Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation

Chapter 661 – I Love Control

The party didn’t end.

It shifted.

The tension from earlier had evaporated into the air, replaced by the kind of buzz that only real drama could create. But now, instead of whispers about scandal, all conversations started with the same name.

Lux Vaelthorn.

Not Vincent.

Not the imposter.

The real one.

And unlike most who tried to claim the spotlight, Lux didn’t have to chase it. He didn’t have to raise his voice or make some grand toast or flirt with the host’s niece. He just stood there, composed, precise, and too well-dressed for mortals to comprehend.

No chains. No sparkle. No screaming cologne.

But every time he moved, heads turned. Every smile aimed his way came with a flush. Every curious glance held a little more interest. The cameras didn’t dare flash again without permission. They just... followed.

Even Mira had to smirk.

”Congratulations,” she murmured at his side. ”You’ve become the official myth of the mortal finance world.”

Lux sipped his champagne, lips brushing the rim. ”Took long enough.”

They were walking together, shoulder to shoulder, toward the upper tier where Lady Margaret waited with a glass of honey-laced wine and a perfectly controlled smile. The host of tonight’s gala. The kind of woman you couldn’t bribe, but could impress.

She was older than she looked, an elven widow, still radiant, with thick silver-blonde hair in a bun that made her neck look longer than it should. Sharp gold jewelry and a navy gown tailored within an inch of its life. She looked like she owned five continents and had already buried three lovers who failed to impress her.

”Lady Margaret,” Mira greeted, bowing her head slightly.

”Miss Xianlong,” the woman said, smiling faintly. ”And Mister Vaelthorn. The man of the hour.”

Lux offered a short nod. ”Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for letting me speak.”

”No need to thank me,” Margaret replied, tone crisp but not unkind. ”It was a pleasure to see the matter cleared up. I don’t like fakes roaming around my gala.”

Mira snorted. ”Understandable. He had the charisma of a bootlegged wine label.”

”And twice the ego,” Margaret murmured.

Lux chuckled, but his tone remained respectful. ”I appreciate you giving me a platform to reclaim my name.”

Margaret raised a brow, her wine swirling in hand. ”Reclaim it? Oh, darling, I think you engraved it tonight.”

Lux offered a modest smile. ”I just wanted the truth to speak for itself.”

”It did,” she said smoothly. ”Loudly. Almost louder than the violin solo earlier.”

He glanced toward the stage. ”A shame. I actually liked the violinist.”

Margaret smiled. ”He’ll recover. Your presence made the gala far more interesting. Normally, these events lean too... predictable.”

Lux sipped. ”Well, I’m rarely accused of being predictable.”

Margaret studied him a little too long. Her gaze wasn’t romantic, it was investigative. Curious. Not lascivious. But there was something there. Not attraction. Not nostalgia. Just... memory.

And then she said it.

”Do you... have siblings?” she asked, eyes narrowing slightly. ”Or perhaps... an older brother?”

Lux blinked once. ”No. I’m an only child.”

Margaret hummed. ”I see.”

Mira tilted her head. ”Remind you of someone?”

Margaret was quiet for a moment.

”Yes,” she said slowly. ”But not my husband. A man. Years ago. When I was much younger.”

Lux didn’t interrupt.

Margaret went on. ”He didn’t look like you. His features were different. His hair was longer. His voice... lower, almost. But the aura...”

She trailed off.

Mira exchanged a glance with Lux. She could feel it. That undercurrent. That click of familiarity only people who brushed against the supernatural felt and never understood.

Margaret continued, her voice softer now. ”He walked into a room and everything stopped. Just like you. But his presence was... heavier. Wilder. You? You’re more composed. Controlled.”

Lux’s smile was polite. ”Maybe he was a distant relative.”

”No,” she said, almost dreamlike. ”I’d know. He wasn’t someone you forget.”

”Maybe she met your father,” she whispered under her breath, quiet enough for only Lux to hear.

He didn’t reply. Though it wasn’t impossible, the chance was almost none.

Margaret exhaled and took a sip of her drink. ”You’re different. But there’s something. That same sense of... inevitability. Like the world rearranges itself when you speak.”

Lux just nodded, letting the words wash over him.

The music in the background picked up again, low swing, soft vocals. Servers passed with fresh desserts.

Margaret smiled once more. ”It was good to meet you, Mister Vaelthorn. I hope you continue to make yourself known.”

”I intend to,” Lux replied. ”But quietly.”

She laughed softly. ”That’s not possible. Not for you.”

And then she turned away, greeting another couple who had waited long enough.

Lux and Mira walked away, once again slipping through the crowd like the eye of a storm.

Mira leaned into his side as they stepped out toward the balcony lounge.

”You scared her.”

”Margaret?” Lux raised a brow. ”She doesn’t look scared.”

”I didn’t say she was scared. I said you scared her. For a second.”

He hummed.

Mira stepped in front of him and took his glass, sipping without asking. Then she passed it back and looked at him head-on.

”Be honest,” she said, ”was that the plan all along? Buying the media? Luring the faker here? Dramatic takedown?”

Lux smirked. ”I didn’t lure him.”

”Oh?”

”I just made sure the right cameras were rolling.”

Mira laughed, stepping closer until her breath hit his collarbone. ”You love the attention.”

”I love control.”

She bit her lip, then leaned in just enough. ”You’re dangerous, Vaelthorn.”

He stared down at her. ”I know.”

She slid her arms around his neck. ”You’re mine.”

Lux didn’t answer with words.

He kissed her once. Slow. Bold. In front of the entire balcony.

And none of them, not a single soul, questioned it. Because if Lux Vaelthorn decided to kiss someone? You watched. You didn’t interrupt. You didn’t blink.

And Mira? She kissed him back like she was born to.

As they pulled away, champagne in hand, the world inside the gala spun on. But everyone knew, tonight wasn’t about charity or networking.

It was about the night Lux Vaelthorn showed up.

And reminded everyone why you never fake what you can’t be.