CHAPTER 85: THE SON-IN-LAW

Hours later, Noel was pulling on the clothes Selena had been storing inside her storage ring for him, fabric rustling softly in the charged air.

She remained in her naked state, golden eyes drinking in the aftermath of their passionate session — the tangled sheets, the lingering scent of their intimacy, the evidence of their union glistening on her skin.

Selena felt thoroughly satisfied, yet hunger still coiled within her. If circumstances allowed, she would pull him back without hesitation.

Noel recognized that desire burning in her gaze, and though his body could certainly accommodate her needs more, he chose restraint instead.

He could save that fire for when his stamina truly exceeded hers, when his situation stabilized. For now, time remained a luxury he couldn’t afford — making love to Selena for weeks on end would have to wait.

Decision made, Noel retrieved his phone and messaged Lilith, fingers moving swiftly across the screen. His business here was concluded, and now he simply awaited her word that Hilda had arrived.

The soft ping of the sent message seemed to break Selena from her dazed contemplation. She shook her head slowly, a languid smile curving her lips as her hand drifted to her navel, rubbing the sensitive skin with obvious contentment. At least she had been thoroughly filled.

With practiced ease, she channeled her Law in an advanced application, cleansing herself of the surface evidence of their coupling. The technique was hardly groundbreaking, but sufficient until she could properly bathe later.

Yet she deliberately left his hot seeds within her depths, savoring that intimate connection as she slipped on fresh panties.

She dressed with deliberate sensuality, each movement calculated to draw Noel’s appreciative gaze. Her earlier embarrassment seemingly already evaporated completely, after what they shared.

Once clothed, she turned her attention to their surroundings with characteristic efficiency, using her abilities to restore some semblance of order to the scene of their passion.

Finally, she faced Noel, who stood watching her with an amused smile playing at his lips.

Her demeanor shifted instantaneously, golden eyes flooding with a torrent of emotions — longing, uncertainty, hope, and fear warring for dominance. Noel recognized each sentiment flickering across her expressive features, and though he harbored his own thoughts to share with her, he raised a gentle hand.

"How about you delay everything burning in that beautiful mind of yours until tomorrow? After I sort through everything weighing on mine, we can have a proper conversation."

Selena’s eyes gleamed with thoughtful consideration at his request, processing the implications of his choice.

After all, he had made love to her before resolving the chaos in his thoughts — surely that meant something.

In the end, she chose not to dwell on the complexity of it all, simply nodding her acceptance.

"Then let’s go meet Clarissa," Noel said, smile brightening. "I still haven’t finished my conversation with her."

This time, without bothering about the reason, Selena guided him from the throne hall to another chamber where her mother waited.

The room proved equally luxurious, though different in scope from the previous grand hall. Floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooked an exquisite garden where exotic flowers bloomed in impossible colors. Clarissa sat poised, crystal glass in hand, her calculating gaze fixed on them as they entered.

When Noel spotted Clarissa, he offered her a beaming smile that radiated warmth, as he went and settled beside her, while Selena quietly averted her eyes from her mother’s penetrating stare.

"Mother-in-law, what do you think? Do I feel different to you now?" Noel asked with obvious satisfaction.

"And what about Selena? Doesn’t she seem to have acquired a different charm? Something more mature, more complete?"

His questions carried genuine affection and an easy familiarity that had no basis in their actual relationship, yet felt surprisingly natural rolling off his tongue.

Naturally, Clarissa didn’t reciprocate his warmth. Instead, her voice seemed to carry sharp impatience as she countered, "Haven’t you finished your business here? Why haven’t you returned to wherever you came from?"

"If my home is here now, where exactly should I go back to?" Noel replied with playful defiance.

Clarissa’s eyes narrowed dangerously, annoyance radiating from her elegant frame. But when Noel suddenly reached out and captured her hand in his, playing with it, fingers intertwining with bold intimacy... she actually stayed still.

Taking her lack of resistance as encouragement, Noel continued with growing confidence.

"Now that I’ve consummated my relationship with Selena, we should make up, mother-in-law."

"Whatever grudges you’ve harbored against the Cross family, none of that matters anymore — not when measured against the simple fact that Selena is my woman now."

"Surely that changes everything between us, right?"

Clarissa’s gaze shifted deliberately from Noel to her daughter, who sat rigid with tension, though her sharp eyes remained fixed on their joined hands with unmistakable intensity.

She appeared to weigh something profound in the silence that stretched between them before finally returning her attention to Noel. "Just tell me what you really want from this charade."

"It’s exactly as I said, though. I genuinely want us to be closer. Do my intentions really seem that impure to you?" Noel asked.

And though Clarissa remained certain he was concealing deeper motives, she chose not to pursue the matter further. Instead, a cold smile curved her lips as she declared, "Very well. You may call yourself the son-in-law of House Everen from now on."

For the first time since entering the room, Noel’s perpetual smile faltered. His eyes narrowed with predatory sharpness, a dangerous gleam flickering in their depths.

After a moment, he chuckled — a sound that somehow managed to be both amused and threatening. His hand rose to caress her cheek with surprising tenderness, fingertips tracing the elegant line of her jaw.

"You really do know how to play with words, Clarissa."

At this sudden bold intimacy, Clarissa remained unnaturally still, but Selena’s eyes widened. A heavy, oppressive aura began emanating from her frame, the air itself seeming to thicken with her barely contained power.

Seemingly oblivious to the growing tension, Noel continued with silky confidence.

"But if the heir of House Everen is my woman, that doesn’t make me merely a son in law to your house. It means House Everen itself — and everything within it — belongs to me as well."