Chapter 1036: More Than Money
Chapter 1036 – More Than Money
11.00 AM
Lux sat inside the car like a man heading toward war.
A war with tea, judgment, family portraits, and probably one father who remembered him too well from a hotel restaurant after a night that definitely did not look innocent.
The car moved smoothly through the city streets, sunlight sliding over the tinted windows. It was not Lux’s car. That detail still irritated him on principle. Naomi had refused to let him bring his own demonic vehicle, which, in his defense, was luxurious, elegant, fast, warded, comfortable, and only mildly terrifying to mortals.
And now here he was.
In a normal luxury car.
With a driver in front.
Sitting beside Naomi like a civilized man who definitely had not flown naked on a balcony hours ago while discussing ancient covenants and cursed battle towers.
Lux was fully dressed now.
A black tailored suit. Not too formal, not too relaxed. Expensive fabric, clean lines, subtle gold cufflinks, hair neatly styled, expression controlled. He looked like himself again.
Greed heir.
CFO of Hell.
Of course, Naomi’s parents did not know any of that.
Not really.
Mortals did not believe in demons.
They believed in money, influence, reputation, private schools, scandals, inheritance, business connections, and men who appeared in gossip columns with women too often.
Which meant they knew enough to dislike him without knowing the full horror.
If needed, would Lux show his real identity?
Yes.
Absolutely.
He was not ashamed of what he was.
But would the result be good?
No.
Probably not.
Let’s be honest.
He was a devil.
For women, the problem was obvious. A handsome devil was still a handsome man, and Lux was unfairly built for seduction. He could smile wrong and ruin a room’s emotional balance. He could lower his voice and make intelligent women remember they had pulses. He could enter a place and make desire feel like atmosphere.
But men?
For men, Greed worked differently.
Money opened doors.
Status bent spines.
Influence softened opinions.
Lux had spent years watching powerful men hate him, then tolerate him, then invite him to dinner after realizing his name could move markets. Greed was useful that way. Most men could accept another man if the number beside him was high enough.
But parents?
Parents were supposed to be different.
Right?
They demanded more than looks.
More than money.
More than status.
Even if Lux was a prince, and objectively, that should be more than good, there was still the inconvenient matter of where his princedom came from.
Hell.
A huge minus.
A very large, flaming, morally alarming minus.
Lux exhaled slowly and looked out the window.
He should be calm.
He had faced kings, angels, ancient monsters, angry shareholders, jealous noblewomen, assassins, corrupted spirits, and one goddess therapist who banned coffee with a smile.
He should be able to handle two mortal parents.
Should.
The word carried insult now.
Beside him, Naomi watched him quietly.
She had been watching for a while.
Lux knew that.
He always knew when she watched him. Not because of Lust this time. Not because of Greed either. Because Naomi watched differently. She didn’t stare to admire, evaluate, or desire.
She watched to understand.
That was far more dangerous.
Her fingers slid across the seat and gripped his hand.
Lux’s gaze moved down.
Then to her face.
Naomi’s thumb brushed over his knuckles. "You look tense."
Lux scoffed softly. "I am."
Naomi blinked.
She had expected denial.
A joke.
Maybe, "I’m always this handsome under pressure."
Instead, he admitted it directly.
"Lux..."
He gave her a sideways look. "What? You wanted honesty."
"I did." Her voice softened. "I just didn’t expect it so quickly."
"I’m adapting." Lux looked out the window again. "Your family should feel honored. I rarely offer this level of emotional transparency before lunch."
Naomi smiled faintly, but her hand tightened around his.
Inside, she felt more complicated than she wanted to admit.
This was her world.
The mortal side.
The Delacour estate. Her parents. The family name, the history, the expectations, the old problems buried behind old money and tasteful walls. She had left that place and stepped into Lux’s mansion, where danger was louder but somehow more honest.
Now she was bringing Lux back into the part of her life that still had roots in mortal judgment.
And Lux...
Lux, who could command demons and frighten ancient lords, looked genuinely unsettled.
The sight made her chest ache.
Not because it was funny.
Because she understood why.
He was not afraid of her father shouting.
He was not afraid of rejection in the normal sense.
Lux could endure insults. He could weaponize them if needed. He could turn disapproval into negotiation and negotiation into advantage.
What worried him was something quieter.
Something Naomi knew because she had watched him hold people in his sleep like they might vanish.
She looked at their joined hands.
"You’re worried they’ll ask me to come back."
Lux said nothing.
There.
That silence answered before his mouth did.
Naomi’s heart softened and hurt at the same time.
Lux’s jaw shifted once. "I considered the possibility."
"You considered?"
"I calculated."
He looked at her then, and the mask cracked slightly.
Only slightly.
Enough for her.
He looked too polished in that suit. Too composed. Too ready to become the version of himself that could handle difficult people. But his eyes betrayed him.
"I don’t care if they dislike me," Lux said quietly. "That is expected."
Naomi said nothing.
He continued, "Your father already caught me in a situation that did not exactly suggest I was a responsible gentleman."
A smile touched Naomi’s lips despite herself. "The morning after you fucked me in a hotel?"
The driver coughed.
Lux and Naomi both looked forward.
The driver immediately became a professional statue.
Lux shook his head, but some of the tension left his shoulders. Then his expression sobered again.
"I can handle him disliking me. I can handle questions. I can handle tests. I can handle polite insults, rude insults, subtle insults, and insults disguised as concern."
Naomi’s thumb moved over his hand again. "But?"
Lux looked down at their hands. "But if they tell you that staying at my mansion is dangerous, they are correct."
Naomi’s smile faded.
"If they say being with me complicates your life, they are correct."
"Lux—"
"If they say I have enemies, scandals, old attachments, and a household full of women, also correct."
Naomi stared at him.
He gave her a faint, humorless smile. "I do not have many clean arguments."