Chapter 8
Elise paused.
She looked back over her shoulder.
"...What?"
"I'll tell them you kidnapped me."
Elise stared at him.
"You what?"
"I'll tell them my long-lost sister abducted me in broad daylight." He pulled out his phone and held it up as evidence. "I might even sound terrified."
Her mouth fell open.
"Logan."
He casually unlocked his phone.
"I'm dialing."
She marched back toward him and smacked his arm.
"Ow!"
"You are so childish."
Another smack landed on his shoulder.
"I've accepted that."
Elise glared at him, genuinely exasperated now.
"You've spent two months in Europe and somehow came back even worse."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Without giving her another chance to refuse, Logan caught hold of her hand.
"Logan."
Ignoring her protest entirely, he intertwined their fingers and started walking toward the black SUV waiting at the curb.
"Logan."
She planted her feet against the sidewalk, trying to stop him.
He barely slowed.
"I'm not going."
"Yes, you are."
"I said no."
"You'll thank me after you eat."
"I won't."
"You definitely will."
"Logan!"
A laugh escaped him as he glanced back over his shoulder, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"You can scold me all through lunch."
Before she realized it, he'd already opened the passenger door.
With one gentle tug, he guided her toward the seat, completely unfazed by the displeased look she was sending him.
Elise let out a long, defeated sigh.
"You really are impossible."
"I know," he said with another dazzling grin. "Now get in. You're buying dessert."
"I thought you said this was your treat."
"It is."
He closed the passenger door with a satisfied smile.
Neither Elise nor Logan realized they had an audience.
Across the street, Benjamin stood beside the open rear door of the black Rolls-Royce, one hand resting on its polished frame as he waited for Xavier to get in. They had been about to leave for the restaurant when Xavier's steps had come to an abrupt halt.
He never made it into the car.
Instead, he stood motionless beside the open door, his broad shoulders squared beneath the perfectly tailored grey suit. The afternoon sun glinted off the silver-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, but behind the lenses, his eyes were fixed on only one person.
Elise.
From the moment the young man had appeared behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist...
Xavier hadn't looked away.
He watched her stiffen in surprise before recognizing him. Watched the tension leave her body. Watched her turn around and scold the man with that same gentle expression she wore whenever she was pretending to be annoyed.
Then came the smile.
Small.
Soft.
Unconscious.
The kind of smile she'd never given Xavier.
His jaw slowly tightened.
The muscles along his neck flexed beneath the crisp white collar of his shirt as his fingers curled around the edge of the open car door. The polished steel groaned faintly under the pressure of his grip, the tendons standing out sharply across the back of his hand.
Benjamin noticed.
He lowered his eyes without saying a word.
Years of working for Mr. Chen had taught him that his silence was often far more dangerous than anger.
Across the street, the man took Elise's hand.
He lifted it to his face.
Then, unbelievably, he rubbed his cheek against her palm.
A muscle jumped in Xavier's jaw.
His expression didn't change. If anything, it became even calmer.
Only his eyes gave him away. They had gone frighteningly dark behind the silver lenses.
So this is the "someone."
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.
More specifically...
It never left Logan's hand.
The younger man still had hold of Elise's hand as he stood beside her, completely oblivious to the pair of icy eyes watching him. He laughed about something, leaning closer with the easy confidence of someone who belonged in Elise’s personal space.
A moment later, he reached out again, brushing an invisible strand of hair away from her face before saying something that earned him an exasperated roll of her eyes.
Xavier's jaw flexed.
The muscle ticked so sharply it was visible beneath his skin.
His fingers tightened around the polished edge of the car door until the tendons stood out beneath the sleeve of his suit jacket.
Without taking his eyes off the pair across the street, he spoke.
"Have you seen him before?"
Benjamin followed his line of sight.
He knew immediately who Xavier was referring to.
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
Xavier remained silent, waiting.
Benjamin chose his words carefully.
"A few times."
The answer caused Xavier's expression to harden another degree.
"He usually comes looking for Ms. Foster after work," Benjamin continued. "Sometimes he waits outside the building. Sometimes she meets him on the sidewalk."
Xavier's eyes never shifted.
"And?"
Benjamin hesitated only briefly.
"Ms. Foster always seems a little startled when he suddenly appears." A faint, cautious smile crossed Benjamin's face as he recalled several similar scenes. "Sometimes she even looks annoyed..."
His eyes returned to Logan, who was now grinning while saying something that made Elise frown at him again.
"...but she always ends up leaving with him."
Silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Xavier watched as Logan reached for Elise's wrist again, playfully tugging her toward the waiting SUV.
His expression remained perfectly composed.
Only the slow tightening of his jaw betrayed what was happening beneath the surface.
Benjamin glanced sideways.
After years of working beside Xavier, he had learned to recognize the signs.
The calmer he looked… The angrier he actually was.
Benjamin cleared his throat.
"Would you like me to find out who he is?"
The question had barely left his mouth.
Xavier turned his head.
Slowly.
His eyes met Benjamin's.
The look behind those silver-rimmed glasses was so cold that Benjamin instantly regretted opening his mouth.
"Did I ask you to investigate him?"
Benjamin straightened immediately.
"No, Mr. Chen."
"Then don't volunteer for work I didn't assign."
Benjamin lowered his gaze.
"Yes, sir."
Xavier continued looking at him for another second before speaking again.
"Or have you suddenly become so smart that you think you know what I'm thinking?"
Benjamin's throat tightened.
"No, Mr. Chen."
Xavier’s eyes returned to Elise.
"Then mind your own business."
Benjamin immediately fell silent.
He lowered his gaze, wisely saying nothing further.
‘Mr. Chen, you aren’t truly angry about the suggestion. You are angry because I’ve seen straight through you.’ Benjamin thought with an exasperated sigh.
After years of working beside Xavier Chen, Benjamin had become exceptionally good at reading the man.
Across the street, Logan laughed again, the sound carrying faintly through the afternoon traffic. He reached for Elise's hand with practiced ease, his fingers slipping around hers before giving her another playful tug toward the waiting SUV.
Xavier watched the gesture without blinking.
The hand gripping the Rolls-Royce's open door tightened until the polished metal let out a faint groan.
His jaw hardened.
The line of his shoulders became rigid beneath his tailored suit.
Benjamin deliberately kept his eyes forward.
He had absolutely no desire to see the expression Mr. Chen was wearing now.
Several long seconds passed before Xavier finally released the car door.
He straightened his cuff with slow, meticulous movements, every gesture controlled despite the anger simmering beneath his composed exterior. Then he ducked into the back seat, pulling the door shut behind him with enough force that it echoed through the quiet street.
"Drive."
Benjamin didn't waste another second.
"Yes, Mr. Chen."
Nearly an hour later, the black Rolls-Royce glided to a stop in front of the Chen Group headquarters once again.
The lunch had been thoroughly unenjoyable.