Chapter Eighty One.

Chapter Eighty One.
“Viktor..” she said, walking up to him, tone light but rushed. “I made breakfast today. Come on, let’s eat.”

She looped her hand through his arm, gently tugging him toward the dining hall.

He followed, but his expression was unreadable.

The table was set.

Plates upon plates filled with dishes that looked like they came straight from a luxury café. Pancakes, omelets, roasted potatoes, fruit parfaits, fresh juices…

“You made all this?” he asked, still frowning.

“Yes..” Xena said proudly. “And Travis just helped carry stuff.”

But Viktor’s eyes hadn’t moved from her face. “Why were you laughing with him?”

Xena blinked, then rolled her eyes. “Viktor…”

“I asked you a question..” he said, voice low.

Xena leaned on the back of the chair beside him. “Zoya and Alina were there too, if you bothered to look around. Someone cracked a joke, we all laughed. That’s it.”

But Viktor’s jealousy didn’t ease. His eyes darkened as he sat stiffly.

“You were standing too close to him.” he muttered.

Xena groaned. “Are you seriously doing this right now?”

“I should’ve never brought him back. I should’ve let him stay fired.”

That made her go still.

“Don’t you dare..” she said. “Travis has been nothing but respectful. He didn’t flirt with me, didn’t do anything inappropriate. Why are you so angry, Viktor? Or… jealous?”

Viktor turned to her slowly, his stare intense.

“I'm not angry, just marking what mine and he shouldn’t even be looking at you.”

Xena stared at him.

And then she sighed.

“Eat your breakfast, Viktor.”

Viktor’s fork scraped softly against the porcelain plate as he took a bite.

The silence between them linger, but the moment the flavor hit his tongue, something shifted in his expression.

He chewed slowly, gaze lowering, his jaw flexing as he swallowed.

Xena watched him, trying to read that stoic  face of his.

“Well?” she asked after a moment, leaning slightly forward. “Do you like it?”

He looked up at her mid-chew, his eyes dark but glinting with something, pleasure, he wouldn’t admit out loud.

Instead of answering, he took another bite, and another.

Xena crossed her arms, “Viktor…”

Finally, he swallowed and spoke in a teasing drawl. “I might have to fire Travis.”

Her eyes widened instantly. “What? Why would you do that?”

“If the food is bad, it’s his fault.” Viktor said simply, taking another forkful.

Xena frowned. “Well, the food isn’t bad. I made it.”

He lifted his gaze to hers, smirking. “Exactly.”

“What?”

“That’s the reason.” he said, voice lazy but laced with intent. “He didn’t make it. You did. So why keep him around when you can cook like this?”

Her mouth parted in disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

Viktor leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on the table as his smirk deepened. “Think about it. If he’s gone, I won’t have to watch him drool over your compliments again.”

Her brows shot up. “He wasn’t drooling, he was being polite.”

Viktor’s expression didn’t change. “Polite men don’t stare like that.”

“He wasn’t staring!” she snapped, exasperated now.

He arched a brow, utterly calm. “He was breathing near you. That’s enough.”

Xena blinked at him, at a loss for words. “You’re unbelievable.”

He just smiled faintly, stabbing another piece of pancake with deliberate ease. “And yet, you keep talking to me.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but before the words could form, his phone buzzed sharply against the table. The sound cut through the room like a knife.

Viktor’s hand went to it immediately. He glanced at the screen once, just once, and his entire expression changed.

The warmth vanished. His jaw tightened.

“Viktor?” Xena asked quietly.

He pushed his chair back, standing. “I need to leave.”

Her brows knitted. “What happened?”

But he didn’t answer.

Without another word, he grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and strode out, leaving the half-eaten meal behind.

The door closed with a heavy click.

Xena stared after him, her chest tightening with a mix of confusion and unease.

Whatever message he’d received… it had stolen every trace of softness from his eyes.

And that scared her more than she wanted to admit.

“Xena?”

She turned, blinking back the thoughts clouding her head, and saw Zoya standing by the doorway with her usual bright smile.

“Do you want us to clear the table?” Zoya asked gently.

Xena swallowed, nodding slowly even though her eyes were still fixed on the door Viktor had walked out from.

The faint echo of it closing still seemed to ring in her ears.

“Sure.” she said softly.

Zoya and Alina moved closer, quietly beginning to gather the plates.

“Your food must be really good.” Alina teased, glancing at her over her shoulder. “For the boss to actually say he wants you to cook for him.”

Xena let out a small laugh, the sound soft but tinged with disbelief. “I’m not taking Travis off his job, Alina. Don’t even start.”

Zoya chuckled, stacking the utensils neatly. “You might not have to. You know how Sir is...once he decides something, it’s final.”

“Exactly..” Alina chimed in, smirking as she lifted a tray of dishes. “You better persuade him before poor Travis starts packing his bags.”

They both laughed quietly, walking toward the kitchen.

Xena frowned, watching them go. “Wait, what do you mean?” she called after them.

But neither answered directly; Zoya just turned with a knowing smile.

“You’ll see, Miss Xena.”

And with that, they disappeared into the kitchen, their laughter fading.

Xena stood there for a moment, as she looked once more at the door Viktor had stormed out through.

She had no idea what had suddenly pulled him away.

but the heaviness he left behind still lingered in the room.

"Is everything okay?"