Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation-Chapter 550: You’re Drooling
Chapter 550 – You’re Drooling
"It came from Lux’s guests," Naomi added with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Special ones. They sang for him."
"Sang...?" Ely tilted her head. "Wait. They’re people?"
Mira, still chewing slowly on a flaky bun stuffed with caramelized scallions, swallowed and murmured, "Kind of."
Ely opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Right. Better not ask. She’d already embarrassed herself twice today. Once for walking in during what she thought was a post-sex cuddle session and again for realizing Lux’s "injury" wasn’t the kind that came from tripping over a table.
"...Okay," she said softly, nodding like she’d absorbed the weirdness. "I’ll just... accept that."
She looked around the living room and kitchen, realizing again how nice everything was, too warm, too soft, like a hotel built out of sin and sunlight. There were still traces of incense in the air, barely visible wisps from the night before. Some kind of myrrh or sandalwood and something sharper beneath it. Something like...
Her eyes slid back to Lux.
Yeah. That scent.
It was him.
Not cologne. Not body spray. Just... him.
Crisp. Clean. Expensive. Dangerous. And weirdly comforting.
Her heart fluttered again, traitorous and dumb.
"So," Ely said, voice way too casual, "since I’m already here... can I have breakfast with you guys?"
Lux glanced up. Met her eyes.
"Yeah," he said. "Join us."
"Thank you," she beamed and took the eating utensils. This place was nice, just far enough from Sira to avoid the laser-eye-death-glare.
Lullaby, curled up with a bowl of cereal in her lap, gave her a small smile and a wave.
Mira just raised a brow, clearly reserving judgment.
Ely, meanwhile, was trying not to burst into a full-on goofy grin.
Because now? Yeah. She could smell him even stronger.
Lux smelled like ancient incense soaked into cashmere. Like expensive whiskey and danger. Like salt and summer heat and...
He looked good for someone who’d just fought his uncle.
The gauze wrapped around his waist was hidden mostly by his shirt, but the bloodstains had started to fade thanks to the potion. His collarbone was on full display, and every time he shifted slightly, the line of his abs would peek through. Not showy. Not obnoxious. Just... there.
Understated. Effortless.
Like he didn’t know what he was doing to people.
Ely bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at the plate Mira shoved in front of her.
"Eat," Mira said coolly. "You’re drooling."
"I am not," Ely hissed under her breath.
Mira shrugged. "Could’ve fooled me."
Ely glared at her eggs like they’d betrayed her. But then Lux moved again, just adjusted in his seat, and the blanket he was half wrapped in shifted low on his hips.
Ely’s mouth went dry. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Oh no.
Now she was drooling.
She grabbed a napkin and covered it up fast.
It wasn’t fair. No one should be this beautiful after a family fight. No one should be this calm after nearly dying. And no one, no one, should look like that... messy hair, half-buttoned, golden skin gleaming in the morning light, and still be polite about it.
She stabbed her toast with unnecessary violence.
"Something wrong?" Lux asked, voice soft.
"Nope," Ely chirped.
He tilted his head. "You sure?"
"Yep," she said again, stabbing harder.
He didn’t press. Just leaned back with a faint smirk.
Sira watched the whole thing like a smug cat.
"So... your uncle," Ely tried again, cutting her pancake slowly. "He’s... not coming back, right?"
"I doubt it," Lux said.
Naomi side-eyed him. "That depends."
"On what?" Ely asked.
"On whether he’s smart enough to realize he lost," Lux replied calmly.
Ely froze. The tone in his voice wasn’t angry. It wasn’t sad either.
It was cold.
Terrifyingly cold.
Not like someone mad at a family member. Not like someone bitter from old wounds.
It was like hearing someone announce a stock collapse. Or reading an obituary out loud. Inevitable. Calculated. Done.
Mira noticed her expression. "Yeah," she said dryly, "Lux isn’t exactly a cry-into-his-pillow kind of guy."
"I’m noticing that," Ely muttered.
Still, even with that ice in his voice... he’d thanked her. He’d smiled at her. Let her sit here beside him. That meant something, right?
Ely stole another glance at him. His lashes were so long. His eyes didn’t shine like ruby anymore. They were darker now. More grounded. But the weight behind them...
It made her shiver.
He looked like a man who could destroy nations with a whisper.
And yet here he was, biting into a croissant with perfectly casual grace.
She was in trouble.
She chewed slower. Let her legs brush his under the table. Just barely. Just enough to feel the warmth radiating off him.
He didn’t move.
Didn’t pull away.
She swallowed hard.
Maybe... just maybe... she could stay a little longer.
Maybe she could try again.
He hadn’t said no when she asked to help. He hadn’t said yes either. But there was a softness there. Something just under the armor.
And yeah, okay, maybe the other girls here were intimidating as hell... Mira with her cool sarcasm, Naomi with her icy confidence, Sira with her terrifying grace, Lullaby with her quiet insight.
But Ely could be sweet. She could be useful. She could be there.
She reached for the butter and asked softly, "Lux... do you want more tea?"
His gaze flicked to hers.
For a second, something unreadable passed through them.
Then he nodded. "Sure."
Her heart did a full somersault.
She poured his cup slowly. Carefully. Like it was a holy rite.
Naomi raised a brow, but said nothing.
Mira snorted softly.
Lullaby hummed and chewed another bite of cereal.
Sira? She didn’t say a word... but the judgment burned like a glare between her lashes.
Still.
Ely didn’t care.
Because Lux had said yes.
And her fingers brushed his again as she handed him the cup.
Warm.
Strong.
Still recovering... but powerful beneath it all.
And Ely?
She was absolutely, dangerously, completely screwed.
In the best way possible.
’Dear Lord... I want to take him into my mansion and lock him there.’
