Page 125 of King of Ruin

"I seriously thought I was going to get fired today," one manager muttered, loosening his tie.

"So did I," another replied, still looking shaken. "I've never seen Mr. Chen in a mood this bad."

"I couldn't even remember my own presentation halfway through."

"I skipped lunch because I thought we'd finish in an hour."

"We've been trapped in there since morning."

The heavy doors clicked shut behind the last person, and an almost eerie silence settled over the room. After hours of presentations, endless criticism, and Xavier's increasingly foul temper, the vast conference room suddenly felt much larger.

Only Xavier and Benjamin remained.

Benjamin stood quietly beside Xavier, waiting for instructions. Having worked for Xavier for years, he knew better than to assume he was free to leave simply because everyone else had.

Xavier leaned back against the leather chair, resting one elbow on the armrest as his fingers came up to support his chin. His thumb brushed absently against his lower lip while his brows remained knitted together, his expression unusually contemplative. It wasn't the look he wore when he was analyzing a business deal. This was different. It was almost as if he hadspent the entire morning trying—and failing—to solve a problem that refused to make sense.

For several long moments, he remained silent, staring at nothing in particular.

Benjamin didn't dare interrupt.

Finally, Xavier turned his head toward him.

"Benjamin."

"Yes, sir?"

Xavier frowned.

"Has Elise started ignoring me?"

Benjamin blinked.

"...Sir?"

Xavier looked genuinely puzzled rather than angry, which somehow confused Benjamin even more.

"Ever since I came back from my trip yesterday," Xavier said slowly, as though piecing together a complicated business report, "she's been acting differently."

He frowned harder, replaying the events one by one.

"When I got home yesterday, she barely spoke to me. Last night, when we went to bed, she hardly said a word." He paused briefly before adding with complete seriousness, "I even kissed her... and she still didn't say anything."

Benjamin stared at him without blinking.

Completely oblivious to his secretary's growing disbelief, Xavier continued.

"This morning we had breakfast together. She sat across from me the entire time, but she barely spoke. Then she left without saying anything, and today she didn't even come to the office."

His jaw tightened with visible frustration.

"She's been ignoring me ever since I came back."

He looked directly at Benjamin, his expression darkening.

"And I have no fucking idea why."

Benjamin's eyebrows rose before he could stop them.