Page 50 of King of Ruin

The two of them fell silent again, their eyes drifting back to the closed office.

Hailey couldn't help imagining poor Elise standing in front of Xavier's desk while he coldly pointed out mistake after mistake. The image alone made her heart ache.

"Miss Foster is far too gentle," she murmured. "She apologizes even when something isn't her fault."

Benjamin smiled faintly.

"I've worked with her for months now. I've never once heard her lose her temper. She's polite to everyone. Even this morning, after Mr. Chen left without waiting for her, she didn't complain once."

Hailey sighed.

"And now she's been called back into his office to work right in front of him."

She hugged the folder tighter against herself.

They both glanced toward the office door one last time before returning to their work, each silently feeling sorry for Elise, blissfully unaware that what had unfolded behind those closed doors had been anything but the scolding they had imagined.

***

Elise remained in Xavier's office for the rest of the morning, completely immersed in her work.

The stack of documents beside her grew noticeably smaller as she worked through them one by one. She flipped each page with practiced ease, occasionally underlining a figure or jotting a concise note in the margin before sliding the completed file aside and reaching for the next.

The office settled into a comfortable silence.

The only sounds were the soft rustle of paper, the quiet scratch of her pen, and the rhythmic tapping of keys from Xavier's keyboard.

Even without looking at him, she felt his gaze on her.

It lingered on her like an invisible caress, resting on her for several long moments before retreating, only to return not long afterward. The awareness of it never left her, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, she simply adjusted the page beneath her hand and continued reading, her eyes moving steadily over every line.

She knew exactly what he wanted.

Her attention.

She had gotten used to his needy behavior by now.

Across the room, Xavier sat behind his desk with another file open before him. He skimmed through a few paragraphs before his concentration inevitably broke. His fingers stilled against the paper as his eyes drifted across the desk, settling on the woman seated only a few feet away.

His gaze lingered.

When she calmly reached for another file without sparing him so much as a glance, the faintest crease appeared between his brows. He leaned back in his chair, his thumb idly tapping the edge of the document as his expression tightened into a slight frown.

Still nothing.

Elise remained completely focused on her work, her pen gliding across the paper as though she were entirely unaware of the man watching her.

From the corner of her eye, she caught the subtle change in his expression.

The crease between his brows deepened. His lips pressed into a thin line, and there was a hint of annoyance settling over his otherwise composed features.

She simply blinked before lowering her gaze back to the contract.

When she continued to work without sparing him even a glance, the displeasure on Xavier's face became even more apparent.

She lifted her head ever so slightly, stealing only the briefest glance in his direction.

Their eyes met.