Holy Ruin

Chapter 5

Elysium never truly slept.

Even at three in the morning the nightclub still pulsed with music, bodies, and artificial happiness while rain painted the city silver beyond towering windows.

Selene stood backstage staring at herself in the mirror while someone nearby argued loudly about missing champagne.

The bass from the dance floor vibrated through the walls hard enough to rattle makeup brushes across the vanity.

She looked exhausted.

Again.

Dark eyeliner sharpened her eyes beautifully, but nothing hid the fatigue beneath them anymore. Not makeup. Not alcohol. Not men.

Nothing.

A cigarette rested lazily between her fingers while Mina sat cross-legged on the couch scrolling through her phone.

"You disappeared after the VIP lounge yesterday," Mina muttered.

Selene exhaled smoke slowly.

"I was working."

"You were absolutely not working."

That earned a faint smirk.

"Jealous?"

"I saw the man."

Mina lowered the phone dramatically.

"That wasn't a man. That was generational trauma in a suit."

Selene laughed despite herself.

Noctis.

Even thinking his name felt strange somehow.

Not romantic strange.

Heavy strange.

Like standing too close to something dangerous and realizing part of you enjoyed it.

"He's weird," Selene admitted finally.

"Weird rich?"

"Weird... quiet."

"That's somehow worse."

Selene leaned back in the chair while thunder rolled faintly outside.

She still could not stop thinking about him either.

Annoying.

Most men blurred together eventually. Politicians. Athletes. Businessmen.

All lonely in exactly the same ways.

But Noctis felt different.

Controlled. Observant. Almost detached from humanity itself.

And his eyes-

God.

There had been something unsettling about them.

Like he knew terrible things.

Mina studied her expression carefully.

"Oh no."

Selene frowned. "What?"

"You're thinking."

"Tragic, I know."

"You like him."

Selene burst into immediate laughter.

"Absolutely not."

"You slept with a billionaire crime lord and now you're psychologically spiraling."

"He's not a crime lord."

Mina stared at her blankly.

"Sweetheart. He owns Elysium."

Fair point.

Before Selene could answer, Jade suddenly entered the dressing room looking irritated.

"There's a drunk investor downstairs harassing the dancers again."

Selene sighed immediately. "Which one?"

"The one who smells like expired cologne."

"That narrows it down so much."

Jade folded her arms.

"He grabbed Lila."

The amusement vanished from Selene's face instantly.

Lila was barely nineteen.

Too young for this industry. Too soft too.

The kind of girl men destroyed quickly in places like Elysium.

Selene crushed out the cigarette before standing.

"I'll handle it."

"Try not to stab anyone this time," Mina called after her.

"No promises."

The main floor exploded with noise and flashing lights as Selene descended the staircase.

Music thundered through the nightclub while intoxicated strangers moved beneath crimson lights in expensive clothes and fake confidence.

Elysium was beautiful from a distance.

Up close- it was hunger.

She spotted the investor immediately near the lower bar.

Middle-aged. Drunk. Handsy.

Lila stood cornered beside him looking visibly uncomfortable while he leaned too close.

Selene's jaw tightened.

Without hesitation she stepped directly between them.

"There you are," she announced loudly while grabbing Lila's wrist gently. "Your boyfriend's outside threatening to fight security again."

Confusion crossed Lila's face briefly.

Then understanding.

"Oh- right."

The investor frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

Selene looked him up and down slowly.

"Someone significantly less disappointing."

Several nearby bartenders immediately started hiding smiles.

The man stepped closer angrily.

"I paid for company tonight."

Selene's expression sharpened instantly.

"You paid for overpriced alcohol and temporary delusion. Learn the difference."

A few people nearby laughed openly now.

Humiliation darkened the man's face.

"You little b***h-"

He grabbed her arm.

Big mistake.

The entire atmosphere changed instantly.

Selene stared down at his hand slowly.

Then back up at him.

Cold.

Dangerous.

"Take your hand off me."

Something in her voice made even the music feel quieter.

The investor hesitated.

For one second.

Then released her.

Smart choice.

Selene smiled sweetly afterward.

"See? Growth."

She led Lila away immediately before the situation escalated further.

By the time they reached the backstage hallway, the younger girl looked close to tears.

"Thank you," Lila whispered shakily.

Selene shrugged casually.

"He smelled annoying."

Lila laughed weakly despite herself.

Selene softened slightly.

"You should go home."

"But my shift-"

"Go home, Lila."

The younger girl nodded before disappearing toward the staff exit.

Selene watched her leave silently.

Then sighed tiredly.

"You protect them too much."

The deep voice behind her froze her instantly.

Noctis stood at the far end of the hallway dressed entirely in black.

Beautiful. Unreadable. Terrifying.

Two security guards lingered several steps behind him like shadows.

Selene recovered quickly.

"I like women who survive."

Noctis studied her quietly.

There was something unnerving about the way he looked at people.

Too observant.

Like he noticed things others missed.

"The investor has been removed," he said calmly.

"Alive?"

A faint smirk touched his mouth. "Mostly."

That should not have been attractive.

Unfortunately- it was.

Selene folded her arms.

"You always spying on your employees?"

"You're not technically an employee."

"Ah. Right. Independent emotional disaster."

Another almost-smile.

Tiny. Rare.

Interesting.

Silence settled briefly between them while distant music echoed through the walls.

Then Noctis stepped slightly closer.

"Walk with me."

Not a request.

Yet strangely- not quite an order either.

Selene should have refused.

Smart women refused men like him.

Instead she followed him upstairs.

The upper levels of Elysium felt entirely different from the crowded floors below.

Quieter. Darker. Dangerous in expensive ways.

Private lounges overlooked the nightclub through black glass while armed security stood silently near velvet doors.

Money lived here.

Real money.

The kind capable of destroying lives casually.

Noctis walked beside her calmly with one hand tucked into his pocket.

"You fight often?" he asked eventually.

"Only when people deserve it."

"That narrows humanity down considerably."

Selene laughed softly.

"You talk differently from normal people."

"I've been told worse."

"I doubt that."

Noctis glanced at her briefly then.

For one strange moment- something shifted in his expression.

Not softness.

Something more subtle.

Attention.

The kind men gave things they wanted to understand.

That should have made her uncomfortable.

Instead- it made her curious.

Dangerous combination.

They eventually reached the highest balcony overlooking Aurelia.

Rain crashed against the massive windows surrounding the private lounge while the city glittered endlessly below.

Beautiful from up here.

Distant too.

Noctis poured two glasses of whiskey silently before handing one to her.

Selene accepted it carefully.

"You know," she said while leaning against the glass wall, "people are terrified of you."

"They should be."

The answer came calmly.

Honestly.

No performance. No false modesty.

Selene stared at him over the rim of the glass.

"What are you really?"

The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Silence followed.

Heavy silence.

Noctis looked toward the storm outside rather than at her.

Then slowly-

he smiled.

Not warmly.

Like someone amused by a secret.

"What do you think I am?"

Thunder shook the windows violently.

For some reason- a chill crawled slowly down Selene's spine.

And suddenly-

for one impossible second-

she imagined black wings unfolding behind him in the dark.