CHAPTER 450: ALL LEGAL

Chapter 450 – All Legal

He collapsed, clutching at his thigh, sobbing.

Lux looked down at him and grinned—just wide enough to show teeth.

"Yeah," he said smoothly. "You’re welcome."

The man clawed at the pavement, drooling, pupils blown. "Y-You said... gold..."

"And I delivered. But I never said your friend’s leg," Lux said. "A leg’s worth. Just as promised. You’re the richest cripple on the block now."

The man sobbed.

Lux adjusted his jacket.

Looked at the carnage.

The bodies.

The blood.

The twisted smiles frozen on the dead men’s faces, killed by one of their own.

And Lux?

He didn’t feel a thing.

No guilt.

No hesitation.

Just cold, clear, calculated satisfaction.

Because none of them had seen him for what he was.

Just a man in a suit.

A human.

Maybe a little rich. Maybe a little weird.

But not a devil.

And that?

That was their mistake.

He turned, letting the flickering firelight dance over his back.

Corvus landed on his shoulder again, wings folding neatly.

"Cleaned up nice," the crow croaked.

"Very," Lux murmured. "And the source?"

"Already traced. He’s not far. East block. Likes whores and power plays."

The VIP room smelled like gold and perfume.

Velvet couches. LED bottle towers glowing like enchanted obelisks. A bassline from downstairs thumped through the ceiling like the heartbeat of some drunk deity. The lights were low, filtered through red-silk drapes. Fake fire flickered in a crystal fireplace. Not that Edron cared. He was too busy getting his earlobe sucked.

"Aha-ha—yeah, that’s it, girl," he laughed, tossing his head back, one arm slung around the waist of the girl in neon pink fishnets. Her name was Misty. Or Mist. Or whatever. Didn’t matter. Her tongue was wet, and she giggled like she meant it.

Across from her, two more women curled up on either side of him like lapdogs—one with silver glitter body paint and zero shame, the other one with a snake tattoo that wrapped from her ankle up to the curve of her hip. They cooed at his jokes like he was the fucking King of Neon City.

Edron took a drag from his flavored cigar—something sweet, maybe cherry with mana coating—and exhaled lazily toward the ceiling vent.

"Fuck," he muttered, spreading his legs wider, "who knew it’d be this easy, huh?"

The girls giggled.

"You really burned them?" the silver one whispered, eyes gleaming.

He grinned and twirled the cigar between his fingers. "Oh, sweetheart. I negotiated first, you know? Tried to play nice. Said I’d triple the market rate. All legal. All sweet. But those crusty block owners thought they could lecture me. Said the land was sacred. Said no deal." He snorted. "So I made sure it wasn’t sacred anymore."

He toasted the air with his drink—something blue and expensive—and drank deep.

The snake-tattoo girl leaned closer, breath warm on his cheek. "You’re so smart, Edron."

"Mmhm." He licked his lips. "That’s why I’m up here. Not in ash and rubble like them."

Everything good.

The world was spinning in his favor. He had two proposals lined up for commercial takeover. The zoning board bribed and signed. And the rest? Dust.

His fingers slipped beneath Misty’s garter. She squeaked and giggled again.

And that’s when the door opened.

Not kicked in.

Not rushed.

Just opened.

Smooth. Like it had always belonged to him.

Edron looked up, mildly annoyed.

And then blinked.

Because the man who stepped inside wasn’t security.

Wasn’t a rival thug either.

He was—

Beautiful.

That was the first word that hit Edron’s half-drunk brain.

Not handsome.

Not cool.

Beautiful.

Tall. Dark. Tailored. Aura so heavy with charm it stuck to the walls like perfume. The scent that followed him? Expensive. Leather, citrus, smoke. Not too much. Just enough to make everyone lean in.

And the whores?

They forgot him instantly.

"Oh my gods..." Misty whispered, eyes wide.

Snake-tattoo girl sat up straighter, instinctively smoothing her dress.

Even Glitter girl put down her drink, pupils dilating like a cat spotting prey.

Edron narrowed his eyes.

"Can I help you?" he said, trying to sound casual. Didn’t quite land.

The man didn’t answer. Just looked at the couch across from Edron, tapped it once—checking the dust?—then sat. Legs crossed. Posture perfect. Like he was royalty and the room just hadn’t caught up yet.

"Nice club," the man said smoothly, voice low and rich. "Is the service good?"

"I—uh, yeah?" Edron blinked. "I mean—what the hell is this? You a model or something?"

The man smiled politely. Didn’t answer.

Snake girl leaned forward, breathless. "I’ve seen you before. Were you on that runway? The one with the owner?"

Misty gasped. "Oh my gods—that was you?!"

Edron gritted his teeth.

"Oh, now you bitches know fashion runway?" he muttered.

The man chuckled softly. "Lux," he said. "Pleasure."

No last name.

Just Lux.

Like a brand.

Like a warning.

Edron felt his stomach twist a little.

He tried to laugh. "You just walk into VIP rooms like this, Lux?"

"Sometimes," Lux replied, picking up a fruit slice from the drink tray and biting into it without asking. "When I find something interesting."

"Yeah?" Edron crossed his arms. "And what’s interesting here? My drink? My girls?"

Lux chewed, smiled, and tilted his head.

"No," he said simply. "You."

The tension shifted.

Even the music from the downstairs felt like it dulled.

Edron shifted slightly in his seat.

"You flirting with me?" he snapped.

Lux let that hang in the air for a second.

Then leaned back.

"Not yet," he said. "But it’s always fun to see what a man will confess when he thinks he’s won."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Lux shrugged, still calm. Still composed.

"I just heard you were smart," he said. "Burned a block, got a deal, sat back down with a drink before dinner. That’s efficiency."

Edron’s mouth twitched. "Damn right it is."

The whores had gathered closer to Lux now, two on either side of him. Snake girl sat beside him, bold now, tracing her finger along his sleeve like a child petting a tiger.

He let her.