Chapter 384: The Blackwood Tower

Xavier brought the hovercar down toward the private arrival deck, its landing pads marked with the Blackwood crest. Spotlights swept across the sky as drones floated overhead, capturing footage for the live city broadcast. The moment the car touched down, a squad of armored attendants approached, their movements precise and rehearsed like they were trained to handle royalty.

Angel stepped out first, adjusting her clothes just enough to hide the quickie they’d just finished. Xavier followed, his gaze fixed on the massive tower that loomed above them—Blackwood Tower, the newest jewel of Night City, built to intimidate anyone who dared to look at it too long. Glossy obsidian plating reflected the skyline, and red banners rolled down its sides in celebration of the engagement between Eleanor Von Stein and Lucas Blackwood.

Xavier’s jaw tightened. Even though it was him who suggested this, he still couldn’t see her name paired with anyone else but him.

A pair of security officers approached them, both vampires, both tall enough to make normal men shrink.

“Sir, Miss. Please step forward for screening,” one of them said.

Xavier walked with a casual confidence that made both guards straighten even more. Angel handed over a small device—an encrypted ID module she had prepared for him. Once they ran it through their scanners, the display flashed:

GUEST STATUS: AUTHORIZED.

LEVEL: VIP — SPECIAL INVITEE.

Angel stepped closer to whisper into Xavier’s ear without the guards noticing. “That clearance level didn’t exist yesterday.”

Xavier smirked. “Good. Saves me trouble.”

Angel was invited by Reva, so she didn’t need anything.

The guards bowed slightly and guided them forward. The doors opened into a grand atrium where the city’s elites and political figures mingled under crimson chandeliers that resembled suspended blood droplets. The atmosphere was sharp and polished, built to impress and intimidate.

Human nobles. Vampires from various houses. Ambassadors from neighboring planets. Even a few mercenary lords dressed in ceremonial armor. Everything about the crowd screamed power.

Conversations dimmed when Xavier entered. Dozens of people recognized him instantly. Some whispered his name. Others stared—curious, respectful, jealous, defensive. His fame was planetary at this point, and nearly everyone in the room had at least seen clips of him from the VR event which was still ongoing and trending.

Angel walked beside him like she belonged there, though she kept her hood low enough to avoid attention.

Servants moved around carrying trays of wine infused with vampire essence. Soft orchestral music played from levitating speakers. Every corner of the hall looked expensive enough to feed an entire district for a decade.

At the center was the ceremony stage—a circular elevated platform surrounded by ruby-gold vines and floating shards of crystal that spelled out:

“THE UNION OF BLACKWOOD AND STEIN LEGACY.”

Xavier’s expression stayed the same.

Guests were already taking their seats. Elders sat on the VIP balconies. High-ranking vampires stood along the aisles, their posture rigid and formal.

Eleanor hadn’t arrived yet.

Lucas hadn’t arrived either—which was unsurprising, considering what he’d been doing in his room just a few hours ago.

Then the ceremonial announcer’s voice echoed:

“Guests, please prepare yourselves. The engagement ceremony will begin shortly.”

A cold ripple spread through the hall—anticipation mixed with tension, and somewhere underneath it all, a faint whisper of danger Xavier could almost taste.

Angel tugged on his sleeve lightly. “Stick to the plan. And don’t get distracted.”

Xavier kept his eyes on the stage, his jaw hardening.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t.”

The hall fell into a hush as the main doors opened as every vampire in the room felt the shift in presence.

Eleanor Blackwood—Reva—walked in.

She moved with the quiet grace of someone raised in old power. Her ceremonial vampire attire was woven from midnight silk and crimson thread that shimmered like living blood under the lights. The veil draped over her shoulders framed her pale collarbone and the soft glow of her skin. Her hair was braided with silver charms that chimed faintly as she walked.

Behind her came her father, Luther, wearing a matching ceremonial cloak with the crest of House Stein carved into obsidian plates across his chest. He looked tired—tired of the politics, tired of the games, tired of pretending to like the people gathered here tonight.

Following them were her brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles—an entire procession of vampire nobility, each dressed in ancient designs that made the rest of the hall feel underdressed.

Xavier almost forgot to breathe.

Reva was stunning—so stunning that his pants tightened, and he shifted slightly to hide it. She didn’t turn her head toward him, not even a degree, but as she passed, her eyes slid sideways. A fleeting, razor-thin glance.

No one else noticed—not the crowd bowing, not the nobles offering greetings only to receive cold silence in return. The vampires of House Stein didn’t bow to anyone but their own elders. Luther himself only nodded to those he considered worthy, and even then, it looked like he wanted to be somewhere else.

A moment later, another wave of attention swept through the hall as Lucian Blackwood arrived—the head of the Blackwood family, Lucas’ father, and the man funding half the city.

“Luther,” Lucian greeted warmly, pulling him into a tight embrace that Luther barely returned. “It’s been too long.”

“You look stressed,” Luther said dryly.

Lucian forced a stiff laugh, then turned to Reva. His eyes softened, genuinely or not.

“You look beautiful, Eleanor. Like your mother.”

Reva dipped her head in a polite, distant acknowledgment. “Thank you, Lord Blackwood.”

Luther leaned closer to Lucian. “I don’t see your son.”

Lucian’s smile twitched—barely, but enough for any sharp-eyed vampire to catch. “He’s on his way,” he muttered, jaw tightening. “He’ll be here.”

Reva walked up the steps to the raised ceremonial stage and settled into the ornate chair carved from crimson stone. Her eyes searched the hall until they found Xavier again.

Xavier didn’t look away.

Across the room, Lucian ducked to a corner and snapped open a holo-call, yelling under his breath.

“How long will it take? We’re already late—get him here. NOW!”

Before Xavier could enjoy Lucian’s panic, the grand doors opened again.

A small formation of armored guards marched in, escorting Lucas Blackwood.

The hall erupted with applause—not out of love, but out of etiquette. Lucas smiled like a perfect young heir, waving and greeting nobles as if he hadn’t been balls-deep in half the city’s strippers ten minutes earlier.

He approached his father, exchanged a brief hug, shook hands with Luther—putting on the act of a respectful future son-in-law.

Then he turned toward the stage.

And walked straight past Xavier.

Xavier leaned just slightly as Lucas passed, his voice low enough for only one person to hear:

“Careful, you cuckold loser boy. I have fucked her so much ‌that my dick’s shape is engraved in her pussy.”

Lucas only realized what he heard after he got on the stage.

As soon as he got on the stage, everyone began to applaud.

Until Lucas finally glanced toward the crowd and saw Xavier.

His smile evaporated completely.

Luther blinked once, processing what must have been said.

Angel smirked beside Xavier.

Reva didn’t move, but her fingers curled slightly on the armrest.

The hall waited, unaware that the entire hall… if not the tower, would soon become the history that would be remembered for thousands of years.

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