Chapter 1069: Ruined Reputation

Chapter 1069 – Ruined Reputation

Victor opened his eyes. "Listen carefully."

The car quieted.

"Lux Vaelthorn is not ordinary. Whether he is old money, royal, criminal, or something else, he has influence. Adrian changed after speaking to him. Celeste looked too calm beside that secretary. Naomi..." His mouth tightened. "Naomi looked protected."

Elise looked away. That word irritated her more than it should have.

Protected.

Yes.

That was exactly it.

Lux had not treated Naomi like a delicate ornament. He touched her like claim, yes, but not possession in the ugly Delacour way. He placed his hand on her thigh before everyone, and somehow the gesture had said, ’I choose her, not I own her’.

Elise hated that she understood the difference.

Victor’s voice lowered. "So we do not attack directly."

Hugo frowned. "Then what?"

"We learn what he wants."

Elise’s lips curved faintly. "And if what he wants is Naomi?"

Victor looked at her. "Then we learn whether he can be tempted by something else."

The car fell silent.

Elise’s heart beat once.

Hugo noticed and muttered, "You’re going to do something stupid."

Elise smiled at the window. "No."

Her reflection smiled back.

"I’m going to do something valuable."

Hugo stared at her.

Victor sat with one hand against his jaw, eyes narrowed, watching his daughter’s reflection in the glass. Hugo leaned back across from Elise, his earlier amusement thinning into suspicion.

"Like what?" Hugo asked. "Ruin his reputation?"

Elise did not answer immediately.

Hugo scoffed. "That won’t work. His reputation is already ruined from the start. He is a playboy." The word tasted bitter in his mouth, though he did not know why.

Lux Vaelthorn.

The mysterious city playboy.

No history.

Too much money.

Too much charm.

Hugo hated men like that.

Mostly because they always attracted attention without effort.

Hugo’s mouth twisted. "Yet everyone still clings to him like crazy."

Elise’s eyes slid toward him.

Hugo continued, irritation sharpening his words. "In the end, it’s about looks and a good body. Women are all the same."

Elise finally turned from the window. Slowly. Her smile was still there, but it had cooled.

"Then why do you and Father think he’s dangerous?"

Hugo frowned. "What?"

"If he is only looks and body," Elise said, "why are you both acting like he is a threat?"

Victor’s gaze shifted to her.

Elise leaned back, crossing one leg over the other with perfect leisure. "You both caught it too. He isn’t just handsome. He isn’t just well-dressed. He isn’t just another rich man pretending he owns oxygen because his ancestors stole land first."

Hugo’s jaw tightened.

Elise’s smile sharpened. "You felt it."

Hugo looked away. "That’s..." He stopped. Annoying. Because he did not know how to describe it.

It was not magic. Not that he believed in magic.

It was not exactly intimidation either. Hugo had been around powerful men since childhood. Men who could destroy careers, buy silence, ruin marriages, bury lawsuits, and still receive awards at charity dinners.

Victor had presence.

Adrian had authority.

Old money had a certain gravity.

But Lux... Lux had something else.

At first, Hugo had thought it was just looks. The kind of face women made poor decisions over. The kind of body that made suits look like they had signed exclusive contracts with sin. Fine. Annoying, but common enough.

Then Lux spoke. Then the room changed.

Not dramatically.

But every word from him felt like it had weight behind it. Real weight. Like if he said he owned something, ownership itself would check the paperwork and nod.

Victor finally spoke. "His aura."

Hugo looked at his father.

Victor’s expression was dark, thoughtful, and more serious than Hugo liked.

"It’s different," Victor said. "He has a more dangerous aura than me or Adrian."

Hugo blinked.

His father never said things like that casually.

Victor Delacour did not praise rivals, did not admit discomfort, and absolutely did not acknowledge another man’s pressure unless it had already entered the room and sat at the head of the table.

Hugo straightened slightly. "Oh right," he said, latching onto the word. "Aura." His brows drew together as he tried to make sense of it. "He looked usual at first. Good looking, yes. Proper, yes. Expensive, yes. But I didn’t catch him as dangerous. Not really."

He thought back to the hallway.

The cat.

The calm voice.

The effortless insult.

The way Lux had said, If I want to destroy you, all I need is to breathe.

Hugo clicked his tongue. "Then after talking a bit... everything changed." His voice dropped. "And that threat..."

The car was silent.

Hugo hated himself for saying the next part. "I don’t believe it." He looked down at his own hands. "But somehow, part of my instinct believed it."

Victor’s face remained still.

Elise watched them both.

There it was.

Confirmation.

Hugo and Adrian felt it too.

Lux Vaelthorn was not just attractive.

Not just scandalous or mysterious.

He had pressure.

And pressure meant power.

Power meant value.

Value meant risk.

Risk meant opportunity.

Elise’s smile slowly returned.

Hugo noticed and immediately felt irritated.

"So," Hugo said, turning toward her, "since this guy is dangerous, whatever your plan is, it’s the same as suicide."

Elise arched one brow.

Hugo leaned forward. "Seriously. The most reasonable thing you could do is offer yourself to him and let yourself be his toy."

Victor’s eyes narrowed. "Hugo."

"What?" Hugo snapped. "That’s clearly the safest version of her stupidity. If she wants him, then admit it. At least then we know the risk."

Elise scoffed. "Oh please." Her voice dripped with contempt. "I never thought I would target him."

Hugo stared at her.

Then laughed once.

Dry.

Disbelieving.

"You? Not target him?"

"I said what I said."

"You looked at him like Naomi was holding an asset you wanted to steal."

Elise’s smile remained perfect, but her eyes turned venomous. "And you looked at his secretary like she insulted your bank account and awakened something unhealthy."

Hugo’s face stiffened. "She is irrelevant."

"She rejected you twice."

"It was interesting."

"It was pathetic."

Hugo’s jaw tightened. "At least I’m honest."

Elise laughed softly. "No, you are obvious. That is different."

Victor raised one hand. Enough.

The two siblings fell silent, though the hostility remained between them, warm and familiar.