Page 149 of King of Ruin

By afternoon, the atmosphere at the Chen Group headquarters had changed considerably.

Astrid had already begun settling into the office.

Bright, approachable, and naturally outgoing, she blended into the workplace with surprising ease. Her cheerful personality made conversations effortless, and before long, she had already memorized several employees' names, chatting with them as though she had been working there for months.

Although most people in the company still didn't know she was the woman Xavier had brought into the mansion, everyone found her easy to like. She was friendly without being overbearing, confident without being arrogant, and her warmth naturally drew people toward her.

More importantly, she was intelligent.

Elise's explanations didn't need to be repeated more than once before Astrid understood them. She learned quickly, asked thoughtful questions, and by the end of the afternoon had already started taking over several smaller projects under Elise's guidance.

Meanwhile, inside the CEO's office, Xavier stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows with his phone pressed tightly against his ear. His entire body was rigid, every muscle drawn tight asthe fury inside him threatened to snap the last thread of restraint he had left. He had never wanted to smash his office more than he did at this very moment.

"Have you looked at her face?" he snapped into the phone, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Did you even look at her?"

Before the person on the other end could answer, Xavier angrily pulled the phone away from his ear and opened the photograph he had sent only moments earlier.

Earlier that morning, he had deliberately opened the blinds overlooking the executive floor. From his office, he had watched Elise showing Astrid around the company, introducing her to employees, patiently explaining projects to her, and even letting her take over her own responsibilities. Unable to stop himself, he had taken a picture and sent it.

Now he stared at it again.

His eyes remained fixed on Elise's face.

She was smiling.

She genuinely looked calm, relaxed, and completely at ease as she handed over her work to Astrid. There wasn't the slightest sign of jealousy, anger, or hesitation anywhere on her face. She looked so unbothered that it made something inside him burn.

Xavier put the phone back against his ear, his patience finally shattering.

"She doesn't even look bothered!" he barked furiously. "It's like none of this has anything to do with her. She's so unbothered... so completely indifferent... it's like I don't even matter to her."

He let out a humorless laugh, his grip tightening around the phone until his knuckles turned white.

"I was supposed to be the man she was going to marry. I brought another woman into our house, I told her that Astrid was going to take her place, and she didn't even flinch." His voice rose with every sentence, the frustration he had been suppressing finally spilling out. "Forget fighting me—she didn't even look upset. She calmly started teaching Astrid everything, handed over her position at the company, gave up her seat in my car, and even encouraged Astrid to take over her place beside me."

He raked a frustrated hand through his hair before turning back toward the window, his eyes once again falling on Elise outside.

"What the fuck is this?" he demanded through gritted teeth.

His breathing had become uneven, his chest rising and falling with restrained anger.

"I bring another woman home overnight and tell her she's going to replace her..." His voice lowered, but the disbelief in it only became stronger. "...and Elise acts like it's the most normal thing in the world."

His jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

"How the hell is that even possible?"

On the other end of the call, Elias remained silent for a few moments, allowing Xavier to vent. When he finally spoke, there was a mixture of concern and disbelief in his voice.

"Why the hell would you even do that?" he asked. "Don't you understand how relationships work? You're supposed to marry Elise, and instead you bring another woman into your house and tell her you're going to marry someone else?"

Xavier dragged a hand down his face before rubbing his forehead with his fingers, letting out a frustrated breath.

"I already told you, it doesn't matter. I'm not actually going to marry Astrid, am I?" he snapped. "It was just... fuck, I don't even know."

His voice rose again as he grabbed the paperweight from his desk and lifted it, fully intending to smash it against the floor. His arm froze halfway.

A second later, he slammed it back onto the desk with a loud bang instead.