Chapter 29 – First-class Sin
Inside.
The lounge shimmered with low ambient lighting—muted golds, indigo shadows, the occasional flicker of a floating crystal lamp drifting lazily near the high ceiling. Laughter echoed in delicate waves. Music played softly from unseen speakers. Sparkling wines and exotic fruit cocktails passed from hand to hand like gossip.
But in the private corner of the luxurious lounge, four women—draped in the kind of wealth that could bankrupt small nations—gathered around a round marble table beneath a hanging garden of bioluminescent roses.
Mira was the first to speak.
She held her glass lazily, swirling her drink like she was casting a slow, deliberate spell. Her dragon tail flicked once behind her chair, and her golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she turned toward Rava.
"I see you keep looking at him," Mira said without preamble, her voice a quiet drawl of velvet and steel.
Rava, lounging with legs crossed and a martini glass cradled in her fingers, raised an eyebrow. The kraken girl was barefoot—her high heels abandoned under the table, and a few strands of her midnight-dark braid had fallen loose.
"Not really," Rava said coolly, though her voice held the faint echo of tension. "I just saw Naomi choke him."
Fiera, perched two seats over, gave a little gasp and leaned forward, her fox ears twitching with interest. "Wait, what?"
Rava nodded. "Yeah. She stood up and grabbed his neck. Full grip. But he didn't flinch."
Fiera blinked. "Like, didn't fight back?"
"Nope." Rava took a sip. "Didn't even blink. Just let her do it. Like it was a massage."
Mira chuckled under her breath. "I didn't even notice."
"I did," Elyndra murmured, her voice quieter than the others. The high elf had been silent for most of the dinner—watching, as she always did, with that calm, cold scrutiny only noblebloods truly mastered.
Fiera sighed dramatically. "Ugh, and he has that thing."
Rava turned. "What thing?"
Fiera bit her lower lip and didn't even bother to pretend. "That vibe. That 'I'll ruin your life but you'll say thank you' thing. I want him."
Elyndra raised an elegant brow. "Collection?"
Fiera frowned. "No. Not exactly."
"Then what?" Elyndra asked, her tone suspiciously neutral.
Fiera opened her mouth. Closed it. "...Okay maybe like… a long-term accessory?"
Rava snorted. "You mean a husband."
Fiera looked genuinely horrified. "Ew, no."
Elyndra looked at Rava. "You?"
Rava wrinkled her nose, sharp nails tapping against her glass. "Ugh. Marriage is dangerous. For us."
Elyndra nodded once in quiet agreement. She knew where this was going.
"Some men don't mind gold diggers," Rava continued, "but me? I'm worth over seven billion. One time I matched with some guy on a discreet app, and he tried to invoice me after the second date." She made a face. "I can't imagine some low-tier, low-spirit man pumping and dumping into me and thinking he's earned an inheritance. Let me die a virgin."
Fiera laughed so hard she nearly spilled her drink.
Mira smirked. "Well… Lux does smell expensive."
The girls paused.
They all knew what she meant.
That scent. It wasn't just cologne. It was aura. It was tailored confidence, power compressed into a heartbeat. Expensive wasn't even the right word. It was refined. Like old power buried under charm.
"He smells like first-class sin," Fiera muttered under her breath. "Custom-forged and devastating. I hate that. I love that. It makes me go crazy."
Elyndra finally leaned forward, eyes narrowed.
"Tell me his business."
Mira turned toward her slowly.
"He said he's Hell's CFO."
Dead silence.
Then—
"…That's a joke," Fiera said.
Mira nodded, eyes gleaming. "Probably. But that's all he said."
Rava raised a brow. "That's it?"
"Yeah," Mira continued casually. "So I had my assistant run a background check."
Elyndra blinked. "Already?"
"Please," Mira said, twirling her straw. "I was doing that before the wine even arrived."
Fiera leaned in. "And?"
Mira tapped her holo-bracelet and swiped once. A hologram appeared briefly before flickering away.
"He just bought 51% of Eternal Lotus Bank."
All three of them froze.
"…You're joking," Elyndra said slowly.
"Today," Mira continued, enjoying their expressions. "In full. It was a hostile acquisition. Paperwork came through two hours ago."
Rava's glass paused halfway to her lips.
Mira smirked. "It gets better."
She tapped again.
"He also bought Carson's mansion. He's the new legal owner."
Fiera's mouth opened. "No."
"Oh yes," Mira purred. "And other than that…? I found nothing."
Rava narrowed her eyes. "No what? No family ties?"
Mira shook her head. "No family background. No noble titles. No inheritance trails. No dynasty. Just Lux Vaelthorn, from this city. And he came out of nowhere."
"Which means…" Elyndra murmured.
Rava finished it for her. "Fishy."
Fiera tapped her nails. "Like, too clean?"
"Way too clean," Mira said. "That's why I made him pay." She smiled sweetly. "Tonight. The dinner. The wine. All of it. I handed him a table full of billionaire appetites, and I want to see if he flinches. If he doesn't… maybe he is who he says."
Elyndra looked unimpressed. "That's a test?"
Fiera twirled her tail idly. "It's a trap."
Rava leaned back, stretching like a sea creature before a hunt. "It's also a very fun idea."
"I want to know," Mira said, voice lower now, "if this delicious man… passes our test."
Fiera grinned. "And if he does?"
"We party," Mira said.
There was a pause.
Elyndra sipped her drink. "Oh no. Mira. Please."
"What?" Mira said, lips pursed.
"You're planning to break him," Elyndra said flatly.
"Not really," Mira replied innocently. "Just… tame him a bit. Maybe make him kneel or crawl."
Fiera laughed. "That's worse."
Rava tilted her head toward the window, eyes drifting out to where Lux and Naomi were still seated at the terrace table—eating, laughing.
He looked relaxed. Gorgeous. The city behind him like a throne. Wine in hand. Smile easy. Devil in disguise.
And Rava?
She didn't blink.
"…He didn't even blink when Naomi choked him," she muttered again. "I think I want him too."
"Oh no," Fiera whispered, mock-horrified. "The kraken is falling."
Rava didn't smile.
"I won't fall," she said softly. "But I might pull him under."
And from her seat across the table, Mira watched him too—quiet, contemplative.
Because if Lux Vaelthorn was lying?
She'd find out.