Chapter 1: Burnout & Black Coffee
Chapter 1 – Burnout & Black Coffee
"I quit."
The words left Lux Vaelthorn’s mouth with all the fire of a breaking contract. The kind of statement that shouldn’t be possible inside the Underworld’s most sacred financial institution—Vault Nexus Prime.
And yet, here he was.
Standing in the middle of the Executive Atrium like a freshly uncorked bottle of sarcasm and soul-crushing exhaustion, Lux looked absolutely done with life. His collar was open, tie half-removed, sleeves rolled up in casual rebellion. His black hair was slightly mussed like he hadn’t bothered to brush it.
Behind him, a mountain of floating holographic files blinked in silent protest. Alerts. Notifications. Performance charts. Bored-looking demon assistants stood frozen nearby, contract scrolls clutched like they were bracing for a lawsuit.
Across from him, lounging far too comfortably for a man who had just returned from a 100-year honeymoon, sat Zavros Vaelthorn, the Lord of Greed. His obsidian-horned head tilted back in his executive hell-throne, tailored suit sharp enough to cut through treaties.
Beside him, equally unbothered and casually dangerous, was Seraphyne, his eternally gorgeous wife and the daughter of the Lord of Lust. She wore a long velvet dress that technically obeyed dress codes, if barely, her crimson nails tapping lightly on a crystal goblet filled with... something that sparkled and probably corrupted innocence.
They looked like two influencers who’d just returned from a luxury resort in the 9th Circle and hadn’t noticed their teenage son aged into a traumatized 200-year-old war accountant while they were off breaking every bed in hell.
Zavros blinked once. "You quit... what?"
Lux threw his hands up. "Everything! This job. This hellhole of fiscal damnation! I’ve been running your empire while you two were off collecting honeymoon stamps like it’s some kind of infernal challenge!"