Lex did not tolerate disrespect.

Not in his company.

Not in his home.

And certainly not toward his wife.

He hadn’t heard the comment.

But he didn’t need to.

He saw the result.

The way she went quiet. The way her shoulders pulled in just slightly. The way she excused herself too quickly, steps just a little faster than normal as she disappeared upstairs.

That was enough.

Lex stood in the hallway for a moment, watching the space she had just left like he could still trace the emotion lingering in the air.

Then he turned.

His gaze landed on the staff.

Silence fell immediately.

“…Who said it,” he asked.

Not loud.

Not angry.

Worse.

Calm.

No one answered.

Lex took a single step forward, hands clasped behind his back, expression composed, controlled, entirely devoid of patience.

“I’m not asking twice,” he said.

A pause.

One of them shifted.

That was all he needed.

His attention locked onto the maid instantly, precise and unyielding.

“You,” he said.

He didn’t raise his voice. Didn’t need to.

“What you said,” he continued, “was beneath the standard of this house.”

A longer pause.

Then—

“You’re dismissed.”

Immediate. Final.

No negotiation.

No second chances.

Lex adjusted his cuff slightly, gaze already moving past her like she had ceased to be relevant.

“If you have commentary,” he added calmly, “you keep it to yourself.”

A beat.

Then, quieter—

“Especially about her.”

He turned toward the stairs without another word, focus shifting entirely.

Because there were priorities.

And she was at the top of them.