“He might have…” Noah thought as he rolled down the windows.
“Good afternoon, Uncle Adam. How are you doing?”
Adam looked up, his gaze hardening momentarily until he recognized Noah. The guards stationed nearby reacted instantly, positioning themselves protectively and raising their weapons with trained precision.
Adam’s father, though visibly weakened, lifted his head, his eyes sharp as they sized up Noah, his own military instincts likely kicking in.
Noah held his hands up in mock surrender, a small, amused smile playing on his lips. “Whoa, easy there! I’m not here to cause any trouble,” he said, keeping his voice calm and relaxed.
Adam, realizing who it was, quickly gestured for the guards to stand down.
“Lower your weapons. This is Noah,” he said, waving the guards away with a hint of exasperation.
Watching as they complied, he muttered, “Can’t take a step without you guys making a fuss.”
As the tension eased, Adam turned back to Noah, studying him for a moment.
“Most people would be rattled,” he thought, “especially after having guns pointed at them like that. But he’s just sitting there as if this was nothing more than a casual stroll.”
Adam couldn’t help but be impressed. He looked back up at Noah, a broad grin spreading across his face.
“Noah! Nice to see you. Are you here to visit me?” he asked, with a small grin.
Noah’s smirk matched Adam’s, and he replied with a bit of mischief in his eyes. “Yeah, actually. I’m here to visit your neighbours,” he said, nodding his head in the direction of Villa No. 10.
Adam chuckled, catching onto Noah’s tone. “Oh, Villa No. 10, huh? Well, that’s quite the choice of neighbors,” he replied with a knowing smile. “You’ve got quite the range of acquaintances, it seems.”
Noah shrugged casually. “I guess you could say that,” he replied. “Just following the invitations where they lead me.”
Adam raised an eyebrow, but his grin never faded. “Alright, well, I won’t hold you up. But,” he added, a bit more earnestly, “when you’re done with your visit, swing back around here. I never got a proper chance to thank you for what you did last time.”
His father, who had been quietly observing the conversation, finally spoke up, his voice hoarse but steady. “Is this the young man you were talking about, Adam?” His eyes rested on Noah with a mixture of curiosity and what appeared to be mild respect.
“Yeah, Dad, this is him,” Adam replied, glancing at Noah with a nod. “He’s the one I was telling you about. Bit of a surprise to see him here again, though.”
He shot Noah a look of amusement, but Noah could tell he was intrigued too. “You really get around, don’t you?” Adam teased.
Noah laughed, his tone light. “Guess you could say that. I like to make the rounds,” he replied with a grin. “I’ll take you up on that offer, though. I’ll swing by once I’m done.”
“Sounds good,” Adam said, watching Noah as he began to pull away. As Noah eased the car forward, Adam’s father leaned over the chessboard and watched him, his brows furrowed thoughtfully.
Adam’s father muttered, half to himself, “He’s an interesting one, that kid is driving a Lykan HyperSport. He Just can’t be ordinary.”
Adam nodded, a hint of a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too. The file on his family background claims they’re just regular folks, but with a car like that and the way he carries himself… something doesn’t add up.”
He let his eyes linger on the back of the sleek car as it disappeared around the corner, musing over the puzzle that was Noah.
“There’s definitely more to him than meets the eye.”
As Noah pulled into the driveway of Lily’s villa, he noticed that the security setup was distinctly different from Amelia’s. Only two guards, and neither of them armed. He supposed it made sense—Lily’s family was a prominent business family, while Amelia’s was steeped in the military. Each had their own ways of keeping safe.
One of the security guards approached the Lykan HyperSport with an unsure expression. “Mr. Noah?” he asked, as though confirming for himself that someone arriving in such a rare car could possibly be the person they were expecting.
Noah gave a small smile, nodding. “That’s me.”
The guard visibly relaxed and gestured toward the parking area. “Please, park inside, sir,” he said, ushering Noah in with a professional smile.
Noah nodded and manoeuvred the Lykan smoothly into the driveway,
As soon as he parked, he could see one of the guards hurriedly radioing in his arrival. A moment later, Lily and a man Noah presumed to be her father stepped out of the villa, approaching the car with curiosity and intrigue written plainly across their faces.
Lily’s eyes went wide the instant she saw the HyperSport. She froze in place, clearly struggling to process the sight.
“Is this really Noah?” she thought, a frown of confusion knitting her brows.
“I thought he was… well, not poor, but I’d never have guessed he was this wealthy. A Lykan HyperSport? There are only seven of these in the world. You can’t even rent one of these things.”
She shot a quick glance at her father, whose eyes were gleaming with curiosity but seemed far less surprised.
“Of course, he’s not fazed,” she realized. “He’s probably already thinking about what this means for him”. And indeed, her father’s expression seemed to shift from surprise to something more calculated as he stared at the rare car with a subtle nod.
Noah watched them both with an air of calm confidence. “Perfect,” he thought. “They’re starting to get the message.”
He stepped out of the car, giving Lily a friendly smile before turning to her father, who stepped forward to greet him.
“Noah,” Arthur Luxburg began, extending his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I heard great things from my daughter about you.” His tone was even, but Noah could feel the weight of his gaze as they shook hands.
“The pleasure’s mine, Mr. Luxburg,” Noah replied smoothly, giving his handshake the right balance of firmness and ease. He caught the brief look of surprise that crossed Arthur’s face, and he knew he’d made the right impression.
Arthur regarded him with a thoughtful look.
“This kid is sharp. A Lykan HyperSport? He’s making it clear that he doesn’t need my money.” He hid a smile as he continued to study Noah, his mind racing.
“But he wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have something in mind. And the fact that Lily told me he was low-middle class means he’s low-key about it, which means he’s not some rich kid looking for validation. No, he’s strategic.” He nodded to himself. “Interesting… Very interesting indeed.”
Lily seemed to recover from her initial shock and joined the conversation. “So, Noah,” she began, her voice almost hesitant, “I, uh, didn’t realize you were such a car enthusiast.”
Noah turned to her with a small smile. “Well, I keep things low-key,” he said, casually. “I don’t like showing off.”
She gave a half-laugh, glancing at her father. “Low-key? more like No-key” she thought, stealing another look at the Lykan. “This changes things.”
Arthur gestured toward the villa with a welcoming smile. “Come inside, Noah. We’ve got dinner almost ready. I’m looking forward to hearing more about you.”
Noah nodded, falling in step with them as they made their way toward the entrance. Inside, the house was immaculate and luxurious, each detail carefully curated.
He could feel the weight of Arthur’s presence next to him and Lily’s curious glances, both trying to gauge him, and piece together who he really was. And that’s exactly how he wanted it.
His first impression needed to be strong and effective, otherwise if he came with all his cards known including his background he would be on the defensive, with him shattering Lily’s old perception of him completely, meant everything she knew about him was unreliable, which means that it couldn’t be trusted.
As they walked, Arthur broke the silence, his voice measured. “You know, I have to admit, you caught me by surprise. Your Lykan HypeSport is quite the beauty, do you drive it around often?” He gave Noah a sideways look as if to read his reaction.
Noah inclined his head. “Not really, I’ve found that doing things quietly gets you further,” he replied, matching Arthur’s measured tone. “Noise tends to bring the wrong kind of attention.”
Arthur chuckled, a spark of approval in his eyes. “Wise words for someone so young. You’ve piqued my curiosity, Noah. If you’re anything like I’m guessing, I think we’ll have a very interesting evening ahead of us.”
Noah simply smiled, maintaining an air of mystery.
“Just what I wanted.” He glanced at Lily, who was watching him with interest, her earlier years-long view of him shattered. Noah knew the revelation of wealth he’d made was strong, and now he could steer the evening’s conversation exactly where he needed it to go.
“Shall we?” Arthur gestured toward the dining room with a sense of finality, as if the evening had already been set in motion by unseen forces.
With a nod, Noah followed them both.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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