Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Anything but that
Elias’s steps faltered for a heartbeat. Part of him wanted to turn back, to tell her, flat and cold, that she had no claim on him now, no right to summon him like she used to. That she had left him with nothing and he owed her less. The words were already forming behind his teeth.
But before he could pivot, Victor’s palm pressed more firmly at the small of his back, steering him forward. The quiet pressure was as unyielding as iron.
"Are you going to give her the attention promised to me?" Victor asked, the words a velvet thread against Elias’s ear. When he smiled, it was a slow, dazzling curve, the kind of smile that could sell a lie or close a merger, but there was a flash beneath it, a flicker of heat in his crimson eyes that made nearby omegas actually pause in mid-breath.
Elias tilted his head just enough to look at him out of the corner of his eye, a dry curl tugging at his mouth. "I was about to give her a piece of my mind," he muttered. "But yours is scarier."
Victor’s thumb moved in a slow circle at his back again, a wordless mix of praise and possession. "Good," he murmured, voice still low and coaxing but carrying that same quiet edge. "Then keep walking."
The host glanced back nervously and hurried ahead, pulling open the carved doors to the restricted dining room. Beyond was all muted light and glass, the Numen crest etched into the frosted panels, a sanctuary for family only.
Victor guided Elias through without slowing. Behind them, Anna’s voice cracked into something rawer and louder. "Elias! Don’t you walk away from me! You owe me..."
The door swung shut on the last word, muting Anna’s voice to a faint, angry echo. The hush of the restricted dining room settled around them like a dropped curtain: muted light, soft drapes, and the skyline beyond glass instead of a hundred staring faces.
"She is even more unbearable," Elias said, setting the diet coke down on the linen tablecloth with a soft thud. "If that’s even possible."
Victor slipped his jacket off and handed it to a waiting attendant without breaking eye contact. "It’s possible," he murmured, the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. "But not your problem anymore."
Elias arched a brow at him. "I noticed you didn’t say ’not our problem.’"
Victor’s hand brushed once more at the back of his neck, a deliberate, almost lazy caress. "That’s because she’s my problem now," he said, tone smooth and careless. "Well, technically Adler’s." A pause, then a flick of crimson eyes toward the door. "And there are things about that pregnancy you don’t want to know yet."
Elias froze, the words registering a beat late. "What the..." he hissed under his breath, leaning closer across the table. "Victor, what are you talking about?"
Victor only smiled, that dazzling, merger-closing smile with a glint of something darker under it, and reached for a menu as if nothing had been said. "Later," he murmured. "Eat first."
Elias stared at him for a moment longer, waiting for the glib explanation that never came. "You can’t just drop something like that and pivot to appetizers," he muttered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
Victor’s crimson gaze flicked back to him, the smile still in place but softer at the edges. "I can," he said simply, turning the menu so Elias could see it too. "Because right now you’re tired and hungry, and I promised you a proper meal. When you’re fed, we’ll talk."
Elias leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You ate my chocolate bar and," he tilted his head to Ashwin waiting by the door in full security mode, "and he, my chips."
lias leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You ate my chocolate bar and," he tilted his head toward Ashwin standing by the door like a particularly smug statue, "and he, my chips."
Ashwin’s mouth twitched but he kept his eyes forward, pretending to study the view instead of the table. "Occupational hazard," he said under his breath. "Bodyguard’s privilege."
Victor didn’t even bother to hide his amusement. He set his menu down and reached for the water the attendant had just poured, crimson eyes glinting as he watched Elias over the rim of the glass. "You make it sound like a tragedy," he murmured. "I took a square of chocolate; Ashwin took a handful of chips. In return you get lunch you can’t buy out of a vending machine."
"Liars, both of you." Elias flicked the menu open, scanning the neat columns without really seeing them. "But fine. If you keep Anna away from me, you can have the snacks."
Victor let the smile hover but didn’t take the bait. Instead, he leaned a fraction closer, his voice dropping into that soft velvet register. "Order something," he said. "Something you actually want, not what you think you’re supposed to eat."
Elias glanced up at him, caught off guard, then back down at the list. "You’re avoiding the subject," he said quietly.
"I’m steering us toward a better one," Victor replied, calm but firm, brushing the back of Elias’s hand with his fingers under the table in a small, grounding gesture. "Humor me. Tell me what looks good."
Elias exhaled through his nose, tension bleeding off a little. "Fine." He ran a finger down the menu. "Grilled salmon, the potato thing on the side, and that ridiculous dessert with the custard dome."
"Perfect," Victor murmured. He handed his own menu back to the attendant and rattled off both orders without looking. When the server disappeared, he poured Elias another glass of water and pushed it toward him. "Better," he said. "Now, tell me about the project you were muttering over in the car. The one with the blinking folders."
Elias blinked at him, then snorted softly. "You really would rather talk about spreadsheets."
"I’d rather talk about you," Victor corrected, still in that low voice. "Your work. Your ideas. Anything but your good-for-nothing family." His thumb moved in a slow circle against Elias’s wrist, coaxing. "Indulge me."
Elias hesitated, then leaned back, a wry curl at his mouth. "You’re impossible."
Victor’s eyes glinted. "And yet," he said softly, "here you are. So. Tell me what you’re building."
Elias picked up his coke and took a sip. "Fine," he said. "But don’t say I didn’t warn you when you fall asleep halfway through the acronyms."
Victor’s smile widened, genuine this time. "Try me."