Chapter 756 – Too Sentintal for My Taste
"I’m glad you ca," she admitted softly.
There it was.
Honest.
Raw.
His expression shifted.
Not mocking.
Not teasing.
Just...
Aware.
"I wouldn’t miss the debut of Avariel’s long lost storm," he said.
Storm.
The word wrapped around her strangely.
She risked looking at him again.
Her pulse skipped again.
He stepped closer.
Close enough now that she could feel the warmth of him against the cool sea breeze.
The ocean wind tugged lightly at her hair.
He reached out.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His fingers brushed a strand of pearl from her shoulder back into place.
The touch was brief.
But deliberate.
"You look nervous," he murmured.
"I am."
"Why?"
She hesitated.
Because I wanted you here.
Because I was afraid you wouldn’t co.
Because when you look at like that I forget how to breathe.
"It’s a big day," she said instead. She really wanted to hug him. But she couldn’t.
He studied her. Like he could see the rest anyway. "You don’t need to prove anything," he said quietly.
Her chest tightened. "You don’t know that."
"I do."
There was sothing in his tone.
Sothing heavier.
She couldn’t place it.
But it made her want to believe him.
Inside, applause erupted.
Reality crept back in.
She was Ariel Avariel.
Not a girl on a balcony wishing.
"You should go inside," he said gently. "Your family will want you visible."
She nodded and smiled softly. "Thank you for coming, Lux."
He tilted his head slightly. "You’re welco."
He watched her for half a second longer than necessary.
Then he extended his hand.
Not rushed. Not dramatic. Just a quiet gesture. Palm open. Waiting.
She looked at it like it was sothing fragile.
Then she placed her hand in his.
Small. Cool from the ocean breeze. Slightly tense.
He closed his fingers around hers gently.
Firm enough to ground. Not enough to claim.
’Let’s not scare the heiress on her debut,’ he told himself.
They stepped back inside together.
The shift from balcony to ballroom was imdiate. Warm light. Crystal reflections. Music swelling into sothing triumphant. Conversations overlapping in layered waves of money and ego.
Heads turned again.
Not just for her now.
For them.
Lux felt it.
The shift in gaze. The recalculation.
Who is she walking with?
Why is he holding her hand?
Is this a statent?
He kept his expression neutral.
Polite smile. Controlled posture.
He was good at this.
Ariel’s hand tightened slightly in his as they entered fully.
Nervous.
He didn’t look down.
He just leaned slightly closer and murmured under his breath, "Breathe."
She did.
Good girl.
The announcer’s voice bood lightly through hidden speakers.
"Ladies and gentlen, honored guests, investors and friends of Avariel..."
The music softened.
Spotlights shifted.
At the far end of the hall, Ariel’s parents stepped onto the stage.
Avariel himself stood tall, composed. His wife radiant and sharp beside him.
Lux released Ariel’s hand gently.
It wasn’t his place to escort her further.
She gave him one quick look before stepping forward.
And then she moved toward the stage.
Alone.
Lux stayed where he was.
In the crowd.
Invisible in plain sight.
He folded his hands behind his back.
The host spoke about legacy. About lost and found. About miracles and tides returning what was stolen.
Lux’s gaze never left her.
She walked up the steps carefully. Graceful but not arrogant. Shy but not weak.
When she reached her parents, her mother took her hand. Her father placed a steady palm on her shoulder.
The hall quieted.
"Today," Avariel said, voice strong and smooth, "we officially welco back our daughter. Ariel Avariel."
Applause.
Caras flashing.
Ariel blinked quickly.
Trying not to cry.
Lux noticed.
He leaned slightly against one of the marble columns, arms folding loosely across his chest now.
And then...
She looked out into the crowd.
Her eyes searched.
And found him.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t smile wider.
Just held her gaze.
"You’re doing fine." His mouth moved.
She swallowed.
And then she spoke.
Her voice trembled at first. Just slightly.
"I... I grew up not knowing where I belonged."
The room leaned in.
Lux’s jaw tightened faintly. He hated sentintal speeches. Too ssy. Too emotional.
"But soone found ," she continued.
His brow lifted.
She took a breath. "And he didn’t treat like a failure. Or a project. He helped ."
Lux exhaled slowly.
"And with the help of Miss Rava Bluewave of Kraken..."
At least she ntioned Rava properly.
Professional.
She looked back at him again.
"Mr. Lux Vaelthorn."
A ripple through the room.
Subtle.
But there.
So recognition. So curiosity.
So recalculation.
He didn’t shift.
Didn’t bow.
Didn’t acknowledge it beyond the faintest tilt of his chin.
"He found ," she said, voice breaking now. "And he believed ."
She sobbed softly.
Damn it.
Lux felt sothing uncomfortable twist in his chest.
He hated that feeling.
He preferred numbers. Contracts. Risk matrices.
Not this.
She wiped her tears quickly.
"Thank you," she whispered. "All of you. For welcoming ."
The applause erupted louder this ti.
Lux joined in.
Clapped.
asured. Calm.
His palms t with steady rhythm.
He kept his expression warm enough.
Appropriate.
But inside...
’This is too sentintal for my taste.’
Still.
He couldn’t deny the flicker of sothing under the feelings.
Pride.
Not loud.
Not possessive.
Just...
She stood there because of him.
Because he chose to intervene.
Because he chose not to ignore a missing piece in a ledger that didn’t benefit him financially at all.
’Idiotic decision,’ CFO brain muttered.
’Worth it,’ sothing else replied.
He exhaled through his nose.
The speeches continued. Investors nodded approvingly. Deals were already forming in the air like invisible ink drying.
Lux’s mind ticked automatically.
Avariel stock likely to spike.
Public sympathy engagent strong.
Narrative montum positive.
He caught himself.
Stop working.
Just watch.
He didn’t even make any analysis.
Ariel stepped back from the microphone.
Her eyes were red but shining.
When she descended from the stage, the crowd parted for her.
She moved toward him again.
Not toward investors.
Not toward politicians.
Toward him.
’Dangerous choice, heiress.’
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