Page 179 of King of Ruin

The words immediately caught Xavier's attention.

His anger disappeared, replaced by a tense silence as he followed Lucius's gaze toward the restaurant doors.

Lucius looked at him then and couldn't help but stare.

The perfectly dressed man who always appeared sophisticated and sharp was nowhere to be seen. His clothes were wrinkled,his hair was messy, and the faint shadow of stubble covered his face.

"Look at the state of you," Lucius muttered under his breath. “You look wrecked. Seriously, it looks like someone punched you.”

Xavier ignored him completely. His eyes remained fixed on the restaurant entrance.

"What was she doing with him?" he demanded, his voice low but filled with barely controlled tension. "Did they kiss? Did he touch her? What happened inside?"

The questions came out faster than Lucius could answer.

"Did you see anything at all?"

Lucius looked at him in disbelief. "I don't know. How the fuck would I know."

Xavier's expression immediately darkened.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean I don't know," Lucius repeated, irritated. "I wasn't sitting there watching them the entire goddamn time. I saw them holding hands when they came in, and then I left the restaurant."

Xavier's jaw tightened.

"Then why the hell did you call me? Couldn't you have stayed and found out what was happening?"

Lucius stared at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Are you seriously blaming me because I didn't hide inside a restaurant to watch your girlfriend kiss another man?"

"You mean theydidkiss? And you didn’t stop him?!" Xavier snapped. “I’m going to kill you!”

"You're out of your mind," Lucius muttered, but before Xavier could say anything else, he grabbed his face and forced him to look toward the restaurant entrance.

"Stop talking and look."

Lucius pulled him farther to the side, guiding him behind one of the parked cars where they could see the entrance without being noticed. Xavier stood there impatiently, his entire body tense as he looked toward the restaurant.

Xavier's eyes immediately shifted.

The doors of the restaurant opened, and Elise stepped outside.

His entire body went still.

For a moment, Xavier forgot how to breathe.

He watched as Logan walked beside her, speaking casually while Elise listened. Then his hand reached for hers, holding it naturally as they walked toward the car.

The sight sent a sharp wave of jealousy through Xavier's chest.

Logan opened the passenger door for her, and Elise got inside without hesitation. Then he closed the door, walked around the vehicle, and settled into the driver's seat.

Every small gesture between Elise and the man beside her only fueled the jealousy that had been burning inside him since the moment he saw their photograph.

His chest tightened painfully, making it difficult to breathe.