Page 19 of King of Ruin

His words hung comfortably in the air as he leaned back against the sofa.

"Wouldn't that solve your problem?"

The room became quiet again.

No one missed the way Xavier's eyes darkened almost imperceptibly.

He reached for his whiskey, taking an unhurried sip before lowering the glass back onto the table with controlled precision. "If she wants to cancel it," he said evenly, "that's her decision."

It was the answer everyone expected.

Yet somehow...

It didn't sound convincing.

For a brief moment, Xavier found himself imagining Elise walking away without another word, refusing to have anything to do with him anymore and disappearing from his life as though the past year had never happened.

The thought should have relieved him.

Instead, something inside him tightened.

The feeling vanished almost as quickly as it came, buried beneath the composure that had never failed him in either business or life. He dismissed it without another thought, unwilling to examine why the idea irritated him in the first place.

Maverick watched him over the rim of his glass, a knowing smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I suppose," he said quietly, "we're about to find out if this is really just an arrangement..."

His gaze lingered on Xavier for another second before he finished,

"...or something more."

Gradually, the conversation drifted onto business, though it was obvious no one was paying much attention anymore. Glasses were refilled, idle comments were exchanged, yet every few minutes someone's eyes wandered toward the door of the VIP lounge.

Barely ten minutes had passed when a discreet knock sounded at the door.

The conversation stopped.

A discreet knock sounded against the door before a club attendant stepped inside. Bowing respectfully, he waited until he had everyone's attention before speaking.

"My apologies for interrupting, gentlemen." His gaze settled on Maverick. "There's a young lady outside requesting permission to enter. She introduced herself as Miss Elise Foster and said one of you asked her to come."

The room fell quiet for a brief moment.

Cassian was the first to glance at Maverick, the corners of his mouth lifting into an amused smile.

"Well..." he murmured, setting his whiskey glass onto the marble table before rising to his feet. "That was quicker than I expected."

Maverick pushed himself off the sofa with the same unhurried confidence, slipping both hands into the pockets of his tailored trousers.

"Let's not keep her waiting."

Neither man looked toward Xavier.

Without another word, they followed the attendant out of the private lounge, the heavy wooden door closing quietly behind them.

Inside, Elias leaned back comfortably against the leather sofa, swirling the whiskey in his glass before glancing toward Xavier.

"I'll admit..." he said with an amused chuckle. "Now I'm curious."