Page 135 of King of Ruin

"So I never really had a title to lose."

A gentle smile appeared on her face as she looked at him with complete sincerity.

"You can introduce Astrid as your girlfriend whenever you want. I don't think anyone will question it."

There wasn't the slightest trace of resentment in her voice.

If anything, she sounded as though she were genuinely trying to help him.

And somehow...

That only made Xavier even angrier.

The fury that had been simmering beneath the surface finally snapped.

"You really are too generous, aren't you?" he barked, a bitter laugh escaping him. "Someone should give you a fucking award for being the most generous woman on this fucking earth."

His voice echoed through the mansion.

Without waiting for a response, he turned sharply on his heel and stormed away. His long strides carried him across the living room, and moments later, the heavy thud of his footsteps rang through the house as he climbed the staircase two steps at a time.

Neither Elise nor Astrid said a word.

They simply stood there, watching as his retreating figure disappeared down the hallway upstairs before the bedroom doorslammed shut with enough force to make the entire house tremble.

Silence settled over the room once again.

Astrid slowly turned her head toward Elise, only to find her calmly walking back to the dining table. Elise set the plate in her hands down beside the other one as though nothing unusual had just happened.

"You know..." Astrid said after a moment, still staring toward the staircase. "He never actually took a bite of the cookies I made."

She pointed to the cookie lying on her plate.

"He just crushed it."

Looking down at the broken cookie, she frowned slightly.

"He didn't even take one bite."

Elise's eyes lingered on the crushed cookie for a brief moment before she looked back at Astrid with a reassuring smile. Reaching over, she gently nudged the plate toward her.

"Maybe he just didn't like this batch," she said lightly. "I'll teach you another recipe that he really loves. I'm sure he'll eat those happily."

Astrid let out an exasperated sigh, dropping one hand onto her hip before looking at Elise in disbelief.

"I don't think that's it."

She searched Elise's face for a long moment, then shook her head.

"It's because he loves you, doesn't he?"

The smile on Elise's lips stilled.

She pressed her lips together, a small, almost bittersweet smile appearing on her face. Her fingertips absentmindedly traced the rim of the porcelain plate. Then she slowly lifted her head again, a faint smile returning to her lips.

"It doesn't matter anymore."

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before continuing.