Page 202 of King of Ruin

Both men turned toward the entrance.

Elise stood there, one hand holding a stack of office files while her other carried her handbag. She had clearly just returned from work, still dressed in a sophisticated knee-length dress that suited her perfectly. Her hair fell freely over her shoulders, framing her face beautifully, and despite the exhaustion from her day, she still looked effortlessly elegant.

Her confused gaze moved between the two men.

Before Xavier could explain, Logan immediately abandoned his position behind the couch and walked toward her.

"Elise, your roommate just tried to assault me."

Elise blinked, clearly unsure whether she had heard correctly.

Her gaze shifted toward Xavier.

He stood there with his arms stiff at his sides, his face set in obvious displeasure.

"Your brother is one stupid comment away from getting banned from my house," Xavier said through gritted teeth.

Logan immediately stepped half behind Elise. Despite being nearly two feet taller than her, he shamelessly used his sister as a shield while peering at Xavier with renewed confidence.

"This is my sister's house. You can't ban me."

Logan lifted his chin proudly, looking almost smug as he folded his arms across his chest.

"I'm unbannable. I own, like, a fifty percent share in this property. Legally, I'm at least fifty percent unbannable."

Xavier exhaled slowly through his nose, his eyes sliding shut as he struggled to contain his frustration. His hands settled on his waist, gripping tightly as he tipped his head back, the expression on his face hovering somewhere between utter exhaustion and complete disbelief.

Dealing with ruthless business rivals, impossible negotiations, and endless corporate battles had never tested his patience the way Logan did.

Elise watched him for a moment before gently disentangling herself from her brother and walking toward her husband.

The instant she stepped close, it was as though Xavier sensed her presence before she even reached him.

Without saying a word, he opened his arms toward her in silent invitation. As she came to a stop in front of him, he bent slightly to meet her at eye level, another weary sigh escaping him as the tension remained etched across his face.

"Can we stop his two-night sleepovers every month?" he asked, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "I think that should be punishment enough to finally bring him to his senses."

A small smile tugged at Elise's lips.

"He's just joking. He doesn't really mean it."

"He introduced six men to you in the past six months."

Xavier's jaw tightened as he spoke, as though merely saying the number aloud was enough to irritate him all over again.

"He keeps trying to replace me."

Before Elise could respond, Logan, who had gradually wandered closer to eavesdrop on their conversation, immediately spoke up.

"And I will!"

Both Xavier and Elise turned toward him.

Logan stood there with a completely serious expression, as though he had just made a perfectly reasonable announcement.

"I want my sister to get married properly. She's already at the age where she should be settled down. I need a handsome and rich brother-in-law."

Very slowly, Xavier turned his head to look at him.