Page 15 of King of Ruin

"She probably thinks staying close to me will benefit her one day," he continued, absently turning the whiskey glass beneath his fingertips. "Unfortunately for her, it won't. As long as everything remains in my hands, neither she nor her family will ever get the opportunity to take advantage of what belongs to me."

There wasn't a hint of hesitation in his tone. He spoke with the same quiet confidence that had built one of the largest business empires in Manhattan, completely convinced that he had already figured Elise out.

Across the table, Elias studied him for several long seconds before finally setting his own drink down.

"Has she ever asked you for money?"

Xavier looked at him.

"No."

Elias's brows drew together.

"Anything expensive? Jewelry? A car? A house? Has she ever hinted that she expects you to buy her something?"

Each question was met with the same calm answer.

"No."

By the fourth denial, Cassian couldn't stop himself from smiling. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees as he looked at Xavier with unconcealed amusement.

"So let me get this straight," he said, almost as though he were trying to reason with someone who refused to acknowledge the obvious. "She works beside you every day, has never asked you for a single dollar, never taken advantage of your name, and has done nothing except stand by your side..."

His voice trailed off.

Then he shook his head with a quiet, incredulous laugh.

"...and you've still managed to convince yourself she's only interested in your money."

Xavier frowned slightly, genuinely unable to understand why everyone found his reasoning so difficult to accept.

"What else could it be?" He asked the question as though there were no other logical explanation. "No one falls in love at first sight."

He dismissed the very idea with a small shake of his head.

Cassian leaned back into the leather sofa, casually balancing his whiskey glass between his fingers as his gaze shifted from Xavier to Maverick. A mischievous smile slowly spread across his face, the kind that usually meant he was about to stir up even more trouble.

"But hold on." He pointed the rim of his glass toward Maverick. "A few minutes ago, you were so confident that you said she'd take the blame for murder if Xavier committed one."

The smile on Cassian's face widened.

"And now Xavier's insisting she's only after his money." He shot Xavier a glance before turning back to Maverick. "Which one is it?"

Maverick chuckled under his breath, already sensing where the conversation was headed.

Cassian leaned forward, resting one elbow on his knee while lightly twirling the whiskey in his glass.

"If Xavier's right, then there's no chance she'd ever go to prison for him."

His eyes gleamed with amusement.

"But if you're right..." He let the sentence hang deliberately before lifting a brow. "...then she would."

The room grew noticeably quieter.

Lucius looked between the two men with mild interest, while Elias slowly lowered his glass onto the table, realizing Cassian was no longer joking.

Maverick rested comfortably against the sofa, one arm draped across the backrest. He studied Cassian for a moment before a grin appeared on his face.