Page 127 of King of Ruin

Xavier's head snapped toward him.

The cold glare that landed on Benjamin immediately made the rest of his sentence disappear.

Xavier was looking at him as if Benjamin had personally insulted Elise.

His heart immediately jumped into his throat. ‘I said the wrong thing.’

He quickly corrected himself. He cleared his throat again, forcing himself to remain composed under Xavier's intimidating stare.

"I mean... I think Miss Foster is right."

Xavier's brows drew together slightly.

Benjamin continued carefully.

"I think she is probably just having a difficult day."

He gave a small, cautious smile.

"After all, everyone has days when they aren't feeling like themselves. No one can be cheerful and energetic all the time, even someone as kind and considerate as Miss Foster."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"Maybe she simply needed some time away. Taking a day off doesn't necessarily mean she's trying to avoid you or cause trouble."

Benjamin glanced at Xavier's expression before continuing.

“But you’re a very sensible man, Mr. Chen,” Benjamin continued carefully, choosing every word as though he were walking through a minefield. “I’m sure once you’ve had some time to think, you’ll let go of the thoughts that are bothering you. It’s only natural that you felt a little neglected by Miss Foster.”

Xavier merely leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping once against the polished conference table before he gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod.

Xavier lifted his eyes to meet his, his expression as unreadable as ever.

“You are right. I'm simply the more sensible one in our relationship.”

A faint pause followed before the corner of his lips lifted into the slightest hint of a smirk.

“I also happen to possess considerably more patience... more generosity... and far more intelligence than most people. To dwell on trivial matters would be a waste of my time.”

With that, he closed the folder in front of him.

The crisp snap echoed through the silent conference room, instantly drawing every eye to him. Without another word, hepushed back his chair and rose to his feet. The leather seat scraped softly across the polished floor as he reached for the charcoal-gray suit jacket draped neatly over the backrest. In one smooth, practiced motion, he slipped it over his forearm and adjusted the cuff of his white dress shirt, his movements calm despite the unmistakable tension radiating from him.

"Benjamin."

Benjamin straightened immediately. "Yes, Mr. Chen?"

"Drive me home."

The order caught Benjamin completely off guard. He blinked, momentarily wondering if he had misheard.

"Mr. Chen..." he began cautiously, hurrying after Xavier as the man strode toward the conference room doors. "You have a full schedule today. The board meeting starts in an hour, and this evening all of our major partners are flying in for the Horizon Project. They've been preparing for weeks to meet with you."

Xavier didn't slow his pace.

"Reschedule it."

Benjamin frowned. "Sir, that's a multi-billion-dollar project. If we postpone now—"