Chapter 16 #2
"What the hell were you thinking, Xavier?
You bring another woman home, tell Elise you're going to marry her, and then you expect her to react normally?
Isn't this exactly what you wanted? I told you that woman would do anything for you.
She was ready to take the blame for murder to protect you, and now you're acting surprised that she's stepping aside?
Look at what she's doing. She's giving you exactly what you asked for.
She's letting another woman move into your house, she's handing over her position at the company, and she's even helping Astrid settle into your life without complaining.
Are you out of your fucking mind? Why would you ever think bringing another woman into your house was a good idea? "
Xavier barely registered a single word.
His eyes had already wandered beyond the conversation, fixing themselves on the executive floor outside his office.
Elise was standing beside Astrid with that same calm smile on her face, pointing something out in a file before gently patting Astrid's shoulder in encouragement.
She looked genuinely pleased with how quickly Astrid was learning, patiently explaining another document before handing it over to her as though she truly wanted her to succeed.
The sight hit him like a punch to the chest.
Not because Astrid was learning.
Because Elise looked... happy.
She wasn't pretending. She wasn't forcing herself to smile.
She looked completely at ease, as though replacing herself with another woman didn't hurt her in the slightest.
The jealousy inside him exploded.
Without another thought, Xavier ripped the phone away from his ear and slammed it onto the desk with enough force to shake everything on it. His hand immediately shot toward the intercom, his finger hitting the button so hard it nearly cracked beneath the pressure.
"Benjamin."
His voice was low, but the fury beneath it was unmistakable.
"Send Elise to my office."
His eyes never left her through the glass.
"Right now."
A few moments later, Benjamin knocked on the office door before pushing it open. Elise and Astrid walked in together, Benjamin quietly closing the door behind them as the office fell silent once again.
By then, Xavier had already composed himself.
The fury that had consumed him only moments ago had completely disappeared behind his usual cold, unreadable expression.
Sitting behind his desk with one hand resting against the armrest of his chair, he looked as calm and indifferent as ever, as though he hadn't nearly destroyed his office a few minutes earlier.
His eyes slowly moved from Astrid to Elise before settling on her.
She still looked calm. There wasn't the slightest sign that anything had changed.
The sight only made the irritation inside him grow stronger.
After a brief silence, Xavier finally spoke, his voice cool and emotionless.
"Didn't you tell me this morning that I should introduce Astrid to everyone as my girlfriend?" His gaze never left Elise's face. "Since that's what you want, I think we should start from home before making it public."
His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest as he continued, watching her carefully.
"From today onward, Astrid will move into the guest room next to our bedroom. It'll be much more convenient than having her stay downstairs. If she's right next door, it'll be easier for me to spend time with her whenever I want."
Every word was intentional.
He wasn't simply informing her of a decision.
He was provoking her.
He wanted her to picture another woman sleeping only a few steps away from him. He wanted her to imagine him walking into Astrid's room every night. He wanted to force even the smallest crack into the calm expression she had been wearing ever since Astrid entered the mansion.
So he watched her.
Closely.
His eyes searched every inch of her face, refusing to miss even the slightest flicker of emotion.
Are you going to get jealous now?
Tell me not to do it.
Tell me you don't want another woman beside me.
He didn't need a confession.
He didn't even need her to admit that she loved him.
A single frown...
A flash of hurt...
Even the smallest sign that this bothered her...
That alone would be enough.
If Elise showed him even the slightest indication that she didn't want another woman taking her place beside him, he would withdraw every word he had just said without a second thought, and throw Astrid out.
"Sure, I think that's perfectly fair."
Elise answered immediately, her eyes moving from Xavier to Astrid before she gave Astrid an encouraging smile, as if she was genuinely pleased with the arrangement. There was no hesitation on her face, no anger, and no trace of the jealousy Xavier had been waiting to see.
Instead, she simply stepped closer to him.
"You're right. I think that makes perfect sense. I agree."
The ease with which she accepted his decision only made the irritation inside him grow. He watched her carefully, waiting for something—anything—that would reveal she was affected by his words.
But Elise only looked thoughtful.
A moment later, her expression changed slightly, as though another idea had suddenly occurred to her.
"No, wait."
Xavier's eyebrows drew together as he watched her.
Elise looked between him and Astrid before continuing in the same calm, reasonable tone. "I don't think Astrid should move into the guest room next to our bedroom. If she is your girlfriend now, then wouldn't it make more sense for her to move directly into your bedroom?"
For a second, Xavier simply stared at her.
The words didn't register.
"It would be better this way," Elise continued, completely unaware of the storm building inside him. "She shouldn't have to stay in a guest room when she is the person you want beside you."
She glanced at Astrid before looking back at him with the same supportive expression.
"And I think I should move downstairs instead. The guest room there is perfectly comfortable. Astrid can take my place and live with you from now on. That would make the most sense."
The room fell silent.
Xavier looked at her as if he had just heard that his entire empire had collapsed overnight and he had somehow gone from being the man who owned everything to someone with nothing left.
Almost without thinking, he reached for the glass of water on his desk and took a drink, needing a moment to process what he had just heard.
The second the water touched his throat, he choked.
A violent cough escaped him as he turned away, completely caught off guard.
Benjamin, who had been standing silently near the door and had heard every word of the conversation, immediately rushed forward.
"Mr. Chen!"
He quickly took the glass from Xavier's hand and placed it back on the desk, his expression filled with concern.
"Are you all right?"
But Xavier looked anything but all right.
His face had lost its color, not from weakness, but from the sheer disbelief and fury fighting inside him. He pushed Benjamin aside and turned back toward Elise, his eyes burning with frustration.
"Did I ask you to do that?"
His voice thundered through the office, harsher and louder than anyone expected.
"Don't decide things for me."
His jaw tightened as he stared at her.
"Mind your own business. I don't interfere with what you want for yourself, so don't interfere with what I want for myself."
He rose to his feet, unable to understand how she could calmly arrange for another woman to take her place.
"Did I say I wanted her to move into my bedroom?"
His voice became sharper.
"Did I ever tell you that was what I wanted?"
The anger that had been building inside him finally broke through.
"Then why the hell are you making that decision for me?"
Elise looked at him with slight concern when she saw the expression on his face.
"Don't be like this," she said, trying to calm him down.
Then, as if she had already found the simplest solution, she continued, "I'll just call the maids and have Astrid's things moved into the room next door. We'll do what you want. Don't worry."
She gave a small shake of her head, accepting his decision without argument.
But the moment those words left her mouth, Xavier's expression changed completely.
If he had been angry before, now he looked almost overwhelmed.
His jaw tightened, his eyes darkened, and the emotions crossing his face became so intense that even he seemed unable to understand them. He had wanted her to react, wanted her to be bothered, wanted proof that she cared.
"I said don't worry about it," he said quickly, his voice no longer carrying the same explosive anger from before. Instead, there was something almost anxious beneath it. "I'll handle it myself."
He grabbed his phone from the desk, his movements sharp and impatient.
"I'll do it when I want to do it. Stop interfering. You don't have to do anything."
The words came out harsher than he intended, but there was no real anger behind them anymore. He sounded more frustrated with the situation itself, as though he was losing control of something he couldn't explain.
Before anyone could respond, he turned around and stormed out of the office.
Benjamin glanced between Xavier's retreating figure and Elise, a look of complete confusion and concern crossing his face. He had worked for Xavier for years, but even he couldn't understand what had just happened.
Without saying a word, he quickly followed after him.
Once the door closed behind them, silence settled over the office.
Elise's shoulders dropped slightly, the tension finally leaving her body.
Astrid, on the other hand, looked as if someone had just reached into her hands and stolen every piece of gold she had ever owned.
The moment Xavier disappeared from the office, she turned toward Elise with wide eyes and threw her hands into the air in complete disbelief.
"What the hell man?! Wait a damn minute. I never agreed that I was going to sleep with him!"
Her voice was filled with pure panic.
"What the hell are you doing?"