Desmond's mood instantly turned sour with shock as Vanessa pulled the supplies from his hands and pushed him out into the clawing arms of a dimensional beast."Are you insane, Vanessa!" He yelled the instant he could find his voice.Sweat mixed with the thick fumes of fear trickled down his skin as the earth trembled under his feet from the beast's roar. The creature was a jagged mass of crystalline limbs, its eyes glowing with a hunger that shouldn't exist in this world.However, Vanessa only posed a sour frown from behind the safety of the reinforced glass."The only madman I see here is you, thinking that you're even worthy to be in my company," she said. Her voice came through the external speakers, cold and sharp.Desmond's eyes popped with confusion and his face stretched with fear as he looked back at the enclosing beast and then back at his wife. He slammed his palms against the glass, the vibration rattling his teeth."I don't know what this is about, Vanessa! Just open the d

"A bulk order, sir?" Celeste asked. Her voice hitched, and the notepad in her hand trembled slightly. She had worked at Lumière for three years, and the most she’d ever seen anyone order was a tasting menu for a wedding party of twenty.Desmond didn't look up from his phone. His fingers swiped across a list he had prepared earlier that morning—a survivalist’s dream menu, optimized for caloric density and long-term storage in his Void Store."Yes. I need to place a substantial takeaway order," Desmond said. He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other, radiating a calm that seemed to suck the air out of the surrounding tables. "Let’s start with the Wagyu beef course. I’ll need one thousand portions of that."Vanessa, who had been halfway through a scathing retort about his "imaginary money," froze. Her face flushed a deep, embarrassed crimson as she realized the people at the neighboring table—a group of corporate executives—had stopped their conversation to stare."What are you doi

Tristan Hawthorne slammed his glass on the private bar table and glared at the city lights beyond the tinted window. He still could not accept what happened at Lumiere. In his mind, Desmond was still the same fool who lowered his head, swallowed insults, and thanked the Hawthornes for treating him like trash.A man like that did not suddenly become rich.A man like that did not suddenly grow a spine."He is bluffing," Tristan said.Across from him sat three friends who enjoyed taking what weaker people could not protect. Nolan Pierce, whose family owned clubs across the city. Bryce Laughton, a heavy brute who trusted his fists more than words. Evan Cole, a smiling parasite with a law degree and no conscience.Nolan swirled his drink. "If the money is real, it still ends up in your family's hands."Bryce cracked his knuckles. "And if he refuses?"Tristan smiled. "Then we make him cooperate."Evan tapped the folder on the table. "Transfers, authorizations, control rights. A drunk signat

The booth stayed frozen.Tristan looked from the woman to Desmond and then back again as if his eyes had stopped working.That smile made no sense at all.In his head, Desmond was still the man people sneered at, not the man a woman like this would walk toward on purpose.So Tristan did what weak men always did when reality embarrassed them.He laughed.A short, ugly laugh.Then Nolan joined him. Evan followed a beat later. Even Bryce let out a rough chuckle, though he kept watching the woman.Tristan spread his hands and leaned back into his arrogance like it was armor. "Miss, I think you made a mistake."The woman did not look at him.Her attention stayed on Desmond."Good evening, Mr. Kane," she said.Her voice was calm and smooth. It only made Tristan more certain he could talk his way out of this moment.He stood straighter and smiled, the kind of smile he used when trying to impress people with older money. "You clearly do not know what kind of man you are standing beside. Let m