Page 151 of King of Ruin

"What the fuck is going on, Elias?"

His breathing had become ragged as he resumed pacing, every step quicker than the last.

"Who the hell said I was going to let anyone replace her?" he demanded furiously. "Who the fuck said I wanted someone else?”

By now, he was barely in control of himself.

His usually immaculate hair was completely disheveled from repeatedly running his hands through it, his tie hung slightly loose around his neck, and the muscles in his jaw remained clenched as he stalked across the office.

On the other end of the call, Elias finally lost his patience.

"You did," he barked back. "You're the one who brought another woman into your house."

His voice rose with every word until he was nearly shouting himself.

"What the hell were you thinking, Xavier? You bring another woman home, tell Elise you're going to marry her, and then you expect her to react normally? Isn't this exactly what you wanted? I told you that woman would do anything for you. She was ready to take the blame for murder to protect you, and now you're acting surprised that she's stepping aside? Look at what she's doing. She's giving you exactly what you asked for. She's letting another woman move into your house, she's handing over herposition at the company, and she's even helping Astrid settle into your life without complaining. Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would you ever think bringing another woman into your house was a good idea?"

Xavier barely registered a single word.

His eyes had already wandered beyond the conversation, fixing themselves on the executive floor outside his office.

Elise was standing beside Astrid with that same calm smile on her face, pointing something out in a file before gently patting Astrid's shoulder in encouragement. She looked genuinely pleased with how quickly Astrid was learning, patiently explaining another document before handing it over to her as though she truly wanted her to succeed.

The sight hit him like a punch to the chest.

Not because Astrid was learning.

Because Elise looked... happy.

She wasn't pretending. She wasn't forcing herself to smile.

She looked completely at ease, as though replacing herself with another woman didn't hurt her in the slightest.

The jealousy inside him exploded.

Without another thought, Xavier ripped the phone away from his ear and slammed it onto the desk with enough force to shake everything on it. His hand immediately shot toward the intercom, his finger hitting the button so hard it nearly cracked beneath the pressure.

"Benjamin."

His voice was low, but the fury beneath it was unmistakable.

"Send Elise to my office."

His eyes never left her through the glass.

"Right now."

A few moments later, Benjamin knocked on the office door before pushing it open. Elise and Astrid walked in together, Benjamin quietly closing the door behind them as the office fell silent once again.

By then, Xavier had already composed himself.

The fury that had consumed him only moments ago had completely disappeared behind his usual cold, unreadable expression. Sitting behind his desk with one hand resting against the armrest of his chair, he looked as calm and indifferent as ever, as though he hadn't nearly destroyed his office a few minutes earlier.

His eyes slowly moved from Astrid to Elise before settling on her.

She still looked calm. There wasn't the slightest sign that anything had changed.

The sight only made the irritation inside him grow stronger.