The silence in the room was unbearable.
Xavier didn't flinch as his father stepped forward, but everything inside him braced for impact.
Ed Blackwood shut the door behind him with a soft click that somehow sounded more threatening than a gunshot. He turned slowly, surveying the space as if inspecting an investment gone wrong.
"Well," Ed drawled, glancing around. "I see you've made yourself comfortable in this little glass tower."
Xavier said nothing.
Cody shifted uncomfortably, clearly feeling the shift in gravity now that Ed was in the room.
Ed's eyes moved to him.
"Cody," he said smoothly. "Still riding on my son's coattails, I see."
Cody forced a smirk. "Still paying your therapists to say you're emotionally balanced, I assume?"
Ed raised a brow, amused. "Sharp tongue. Still a
