Chapter 64 – The Spoiler Panic

  By the time the table was cleared of the st crumbs and empty cups, the small breakfast gathering slowly dissolved.

  Alina returned to her usual corner table, completely absorbed in her doodling again as if the whirlwind appearance near the desserts had never happened. Her little notebook was open in front of her, and she leaned over it with intense concentration, occasionally humming to herself while sketching something only she seemed to fully understand.

  Lunessa, however, had not forgotten her priority.

  The moment the ptes were cleared, she turned to Lucien.

  “The book.”

  Lucien sighed softly.

  “You are relentless.”

  “You promised.”

  Lucien opened his wristlink and transferred the file.

  The manuscript appeared instantly on Lunessa’s device.

  She didn’t waste a single second.

  The moment the file finished downloading, she opened it and began reading immediately, completely focused on the glowing text on her wristlink screen.

  Lira arrived shortly afterward with a fresh drink and pced it quietly beside Lunessa.

  “Thank you,” Lunessa said absently without even looking up.

  Her eyes were already moving across the pages.

  Lucien shook his head with quiet amusement and left her to it.

  The café had opened by then.

  Customers began arriving steadily.

  Lucien moved naturally through the room, greeting regurs with casual familiarity.

  “Morning.”

  “How’s the new pastry today?”

  “You’ll like the citrus tart.”

  He chatted easily with customers who had become familiar faces over the past weeks. Occasionally he stepped behind the counter to help for a moment, carrying a tray or clearing a table when the staff got busy.

  The morning rush began as it always did.

  Students grabbing quick drinks before css.

  Workers stopping by on their way through the district.

  Conversations, cups clinking, chairs shifting.

  The café filled with its usual warm energy.

  Meanwhile, Lunessa sat quietly at her table, reading.

  Every few minutes she lifted her cup, took a small sip, then returned to the story without pause.

  Nearly two hours passed before the familiar group finally arrived.

  The door chimed.

  Riven walked in first, followed by Dorian, Kaelen, Evelis, and Seliora.

  They headed straight toward their usual table.

  Then Dorian noticed someone new sitting nearby.

  His eyes brightened slightly.

  “Lunessa.”

  She looked up from her wristlink.

  “Good morning.”

  Dorian walked over.

  “Everyone,” he said, gesturing casually, “this is Lunessa.”

  He turned slightly.

  “She’s joining Lucien’s operation as an intern.”

  The others greeted her one by one.

  Evelis smiled warmly.

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Kaelen nodded politely.

  Seliora gave an approving look.

  Riven, however, leaned forward dramatically and bowed slightly.

  “It is an honour,” he said in exaggerated seriousness, “to be greeted by such a rich dy.”

  Everyone ughed.

  Lunessa smiled faintly.

  “Your introduction is… memorable.”

  Riven grinned proudly.

  “That’s the goal.”

  As they sat down, Lunessa quietly observed them while they spoke.

  She had a habit of studying people quickly.

  Within minutes she began forming impressions.

  Dorian spoke calmly and efficiently, always directing the flow of conversation in practical directions. His tone carried the quiet confidence of someone used to thinking several steps ahead.

  A pragmatic strategist.

  Evelis listened more than she spoke, but when she did speak it was thoughtful and considerate. Her presence felt steady and calming.

  Gentle and empathetic.

  Riven, on the other hand, was impossible to miss. His energy filled the space around him. Every comment was quick, witty, and slightly mischievous.

  A vibrant artist and clearly a natural prankster.

  Seliora spoke boldly and without hesitation, her opinions sharp and direct.

  Bold and uncompromising.

  Kaelen remained quieter than the others, but when he did speak it was always precise and practical.

  An engineer’s mind. Pragmatic and focused.

  The dynamic between them became obvious almost immediately.

  They were comfortable with one another in a way that could not be faked.

  A tight-knit group.

  Their familiarity showed in small things such as interrupting each other without offense, teasing freely, finishing each other’s thoughts.

  While they were still talking, Lucien finally joined them at the table.

  “Well,” he said casually as he pulled up a chair, “looks like everyone already met.”

  He gnced around the group.

  “Today’s a holiday, right?”

  Then he added,

  “Why are you all so te?”

  Riven immediately leaned forward dramatically.

  “Listen to him!”

  He gestured toward Lucien.

  “He says we’re te.”

  He looked around the table as if gathering support.

  “Unlike someone who is apparently rexing at home, we have csses to attend.”

  Seliora nodded. “Project work to complete.”

  Kaelen added calmly, “Group assignments.”

  Evelis nodded as well. “Report submissions.”

  Riven pointed triumphantly. “Exactly!”

  Then he leaned back smugly.

  “So, forgive us for being te.”

  Lucien raised both hands quickly. “Hey, hey.”

  “You can’t use the word rexing for me.”

  He shook his head. “I’m busy too.”

  Riven snorted loudly, but he didn’t argue as he knew very well Lucien was not exactly idle.

  Lunessa watched the exchange with quiet amusement.

  The teasing was effortless and natural.

  She leaned back slightly, observing the group again.

  Their banter had an easy rhythm that made it obvious they trusted each other deeply.

  At a gnce it was clear that they were not just a group of friends, but they were a very tightly connected circle.

  Lunessa had just finished forming that thought when Lucien leaned back slightly in his chair and looked toward Dorian with a small smile.

  “Oh right,” he said casually. “Lunessa was just listening to your workload earlier.”

  Dorian gnced at him and Lucien continued.

  “She said she admires you for managing all of that.”

  For a moment Dorian simply stared, then his expression shifted as there was a brief flicker of satisfaction that passed across his face.

  It was the look of someone who had finally received recognition for carrying a very heavy burden.

  Riven immediately noticed and he leaned forward with a grin. “Look at him.”

  Everyone turned.

  Riven pointed at Dorian. “Look at that face.”

  Dorian frowned slightly. “What face?”

  “The face of a man who has finally been understood.”

  The table burst into ughter.

  Seliora nodded with exaggerated seriousness.

  “Yes, yes. Someone appreciates his suffering.”

  Kaelen added calmly, “A very rare event indeed.”

  Dorian sighed. “You people are insufferable.”

  Lunessa smiled faintly but then spoke up again.

  “Well,” she said, turning toward him, “you don’t need to worry about some of those things anymore.”

  Dorian raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “The financial side,” Lunessa said simply. “You can rely on me for that.”

  The table went quiet for a moment.

  Dorian leaned back slightly in his chair.

  “I will still need to oversee everything,” he said calmly. “Just to make sure everything is correct.”

  Lunessa nodded immediately. “That’s fine.”

  Then she added with quiet confidence,

  “But when it comes to finance… I am very confident in my abilities.”

  Dorian gave her a long look.

  “Well,” he said calmly, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

  For a brief moment, there was a strange shift in the air between them.

  It wasn’t hostile, but it was competitive like a subtle challenge, a spark of rivalry and the rest of the table noticed it instantly.

  Riven leaned back slowly.

  Seliora crossed her arms watching them.

  Kaelen tilted his head slightly.

  Evelis quietly covered her smile with her hand.

  The atmosphere around the table suddenly felt like a small stage.

  Everyone was watching.

  Normally, Dorian never had a rival in their group.

  Not because he dominated them, but because their skills were all very different. Each of them had their own domain.

  But Lunessa…

  She was stepping directly into one of Dorian’s.

  The table was enjoying this far more than they should.

  Riven leaned toward Kaelen and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

  “This is very interesting.”

  Seliora nodded. “We are witnessing history.”

  Kaelen added dryly, “The strategist has a challenger now.”

  Riven leaned forward. “Someone bring popcorn.”

  Lunessa gnced around at the amused faces and shook her head slightly.

  Lucien ughed.

  “I told you,” he said to Lunessa, “he’s not easy to impress.”

  He nodded toward Dorian.

  “Even if you’re doing the work perfectly, he’ll still double-check everything.”

  Dorian immediately pointed at him. “Excuse me.”

  Lucien raised his hands defensively. “I’m just stating facts.”

  Dorian snorted. “How ungrateful.”

  He leaned back and crossed his arms.

  “Whose purse do you think I’ve been guarding all this time?”

  The table exploded into ughter again, because that part was absolutely true.

  Lucien could only give an embarrassed smile at that.

  “Yes, yes,” he said quickly, raising both hands slightly in surrender. “Of course you are guarding my purse.”

  He nodded toward Dorian in fake solemnity. “The vault keeper himself.”

  Dorian snorted but looked satisfied enough.

  Riven, however, was not going to let that moment pass quietly.

  “Oh, look at him,” Riven said, pointing at Lucien dramatically. “The moment someone calls him out, he starts fttering.”

  Lucien gred saying. “That’s not fttering.”

  “It absolutely is.”

  Seliora nodded in agreement. “Clearly it’s damage control.”

  Kaelen added calmly, “Always a cssic strategy.”

  Evelis chuckled softly.

  Lucien shook his head helplessly. “You people are unreasonable.”

  Riven leaned back in his chair.

  “No, no,” he said smugly. “We just know you too well.”

  The conversation drifted naturally from there, and eventually the topic arrived exactly where it always seemed to return.

  The new book.

  Lunessa leaned forward slightly.

  “I just finished it,” she said.

  The group paused.

  “When?” Kaelen asked.

  “When you arrived,” Lunessa replied. “I had already been reading for about two hours.”

  Her eyes lit up slightly.

  “I was actually just about to discuss…”

  “No!”

  Four voices interrupted her instantly.

  Dorian. Kaelen. Seliora. Evelis.

  “Don’t.”

  “Stop.”

  “No spoilers.”

  “Please don’t.”

  Lunessa blinked as she looked around the table.

  Every one of them except Riven looked genuinely armed.

  Riven, meanwhile, leaned back casually.

  “Go ahead,” he said. “I’ve already read it.”

  Lunessa blinked again, then she slowly looked back at the others.

  “You haven’t read it yet?”

  Seliora turned her head slowly toward Lucien.

  Her expression darkened. “Whose fault do you think that is?”

  The entire table turned toward Lucien.

  Lucien blinked. “What?”

  Kaelen crossed his arms. “You released the cover.”

  Evelis nodded. “You told everyone the release window.”

  Dorian added calmly, “But you didn’t give the book to us.”

  Lucien looked mildly offended. “You say that like it’s easy.”

  Seliora leaned forward. “It is.”

  Lucien sighed dramatically.

  “You people don’t understand the sacrifices I’m making.”

  Riven raised an eyebrow. “What sacrifices?”

  Lucien pointed at them. “Every copy I give away is lost revenue.”

  The table went silent for a second.

  Then Seliora leaned forward slowly. “You’re joking right?”

  Lucien continued stubbornly. “I’ve already given it to three people.”

  Riven burst out ughing. “You’re counting?”

  Lucien nodded seriously. “Of course.”

  Kaelen rubbed his forehead.

  Evelis looked at Lucien with quiet disbelief.

  Dorian simply stared at him.

  And Seliora’s eyes narrowed. “You are infuriating sometimes.”

  Lucien spread his hands defensively. “What?”

  The table was now looking at him like a group of people collectively deciding whether mild violence was acceptable.

  Lucien quickly looked down at his wristlink and without another word, he sent the book to their group chat.

  A quiet notification chimed across the group devices indicating that all of them received it.

  No one spoke as Lucien slowly closed his wristlink and pced his hands back on the table.

  Still silent.

  Because the expressions around the table strongly suggested that if he said anything more about “lost revenue,” they might actually throw something at him.

  Riven leaned over and checked his device.

  “Oh look,” he said smugly. “The miser has relented.”

  Seliora snorted. “Finally.”

  Dorian opened the file immediately.

  Kaelen did the same.

  Evelis smiled slightly.

  Lunessa watched them with amusement.

  Lucien leaned back in his chair and muttered quietly,

  “You people are very ungrateful for the sacrifices I make.”

  Riven looked up.

  “You received fifty crowns tip twice from one reader and you’re compining about four free copies.”

  Lucien sighed dramatically.

  “Apparently financial prudence is a crime now.”

  The table erupted in ughter again, and everyone quickly immersed themselves in the book they had received, clearly intending to finish reading it as soon as possible.