Page 132 of King of Ruin

His voice was low and emotionless.

"I've already decided." His gaze shifted briefly toward Astrid before returning to Elise. "I'm going to be with Astrid."

Elise froze for the briefest moment before blinking.

"Oh... right."

A look of sudden realization crossed her face as she lightly tapped her forehead with her free hand, almost amused at herself for forgetting. Without another thought, she lowered the cookie and gave a small, apologetic smile.

"I forgot." She looked up at Xavier matter-of-factly. "You wouldn't like the food I cook anymore." Then, as though reminding herself of a simple fact, she added, "I'm not your girlfriend anymore."

There wasn't a trace of self-pity in her voice.

It was simply an acknowledgment of how things were now.

Shifting the plate into one hand, she turned toward Astrid and gestured for her to come over.

"Astrid made these for you," she said, stepping aside to give her room. "Go ahead. I'm sure you'll like hers."

Astrid smiled immediately and walked over without hesitation.

The moment those words left Elise's mouth, however, Xavier's expression subtly changed.

His eyes remained fixed on the plate before slowly lifting back to Elise.

"The cookies..." he repeated, his brows drawing together almost imperceptibly. "Say that again."

His gaze stayed on her.

"Who made them?"

Chapter 14

The question stirred an old memory.

The first time he had tasted Elise's cookies...

He had never cared for sweets, yet after one bite, he had finished almost the entire plate before arrogantly declaring that from then on, she wasn't allowed to make them for anyone else. Those cookies belonged exclusively to him.

Now, hearing they hadn't been made by her, an inexplicable disappointment settled heavily in his chest.

Completely oblivious to the thoughts running through his mind, Elise simply nodded toward Astrid again.

Astrid happily picked up one of the cookies from her plate, walked up to Xavier, and raised it toward his mouth with an eager smile.

"Xavier, open your mouth," she said brightly. "You'll love these. I made them exactly the way Elise taught me."

Elise straightened with a faint smile. Rather than looking at Xavier or Astrid, she deliberately looked away, her gaze settling on the plate in her hands.

The wordsI'm not your girlfriend anymorehad come out so naturally, yet saying them aloud stirred something she had been trying so hard to bury. The future she had once imagined withXavier had already fallen apart, and every unexpected reminder seemed to reopen the wound all over again. Rather than dwell on it, she focused her attention on the plate of cookies in her hands, silently urging herself to move on.

Across from her, Xavier watched the entire exchange.

Seeing how naturally she had stepped aside and encouraged Astrid to feed him, as though she truly didn't care anymore, sent an inexplicable surge of anger through him. His jaw tightened, the muscle ticking beneath his skin as his gaze lingered on Elise's lowered face.

"So," he said coldly, loud enough for both women to hear, "since you want me to eat the ones Astrid made so badly... then I'll do exactly what you want."

Astrid's face lit up immediately.