Chapter 16
By afternoon, the atmosphere at the Chen Group headquarters had changed considerably.
Astrid had already begun settling into the office.
Bright, approachable, and naturally outgoing, she blended into the workplace with surprising ease. Her cheerful personality made conversations effortless, and before long, she had already memorized several employees' names, chatting with them as though she had been working there for months.
Although most people in the company still didn't know she was the woman Xavier had brought into the mansion, everyone found her easy to like. She was friendly without being overbearing, confident without being arrogant, and her warmth naturally drew people toward her.
More importantly, she was intelligent.
Elise's explanations didn't need to be repeated more than once before Astrid understood them. She learned quickly, asked thoughtful questions, and by the end of the afternoon had already started taking over several smaller projects under Elise's guidance.
Meanwhile, inside the CEO's office, Xavier stood beside the floor-to-ceiling windows with his phone pressed tightly against his ear.
His entire body was rigid, every muscle drawn tight as the fury inside him threatened to snap the last thread of restraint he had left.
He had never wanted to smash his office more than he did at this very moment.
"Have you looked at her face?" he snapped into the phone, his voice sharp with disbelief. "Did you even look at her?"
Before the person on the other end could answer, Xavier angrily pulled the phone away from his ear and opened the photograph he had sent only moments earlier.
Earlier that morning, he had deliberately opened the blinds overlooking the executive floor.
From his office, he had watched Elise showing Astrid around the company, introducing her to employees, patiently explaining projects to her, and even letting her take over her own responsibilities.
Unable to stop himself, he had taken a picture and sent it.
Now he stared at it again.
His eyes remained fixed on Elise's face.
She was smiling.
She genuinely looked calm, relaxed, and completely at ease as she handed over her work to Astrid. There wasn't the slightest sign of jealousy, anger, or hesitation anywhere on her face. She looked so unbothered that it made something inside him burn.
Xavier put the phone back against his ear, his patience finally shattering.
"She doesn't even look bothered!" he barked furiously. "It's like none of this has anything to do with her. She's so unbothered... so completely indifferent... it's like I don't even matter to her."
He let out a humorless laugh, his grip tightening around the phone until his knuckles turned white.
"I was supposed to be the man she was going to marry.
I brought another woman into our house, I told her that Astrid was going to take her place, and she didn't even flinch.
" His voice rose with every sentence, the frustration he had been suppressing finally spilling out.
"Forget fighting me—she didn't even look upset.
She calmly started teaching Astrid everything, handed over her position at the company, gave up her seat in my car, and even encouraged Astrid to take over her place beside me. "
He raked a frustrated hand through his hair before turning back toward the window, his eyes once again falling on Elise outside.
"What the fuck is this?" he demanded through gritted teeth.
His breathing had become uneven, his chest rising and falling with restrained anger.
"I bring another woman home overnight and tell her she's going to replace her..." His voice lowered, but the disbelief in it only became stronger. "...and Elise acts like it's the most normal thing in the world."
His jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
"How the hell is that even possible?"
On the other end of the call, Elias remained silent for a few moments, allowing Xavier to vent. When he finally spoke, there was a mixture of concern and disbelief in his voice.
"Why the hell would you even do that?" he asked. "Don't you understand how relationships work? You're supposed to marry Elise, and instead you bring another woman into your house and tell her you're going to marry someone else?"
Xavier dragged a hand down his face before rubbing his forehead with his fingers, letting out a frustrated breath.
"I already told you, it doesn't matter. I'm not actually going to marry Astrid, am I?" he snapped. "It was just... fuck, I don't even know."
His voice rose again as he grabbed the paperweight from his desk and lifted it, fully intending to smash it against the floor. His arm froze halfway.
A second later, he slammed it back onto the desk with a loud bang instead.
Leaning forward, Xavier planted both hands on the desk and lowered his head, forcing out another long, exasperated breath. His fingers tightened against the polished wood, the muscles in his forearms flexing with the effort of holding himself together.
"I just wanted..." The words caught in his throat. He closed his eyes briefly, searching for the right way to explain himself before finally forcing the confession through gritted teeth. "I just wanted to see her bothered. I wanted her to stop hiding things from me."
A bitter laugh escaped his lips as he slowly shook his head.
"I saw her with another man. She wouldn't fucking tell me who he was.
" He looked away, his jaw tightening as the memory replayed in his mind.
"I was pissed off, all right? Then, when I was on that business trip, Astrid suddenly asked me if I wanted to marry her.
" He let out another humorless laugh and rubbed a hand over his face. "It felt like such a fucking joke."
He pushed himself away from the desk, throwing one hand into the air in frustration.
"And I just..." He exhaled sharply, dragging both hands through his already messy hair before letting them fall to his sides. "I didn't think much. I just brought her home."
Restless energy coursed through him as he began pacing across the office, his long strides carrying him from one end of the room to the other. Every few steps, he would rake a hand through his hair again, making the usually immaculate strands even more disheveled.
"I wasn't even going to let her stay the night. I was going to send her back the same day, refuse the marriage, give her some kind of compensation, make a deal with her or something."
He stopped abruptly in the middle of the office.
For a moment, he stood perfectly still, one hand braced against his hip while the other tightened around his phone. His chest rose and fell with restrained breaths as he fought to regain control, but the anger simmering beneath the surface refused to settle.
"But this woman..." he growled, squeezing his eyes shut for a brief second before lifting the phone back to his ear. "This damn woman of mine isn't even bothered."
His voice echoed through the office.
“She didn’t even think twice.” A sharp, disbelieving laugh escaped him as he shook his head and turned toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“She welcomed Astrid into the house, told her to settle in, and then had the nerve to call her beautiful.” He scoffed, rubbing a hand over his jaw before letting it fall back to his side.
“Beautiful? What the hell is she talking about?”
He threw one hand into the air, his frustration finally boiling over.
“Has she completely forgotten what she looks like?” His voice rose with every word. “Astrid doesn't even come close to her. Not even close.”
He let out another humorless laugh before rubbing a hand across his face.
"I don't understand it."
His voice lowered, but the frustration was no less intense.
"Why would she even say that? Is she lying to me?" He paused, his jaw tightening. "Or is she lying to herself?" His fingers curled around the phone. "Why the hell is she giving Astrid all this attention while looking at me like I'm the outsider?"
Unable to stand still, he started pacing again.
"And then do you know what she did?" he asked, not waiting for Elias to answer. "I prepared everything for her this morning."
His free hand moved animatedly as he spoke, counting each point off on his fingers.
"I had her favorite car brought around. I had her favorite perfume sprayed inside it. I bought flowers for her." He laughed bitterly, dragging his hand through his already messy hair. "I even planned lunch because I thought she'd finally realize none of this was about Astrid."
He stopped beside his desk, planting one hand against its edge before bowing his head with a frustrated sigh.
"And she tells Astrid to get into the car instead."
For a second, he simply stared at the floor before letting out another disbelieving laugh.
"And then she tells Benjamin that Astrid should start taking over her position at the company."
His eyes widened again as he repeated the words aloud.
"She actually said Astrid should replace her." He shook his head slowly, still unable to comprehend it. "She wants Astrid to learn everything so she can take over when she's gone."
The words reignited his anger.
"What the fuck is going on, Elias?"
His breathing had become ragged as he resumed pacing, every step quicker than the last.
"Who the hell said I was going to let anyone replace her?" he demanded furiously. "Who the fuck said I wanted someone else?”
By now, he was barely in control of himself.
His usually immaculate hair was completely disheveled from repeatedly running his hands through it, his tie hung slightly loose around his neck, and the muscles in his jaw remained clenched as he stalked across the office.
On the other end of the call, Elias finally lost his patience.
"You did," he barked back. "You're the one who brought another woman into your house."
His voice rose with every word until he was nearly shouting himself.