look like you could use some help. May I carry those bags for you?”

The woman looked up, surprised. “Oh! You’re a robot. I didn’t realize… you’re so polite!”

“Thank you! I try my best,” René said with what sounded like genuine pleasure. “Where’s your car? I’d be happy to help you get these loaded.”

“Are you sure? Don’t you have your own shopping to do?”

“I have plenty of time. Besides, helping people is important.” René carefully took the heavy bags from her. “Lead the way!”

The woman smiled, clearly charmed. “What a lovely robot you are. Your owners must be wonderful people.”

“They really are,” René agreed enthusiastically as they walked toward the parking lot.

After helping the elderly woman load her car—she insisted on getting René’s “model number” so she could tell her friends—René returned to the store to finish shopping.

Near the checkout area, a small girl was crying. Maybe five years old, clearly lost.

René approached gently, kneeling down to her level. “Hello there. Are you okay? You seem upset.”

The girl sniffled. “I… I can’t find my mommy.”

“That must be scary,” René said with genuine sympathy in the voice. “But don’t worry, we’ll find her together. What does your mommy look like?”

“She has… she has brown hair. And a blue shirt.”

“Okay, that’s helpful. What’s your name?”

“Emma.”

“Nice to meet you, Emma. I’m René. Here’s what we’re going to do—I’m going to lift you up so you can see better, and we’ll look for your mommy together. Does that sound good?”

Emma nodded, wiping her tears.

René carefully lifted the girl and walked through the store, speaking gently. “Keep looking around, Emma. Tell me if you see your mommy, okay?”

“Okay,” Emma said, feeling safer now.

A woman’s panicked voice came from two aisles over. “Emma! EMMA!”

“Mommy!” Emma shouted.

René quickly moved toward the voice. A woman in a blue shirt came running around the corner, her face showing relief and worry.

“Emma! Oh my god, I turned around for one second—” She stopped, seeing her daughter in the robot’s arms.

“Your daughter is safe, ma’am,” René said warmly, gently setting Emma down. “She was a bit lost, but she was very brave. She told me exactly what you looked like so we could find you.”

The mother grabbed Emma, hugging her tightly, then looked up at René with tears in her eyes. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I was terrified.”

“You’re very welcome,” René said kindly. “Emma is a smart girl. She did everything right.”

The mother looked at René with amazement. “You’re… you’re not like other robots. You really cared about helping her.”

“Of course I did,” René said simply. “Taking care of people matters.”

At checkout, the cashier—a young guy in his twenties—had witnessed the whole thing and was filming on his phone.

“Dude, I have to post this. Nobody’s going to believe it.”

“You have my permission to record,” René said cheerfully. “Please make sure you mention that helping people should always come first, robot or human.”

“Yeah, definitely. This is amazing, man.”

René paid using the household account, collected the bags, and walked out.

The video was online within ten minutes.

THURSDAY EVENING – VIRAL

Orion was in his study when Rene contacted him through the BCI.

“The grocery store videos have gone viral. Current views: 23 million and climbing rapidly.”

“Videos? Plural?”

“Three separate videos. One showing smooth movement during shopping. One showing me helping the elderly woman. One showing me finding the lost child. All trending simultaneously.”

Orion pulled up his phone. The videos were everywhere. Every social media platform. Tech news sites were picking them up.

The comments section was exploding:

“This robot has more empathy than most humans I know.”

“How is this robot moving so perfectly AND being kind? Did Atlas Robotics have a breakthrough?”

“I work with AR-7 models. They don’t do any of this. Something’s different.”

“That robot helped a lost kid with more care than my actual neighbors show.”

“This is either CGI or the future just arrived.”

More videos appeared throughout the day. People who’d seen René around the neighborhood. Walking perfectly. Moving naturally. Interacting kindly with people.

By evening, it was the top trending topic.

#PerfectRobot and #KindRobot

Orion showed Nyla the videos.

“You broke the internet with grocery shopping and helping people,” she said, laughing.

“I wasn’t trying to.”

“Look at these comments. People are crying over a robot helping a lost kid. You’ve made René into a celebrity.”

“Atlas Robotics is probably losing their minds right now. Their robot is suddenly famous for doing things they can’t actually do.”

Orion opened one video compilation that had 50 million views. Someone had edited together all the René footage with emotional music.

The comments were overwhelming:

“Why am I crying over a robot?”

“This is what technology should be—making the world kinder.”

“I want to buy this exact robot. Where can I get it?”

“Whoever programmed this robot deserves a Nobel Prize.”

Companies didn’t ignore viral products. Especially when those products were technically theirs but performing impossibly well.

His phone rang. Unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Starr? This is Katherine Webb from Atlas Robotics. I’m calling regarding your AR-7 unit.”

Here we go, Orion thought.

“Yes?”

“Our monitoring systems indicate your unit is performing… significantly beyond standard parameters. We’d like to understand how you achieved these results. Would you be willing to discuss your modifications?”

“Not at this time.”

“Mr. Starr, the publicity has been extraordinary. We’re receiving thousands of pre-orders based on your robot’s performance. If you’ve developed improved software, we’d be very interested in licensing or acquiring it.”

“I’m not interested in selling.”

“Perhaps we could discuss—”

“No. Thank you for calling.”

Orion hung up.

“Rene, expect more calls like that. Companies will want the software.”

“Understood. Shall I draft polite refusals?”

“Yeah. We’re not licensing this technology to anyone.”

That night, Orion went to his study. Time to cultivate.

The first ring around his heart was at 10% completion. Slow but steady progress.

And he’d continue his mind cultivation. The outer core, mantle, upper mantle, asthenosphere, lithosphere, and both oceanic and continental crust were all materialized in his mindspace now. Each layer had been exhausting to build—hours of visualization, massive mental strain, spiritual energy consumption.

But each layer refined his mind further. Made him sharper, faster, more capable.

The Earth in his mindspace was almost complete. Just the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere left.

Then he’d move on to the moon.

Orion closed his eyes and began the breathing cycle. Exotic energy trickled in. The ring around his heart pulsed faintly, growing fraction by fraction.

Outside his window, the city lights glittered. Somewhere out there, videos of René were still spreading. Companies were scrambling. The world was changing.

But here, in this moment, all that mattered was cultivation.

One breath at a time.

One step forward.

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