The Brand That Took the World by Storm
No one knew where it came from.
One day, the name LUXEN appeared on CampusNet as a sponsored post—minimalist black-and-white visuals, no celebrity faces, no loud promises.
Just six words:
"Skin remembers how it was loved."
Within a week, the internet was on fire.
Within a month, the world followed.
The launch event wasn't flashy. No champagne towers. No influencers screaming into cameras. Just a clean, glass-walled hall, white orchids, and a single product line displayed like art.
And yet—
The results were terrifyingly effective.
Women posted before-and-after photos that looked like magic. Acne scars softened. Hyperpigmentation faded. Skin glowed—not artificially, but healthily, like it had finally been allowed to breathe.
Men followed quietly at first.
Then openly.
Executives. Athletes. College students. Even grumpy professors.
Everyone wanted LUXEN.
And everyone asked the same question.
Who owns it?
No face.
No interviews.
No name.
Just a single line on the company page:
Founder: L.R.
Speculation exploded.
Some said it was backed by a secret European lab.
Others swore it was owned by an old-money family avoiding attention.
Conspiracy threads claimed it was funded by royalty.
Lucien Reed's name never appeared.
Not once.
Serena found out by accident.
She was sitting on her bed, scrolling through reviews on her tablet, Evie beside her squealing dramatically.
"Serena, look at this!" Evie gasped. "This serum cured her skin in three weeks. THREE."
Serena leaned closer, frowning slightly. The ingredient list looked… familiar.
Too familiar.
She flipped the bottle in the image, eyes narrowing at the tiny engraved letters near the base.
L.R.
Her heart skipped.
That night, she found Lucien in the study, sleeves rolled up, laptop open, multiple screens glowing with data charts and global maps.
"Lucien," she said slowly.
He didn't look up. "Mm?"
"You want to explain why the world is bathing in your skincare?"
Silence.
Then—slowly—he leaned back in his chair and smiled.
"You noticed."
She stared at him. "You— you launched a global skincare company?"
"Correction," he said calmly. "I launched it two years ago. I just decided to let it breathe now."
Serena dropped onto the chair opposite him, stunned. "You're insane."
He chuckled. "That's not a no."
"You're a billionaire heir," she whispered. "Why skincare?"
Lucien's expression softened.
"Because when you were sick," he said quietly, "your skin reacted to everything. I wanted something gentle. Something honest."
Her throat tightened.
"And because," he added lightly, "I wanted something that was mine. Not my father's. Not the Reed name."
She laughed weakly. "So you decided to casually dominate the beauty industry?"
"Dominate is such a strong word," he said smugly. "I prefer redefine."
The world went mad.
Products sold out in minutes.
Stock requests crashed servers.
Celebrities begged for brand deals and were politely declined.
And Lucien?
He drove Serena to school like nothing had changed.
He teased her at breakfast.
He stole her lip balm and said, "Mine's better," just to annoy her.
No one knew that the mysterious founder was the rebellious red-haired heir who slept through lectures and played basketball like it was a performance art.
No one knew—
Except Serena.
She watched girls gush about LUXEN in class, about how it made them feel confident, beautiful, seen.
She watched Lucien act uninterested, scrolling his phone while his empire expanded in silence.
And sometimes, when the world wasn't looking, he'd lean close and murmur in her ear,
"You're the only one who knows."
She'd smile faintly. "Your biggest secret."
"No," he corrected softly. "My safest place."
And as the world chased the mystery of LUXEN—
Lucien Reed already had everything he wanted.