NOVEL NEXT Chapter 349: Velvet Leash
Elias hesitated, fingers trembling as he flipped the first page. His eyes scanned the opening terms.
Clause 1: Equity Division. Lux Vaelthorn shall hold fifty-one percent ownership stake in Nightlight Studio, granting controlling interest and decision-making authority. Elias Moreau shall hold forty-nine percent.
Elias's heart thudded. Fifty-one. He remembered Lux's words earlier, the velvet leash. It was real now.
He swallowed, kept reading.
Clause 2: Debt Resolution. All outstanding debts to banks, investors, and external parties shall be assumed under Vaelthorn Capital Management. Collection harassment shall cease immediately upon execution of this contract.
His breath caught. That was… good. That was lifesaving.
But then—
Clause 3: Veto Authority. No expansion, partnership, sale, or licensing may proceed without Lux Vaelthorn's written approval.
Elias winced. That was control. Brutal control.
Lux smirked, watching the emotions flicker across his face like shadows dancing on glass. "Fair, isn't it? You keep your title. Your team. Your vision. I keep you alive. And in return? I get to steer the ship away from reefs."
Elias licked his lips, turned the page.
Clause 4: Non-Betrayal Enforcement. Neither party shall take actions to deliberately sabotage or defraud the other. Breach results in immediate dissolution of all protections, debts reverting, and penalties equaling triple damages.
Elias's palms sweated. Triple damages. That would destroy him.
Lux's smile softened, but the cruelty didn't fade. "Don't look at me like that. I don't like betrayal. But I'm fair. Keep your word, I'll keep mine. I'm not asking for obedience. Just loyalty."
Elias flipped to the last page. His stomach twisted when he saw the line glowing faintly, the pen waiting like a snake.
Lux picked it up, twirling it in his fingers again. "This is Ledgerbane. She doesn't like liars. Sign with her, and the contract won't just be paper. It will be truth. Break it, and…" He let the sentence trail off, smile sharp as knives.
Elias's voice cracked. "And what?"
Lux tapped the pen lightly against the desk, the sound like a heartbeat. "And it breaks you."
The dev team behind them shuffled nervously, whispering. Elias closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the blood roar in his ears. The company. His dream. His family of burned-out creatives who still believed in him. Without Lux, they'd all be out on the street in weeks.
He looked up, meeting Lux's eyes. "And if I sign… you'll really keep us alive?"
Lux leaned back, exuding calm. "Not alive, Elias. I'll make you thrive. Your game won't just launch—it'll dominate. You'll go from forgotten indie to empire. Your name in lights. Your face on stages. And you'll look back on this moment and thank me."
Elias's chest heaved. He stared at the pen. His fingers reached.
Lux's smirk curved. Hook, line, sinker.
The pen was warm when Elias held it, heavier than he expected, like it was made of more than metal. He signed.
The crimson ink glowed faintly, shimmering as it sank into the page. The contract hummed for an instant, binding, unseen threads tying Lux and Elias together.
Lux picked up the papers, eyes scanning the completed signature. He slid them into his jacket with easy finality. "Congratulations, Elias. You're now officially too important to fail."
Elias slumped back in his chair, pale and exhausted. "I… I hope I didn't just sell my soul."
Lux chuckled, standing. He adjusted his cuffs, every motion smooth. "Don't be ridiculous. Souls aren't for sale in dollars." He leaned down close, whispering near Elias's ear. "Not today, anyway."
Elias shivered.
Lux straightened, gazing around the messy studio with new eyes. It wasn't just a garage project anymore. It was his. A seed. A gate. Mortals thought they were building a game. But Lux? Lux knew better.
This wasn't a platform for entertainment.
It was a forge. A filter. A way to see into mortals and shape them. Through Erebus Gate, I'll watch who rises, who breaks, who lusts, who hungers. I'll sculpt them, nudge them, turn their fantasies into loyalty. And they'll beg for more. They'll shape themselves into my image, and they won't even realize it.
He turned back to Elias, who was still staring at the signed contract like it might devour him.
"Now," Lux said smoothly, "we have to go to the banks. We need to clean your name, and I need to drop my investment."
Elias blinked at him like he'd just suggested they go wrestle angels for fun. "The banks? Today?" His voice cracked, nerves and disbelief twisting together. "Mr. Vaelthorn, I—I usually just… I don't even go inside if I can avoid it. I send emails, I beg for extensions. Half the time they don't even answer me."
Lux smirked as he rose from the chair. His presence filled the room like smoke curling into every corner, confident and suffocating. "That's because you walk in like prey," he said. "Today, you walk in with me. And banks love predators."
Elias opened his mouth, closed it again. He grabbed his jacket, fumbling with the zipper. "I—I usually just take the bus—"
Lux tilted his head, amused. "Not today, Elias."
They left the building, the late-morning air hitting with a mix of car exhaust, faint bakery sweetness, and the constant hum of the city grinding forward. Lux's car waited at the curb—sleek, dark, mortal enough not to scream billionaire, but every line of it whispered power to anyone with eyes. Elias froze halfway down the steps, staring.
"This is your car?"
Lux unlocked it with a lazy flick of his key. The lights blinked like obedient eyes. "One of them," he said casually, sliding into the driver's seat. "Get in. We've got work to do."
The interior smelled faintly of leather, expensive cologne, and something Elias couldn't place—warmth, temptation, like luxury wrapped in sin. The seats hugged him as he sank into them, and for a second he almost forgot he was drowning in debt.
Lux started the engine, the purr smooth and low. Elias stared at the dashboard, at the quiet way everything glowed. It felt unreal.
They drove. The city blurred past, neon signs and gray towers and people moving like ants on schedules. Elias fidgeted with his jacket zipper until Lux shot him a sidelong glance.
"Relax," Lux said, tone calm, almost teasing. "You're about to stop being a debt slave. Most people would be smiling."