Chapter 553 – Let Borrow Him!
Ely stood up so fast her chair scraped against the floor with a screech that made everyone wince. Her cheeks were flushed, her tea forgotten, and sothing in her brain, it snapped. Not in a bad way. Just in that ’dammit, do sothing or lose him forever kind of way.’
"Can you take ho, Lux~?"
She sang it.
Like, actually tilted her head and used her softest, most sickeningly sweet voice. Even added a tiny flutter of lashes. Like a bad romance drama ca to life in 4K, complete with the sparkle aura.
The silence was instant.
Sira rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn’t just fall out and roll under the table.
Mira’s mouth twitched in disgust like she’d bitten into a lemon tart that turned out to be just lemon.
Naomi made a noise, part cough, part gasp, part internal scream.
Lullaby blinked and clutched her juice like it might save her soul.
The group’s collective aura turned into one look.
One synchronized, judgntal, horrifying look aid directly at Ely.
The look said...
"Ew."
"She did not just."
"She’s trying to take him."
"Oh no she didn’t."
"Typical."
Ely felt every single one of those ntal daggers and pouted dramatically. "Oh c’mon! Just one day! Let borrow him!"
"Borrow?" Mira echoed, flatly.
The girls stared harder.
The stare shifted. Beca sharper.
’You want to borrow him? From us?’
Ely wilted a little under the pressure, ears turning red. "I didn’t an borrow-borrow. I just... I thought maybe we could stroll around? I can show him my favorite places? Accompany him? Casual hangout? That’s all!"
Lux lifted an eyebrow. "You want to borrow ?"
Ely turned to him, trying to salvage what little dignity she had left. "Not... like an object. Just... you know. So company. Two people. Outing. Vibes."
He chewed slowly, swallowed, then set the pastry down with exaggerated calm.
"Fine," he said. "Let’s go."
Her brain broke for a second.
Just like that?
She blinked. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. We’ll take my car." He was already walking toward the front door. "Fenrir just told so weird people were sniffing around the estate since last night. Paparazzi, probably. I guess I got so reputation now."
Ely scrambled after him before anyone could stop her, tripping on the edge of the rug, catching herself, and squeaking in the most undignified way.
Behind her, she heard Mira mutter, "This is how girls die in romance novels."
Sira added, "This is how wars start."
Lullaby yawned. "This is how bunnies get eaten."
But Ely didn’t care.
Because the mont she stepped beside him, walking toward the front drive, her heart did that weird flutter again. Her hands felt cold but her face was warm. Her knees didn’t want to work quite right.
And that was just from walking next to him.
What was it about this man?
He wasn’t even doing anything. He wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t smiling like a player. He wasn’t giving her pet nas or sneaking touches.
He just existed.
And his existence scrambled her internal monologue into pink mush.
The car outside was sleek and matte black. Too cool for soone like her, honestly. And yet, when he opened the passenger door for her, the gesture was so casual, so practiced, that she stepped in without hesitation.
The leather was warm. Soft. Slled like cedar and sothing deeper. Spiced. Earthy.
Lux slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine with one button.
"How did you know about paparazzi outside your mansion?" she asked after a beat.
He nodded, eyes on the rearview mirror. "I know everything that happens within my domain."
He didn’t elaborate. Just shifted gears and pulled out.
Ely fidgeted. "So where are we going?"
"Wherever you want."
The words made her heart stutter.
No one ever said that to her. Not like that. Not with weight. She was a high elf. An heiress. People asked her what she should do. Where she must go. Not what she wanted.
She hesitated. Then gave him the most basic tourist trap answer ever. "...The lakeside park?" Yeah, that was a random and desperate choice.
He nodded like it was fine. Like the sky could fall and he’d still take her to get gelato if that’s what she asked.
The city moved around them as they drove. Concrete towers, neon signs, hybrid trees with glowing moss vines. People in designer coats and magic-infused umbrellas bustled by. But inside the car?
Quiet.
She stole a glance at him.
He drove like he did everything else. Calm. Confident. One hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gear. Red eyes focused, like the world was just... numbers and patterns to him. Solvable. Predictable. Under control.
And her?
She was the opposite of controlled. Her thoughts were screaming. Her heartbeat was annoying. And every ti he so much as flexed his fingers on the steering wheel, she felt heat shoot straight to her face.
What the hell was this?
She wasn’t like this.
She was a high elf. Business genius. Strategic mind.
And yet every ti Lux so much as looked at her sideways, she wanted to dissolve into a puddle.
He glanced at her now. "You’re staring."
She almost jumped. "I wasn’t!"
"You were."
She pouted. "I’m allowed. You’re strange."
He smirked. "Thank you."
"That wasn’t a complint!"
"I’ll take it anyway."
He was impossible.
But she didn’t want to stop. Not now.
They reached the park. A high overlook by the lake, where the air slled of pine and electric sky. A soft wind moved the water into lazy ripples. The sun was warm on her face, casting a golden shimr over the calm surface below. Birds chirped from sowhere up in the trees, distant enough to feel like part of the background music to her thoughts.
It was beautiful.
Peaceful.
Romantic.
Which was a problem. Because Ely didn’t plan this part at all.
Lux pulled the car into a shaded corner, the matte black body glinting like obsidian in the light. The engine purred low before cutting off in a soft click. He rested both hands on the steering wheel for a second, then turned to her with a relaxed, almost lazy kind of focus that made her spine straighten in defense.
"Here we are," he said. "So... what do you want to do here?"
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