Page 63 of King of Ruin

The thought settled in his mind with icy clarity.

The someone she had refused him for.

Minutes ago, she'd stood in his office apologizing in that quiet, respectful voice of hers. She'd refused his invitation once. When she'd refused again. Even after he'd ordered her to cancel, she'd still chosen to walk away.

Now he knew where she'd been so eager to go.

His gaze followed every interaction between them.

The easy laughter.

The teasing.

The effortless familiarity.

It irritated him more than it should have.

No...

It infuriated him.

Then he saw the younger man catch her hand again. This time, he didn't let go. Instead, he intertwined their fingers and started leading her toward the SUV waiting at the curb.

Xavier's fingers tightened.

The metal stretched faintly beneath his grip.

Benjamin glanced sideways.

Mr. Chen wasn't merely holding the car door anymore.

He looked as though he was one second away from ripping it off its hinges.

A dangerous stillness settled over him.

His chest rose in one slow, controlled breath before falling just as evenly.

There was no outward display of emotion. Only the rigid set of his shoulders and the relentless stare fixed on the man's hand wrapped around Elise's.

‘You rejected a date with me…’ His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. ‘...for him.’

The realization ignited something primitive inside him.

For the past year, he'd done everything possible to keep his distance from Elise. He'd told himself she was nothing more than an obligation his family had forced upon him. He'd even tried to force her to break up with him more than once.

Yet seeing another man hold her as though he had every right to...

Seeing her smile at him...

Watching her leave with him...

The possessiveness that surged through Xavier was so fierce it caught even him off guard.

Who the hell was he? Her boyfriend? Someone she loved?

The questions came one after another, each one darker than the last.

His hand remained wrapped around the edge of the open rear door of the Rolls-Royce while his gaze stayed fixed across the street, never leaving Logan for even a moment.