Chapter 849 – Continue The Party

The haze didn’t fully return.

And his smile...

Shifted.

Not gone.

But... different.

It lingered just long enough for anyone watching to believe nothing had changed.

Then it settled back into place.

Loose. Careless. Indulgent.

Lux leaned into the couch again, arm draped lazily over the backrest, another handful of bills slipping from his fingers like it meant nothing. The dancers kept moving. The crowd kept cheering. Music pounded through the club like a second heartbeat.

Everything resumed.

Perfectly.

Seamlessly.

Exactly as it should.

But his eyes?

Cold.

Sharp.

Awake.

Completely.

The woman beside him laughed, pressing closer, her hand sliding across his chest. "You spacing out on me?" she teased, voice playful, breath warm with alcohol.

Lux turned to her slowly.

Smiled.

That same reckless, charming grin.

"Never," he said smoothly.

He grabbed another glass without looking, downing it in one go, letting the burn settle in his throat. It didn’t affect him, not really. It was performance. All of it.

Noise.

Distraction.

Cover.

His gaze flicked once toward the crowd...

Then away.

Already bored.

Already done.

Kaelmor had seen enough.

That was the point.

Lux exhaled slowly, fingers tapping once against his thigh, calculating.

Timing.

Margin.

Risk.

"Yeah," he muttered under his breath, almost to himself. "That should be enough."

The dancer on the table leaned closer again, trying to reclaim his attention, fingers tracing teasing lines along her skin.

Lux barely looked. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The interest wasn’t there anymore.

Not after that conversation.

Not after that presence.

He pushed himself up suddenly.

Smooth.

Casual.

"I’m heading to the toilet," he said, voice loud enough for the immediate group to hear.

One of the girls blinked.

"Again?" she laughed. "You literally went there like ten minutes ago."

Lux didn’t miss a beat.

"My stomach’s a bit upset," he replied, shrugging lightly as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

A few chuckles followed.

No suspicion.

No resistance.

Why would there be?

He was just another rich idiot burning money and chasing pleasure.

Exactly the image he needed.

Lux walked away without waiting for a response, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. No rush. No urgency. Just another man stepping away from the chaos for a moment of privacy.

Until the noise dulled.

Until the lights dimmed.

Until the hallway shifted from spectacle to something quieter.

Controlled.

The bathroom door opened.

Closed behind him.

And just like that... The performance ended.

Silence.

Not complete, but close enough.

The hum of distant music bled faintly through the walls, muffled and irrelevant.

Lux stood there for a second.

Still.

Then exhaled.

Long.

Controlled.

"Finally."

His shoulders dropped slightly.

The tension he hadn’t shown outside settled into something real.

Not fear.

Not panic.

Just... focus.

Then...

He looked up.

And met his own eyes.

Standing across from him.

His doppelganger leaned casually against the sink, arms crossed, expression mirroring the same lazy arrogance Lux had just worn outside.

Same face.

Same posture.

Same presence.

Perfect.

The double smirked faintly.

"Took you long enough," it said.

Lux rolled his shoulders once, loosening the stiffness that had built under the act.

"Had to make it convincing," he replied.

The double tilted its head slightly.

"He bought it?"

Lux paused.

Considered.

"Not completely," he admitted.

A small smirk tugged at his lips.

"But enough."

The double chuckled quietly.

"Of course not," it said. "It’s Kaelmor."

Lux’s gaze hardened slightly at the name.

"Yeah," he muttered.

Silence settled for a moment.

Measured.

Then Lux stepped forward, stopping just in front of his double.

"Go back out," he said calmly.

The double raised an eyebrow.

"Continue the party?"

Lux nodded once.

"Keep it loud. Keep it messy. Burn more money if you have to."

A faint grin returned.

"Make it believable."

The double pushed off the sink, stretching slightly as if preparing for another round of performance.

"Easy enough," it said.

Then paused.

Its gaze sharpened just a little.

"And you?"

Lux exhaled.

"...I’m done here."

That was all.

No explanation needed.

The double studied him for a second longer.

Then nodded.

"Try not to get killed while you’re off ’vacation,’" it said lightly.

Lux snorted.

"Same to you."

A brief pause.

Then the double stepped past him, opening the door and slipping back into the noise, the lights, the chaos.

The act continued.

Without interruption.

Without flaw.

Lux waited.

Counted three seconds.

Then turned.

His hand lifted slightly.

And space... folded.

Not violently.

Not dramatically.

Just enough.

A thin tear opened in the air, barely visible unless you knew what to look for.

Lux stepped through.

His mansion.

Quiet.

Controlled.

Safe.

The bathroom.

Clean lines. Marble surfaces. Soft lighting.

A complete contrast to the chaos he had just left behind.

The portal closed behind him with a faint ripple.

Silence settled.

Real silence.

Lux stood there for a moment.

Still.

Then let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

"...That was annoying."

His voice was lower now.

Colder.

Gone was the slurred edge, the loose rhythm.

This was him.

Unfiltered.

He reached up, tugging at the collar of his shirt, peeling it off in one smooth motion and tossing it aside. The fabric hit the floor without ceremony.

Next, the belt.

The zipper.

Gone.

He moved with efficiency, shedding the layers of the persona as easily as he had worn them.

The mirror caught his reflection.

He looked at himself.

Really looked.

"He checked the mountain," Lux murmured quietly.

His fingers stilled for half a second.

Then resumed.

"...And he came to me."

That meant one thing.

Kaelmor wasn’t guessing anymore.

He was verifying.

Closing the gaps.

Building the picture.

Lux clicked his tongue softly.

The margin for error had shrunk.

He stepped into the shower, turning the water on without hesitation. Steam began to rise slowly, curling into the air as heat spread across the room.

Lux ran a hand through his hair, letting the water hit his skin, washing away the scent of alcohol, smoke, and artificial indulgence.

"System. Report," he muttered.