"I'm back."
The deep voice echoed through the mansion as heavy footsteps approached the study.
A tall middle-aged man in a dark coat walked inside, carrying an expensive cake box in one hand. His sharp features carried the pressure of someone long accustomed to commanding power, yet the exhaustion in his eyes was impossible to hide.
Raymond Sebastian.
The public ruler of the Sebastian empire.
The moment he entered, his gaze instinctively landed on the child seated behind the desk.
"Sean."
Sean looked up briefly. "The strike's settled?"
Raymond paused slightly before giving a bitter smile.
"Seth already told you?"
"He came to ask for a solution," Sean replied calmly. "I gave him one."
Raymond fell silent for a moment before laughing helplessly. He loosened his tie and sat down opposite his son.
"Sometimes I genuinely wonder if you're actually my child."
Alice immediately frowned. "Raymond."
"I'm serious," Raymond said with a sigh. "What ten-year-old spends his birthday reviewing acquisition reports?"
"Eleven," Sean corrected calmly.
Raymond's expression twitched slightly.
Even after all these years, speaking with his son still made him feel strangely pressured. It was difficult to describe. Sean never intentionally acted arrogantly, yet every conversation somehow turned into a business negotiation.
And Raymond always ended up feeling like the subordinate.
Honestly, it terrified him sometimes.
Eleven years ago, when Sean first began displaying abnormal intelligence, Raymond had been ecstatic. A genius heir was every wealthy family's dream.
But as the years passed, the feeling slowly changed.
Sean wasn't merely intelligent.
He was monstrous.
At three years old, he had begun reading financial newspapers.
At four, he corrected errors in the company's accounting department.
At five, he predicted a stock market crash and helped the family avoid catastrophic losses.
At six, he designed the prototype for a new automobile engine.
At seven, he pushed the Sebastian family into the arms industry.
At eight, he established their computer division.
At nine, he entered university.
At ten, he completed his doctorate.
And now, at eleven years old, he controlled an empire worth billions.
Sometimes Raymond genuinely wondered whether his son was even human.
"Dad."
Sean's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"The gemstone mines need to be secured immediately. Once the development rights are finalised, we'll integrate them directly into the luxury jewellery market."
Raymond instinctively straightened his posture.
"Already planned."
"Good."
Sean lowered his head and continued reviewing documents. "Also, reduce exposure in the real estate sector next year."
Raymond frowned slightly. "You're not optimistic about the market?"
"It'll collapse eventually," Sean said casually. "We should withdraw before everyone else notices."
Alice silently watched the scene from the side, utterly powerless.
Again.
A father and son discussing billion-dollar financial strategy like they were talking about tomorrow's weather.
Meanwhile, the supposed child in the conversation looked calmer than both adults combined.
Sometimes Alice suspected Sean had skipped childhood entirely.
"Enough business," she said firmly. "Today is Sean's birthday."
Only then did Raymond seem to remember the cake in his hands.
His serious expression immediately softened.
"Right." He smiled warmly at Sean. "I specifically drove across the city to buy this one."
Sean glanced at the cake box.
"It's from that French bakery?"
"You know it?"
"They ranked first in Europe last year," Sean replied casually. "Their annual revenue increased by seventeen percent after changing management."
Raymond froze.
Alice covered her face in despair.
"Sean," she said weakly, "normal children don't analyse bakery financial reports."
Sean blinked innocently.
"But the cream quality improved after the acquisition."
Raymond burst into laughter while Alice looked ready to faint.
The atmosphere in the study finally relaxed.
For a brief moment, they almost looked like a normal family.
Almost.
Seth soon returned after arranging matters at the factory. The moment he entered, he immediately reported with excitement:
"Young Master, exactly as you predicted!"
Raymond raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"
"The workers are already arguing among themselves," Seth explained eagerly. "The promoted employees are being isolated by the others, and several groups are competing to improve performance for the next promotion list."
Seth's expression became increasingly amazed as he spoke.
"The strike's practically collapsing on its own."
Raymond looked toward Sean with complicated emotions.
Every single time.
No matter the problem, Sean always solved it effortlessly.
It was as though he could see straight through human nature itself.
Sean simply nodded calmly.
"People are easier to control than machines," he said lightly. "Machines follow logic. Humans follow emotion."
Seth silently memorised the sentence like sacred wisdom.
Raymond, however, suddenly felt a chill.
Sometimes Sean's perspective on people felt frighteningly cold.
Not cruel.
Just detached.
As though he were observing society from above rather than living within it.
Alice clearly noticed it too. Her eyes dimmed slightly before she gently walked over and ruffled Sean's hair.
"Enough work for today," she said softly. "At least enjoy your birthday properly."
Sean looked at her quietly for a moment before finally closing the document in his hands.
"Fine."
Alice immediately smiled with relief.
Raymond quickly had the servants prepare the dining room while Seth arranged the cake. The massive Sebastian mansion gradually became lively for once.
Yet even during dinner, Sean still absentmindedly stared at the financial reports nearby.
Alice finally snapped.
"No documents at the table."
Sean looked up.
Then silently moved the reports beside his chair instead.
Alice nearly laughed from anger.
Raymond coughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
"So, Sean… have you thought about which secondary school you want to attend next year?"
Sean paused slightly.
Secondary school.
To him, school had long become meaningless. Most professors couldn't even understand the theories he casually proposed anymore.
Still, before he could answer, something strange suddenly happened.
A sharp pain exploded inside his head without warning.
Sean's pupils contracted violently.
Countless chaotic images flashed through his mind in an instant.
An ancient castle.
Floating candles.
Children wearing black robes.
A giant hat screaming about houses.
Owls flying across the night sky.
And a name that suddenly appeared in his memory like lightning.
Hogwarts.
Sean's breathing abruptly stopped for half a second.
His calm expression finally cracked for the first time in years.
Because he had suddenly realised something horrifying.
This world…
Wasn't an ordinary world at all.