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"I heard the news this morning. You two are finally getting engaged. It's a very good news." Mr. Wright said. "Thank you. It has been long overdue." Xander approached them. He rounded the table in the center of the tent and stood opposite Ariadne. However, Ariadne didn't lift her gaze from the table. She felt nervous. Her heartbeat quickened and she felt restless. She had no idea that this news would affect her, even after five years. She tried to remain composed. "When is the engagement?" "Next month." "Great." Mr. Wright smiled. "Oh, I forgot. Miss Miller, you’re Crystal's sister. You two will soon become family members." Mr. Wright looked at Ariadne, causing her to lift her gaze from the table. 'Family members? We were supposed to be soulmates as we were a married couple. But fate had other plans' she thought in her mind. "Yes, this's a good news." she smiled at Mr. Wright and looked into Xander's eyes, which were already fixed on her. "Congratulations, Mr. Blak
Few days had passed since the announcement of Xander's engagement. Ariadne didn't have to see him again as he never returned to the construction site after that day. The next day, she would visit the construction site to discuss the park's new design with Mr. Wright. She placed the printed design in a file before heading to the kitchen for dinner. Mary, Adrian and Autumn sat in their seats. Tiara was at the hospital with Alex. Tiara was the one who spent most of the night with Alex. Ariadne took a seat. There were delicious dishes in front of them. They hadn't started eating yet as they waited for her. They began eating together. After a while, Autumn lifted her head from her plate and looked at Ariadne. "Mommy, there's a function at our school tomorrow. Remember we mentioned it before?" she asked, eating her chicken wing. "Yes, I do remember." Ariadne replied. "We are both participating." Autumn smiled excitedly, while Adrian was silently eating his meal. "Yes, I know de
"How evil! He did it intentionally. That jerk!" Ariadne couldn't stop cursing Xander, sitting in the backseat on the way to the kids' school. She gave the design to Mr. Potter and left Blake Corporation without wasting any time. Mary had earlier informed her that she had gone to the hospital, leaving the kids alone at the program. "My kids must be disappointed." She murmured as she looked at her wristwatch. "Don't worry, Madam. We can get there before the program ends." her driver assured her. ... Autumn and Adrian looked through the audience several times but couldn't find their mother. Autumn was disappointed that her mother was not present during her performance. Adrian's final match was next, so he prepared. "And now it's time for the chess championship. We have two finalists here: Henry Wade and Adrian Miller. Let's welcome our two little champions, who defeated everyone to reach today's final." Two boys entered the stage. "It's Miss Ariadne's son." Jose whispe
"Okay, let me know if you find someone. Yes, good night." Ariadne ended the conversation with Mr. Hart. It was almost midnight. She was in her room as everyone retired to their rooms after dinner. The kids had also fallen asleep. She decided to draw some designs as there would be no work the next day since it was sunday. She took her notebook and began to draw. After some time, her bedroom door clicked open, and two heads peeked through the slightly ajar opening. Ariadne became startled before realizing it was her kids. "Happy birthday, Mommy!" they shouted together, making Ariadne's eyes widened. She had totally forgotten that today was her birthday. The two kids dashed into the room and climbed into the bed. Ariadne smiled, covering her mouth with both hands. They sat either side of her. "Thank you." She kissed on their cheeks while hugging both of them. "You two are awake at this time!" Ariadne said looking at the kids, as it was past their bedtime. "They told me
"She has two kids. My god!" Emma exclaimed, shocked. "Are they, by any chance, Xander's?" she asked, frowning. "No. I don't think so, Mom. She would have used them against me if they were Xander's." After returning home from the restaurant, Crystal told her mother about her encounter with Ariadne. "And that old brute, William, would have supported her. That vile man. He couldn't see anything other than Ariadne. God knows what kind of magic that bitch has cast on him." Emma gritted her teeth. "It doesn't matter whether that old fool likes us or not. We have Xander on our side." Crystal smirked proudly. William never acknowledged Crystal for Xander. Even after their engagement was announced, he didn't bless them. Xander, too, had stopped visiting his grandfather. After Ariadne left Zavion City, they grew increasingly distant from each other. "They must be the bastard children of some lowly man." Emma's lips curved into a sinistar smirk. "It's a very good news for us. A
"Ahh, love at first sight!" Xander looked at Toby as he commented. However, Toby was looking at Jose. Xander looked at Jose and noticed he was staring at the girl in a daze. Jose averted his gaze at Toby's comment. "There is nothing like that. I am just curious. She does not seem to be from this city." he said, clearing his throat. Toby burst into laughter. "Let's head inside." Xander said as he walked towards the mansion. . Ariadne and Tiara entered the mansion. Ariadne felt nostalgic as she stepped inside. Memories from the past filled her mind, most of which were bad. "Are you alright?" Tiara asked her, breaking her out of those painfull memories. She composed herself before giving her a nod. The servants led them to the living room. The living room was lightly decorated. There were guests present, and music was playing in the background. It looked like a small party. As they walked in, everyone's attention was drawn to them. They were all close relatives to
Everyone looked confused as they didn't know about Ariadne's children. Xander lifted his gaze from his plate to look at Ariadne. He had a complicated expression on his face. Aaron appeared surprised, as he was also unaware of the children. "Next time." Ariadne said casually, breaking the silence in the room. "Why? They are my grandchildren. I am so excited to meet with them." Emma argued, unable to hide her frustration. Both the mother and daughter became enraged when they noticed Ariadne hadn't brought Mary and the kids with her. Half of their plan went to waste. Their mood turned sour. But they wouldn't accept defeat. They could still humiliate Ariadne by bringing up the subject of the kids. They smirked internally as they observed the reaction of the relatives. Everyone looked at each other. "They are children, guys. What will they do in the midst of so many adults? If you want to meet them, come to our place." Tiara said, furrowing her brows. Everyone looked at her. Toby
"She deliberately invited us to insult you in front of everyone." Tiara said, sipping her drink while sitting on the couch next to Ariadne. "Yeah, I realized it the moment she came to invite me." Ariadne sipped from her cup of coffee. "They still harbor resentment towards you. They are beyond imagination." Mary shook her head. Ariadne and Tiara returned home a while ago. Mary was awake, and their mood was not good, so the three ladies sat in the living room for chat. The kids had fallen asleep. Alex had a nurse with him today because neither of them could go to the hospital. "Did your father say anything?" Mary asked. "If you are asking about defending me... no. He didn't say anything to defend me. But he didn't rebuke me either. It was Emma and the relatives." Ariadne replied. "I saw regret in his eyes. He may have discovered their true faces, but they now have the upper hand, leaving him helpless. It was quite obvious. But he is a coward for not standing up for his own da
Toby took the lift to the second floor. When he arrived at room 18, he was surprised to see two bodyguards outside. They weren't ordinary guards. They were the Blake family's bodyguards. They worked for William."What are you doing here?" he asked them."We're here on duty, Sir." one of the bodyguards stated."What duty?""To protect the child inside the room.""Did old Mr. Blake send you?""Yes, Sir."Toby frowned, unsure why William would want to protect Ariadne's child. "Okay. Is the child inside?" "Yes. But, there's an order that no outsiders be allowed in the room." the guard informed him.Toby became more confused."I'm not an outsider and this's Mr. Blake's order." he said.As Xander's most trusted men, Toby and Jose had authority over the other employees. Others obeyed their orders."Okay, Sir."Toby entered the room, closing the door behind him. However, when his gaze landed on the child in the bed, he stiffened. ... Xander arrived at the construction site. He became irrit
At Blake Corporation... "Xander, did you sell your property on the market place to Ariadne?" Crystal asked while sitting in Xander's office. She was furious after hearing the news. She had come to meet him. "How did you find out about it?" Xander asked, his attention fixed on the documents in front of him. "Um...I know your property manager's secretary. She told me." she replied hesitantly. Xander only nodded, saying nothing. "I'd asked you to give me that property. I was even willing to give you a big share. But you declined." Crystal added. A few years ago, Crystal started her own clothing line. She wanted Xander's property for her clothing line. However, Xander denied her because the Miller Group already owned a few properties in the city. "You don't need that property. I've already told you." Xander said casually ignoring her displeasure. "But, Xander..." "I sold the property for the partnership." Xander cut her off. "What? You and Ariadne have become partners!" Cryst
"After one week, we will begin the therapy." Mr. Wright said looking at Alex's reports. Everyone was overjoyed at the news. "Yeeee. I'll be able to walk." Alex exclaimed with joy. Ariadne hugged him. She couldn't hold back her tears. "Yes, baby. You will walk like your siblings." she kissed his temple. Autumn clapped excitedly while Adrian smiled. They were all in Alex's room at the hospital. The entire family visited the hospital. The children were overjoyed as they had the opportunity to spend the time with the entire family after a long time. After a while, Ariadne and Mr. Wright left the room. "He's doing well. He has already begun to move his legs." Mr. Wright said as they walked out of the room. "Thank you Mr. Wright. It's all because of you and the doctors." Ariadne smiled. Alex was able to move his legs now. He was overjoyed the first time he moved his legs. But he couldn't bend them. Doctors had told him not to move his legs any further because they were stil
The next day, news channels aired photos and videos from Xander's engagement party. However, Xander and Ariadne's dance drew the most attention. "What sort of nonsense is this?" Crystal was furious. She immediately called Xander. "Have you seen the news?" she blurted out as soon as he answered the call. "What news?" Xander hadn't seen the news because he rarely saw anything other than business-related news. "From last night. It's all over the news channels and social media." "About our engagement? What's wrong with that?" "Nothing is wrong with our engagement. But instead of our engagement, your and Ariadne's dance has become the hot topic. Everyone is making stories out of it as she was your ex-wife. They're even questioning our relationship. Why did you have to dance with her?" Crystal appeared frustrated as she vented her rage. "You're overreacting, Crystal." Xander said, massaging his temple. His head was aching from drinking last night. He didn't sleep well eit
(At Miller Residence) "Finally. I'm now officially Xander's fiancee. Soon, I'll be the Blake family's lady." Crystal smiled as she leaned against the headboard of her bed, holding a glass. "Cheers!" Catherine yelled from beside her, and they raised their wine glasses in celebration. "I'm happy for you. You deserve it, Crystal. Only one woman can have Xander Blake, and that's you. Not that bitch, Ariadne." she added. Crystal's face turned ugly when she heard the name. She gritted her teeth. "She will never have him. I've worked so hard for this day. What has she done to get him? Nothing. It was I who was always by his side... It was I who always obeyed him like a dog. That bitch has only insulted him, gone against him, and argued with him." she paused. "But still.. The only thing he sees is her. Ariadne, Ariadne and Ariadne...." she gritted her teeth. "But I'm not one to back down. I've always wanted to be the Queen, and he's the king. So Ariadne had to leave the picture.
Ariadne turned around and saw Xander standing behind them. "Mr. Blake. Come, join us." Mr. Montecarlo said. Xander took a step forward and stood between Crystal and Ariadne. He looked at Ariadne with a frown. She averted her gaze. "Congratulations, Mr. Blake." Zidane said, saving Ariadne from his intense glare. They shook hands. "Miss Miller, congratulations to you as well. I forgot to greet you earlier" he said to Crystal. "It's ok...Thank you." "I didn't know you have three children." Xander went right to the point. "Yeah, we were talking about it... she managed her work and three children at the same time." Georgia praised Ariadne. "I have help at home to look after my kids. Now that they have grown up, it's not as difficult." "How old are they?" Georgia asked. "Four years." "We hadn't met your other child." Xander interrupted. Ariadne paled, unsure what to say. Zidane gave her a concerned look. "He has some health issues, so he doesn't go out as much as
"You are looking at the wrong woman." Toby's words jolted Xander out of his thoughts. He looked at him and saw him smirking. He shot him a death glare before returning his gaze to the entrance. This time, he noticed Crystal with a pink gown in front of Ariadne. Crystal arrived with Catherine by her side. Ariadne was just behind them, with Tiara. Crystal's face darkened when she noticed Xander was looking at Ariadne. She deliberately arrived late to draw everyone's attention to herself. However, they arrived at the same time at the venue, and Xander looked at Ariadne first instead of her. She should have been the one to capture his attention. She cursed Ariadne internally for ruining her entry. However, she composed her expression quickly. Everyone looked at Crystal as she moved through the crowd. She approached Xander with a smile. Xander smiled back. Ariadne, on the other hand, joined the crowd with Tiara. They met with Crystal and Catherine outside as they arrived at the same
"I heard that you have been looking for a property for a while... And that you're interested in a particular property on the market place." Ariadne's eyes grew wider. She had been looking for a property for her jewelry brand, which was set to launch in Zavion City. She was particularly interested in the properties on the market place. She had also found one, but it belonged to Xander. So, she didn't make any progress on purchasing that property. "I've never wanted to sell that property, but I don't have any plans for it either." Xander continued. "So I've a proposal for you. I'm ready to sell you the property... but there's one condition." "What condition?" Ariadne narrowed her eyes at him. "I want to be a business partner of Autumn Collection... precisely... a shareholder." he said. "We don't have a business partner.." "I know. But you need one right now." "We don't..." "Shhhh." he cut her off. "Don't be irrational. Think about it with your mind as a businesswoman, that you'r
The drive to Xander's penthouse was silent. Ariadne remained at the far end, away from Xander. Her dress drenched the seat beneath her. However, he appeared unconcerned. His attention was focused on his phone. Ariadne felt awkward. After what happened at the festival, she wanted to stay away from him at all cost. Unfortunately, she was always caught up in an unexpected situation with him. Furthermore, it was her first time riding with him, which made things even more awkward. She wasn't sure if Xander was aware of it or not. They arrived at the tall building. The large, bright nameplate that read "PEARL" was visible to her. It was one of the most famous buildings in Zavion City. When the car entered the premises, it didn't stop at the front entrance. It rounded the building and came to a stop at the back entrance. She had never been here before, so she looked around curiously. They got out of the car. Xander started walking without saying anything and entered the building. Aria