Page 203 of King of Ruin

The little patience he had left vanished instantly.

"Sheismarried!" He snapped, pointing a finger at himself. "Tome!I am your handsome and rich brother-in-law."

Logan narrowed his eyes.

"No brother-in-law of mine would ever be a cheater."

Xavier's expression hardened. "I have told you a hundred times—I never cheated on Elise."

His voice rose with frustration, disbelief woven through every word.

Logan merely scoffed. He shot Xavier one last disapproving look before turning away.

"Yeah, sure."

The dismissive response made Xavier's jaw clench even harder.

Elise's gaze moved between the two men, worry gradually settling across her face as she watched their endless battle continue.

Before Xavier could say another word, he turned back toward her.

The moment his eyes met hers, some of the anger melted away.

Without hesitation, Elise stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

“Alright, alright. Calm down. I will beat him up later.”

Xavier immediately gathered her against him, his arms tightening around her waist as he buried his face against the curve of her neck. The frustration that had consumed him only moments ago slowly drained away the instant she was in his embrace.

***

Elise waited by the door that evening, dressed in a gorgeous dress as she stood there waiting for their guest to arrive. She shifted from one foot to the other, lightly rocking back and forth on her toes while she glanced outside.

The moment Xavier stepped out of the house, he already had a blanket in his hands. A faint frown rested on his face as he walked toward her, clearly displeased that she was standing outside waiting.

Without saying anything, he came up behind her and wrapped the blanket around her shoulders before pulling her back into his arms, holding her close against him.

He dipped his head, his lips brushing near her ear as he whispered, "Why are you standing by the door? Let's go inside.”

Elise turned slightly in his arms and looked up at him with a soft smile.

"I can't let a guest come inside on her own, can I?"

She leaned closer and kissed him on the lips before adding, "Besides, Astrid couldn't even come to our wedding. It's a good thing that she is coming over now, so don't fight with her, okay? Promise me."

Xavier looked at her with a frown.

"I never fight with her," he said immediately. "It's her who tries to take you alone into dark rooms. I don't know what she plans on doing to you."

Elise couldn't stop the small snicker that escaped her.

"You always exaggerate when it comes to her. She doesn't do anything like that."

Xavier immediately looked at her as if he couldn't believe she refused to believe him.

A deeper frown appeared on his face as an unpleasant memory crossed his mind.

"She looks at you so lovingly," he muttered. "She even brought you a gift from France."