Page 18 of King of Ruin

His thumb moved across the screen with practiced ease until he reached the recent calls. "There she is."

The room gradually fell silent.

No one spoke as the phone began to ring, the sound echoing softly through the private lounge while every pair of eyes remained fixed on the device in Maverick's hand. Anticipation settled over the room, broken only by the steady rhythm of the ringtone.

Across from him, Xavier's gaze remained locked on Maverick. Though his expression betrayed nothing, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees beneath the weight of his stare. The tension between the two men was almost tangible, pressing against everyone else in the lounge.

Maverick, however, appeared completely unfazed.

Leaning comfortably against the sofa with one ankle resting over his knee, he waited for the call to connect with the easy confidence of someone who found provoking Xavier far more entertaining than anything else in the world.

The call connected.

"...Hello?"

Chapter 3

Elise's soft voice drifted through the speaker, gentle enough to stand in complete contrast to the tension inside the room.

Maverick pressed the speaker button before lifting the phone close to his mouth.

"Miss Foster," he said, his voice unexpectedly composed. The teasing vanished completely, replaced by the calm authority of a businessman handling an urgent situation. "Something's happened to Xavier."

For a split second, there was only silence on the other end.

Then—

"What happened?" Elise asked at once, panic instantly flooding her voice. "Is he hurt?"

Every man in the room instinctively turned to look at Xavier.

His expression remained icy, but the tightening of his jaw betrayed exactly how furious he was with Maverick.

"We're at Phantom," Maverick continued, his voice quiet but grave. "There's been an accident. Xavier accidentally killed someone. Can you come over?"

There wasn't the slightest hesitation.

"Yes," Elise answered immediately. They could hear the faint rustle of movement on the other end, as though she had already grabbed her things and was hurrying toward the door. "I'm leaving now. Please wait for me."

The line disconnected.

The silence that followed felt strangely different from before. Each of them had heard the fear in Elise's voice, the complete absence of doubt before she agreed to come, and it left an impression none of them had expected.

Cassian was the first to break the silence.

"I wonder how long she'll take."

He glanced casually at the expensive watch around his wrist before swirling the whiskey in his glass, his expression carrying the same amused confidence as always.

"Assuming she even comes," Elias added with a small shrug, though the corner of his mouth hinted he didn't believe his own words.

Cassian's smile deepened.

"Or maybe she's gone home."

He looked across the table until his eyes settled on Xavier.

"Maybe she's calling her parents to cancel the wedding."