Page 23 of King of Ruin

Her gaze lifted almost instinctively to Xavier.

He was already looking at her.

Their eyes met across the room. Those familiar black eyes she'd spent countless nights looking into held hers without a flicker of emotion. His long black hair brushed his shoulders, framing the aristocratic face she'd memorized long ago—high cheekbones, elegantly arched brows, sharp, refined features, and the thin scar through his right eyebrow that somehow only made him more devastatingly handsome. Every inch of him remained unnervingly composed, giving away nothing.

He held her gaze for a long, silent moment before turning to the men standing nearby.

His eyes swept over them one by one. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"I've always known the four of you were reckless," he said coolly, his voice carrying the effortless authority that could silence an entire boardroom. "I didn't realize you'd reached the point of entertaining yourselves like schoolboys."

Maverick merely arched an eyebrow, refusing to look the least bit intimidated.

Xavier's icy gaze settled on him.

"You've got some nerve putting your hands on my phone and calling my people."

Maverick let out a quiet chuckle. "I'll buy you another phone."

Xavier took one slow step forward, his gaze never leaving Maverick's.

"I don't want a new fucking phone. I want you to remember that I'm going to get you back for this."

Maverick didn't look the least bit concerned.

If anything, the threat only seemed to amuse him. A slow, unhurried grin spread across his face as he gave Xavier an indifferent shrug, as though the promise of retaliation was nothing more than another challenge between old friends.

"I'll be waiting," he replied smoothly.

Anyone else standing in front of Xavier Chen would have recognized the danger immediately and chosen their next words carefully, but Maverick had known him for too many years to be intimidated by a look that had sent entire boardrooms into silence.

The confidence in Maverick’s voice only deepened the crease between Xavier's brows.

He held Maverick's gaze for another second before giving a quiet scoff and looking away, clearly deciding the conversation wasn't worth another moment of his time.

Without another word, he turned and strode straight toward Elise. Before she could even react, his hand closed firmly around hers, his warm fingers wrapping around her much smaller hand.

"Xavier..."

He didn't so much as glance at her.

"We're leaving."

His deep voice carried effortlessly across the private room. Tightening his hold on her hand, he turned on his heel and headed for the door, pulling Elise along behind him.

She hurried after him, nearly losing her footing as she struggled to match his pace in her heels. The heavy door swung open, and the next second it slammed shut behind them with a loud bang that echoed through the dim corridor outside.

The muffled bass from the nightclub pulsed through the walls, vibrating beneath their feet as Xavier continued walking without slowing. His shoulders were rigid beneath his tailored jacket, every line of his back radiating restrained anger.

"Xavier..." Elise called softly, quickening her pace as she tried to keep up. "Please slow down..."

He acted as though he hadn't heard her.

His grip only tightened.

They hadn't gone far before he stopped so suddenly that she almost walked straight into him.

In one swift movement, he turned, his hand still holding hers as he pulled her toward him. Elise let out a startled gasp as her back collided with the cold wall behind her, the marble sending an icy shiver through her body.