CHAPTER 272: ATTENTION

Chapter 272 – Attention

Ely sipped her drink, forcing her gaze away.

She was doomed.

Absolutely doomed.

Because no matter how hard she tried to play it cool—lean back, stay professional, sip her overpriced hibiscus-infused sparkling water like she wasn’t internally combusting—her gaze kept drifting. To the smirk. The collarbone. The towel.

Gods, the towel.

And beneath it, the chaos she had accidentally unleashed on this entire luxury rooftop like a half-naked financial scandal in motion.

Across the restaurant, women were still pretending not to look while very clearly looking. From behind sunglasses. Through phone screens. Over the rims of oversized cocktail glasses.

She watched one pretend to take a selfie while obviously angling toward Lux. Another held a menu vertically but had both eyes peeking around the side like she was about to negotiate his net worth with her body.

And Lux?

Calm. Casual. Dangerous.

He didn’t even flinch when his system began pinging him like a volatile stock on live tracking.

[System Alert: New 10 glances. 3 photo attempts. 21 women are currently interested in you.]

[3 of them are experiencing moderate arousal after perceiving your ’Asset’ shadow silhouette.]

Lux didn’t blink.

Another Tuesday.

’Not even a record,’ he thought dryly, sipping his tea.

He didn’t comment out loud. Because really—what was the point? He was currently soaked, shirtless, wrapped in a towel, his hair half-drying in the sun, and clearly radiating "ruin me" energy to everyone within a fifty-meter radius.

This wasn’t even flirtation. This was fallout.

’Rather than that...’ Lux’s thoughts shifted, his internal voice calm. ’Give me a report on the four other clones.’

[All four Lux-clones are stable. No further tracking detected following yesterday’s stream. Lord Vyrak’s defeat has temporarily silenced hostile factions. Reputation spike in Infernal Stock Forums. Estimated fear index among mid-tier demon houses increased 14%.]

’Good.’

That stream—yeah. It did something. The broadcast of him absolutely wrecking Lord Vyrak in front of tens of thousands? That wasn’t just drama. That was a message.

’Any new threats? Bounties? Demons or Celestials eyeing my head again?’

[Negative. No new open bounties. The Underworld Bounty Index remains red, but stable. No celestial-sourced claims filed in the past 48 hours.]

Lux exhaled.

’Fine. I’ll take the peace and quiet while it lasts.’

But his system wasn’t the only thing alerting him.

Because right then, one of the staff returned, robes in hand.

"Your items, Miss Vireleth. Sir."

Ely reached for hers immediately. "Thank you." She turned to Lux and held his out. "Wear it. It should help. Less attention."

Lux didn’t argue this time.

Because for once, Ely was right.

He rose from his seat. One hand reached for the knot, fingers curling into the towel at his waist.

And then—he pulled.

The towel slipped free in one smooth motion.

Silence.

It was like the rooftop air paused.

Every conversation on the terrace hiccuped into oblivion. Even the faint background music seemed to dim. Glasses paused mid-sip. Forks froze halfway to mouths.

All eyes turned.

It wasn’t just glancing—it was a full-body pivot. A collective, instinctive snap of attention. Like a predator had just entered the field of vision, and the prey had willingly chosen to stare.

Phones subtly angled. Some not-so-subtly. A few bold souls actually gasped. One woman in a cherry-red bikini dropped her sunglasses with an audible clatter. Another whispered "Oh my gods" as her friend elbowed her hard.

Every eye locked to the same focal point—his hips. Or more accurately, what lay beneath.

They were expecting scandal. Skin. Full exposure. Maybe even divine punishment in swimwear form.

Lux smirked.

And then—he disappointed them all.

Trunks still on. Wet, yes. Obscene? No.

The towel had absorbed most of the water. So the fabric didn’t cling again.

The devastation on their faces was delicious.

He tied the robe loosely and sat back down, satisfied.

"Better?" he asked Ely.

She nodded. "Much. Thank the gods. I thought someone was going to faint from thirst."

He smiled, eyes lidded. "I wouldn’t blame them. I am hydrating."

She glared. "You looked way too calm during that entire thing. Most people would’ve run off the moment half a restaurant tried to mentally undress them."

Lux leaned in, voice lower. "I’ve seen worse. I know how it feels when an entire realm has their eyes on you. Not here," he added. "The Underworld."

Ely snorted. "You always talk about the underworld like it’s a place with lunch breaks and tax reports."

He grinned wider. "It is."

Before she could respond, the waiter returned—wheeling in a sleek black tray, their food steaming and picture-perfect.

"Enjoy your meals," he said.

Lux was ready to dig in. His steak looked amazing. Eggs perfectly soft. Everything protein-packed and dripping with temptation.

And then—

He saw it.

Tucked under the greens. Slightly damp, faintly perfumed, folded with dainty precision.

A note.

Lux raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

Ely blinked. "What is that?"

He held it up, flicked it open with two fingers.

It read, in handwritten cursive—

"You looked hungry. Call me after dessert."

—Cassandra. Table seven.

Lux didn’t even look up. Just sipped his tea.

Ely’s mouth opened. "Are you serious? Someone just... left you a flirt note in your steak?"

He gave a slow shrug. "I mean, technically it was in the arugula."

She stared at him. Then at the note. Then at table seven.

The woman there was stunning. Blonde. Diamond earrings. A long, slow smile as she lifted her glass and winked.

Ely’s jaw clenched.

"You’re not calling her."

Lux blinked. "Oh?"

"You’re not."

He leaned in, eyes glinting. "Are you jealous, Miss Vireleth?"

Her face heated. "No. I just don’t want to witness another lawsuit if someone tries to mount you in public."

He laughed, full and rich. "That’s a very specific image."

She stabbed her fruit with more force than necessary. "Just eat your damn protein."

Lux chuckled as he set the note aside like a business card he’d already declined.

And inside?

Yeah, he felt it.

That little flicker of warmth. The kind that didn’t come from tea or steak or system alerts.

Because she was glaring at him like she wanted to strangle him—

But her heart?

It was beating for him too.

And if he wasn’t careful—he was going to start wanting that.