Chapter 142: Into the Lion’s Den
Chapter 142: Into the Lion’s Den
The moment the elevator returned to the private lobby, Lucas stepped out without hesitation.
He didn’t dare waste a single second.
Keeping his head lowered, he walked briskly toward the restroom, careful not to attract unnecessary attention.
Lucas slipped into the restroom and quietly locked the door behind him.
Click.
Without another thought, he placed the tray on the counter and immediately began removing the waiter’s uniform.
The black vest came off first.
Then the tie.
The white shirt.
Within seconds, the disguise that had carried him this far lay folded on the marble countertop.
Lucas quickly changed back into his own clothes.
They weren’t designer brands.
There were no luxury logos or expensive watches.
Just a simple, clean outfit.
Ordinary enough to blend into a crowd.
Yet neat enough that no one would immediately mistake him for a poor college student.
After getting dressed, he looked down and brushed invisible dust from his sleeves and shoulders.
He straightened the collar of his shirt before walking toward the mirror.
For several seconds, he quietly studied his reflection.
Then he ran both hands through his hair, undoing the flattened look left behind by the waiter’s cap.
He adjusted a few loose strands until his hairstyle looked natural again.
The nervous waiter who had been keeping his head down moments ago was gone.
Standing before the mirror now...
Was Lucas.
He inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
His expression gradually settled into one of calm confidence.
His shoulders relaxed.
His breathing steadied.
If he couldn’t enter as a waiter...
Then he would enter as a guest.
Lucas unlocked the restroom door and stepped back into the luxurious lobby.
This time, he didn’t rush.
But neither did he linger.
He walked with purpose, weaving through the crowd while deliberately avoiding prolonged eye contact with anyone.
Every glance...
Every security camera...
Every passing waiter...
Could become a problem if he drew too much attention.
Fortunately, the lobby remained as busy as before.
Most of the wealthy guests were occupied with their own conversations.
No one paid him any special attention.
Lucas headed straight toward the hidden elevator tucked behind the marble pillar.
His pace quickened slightly as he reached it.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
The doors slid shut.
The elevator began its descent once again.
As the floor numbers slowly dropped...
Lucas suddenly frowned.
A trace of doubt crept into his mind.
"...Will this really work?"
He looked down at his own clothes.
Compared to the impeccably dressed businessmen and powerful figures he had seen earlier...
His outfit was painfully ordinary.
Would the guards believe he belonged there?
Or would they stop him the moment the doors opened?
Lucas slowly clenched his fists.
There was no turning back now.
The elevator continued descending.
Floor One...
Basement One...
Basement Two...
Ding.
The soft chime echoed through the confined space.
Lucas lifted his head.
The elevator doors slowly slid open once again.
This time...
He stepped out as himself.
The elevator doors slowly slid open.
Lucas stepped out.
This time...
He wasn’t a waiter.
His shoulders were slightly raised, his chin lifted just enough to project quiet confidence. The nervousness from before had completely vanished, replaced by the cold arrogance of someone who had spent his entire life surrounded by wealth.
He walked like a young master.
Unhurried.
Unbothered.
As though everyone around him existed only to clear his path.
The moment he stepped out, the two guards blocked his way once again.
Their expressions were noticeably different this time.
A young face like Lucas’s was extremely rare down here.
The guests who attended this place were usually powerful businessmen, influential politicians, or aging tycoons whose names carried weight throughout the country.
Seeing someone this young immediately caught their attention.
One of the guards spoke first.
"Sir."
"May I have your name?"
Lucas didn’t answer immediately.
He slowly turned his head toward them, his expression carrying a hint of annoyance, as though the question itself had wasted his valuable time.
"My name is John."
He paused briefly before adding in a calm voice,
"John... from the Dominion Family."
The words left his mouth naturally.
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation.
The way he introduced himself made it sound as though the Dominion Family was an existence everyone should already know.
The two guards exchanged glances.
Neither of them had ever heard of the Dominion Family.
But they also knew better than to judge powerful families based solely on their own knowledge.
The truly influential often stayed away from public attention.
Some preferred operating in complete secrecy.
Besides...
No ordinary person would dare walk into this place and announce a family name with such confidence.
The guards weren’t intimidated by Lucas.
Nor were they impressed.
To them, he simply looked like another spoiled young master with an oversized ego.
Someone who believed that having access to this place made him untouchable.
The last thing they wanted was to waste time arguing with someone like that.
After a brief silence, one of them stepped aside.
"You may proceed."
Lucas gave a slight nod before walking past them.
His pace remained slow.
Steady.
Confident.
Even though he could feel both guards staring at his back, he never looked behind him.
Every step had to look natural.
One wrong move...
And everything would fall apart.
Finally...
He arrived before a pair of enormous double doors.
Lucas placed a hand against one of them and slowly pushed it open.
The moment the doors parted...
Music poured into the hallway.
His eyes instinctively swept across the room.
It was exactly what he had expected...
And yet completely different.
It wasn’t just an auction house.
It was also a lavish underground party.
The enormous hall was bathed in darkness, with only soft golden spotlights illuminating the stage at the very center of the room.
Everything beyond that was deliberately kept dim, making it almost impossible to clearly recognize the faces of the guests.
Privacy.
That was the entire point.
Expensive music drifted through the hall while elegantly dressed waiters moved quietly between the tables carrying bottles worth more than most people earned in a year.
Some guests sat comfortably in luxurious leather chairs, chatting over crystal glasses filled with vintage wine.
Almost every seat was occupied by older men whose gray hair and wrinkled faces spoke of decades of power and influence.
Others stood in small groups nearby, laughing as they discussed business deals probably worth hundreds of millions.
Moving gracefully among them were sexy young prostitutes in tiny, ultra-short dresses that rode up provocatively, barely covering anything and leaving their firm, round ass cheeks fully exposed.
They offered intimate company by dancing closely with the wealthy guests. As the music played, the men pulled the women tight against their bodies, grinding together while firmly pressing and squeezing the soft, bare flesh of their asses with lustful hands.
Compared to them...
Lucas looked completely out of place.
He paused only for a second, silently taking everything in.
Then, without drawing attention to himself...
He stepped into the hall.