NOVEL NEXT Chapter 358: You’re Playing in My Market
"It always mattered," Zavros said firmly. "I was blind. Stupid. Greedy in all the wrong ways."
Lux's laugh came out sharp, but softer than before. He shook his head, muttering, "Blind. Stupid. Greedy. Congratulations, Dad, you've finally read your own balance sheet."
The silence that followed wasn't comfortable. It wasn't warm. But it wasn't the old, empty silence either. It was… fragile. Like a ledger teetering between profit and loss.
Lux tapped the wheel again, eyes narrowing. "You know what? I'll give you this. At least you showed up. Most debtors don't." His smirk returned, dangerous and thin. "But don't think one apology erases centuries of bad credit. You're still a risk investment."
Zavros managed a faint, rueful smile. "Then let me be one you can hedge."
Lux barked a laugh, shaking his head. "Cute. Trying finance metaphors with me now. Careful, Dad. You're playing in my market."
The reflection shimmered, Zavros' aura pulsing faintly. "I'll take that risk."
Lux stared, long and sharp, before finally leaning back and turning the key. The car hummed to life again, bass from the mortal song thudding through the speakers.
He muttered, almost too soft for even a reflection to hear, "We'll see."
Zavros' image flickered faintly in the glass, lingering like unpaid interest on a debt neither of them knew how to settle.
Lux pushed down on the gas, the engine humming as he slid back into the flow of mortal traffic. Sunlight burned off the hood, mortal music buzzed through the speakers again, and he told himself it was over. That his father's sudden cameo was nothing more than a badly timed financial audit of his feelings.
And then he saw her.
His foot slammed the brake. Tires shrieked. The car jolted to a hard stop.
"What the—" Lux squinted, heart kicking once. A body. A woman. Lying on the asphalt a dozen feet ahead. Pale, delicate, framed by long dark hair that clung to sweat-damp skin. She wasn't mangled, wasn't bleeding, but she looked wilted under the weight of the summer sun.
"Did I crash on her?" Lux muttered, already unbuckling his seatbelt. His pulse spiked—not fear of the girl, but of the clause.
His contract with the celestials was clear: no innocent mortal deaths directly by his hand. If he'd hit her, if she'd died here in his lane, that would be a breach. And a breach wasn't just messy—it was catastrophic.
He shoved his door open and hurried forward. Asphalt heat rose around him, dry and sharp, making the sweat bead instantly at his temples. His shoes crunched grit as he crouched.
The woman was young—no, young wasn't right. Ageless, in that eerie polished way only certain bloodlines carried. Her face was finely sculpted, cheekbones high, lashes dark and wet against pale skin.
Her lips were parted, trembling faintly with each shallow breath. She wasn't just beautiful—she was enchanting in that unfair, liquid way that made Lux's incubus core recognize what she was before his eyes caught up.
[Wealth Scan Activated…]
[Subject: Ariel Avariel]
[Net Worth: $740 Million]
[Fortune: 93%]
[Class: Mermaid Heiress]
[Status: "Mesmerizing, Overworked, Dehydrated, Too Afraid to Ask for Help"]
[Investment Field: Music & Hospitality]
Lux's brows shot up. "Mermaid heiress?" He tilted his head, baffled. "What the hell are you doing here?"
They weren't near the coast. No fancy restaurants. No glittering malls. Just a stretch of highway and his car on the shoulder. She was an anomaly, laid out in the sun like a fallen stock certificate waiting for someone to pick it up.
Her skin glistened with sweat, her chest rising faintly, but her pulse—he checked quickly—still beat strong under the fragile line of her throat.
"Dammit." Lux rubbed his temple, scanning the horizon. Empty road, heat waves dancing. No witnesses. No help.
He didn't have a choice. With a grunt, he scooped her into his arms. Her body was warm—too warm—and her hair clung to his wrist as he carried her back to the car. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect. I came out looking for antiques for Sira and instead I find a dehydrated heiress melting like a gelato in the sun."
He eased her into the passenger seat, buckling her in before sliding behind the wheel. Air conditioning roared to life, pumping cool relief into the cabin.
The car just went about hundreds meters, but the woman stirred faintly, lips cracking open. "Water…" she whispered, voice hoarse, fragile. "…water."
Lux's jaw clenched. "Right. Water. Uh…" He glanced around the spotless interior. "New car, no bottle, no cupholder stash. Of course."
Her head lolled, eyes still shut. Sweat slicked her temples.
"Okay," Lux muttered, slamming the car into park again. He reached into the air beside him, fingers slicing into his dimensional storage. The ether rippled, shimmering like a vault full of hidden treasures. He dug past contracts and artifacts.
He pulled it free.
[Item: Infernal Elixir – Common Grade]
[Quality: Low-tier, distilled in the fire-pits of infernal domain]
[Description: A black-glass vial filled with swirling crimson liquid, faintly glowing. Smells of spice, heat, and temptation.]
[Effects on Mortals: Restores stamina, hydrates cells, boosts vitality temporarily. May cause dizziness, flushed skin, or inappropriate dreams.]
[Warning: Too much may overload mortal physiology.]
Lux eyed the bottle, lips quirking. "Congratulations, lady. You're about to taste Hell's version of mineral water."
He uncorked it, the faint hiss of pressure escaping, releasing the warm tang of cinnamon, iron, and something intoxicatingly sweet. Her head shifted weakly against the seat, lips still parted, whispering again. "Water…"
Lux sighed, dragging a hand down his face. "Great. Just great. Please don't sue me for inappropriate conduct later. I'm just trying to keep you alive."
He angled the vial carefully, one hand steadying her chin, the other tipping the glass toward her lips.
For a heartbeat, her mouth resisted, breath shallow. Then instinct—or desperation—took over. Her lips parted, and a few crimson drops slid past.
The moment the elixir touched her tongue, she shivered violently, lashes fluttering, throat working as she swallowed. Her pulse kicked faster under Lux's fingers.