Page 4 of King of Ruin

Maverick stared at him without saying a word.

For the briefest moment, his jaw tightened, the muscle ticking ever so slightly beneath his cheek. His fingers remainedwrapped around the door handle, and everyone in the room silently assumed he would turn around and leave.

Instead, his gaze swept across the lounge once more, lingering on each man in turn before returning to Cassian. It was almost as though he were weighing his options.

After a long moment, he released the door handle.

Without another word, he stepped fully into the room.

The heavy door swung shut behind him with a muted click as he made his way toward the seating area, his polished shoes sinking slightly into the thick Persian rug beneath his feet. He stopped beside the empty leather sofa opposite Lucius, unbuttoned his suit jacket with one hand, and lowered himself into the seat.

The movement caught all four men off guard.

Elias's brows lifted almost imperceptibly.

Lucius paused midway through raising his whiskey to his lips.

Even Xavier's eyes lingered on Maverick for a second longer than usual, a faint trace of surprise passing through his otherwise unreadable expression.

None of them had expected him to stay.

The silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Elias shifted in his seat, clearing his throat as though determined to move the conversation along, while Maverick leaned back comfortably against the sofa, resting one ankle over the opposite knee. His gaze drifted lazily around the room before settling on Cassian.

"Well?" he asked, raising a brow. "Are you going to offer me a drink, or were you planning on making me sit here sober?"

Cassian let out a low laugh.

Reaching for the crystal decanter sitting in the center of the marble table, he poured a generous measure of whiskey into an empty glass before sliding it smoothly across the polished surface.

"The first drink's on me."

He leaned back into the sofa, draping one arm over the backrest as a crooked smile tugged at his lips.

"After that, the bar's open." He gestured toward the table covered with an impressive selection of premium liquor bottles and crystal glasses. "Help yourself to whatever you want."

Maverick caught the glass with one hand before it reached the edge of the table. He glanced down at the amber liquid for a moment, then looked back at Cassian, a faint smile finally appearing at the corner of his mouth as he lifted the glass in acknowledgment.

The conversation gradually drifted away from business and into lighter topics as the drinks continued to flow. Crystal glasses were refilled more than once, quiet laughter mixed with the music filtering in from outside the lounge, and the tension that had briefly settled over the room after Maverick's arrival slowly faded into something far more relaxed.

Cassian leaned comfortably against the sofa, lazily swirling the whiskey in his glass before taking another sip. His gaze wandered between Elias and Maverick, who now occupied opposite ends of the same couch, and a knowing smile slowly spread across his face.

Setting his glass down on the marble table, he folded one arm over the backrest and looked at the two men with unconcealed amusement.

"So… have you two patched things up?" His eyes flicked from Elias to Maverick before his grin widened. "It doesn't exactly look like Maverick's trying to punch you anymore."

Elias looked up first.

Almost at the same time, Maverick lifted his head as well.

Their eyes met for no more than a second before they both looked away with remarkable speed, as though the brief exchange had never happened.

Cassian caught the interaction immediately.

The grin on his face grew even broader.

Across the table, Lucius quietly lifted his whiskey to his lips, the faintest hint of amusement touching his otherwise composed expression, while even Xavier's gaze shifted between the two men with mild curiosity.