Chapter 651 – If You Burn The World, I’ll Hand You The Matches
Ely didn’t respond imdiately. Not with a clever quip or diplomatic correction. She just... looked at him. Really looked. As if she was trying to match the heat behind that grin with sothing solid inside herself.
And maybe she did. Because her lips curved, not into the usual polished, practiced smile, but sothing darker. Sharper. The kind of smile that whispered ’If you burn the world, I’ll hand you the matches.’
Their food arrived before the tension could boil over. Seared ocean salmon glazed in lemon-butter herb sauce, the scent so delicate it made Ely’s nostrils twitch. For Lux, a dium-rare steak with a molten pat of truffle herb butter dripping down its side like temptation.
The server poured her citrus tonic with a bow. Poured his black wine in a crystal glass with both reverence and barely hidden curiosity. And yeah... Lux saw it.
The cara flashes.
Not full-on paparazzi style. No screaming. No chaos. Just the soundless shutter click of phones hidden behind purses or slyly positioned nus. A few noblewon at a nearby table tried to pretend they weren’t eyeing him, their fingers tapping furiously, lips whispering. Silent newsfeed. Perfect for gossip travel.
Lux didn’t care. Why would he? Attention was just the tax he paid for existing.
He cut into his steak with casual precision, the pink-red center oozing flavor. Took a bite. Chewed once. Twice. Swallowed.
Then smiled like the devil.
Ely caught the look, sipping her tonic with one brow raised. "You look like you’re enjoying this."
Lux t her gaze over the rim of his glass. "I told you," he said, voice light, "I’m bored."
"You decided to seduce," she said, setting her glass down, "because you’re bored."
"I’m an incubus." He dragged his fork through the sauce on her salmon and stole a bite. "I was born to seduce."
She narrowed her eyes, but didn’t stop him.
He exhaled through his nose, lazy and soft. "Besides... with this? I’m sure Vincent will show himself."
She tilted her head. "I thought you said he’d hide."
"He will," Lux agreed, setting the fork down with a clink. "Later. But not now. I ca back, so he’ll show himself one last ti. Either to test ... or prove to himself he’s better. Then poof. He’ll vanish and go back to being Vincent."
Ely chewed thoughtfully, her tongue flicking against the inside of her cheek before she spoke again. "So... these next few days? They’ll be his last as you."
Lux’s eyes glinted. "If he’s afraid of ... or if he still wants to protect his rep, yeah."
Ely was quiet for a second too long. Her expression shifted, cool, composed, then... cautious. She glanced at the window, then leaned in.
"Maybe not," she said softly.
He raised a brow. "Oh?"
"The Albrecht family has deep roots here. Prestige. Political capital. Old money. They think they own half the continent."
Lux shrugged. "They don’t own ."
"You’re new," she continued, not backing down. "To them, you’re flash. Dangerous. But they might not think you’re real yet. They might think they can silence you. Bury the narrative. Buy their version louder."
Lux didn’t respond at first. He just leaned his cheek against his knuckles, watching the garden outside the glass.
By the pool, a few won waved. One even blew a kiss. Another winked. The third just bit her lip and whispered sothing to her friend that made them both giggle.
They all thought he was looking at them.
He wasn’t.
"I could just buy the dia companies," he said casually. "Control the narrative directly."
Ely choked mid-sip. "You— what?"
He turned back to her, totally calm. "Buy the local networks. The online platforms. A few news hubs. Rewrite the trending algorithms. Reshape the sponsored content. Shouldn’t take more than two or three companies."
He said it the way most people discussed buying a mid-tier coat. Or a fucking juice cleanse.
Ely coughed again. "That’s too much."
He blinked. "Too much?"
"Yes, Lux."
He frowned, pouty and very much not sorry. "Why?"
Her tone sharpened. "He’s the one at fault here."
"I know," he said simply. "But I won’t let him slide."
She leaned back in her chair, arms folding. "You an... you’re really considering a full dia acquisition?"
He tilted his head. "Two or three aren’t a problem for ."
And they weren’t. His mind already ran the math.
[Estimating acquisition funds... Calculating targeted network valuations... Cross-referencing with mortal shell corporations...]
It would be child’s play.
Buying companies? Please. Lux had done harder things in his sleep. Like survive hellish board etings with demons who thought screaming louder ant having a point. Like turning a collapsing black market economy into a vault of infernal riches. Like negotiating with a wrath Lord without getting decapitated.
So yeah. Mortals and their stock prices? Easy mode.
Still, he didn’t say that out loud, not yet. He just leaned back in his chair, one arm draped casually across the seat like he owned not only the restaurant but the entire floor beneath it.
Because technically... he could.
Across from him, Ely watched with that half-patient, half-murderous expression she wore whenever he said sothing insane but completely in character. She picked at the last bite of her dessert, her fork dragging slowly through the caral glaze like it was stress relief.
"You know," she said, voice light, "rather than buying the companies... why not just let Corvus handle it?"
Lux turned his head slightly, just enough to look at her. His wine-dark eyes glittered.
"I could," he admitted, lazy. "Corvus is capable."
Ely didn’t even blink. "Exactly. So why not just let him manipulate the dia directly? Rewrite the feeds, control the narratives, maybe even leak a little scandal on Vincent’s side if you’re feeling petty—"
"Oh," Lux said, smile curling, "I’m always feeling petty."
She snorted.
"But," he added, shifting slightly forward, "since I’ll be here for the next... hundred years or so..." He gave a deliberate pause, letting that number settle.
Ely blinked. "Excuse ?"
He just smiled wider.
"...You plan to stay here that long?"
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