Chapter 13 #2
Xavier leaned back against the leather chair, resting one elbow on the armrest as his fingers came up to support his chin.
His thumb brushed absently against his lower lip while his brows remained knitted together, his expression unusually contemplative.
It wasn't the look he wore when he was analyzing a business deal.
This was different. It was almost as if he had spent the entire morning trying—and failing—to solve a problem that refused to make sense.
For several long moments, he remained silent, staring at nothing in particular.
Benjamin didn't dare interrupt.
Finally, Xavier turned his head toward him.
"Benjamin."
"Yes, sir?"
Xavier frowned.
"Has Elise started ignoring me?"
Benjamin blinked.
"...Sir?"
Xavier looked genuinely puzzled rather than angry, which somehow confused Benjamin even more.
"Ever since I came back from my trip yesterday," Xavier said slowly, as though piecing together a complicated business report, "she's been acting differently."
He frowned harder, replaying the events one by one.
"When I got home yesterday, she barely spoke to me. Last night, when we went to bed, she hardly said a word." He paused briefly before adding with complete seriousness, "I even kissed her... and she still didn't say anything."
Benjamin stared at him without blinking.
Completely oblivious to his secretary's growing disbelief, Xavier continued.
"This morning we had breakfast together. She sat across from me the entire time, but she barely spoke. Then she left without saying anything, and today she didn't even come to the office."
His jaw tightened with visible frustration.
"She's been ignoring me ever since I came back."
He looked directly at Benjamin, his expression darkening.
"And I have no fucking idea why."
Benjamin's eyebrows rose before he could stop them.
Though years of working for Xavier had taught him to hide most of his reactions before they ever reached his face. Still, for the first time in a long while, he found himself genuinely speechless.
‘No reason?’
His mind echoed the words in utter confusion.
‘Mr. Chen... you came home with another woman, introduced her as your future wife, and practically announced that your arranged marriage with Miss Foster was over. And you're wondering why she isn't talking to you?’
Benjamin had spent years admiring Xavier's intelligence. The man could dissect billion-dollar contracts in minutes, anticipate a competitor's next move before they made it, and solve business crises that left entire boards scratching their heads.
Yet when it came to women...
Benjamin wondered if all of that intelligence simply disappeared.
‘She isn't ignoring you for no reason,’ he thought helplessly. ‘She's ignoring you because you broke her heart.’
Of course, those words never left his mouth.
His survival instincts were far too well developed for that.
He stood quietly beside Xavier's chair, waiting for him to continue.
Xavier remained leaning back, one hand resting beneath his chin while the fingers of his other hand tapped thoughtfully against the leather armrest. His brows were drawn together, not with anger this time but with genuine confusion, as though he had spent the entire morning trying to solve a problem that refused to make sense.
After a long silence, he finally looked at Benjamin.
"Tell me something."
Benjamin straightened instinctively.
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
Xavier's voice was calm, carrying the quiet authority that never needed to be raised.
"Don't you think she's the one who should correct her attitude?"
He frowned slightly, clearly convinced his reasoning was perfectly logical.
"Ever since I came back, she's barely spoken to me. This morning she ignored me at breakfast, and today she didn't even bother coming to the office."
His gaze sharpened.
"Does she think she can simply behave however she wants? As an employee, she disappears without explanation. As..." He paused for the briefest moment before continuing, "...someone living in my house, she refuses to speak to me."
His angry eyes settled on Benjamin.
"Explain that to me."
Benjamin's lips parted, but no words came out.
He wanted to answer honestly.
But there were some truths...
That simply weren't worth dying over.
Choosing the safer option, he cleared his throat and replied carefully, "Mr. Chen, you are absolutely right. Miss Foster should be more mindful. She should give you more attention and take better care of—"
He didn't get the chance to finish.
Xavier's head snapped toward him.
The cold glare that landed on Benjamin immediately made the rest of his sentence disappear.
Xavier was looking at him as if Benjamin had personally insulted Elise.
His heart immediately jumped into his throat. ‘I said the wrong thing.’
He quickly corrected himself. He cleared his throat again, forcing himself to remain composed under Xavier's intimidating stare.
"I mean... I think Miss Foster is right."
Xavier's brows drew together slightly.
Benjamin continued carefully.
"I think she is probably just having a difficult day."
He gave a small, cautious smile.
"After all, everyone has days when they aren't feeling like themselves. No one can be cheerful and energetic all the time, even someone as kind and considerate as Miss Foster."
He paused, choosing his next words carefully.
"Maybe she simply needed some time away. Taking a day off doesn't necessarily mean she's trying to avoid you or cause trouble."
Benjamin glanced at Xavier's expression before continuing.
“But you’re a very sensible man, Mr. Chen,” Benjamin continued carefully, choosing every word as though he were walking through a minefield.
“I’m sure once you’ve had some time to think, you’ll let go of the thoughts that are bothering you.
It’s only natural that you felt a little neglected by Miss Foster. ”
Xavier merely leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping once against the polished conference table before he gave a slow, almost imperceptible nod.
Xavier lifted his eyes to meet his, his expression as unreadable as ever.
“You are right. I'm simply the more sensible one in our relationship.”
A faint pause followed before the corner of his lips lifted into the slightest hint of a smirk.
“I also happen to possess considerably more patience... more generosity... and far more intelligence than most people. To dwell on trivial matters would be a waste of my time.”
With that, he closed the folder in front of him.
The crisp snap echoed through the silent conference room, instantly drawing every eye to him.
Without another word, he pushed back his chair and rose to his feet.
The leather seat scraped softly across the polished floor as he reached for the charcoal-gray suit jacket draped neatly over the backrest. In one smooth, practiced motion, he slipped it over his forearm and adjusted the cuff of his white dress shirt, his movements calm despite the unmistakable tension radiating from him.
"Benjamin."
Benjamin straightened immediately. "Yes, Mr. Chen?"
"Drive me home."
The order caught Benjamin completely off guard. He blinked, momentarily wondering if he had misheard.
"Mr. Chen..." he began cautiously, hurrying after Xavier as the man strode toward the conference room doors.
"You have a full schedule today. The board meeting starts in an hour, and this evening all of our major partners are flying in for the Horizon Project.
They've been preparing for weeks to meet with you. "
Xavier didn't slow his pace.
"Reschedule it."
Benjamin frowned. "Sir, that's a multi-billion-dollar project. If we postpone now—"
"Then postpone it." Xavier's voice cut through the hallway like a blade. "If they don't like it, cancel the meeting. If they still have a problem with it..." His expression remained unreadable as he reached the elevator. "Cancel the project."
Benjamin nearly stumbled.
"Sir..."
The elevator doors slid open. Xavier stepped inside without waiting for another response.
Benjamin could only swallow the protest that had risen to his throat. After years of working beside Xavier, he knew that look. Once his boss had made up his mind, not even the board of directors could change it.
"Get the fucking car to the front," Xavier said as the elevator doors began to close. "Now."
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
Benjamin hurried after him in the elevator, a flicker of anxiety tightening his chest. As the elevator started to descend, he pulled out his phone and rapidly fired off a string of messages to Xavier's executive assistants.
‘Reschedule all afternoon meetings.’
‘Notify the Harbor District partners that Mr. Chen will not be attending today.’
‘Coordinate with Legal and Strategy to handle any immediate concerns.’
‘Delay today's negotiations until further notice.’
By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, replies had already begun flooding in.
‘What happened?’
‘The partners have already arrived.’
‘The board is waiting for Mr. Chen.’
‘Are we canceling the signing ceremony?’
Benjamin closed his eyes for the briefest moment. He could already imagine the chaos that would erupt upstairs over the next hour.
The board would demand explanations. The investors would be furious. The senior executives would scramble to contain the fallout. Every problem would eventually land on his desk.
Normally, Xavier would never postpone a meeting this important. Business had always come first. No matter how exhausted he was or how little he slept, he had never allowed personal matters to interfere with work.
Which was precisely why Benjamin understood the gravity of the situation.
Miss Foster wasn't simply upsetting him anymore.
She had become the only thing on Xavier Chen's mind.
The elevator doors slid open.
Without slowing for a second, Xavier strode through the lobby toward the waiting black Rolls-Royce parked outside.
"Get the car."
Benjamin slipped his phone back into his pocket and quickened his pace.
"Right away, Mr. Chen."