Chapter 757 – Tears are Tears
He straightened slightly.
She stopped in front of him.
"You didn’t have to stand so far away," she said softly.
"I’m not family."
Her lips curved faintly. "You are part of the reason I’m here."
He studied her.
Up close now, he could see the faint shimr of tears still clinging to her lashes.
"You did well," he said simply.
She laughed weakly. "I almost cried."
"You did cry."
"Only a little. They didn’t turn into pearls. So it didn’t count."
He leaned slightly closer. "It doesn’t have to turn into pearls. Tears are tears."
Her breath caught again.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
Around them, the gala resud its rhythm.
Music swelled.
Champagne poured.
Deals whispered.
Lux felt the weight of eyes again.
Watching.
Speculating.
Ariel felt it too.
The ballroom had shifted since her speech. Before, the attention had been curiosity. Now it was calculation. Investors, nobles, socialites, sharks in silk and diamonds. They were not just looking at her anymore.
They were looking at him.
And at the space between them.
The orchestra swelled. Strings first. Then sothing deeper. A rhythm that rolled across the marble floor like a tide coming in.
The dance hall began to fill.
Of course it did.
This was that kind of gala.
Couples paired off gracefully, heels clicking, suits sharp and deliberate. Laughter floated up, champagne sparkled under chandeliers shaped like cascading waves.
Ariel’s pulse climbed with the music.
Lux stood beside her, calm. Too calm.
She could feel the subtle change in him. Not anger. Not exactly.
But sothing tightened.
He stepped slightly closer, not touching her, but close enough that the air shifted.
Then he offered her his arm.
More formal this ti.
Less intimate.
"May I have this dance, Lady Avariel?"
The title felt heavier than her crown.
She swallowed and placed her hand on his arm.
"Yes."
They moved to the center with the rest of them.
The music carried them into motion.
His hand settled at her waist. Firm. Controlled. Warm.
Her fingers rested on his shoulder. She tried not to think about how solid he felt beneath the fabric. How steady.
He guided easily. No hesitation. No misstep.
Her gown whispered across the floor. The lights caught the shimr. She felt beautiful.
And painfully exposed.
Lux’s gaze did not wander.
It locked on her.
Not her parents. Not the room. Not the n watching her.
Her.
That made her blush harder than the applause earlier.
She felt small under that look.
Not in a bad way.
Just... seen.
"Why are you staring at like that?" she asked softly.
"Like what?"
"Like you’re asuring sothing."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Maybe I am."
Her stomach flipped.
The music slowed briefly, their bodies drawing slightly closer in the turn.
She felt his hand adjust at her waist. Just a fraction lower. Not inappropriate. Just enough to remind her who was leading.
She gathered a breath.
"Did I... upset you?"
His brow shifted almost imperceptibly.
"When?"
"On stage."
Ah.
There it was.
"I didn’t plan to say your na," she admitted quickly. "It just ca out. I wanted them to know. That you helped ."
He studied her for a long second while guiding her through a smooth spin.
When she ca back to him, his hand caught her again, steady.
"Not really. But I’m on vacation. I prefer to keep a low profile. It just seems like ’low-key’ left a long ti ago."
The words were calm. Not accusing.
Just factual.
Her heart thudded.
"I’m sorry."
"I didn’t say I was angry." His thumb pressed lightly into her waist. Not painful. But grounding. "In this room," he said quietly, "you are the only one who knows who I am. And so curiousity... could spell disaster. You know what I an..."
Her breath caught. She understood. If he drew too much attention, people would start to get curious. And once they did, they would try to find out who he really was.
The music seed to blur around them.
He leaned closer. "If I made a move right now... would you be afraid of ?"
The question slipped between them like a blade wrapped in silk.
Her pulse thundered. "You wouldn’t," she said, trying to sound certain.
"That’s not what I asked."
His gaze darkened slightly. "In this room, you’re dancing with a man they think is a billionaire. An investor. A rumor." His hand tightened just slightly. "But you know I’m not just a billionaire. I’m a Greed."
She felt heat crawl up her neck.
"And..." he continued softly. "A greed demon... is possessive."
Her heart skipped.
"And territorial. Can you handle ?"
The word landed heavily.
Her thoughts scattered.
She was not naïve. She knew what possessive ant. What territorial ant. She had seen the way he watched other n who approached her earlier.
It hadn’t felt gentle.
It had felt like ownership.
She hesitated.
"I... I don’t know."
Honest.
Painfully honest.
She lifted her chin slightly.
"I’m happy with you," she said quietly. "But I don’t want to hold you back."
His eyes sharpened.
"Hold back from what?"
"From your world."
She forced herself to continue.
"I’m not like you. I’m not powerful like that. I just found my family. I’m still figuring out how to stand on my own."
The music swelled around them again.
She took a breath.
"I’m okay becoming your fling."
The words tasted wrong even as she said them.
But safer.
Less demanding.
Less terrifying.
His expression changed instantly.
Not anger.
Sothing colder.
"I don’t do flings."
Her chest tightened.
The orchestra dipped low, the room fading at the edges.
He pulled her slightly closer in the next turn, his voice barely above the music.
"You think I’d step into a room like this for a fling?"
Her lips parted.
"You think I’d let this many eyes see standing beside you for sothing temporary?"
Her hands trembled slightly against his shoulder.
"I don’t want to be your weakness," she whispered.
"You’re not."
"How can you know that?"
"Because I choose my weaknesses."
The bluntness of that made her stomach flip again.
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