CHAPTER 160: LET’S HOOK UP

Lucius sighed as he was dragged by Elena toward her sleek black sports car.

He still held the deactivated mini-drone tightly before tucking it safely into his pocket, he needed to give it to Luna later... and question her about it.

As much as he wanted to teleport out of there and vanish into thin air, he already knew what would happen if he did... Elena would track him down thoroughly.

And when she wanted something, she always got it.

So for now, he would humor her and do what she wanted before she tracked him to the end of the world.

"You were pretty rude to the Saintess," Lucius said as he glanced at the car.

It wasn’t like his Tempest... He didn’t want to say it but the car looked better, rarer, and much more expensive.

He remembered seeing it once on a luxury car site and nearly choking at the price tag, not that he didn’t have enough money to buy it, but he was really biased on spending money if it was his.

Elena really was loaded but that was to be expected of a Mage General.

"You mean that whore?" Elena replied as she slid into the driver’s seat. "What, are you concerned about her?"

’Concerned... about the Saintess?’ He thought, after all he had seen what was under her basement... and she knew it too, most probably... but there wasn’t much avoiding it, he needed to meet up with her and talk a bit... He was pretty confident in escaping if things went wrong.

Lucius rolled his eyes.

"She’s still an S-rank," he said aloud, leaning back.

"And so?" Elena snapped, starting the car. "I’m a Mage General. My orders are final, she ought to understand that."

The car glided smoothly out of the beach parking area, the engine roaring with power... she was off and going already.

Elena didn’t bother looking back at the other officers still standing near the gate.

"Besides," she continued, "you should forget all about that. I wanted to ask... did you rank up your mana heart?"

Lucius raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." There wasn’t any point hiding it.

It was expected from someone with his potential to grow fast, though even he knew his pace was unnatural. "How did you know?"

Elena pressed her foot down on the accelerator with the smile on her face widening.

The car shot forward, the world blurring past them.

"Well, for one," she said, "you’ve gotten a lot more handsome."

Her voice dripped with playful teasing. "I’m thinking about eating you up if that helps."

Lucius froze. "What?"

Without hesitation, Elena took one hand off the steering wheel and ran it through his hair.

"Your hair’s gotten longer too," she murmured.

"Oh, you think—" Lucius started, taking a handful of his own black locks.

They had grown longer, and reached his shoulders.

Then his eyes darted toward the windshield. "Focus on the road, Elena."

The car swerved slightly, missing another by inches before she slammed on the brakes.

The tires screeched.

Traffic ahead had stopped dead.

Lucius stared at her blankly. "You were about to crash us."

Elena shrugged. "I wasn’t."

Lucius exhaled and waved a hand, creating a small spatial mirror in front of him.

His reflection appeared, although it was a bit distorted by mana ripples.

He tilted his head. "Damn," he muttered, brushing a finger along his jawline. "I really did glow up more than before."

He glanced at Elena and found her staring straight at him.

"You made me worried," she said quietly.

Lucius blinked.

"It wasn’t the plan. You can tell the dungeon that." He turned back to the mirror, smoothing his hair again.

"You need to pay for making my heart race."

Lucius arched a brow. "Pay, huh? What am I supposed to use as payment?"

She was already rich, more powerful than most, and terrifyingly dangerous.

What could he possibly offer her?

Elena didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she leaned closer, her fingers curling around his shirt. With one sharp tug, she pulled him down toward her until his lips hovered just inches from hers.

"I need your lips," she whispered.

Lucius could swear there were little hearts shining in her eyes.

She looked cute and dangerous at the same time. It didn’t even seem possible to pull that off, but somehow she did.

Her breath was warm too and he could smell vanilla... Her cute mouth smelled nice too.

She leaned in slowly, and Lucius didn’t move away.

Their lips were barely an inch apart when a deafening HONK! from a truck shattered the moment.

The sound blared from behind them, making both of them jolt.

Elena’s expression darkened instantly.

"Fuck..." she muttered, pulling back with clear irritation.

She glanced at the mirror and saw that the traffic jam had cleared. "Great timing," she hissed and shifted gears.

Lucius chuckled under his breath. "You’ve got wonderful luck."

Elena ignored him and started driving again, merging smoothly into the moving lane.

"Are you free right now?" she asked suddenly.

Lucius stretched his arms, trying to relax.

"I don’t think I’m doing anything for a while," he said. "All I want is a nice, long R and R in the tub."

"Great," Elena said with a satisfied smirk. "Then I’ll take you to my place."

Lucius side-eyed her suspiciously. "For what exactly?"

She threw him a playful look. "Let’s hook up."

...

Lucius watched as the car rolled to a stop in front of the mansion.

It wasn’t as big as he expected but still extravagant enough to scream that it was owned by a powerful person.

The electronic gates closed behind them, sealing them inside.

’All the big shots sure live like this,’ he thought, glancing at the sleek architecture and manicured gardens. ’I already requested one from the government myself. I should text Alexia later for the documents... might as well be prepared.’

His own needed to be extremely extravagant... he didn’t want anything less.

The sports car pulled into the garage.

The automatic lights flickered on, revealing row after row of glossy black vehicles... with each one more expensive than the last.

’Damn,’ Lucius thought. ’Even Tempest is in there.’

He hadn’t checked the car ad but since Elena had bought one, that meant it was doing well right?

"Do you like my collection?" Elena asked with a proud grin, sliding her keys into her pocket. "You can take any of them for a spin if you want."

Despite the temptation, Lucius crossed his arms, keeping his expression calm.

"Hmph, why would I need to ride a car?"

He didn’t want to seem easy...

The automatic door hissed open as he walked past it. He fought the urge to gawk at the smooth mechanism.

"Is that so?" Elena said with amusement as she followed.

Ahead of them stood a line of maids waiting at the garage exit, all dressed in immaculate black-and-white uniforms.

"Madame," the Head Maid said with a deep bow, "this is the first time you’ve brought your brother over. Should I prepare a guest roo—"

"Prepare a room," Elena interrupted smoothly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "And enforce the beds. They might break."

Lucius gave her a flat look. "...Seriously?"

The maids blinked in unison.

A few exchanged startled glances, cheeks turning pink as the Head Maid tried to keep her composure.

’Mistress wants to do it with her brother?’ the Head Maid thought, with her jaw tightening.

Her mistress had already told her and the other maids that she was adopted. It was a big secret that wasn’t meant to leave the house... but still... would the bed really break?

"I understand, my Mistress," the Head Maid said quickly, bowing again. "I’ll prepare it immediately."

The rest of the maids hurried off.

Lucius sighed. "You have quite a number of maids."

"Father assigned them to me," Elena replied casually. "But they report only to me now."

She led him toward the main entrance.

When she opened the door, the interior nearly made Lucius stop in his tracks.

The ground floor was massive, with marble floors and golden lights reflecting off mirrored surfaces.

At the center was a television so large it looked like it belonged in a cinema hall.

"She really doesn’t do subtle," Lucius muttered under his breath.

Elena ignored the comment and looked at one of the nearby maids.

"Get us some food," she ordered, then pointed at another. "Turn the television on."

Both bowed and rushed to obey.

Elena turned to him again with a playful smile.

"Let’s watch some movies and chill." She tugged on his hand, guiding him toward the oversized couch that could’ve seated ten people.

But Lucius was already reaching for his phone. "Wait. I need to call Vanessa."

Elena’s expression instantly soured. "Forget that bitch."

Before Lucius could react, she snatched the phone from his hand and flung it against the wall. It shattered with a loud crack.

Lucius blinked slowly. "My phone."

"I’ll order you a new one," she said breezily, dragging him toward the couch. "You’re using an ancient model anyway. Time for an upgrade."

’It worked perfectly fine,’ Lucius thought bitterly, glancing at the scattered pieces of glass on the floor.

But he didn’t resist.

He sat down on the plush couch, letting out a small sigh.

Maybe she was right... He did need to change phones.

But then he felt her hand rubbing against his crotch...

"Come on... the movie’s not even on yet." Lucius said and she pulled her hand away shyly.