Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation-Chapter 554: Hidden Gem

Chapter 554 – Hidden Gem

Ely blinked. Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

Her brain?

Gone.

This wasn’t supposed to get this far. She didn’t expect him to say yes. She didn’t expect him to actually come with her. Or sit beside her in the car with his tailored shirt stretched across his chest. Or for the way he said "Here we are" to sound like ’there you are’, like she was the destination instead of the park.

Her stomach dropped. Panic bloomed.

"Um... gelato?" she blurted.

Lux’s eyebrow lifted. "Gelato?"

"Yeah," she rushed out. "There’s a good place near here. Real fruit puree. Handmade. The mango one is... nice."

Lux stared at her. Then frowned.

"It’s still morning."

"Right," Ely squeaked, shrinking into her seat. "That’s... a good point."

It was 9:30 AM.

No one eats gelato at 9:30. And she was neither.

Lux didn’t say anything right away. Just kept watching her. His gaze wasn’t judging, exactly, it was worse. Curious. Like he could see her spiraling. Like he already understood why.

And then, of course, he smirked.

Not the casual kind.

Not the kind someone gave when they were amused.

It was the slow, curling kind that started at the corner of his mouth and dragged upward like it had no business being so sexy. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Her breath caught.

Because it was more than a smile.

It was a knowing.

A weapon.

The moment she saw it, her ears turned red, her hands fidgeted on her lap, and her legs pressed together like her body was reacting before her brain could stop it.

"Don’t—" she started, eyes wide.

Lux turned his full attention toward her now, like the trees and water and city behind them ceased to exist. "You picked this place randomly," he said, voice smooth. Confident. Dead-on. "Didn’t you."

"I... maybe..."

"You just wanted to be with me. But didn’t know what I liked. So you panicked. Picked a park. Now you’re sitting here wondering if you’re wasting my time."

Her lips parted, speechless.

He leaned in slightly, just enough for his voice to sink deeper. "Did I get all of that right, Elyndra Vireleth?"

Her heart slammed in her chest.

Gods above and below.

He read her mind.

Not literally, she hoped. But damn if it didn’t feel like he peeled open her skull and scooped her thoughts like pudding.

She inhaled, tried to speak, failed, then mumbled, "I just... didn’t want the morning to end."

Lux didn’t tease her right away this time.

He just studied her. Quiet. Steady. Like he was reading a map she didn’t even know she wore across her face.

"Honest," he said finally.

She glanced at him, cheeks still pink. "Too much?"

"No," he replied, dragging his thumb lightly across the steering wheel. "Just rare."

She smiled, small and shy. "So... yeah. I didn’t plan this. I don’t even know where to go next. I just thought... maybe if I keep you near, I’d figure it out."

He tilted his head slightly. "And if I said I already figured out what I want to do?"

She turned to him fully now, something tightening in her chest. "Yeah?"

He leaned back, smirk returning with that lazy fire. "You said you want to accompany me, didn’t you?"

She nodded, heat crawling down her neck. "Yes."

"Anywhere I want to go?"

"...Yes."

His fingers tapped the ignition button again. The car roared softly back to life.

"Then let’s play around."

She blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Buckle up."

And just like that, he shifted gears and they were off. Tires rolled smooth over the paved exit. The wind returned, brushing her hair back as city lines blurred again in the windows.

Ely clutched her seatbelt. "Where are we going?"

"You said I choose," he replied.

"That was before I knew you’d actually take that seriously!"

He didn’t answer. He just looked so damn satisfied with himself. Like a prince dragging her into a story she had no script for.

"You’re not kidnapping me, right?" she muttered under her breath.

He chuckled. "You got in the car willingly."

"...That’s not a no."

"You like danger."

Her jaw dropped. "No I do not!"

"You like me," he said, casually, without even flinching.

She choked. "Excuse me?!"

He smirked, driving one-handed. "You didn’t deny it."

Ely turned away from him, pressing her forehead to the cool window glass. "I hate that you’re not wrong."

"Most people do."

They drove through winding side streets, through more secluded neighborhoods, past a hidden floral greenhouse, and toward a closed lot with no sign.

Ely sat up. "Where are we—?"

Lux rolled the car slowly to a stop, pulled out a slim black card, and scanned it against the stone column. A gate opened. The car glided in.

Inside?

Private road. Dense greenery. A waterfall in the distance. The air changed. Cool mist, floral notes, and...

She gasped.

"It’s beautiful..."

A hidden garden park. Tiered ponds. Stone paths and wooden bridges over koi streams. Blooming lotuses floated under arched willows.

Lux parked beneath a tree. "No one knows this spot. Not unless you’re in the circle."

She looked at him.

"What circle?"

"The kind that doesn’t exist unless I want it to."

Again. That stupid cryptic answer that made her want to kiss him and shake him all at once.

They got out. He walked ahead and she followed, the crunch of gravel under her heels softer than her thoughts.

Eventually, she said, "You like this kind of place?"

Lux glanced over his shoulder. "Peaceful. Isolated. Expensive to maintain."

"...So, yes?"

"Yes."

He stopped by a low railing, watching the koi swirl beneath. Sunlight flickered through the branches.

Ely moved beside him, heart still racing.

"This feels like a dream," she murmured.

"It’s not."

"I know. That’s what makes it worse."

He turned to her. "Worse?"

"Yeah." She glanced at him. "Because I don’t want to wake up."

For a second, something passed over his face. Not smugness. Not seduction.

Something real.

Maybe a crack in the mask. Maybe a glimpse of the man beneath the perfection.

He stepped closer again.

"Then don’t."

And she couldn’t stop herself.

She leaned up. Her hand brushed lightly against his sleeve.

’This is my chance!’ she thought.

But then... the rustling leaves sound came.