Chapter 1 #2
Cassian cleared his throat, unable to hide the amused smile tugging at his lips.
"That was the plan." He spread his hands innocently. "Then these three invited themselves."
Elias immediately scoffed.
A low chuckle escaped Lucius as he lifted his glass to his lips, while Xavier simply leaned farther back into the sofa, crossing one leg over the other with quiet amusement. His gaze never left Maverick, waiting to see how the man would respond now.
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 remained wrapped 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.
Cassian rested his elbow on the armrest and chuckled under his breath.
"You know..." he continued, pointing lazily between them with his glass, "I was actually beginning to wonder if hell had frozen over."
Both men looked at him.
"At the charity gala last week," Cassian said, "I could've sworn I saw Maverick smile at Elias."
He paused dramatically before shaking his head.
"I almost spilled my drink."
A low laugh escaped him.
"I mean, considering the two of you were trying to beat each other's brains out every time you were in the same room in the past, I'd say that's nothing short of a miracle."
Maverick's brows drew together almost instantly.
"I wasn't smiling."
"No?" Cassian asked.
"No."
The answer came so quickly that it only made Cassian laugh harder.
Elias remained silent throughout the exchange, casually leaning back against the sofa with one hand resting on the armrest. He didn't bother denying it, but the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly before he lowered his gaze to the whiskey in his hand, taking another slow sip as though the conversation had nothing to do with him.
Cassian noticed.
"You are also going to deny it?"
Elias merely shrugged.
"I don't care."
That earned him another suspicious glance from Maverick, who narrowed his eyes briefly before looking away again, muttering just quietly enough for everyone to hear,
"You're both imagining things."
The room erupted into chuckles once more.
Maverick shook his head with quiet resignation, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth before disappearing just as quickly.
He lifted his whiskey for another sip, then seemed to think better of it.
Instead, he lowered the glass onto the marble table with a soft clink and leaned back into the leather sofa.
For a moment, he said nothing.
His gaze wandered slowly around the room, moving from Cassian to Lucius, then to Elias. It lingered there briefly before finally settling on Xavier, who remained perfectly composed, casually swirling the whiskey in his glass.
A thoughtful look crossed Maverick's face.
Then, without another word, he uncrossed his arms, folded one leg over the other, and raised a hand, pointing straight at Xavier.
"What the hell is going on with you? You're the one who should be explaining yourself."
Xavier's brows drew together ever so slightly.
He leaned farther back into the sofa, one arm draped lazily over the backrest while the other continued to cradle his drink. The movement was calm, almost leisurely, but there was a hint of caution in his eyes as he regarded Maverick.
"What is it?" he asked evenly. "What exactly do you want me to explain?"
"There isn't anything to explain?"
A faint smile tugged at Maverick's lips.
He held Xavier's gaze for a long moment before slowly leaning forward, resting his forearms on his knees.
"Really?" The smile widened ever so slightly. "Or are you trying to hide something from the rest of us?"
Cassian's brows immediately shot up with interest, while Elias glanced between the two men, sensing that the conversation had just taken a far more interesting turn.
Even Lucius, who had remained mostly silent throughout the evening, looked up from his drink, his attention now fully on Xavier as he waited to hear what Maverick was about to say next.
"What are you talking about?"
Cassian was the first to break the silence. He straightened in his seat, his brows knitting together as he looked from Maverick to Xavier, clearly trying to make sense of the conversation.
Across from him, Elias wore much the same expression. He glanced at Xavier, then back at Maverick, waiting for one of them to explain.
Maverick looked around the room, and a slow smile spread across his face.
"What?" he asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "He hasn't told you?"
His gaze drifted back to Xavier, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"I honestly thought you would've shared it with them by now."
The smile on his face deepened.
"Interesting."
He leaned back comfortably against the sofa, resting one arm along the backrest while lazily turning the whiskey glass between his fingers.
"So you're hiding the biggest secret in your life from your own friends."
The room grew noticeably quieter.
Cassian's curiosity was fully piqued now, while Lucius lifted his gaze from his drink and looked toward Xavier with quiet interest. Elias frowned, his eyes moving between the two men before finally settling on Maverick.
"What secret?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"
Xavier let out a slow, almost inaudible breath.
The muscle in his jaw tightened.
Without saying a word, he turned his head toward Maverick, fixing him with a sharp look that could only be interpreted one way.
Don't.
Maverick met his gaze without the slightest hint of intimidation.
If anything, the warning only seemed to amuse him.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth as he lifted his glass, taking an unhurried sip before setting it back down on the table.
"You can stop glaring at me," he said with a quiet chuckle. "It's not going to work."
Xavier's expression darkened.
"Maverick."
There was a clear warning in his voice this time.
But Maverick ignored it completely.
His eyes swept around the room once more, making sure he had everyone's attention before casually dropping the news.
"Xavier's getting married."