3. Anniversary

It's not long before Xander began to feel uneasy standing among the businessmen.

'It's hot' he thought in his mind while listening to the conversation.

"This collaboration will produce excellent outcomes." one of them stated.

"Yes, working with Blake Corporation is truly an honour." the other man expressed his appreciation to Xander as they carried on their conversation.

Xander gave a small nod. He disliked these kinds of events, especially when there were lots of people gathered around him.

He was only putting up with it for Crystal. As she became the new CEO, she requested him to accompany her to meetings with businessmen throughout the city.

"We have no doubt that with Crystal, Miller Group will achieve greater success." a woman in a white gown interjected.

Xander started to feel suffocated. He felt the need to freshen up and fresh air in a private area. It was packed with people here.

"Are you allright?" Crystal asked, noticing his discomfort.

"I am fine. Please carry on, I will take a break." he told everyone before he walked out of the group.

"I am going to rest for a while." Xander informed his assistant as he headed to his room.

He had a permanently reserved room in the hotel as he often met his foreign clients here and spent the night as well.

His uneasiness was growing with every step. He loosened his tie.

"What is happening to me, it feels so hot." he murmured.

Sweat drenched his face. He took quick steps. In his haste, he ran into somebody.

"Xander? What has happened to you? You don't look good." came a soft voice.

Xander looked at the person in a daze. His senses were clouding up.

"Where are you going?" Ariadne gave Xander a close look and noticed that he was completely drunk. He couldn't even stand still.

"Room number 101." Xander mumbled incoherently.

"Let me assist you. I will take you to your room." Ariadne was worried about him.

She gabbed Xander's arm just as he was about to fall to the floor.

.

They soon arrived at the room entrance. As soon as Ariadne entered the room, she shut the door quickly because it would be embarrassing if someone saw him in this condition. She made him lie down on the bed and took off his shoes.

Xander was bubbling something Ariadne couldn't understand. She then proceeded to undo his tie.

Suddenly, halfway through the procedure, Xander grabbed her waist and flipped her onto the bed. Before Ariadne could process what had happened, Xander was already hovering over her.

They locked eyes, and for a moment everything paused.

Ariadne was snapped back to reality when she felt Xander's hand caressing her cheek softly.

"Beautiful" Xander murmured.

Ariadne tensed up at his strange behaviour. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Xander planted a kiss on her lips, making her stiffen. Her mind went blank.

It was her first kiss ever and that too with Xander. She couldn't resist returning the kiss. The kiss turned passionate.

Xander abruptly broke the kiss and began frantically kissing her neck. Seeing how frustrated he appeared, she suspected he had been drugged.

"I love you." Xander whispered between his kisses.

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"I love you, Angel." she froze on her spot.

"Angel?" Ariadne repeated the word terrified. She knew very well whom Xander used to call with this nickname.

"Yes, you are my little Angle, love" Xander replied.

Realisation dawned on Ariadne. Her heart shattered because even now, Xander was thinking about Crystal. In fact, he mistook her for Crystal.

The pain snapped her back from her romantic reverie. She tried to remove Xander out of her body, but he was too heavy for her. Xander was out of his mind. He did not let go of her.

"Don't stop me Angel; I need you." Xander pleaded.

She found herself in a dilemma. She remained motionless, tears streaming from her eyes. Xander began to take off their clothes. She held his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. There were both love and lust in them.

"For you" Ariadne whispered before kissing his lips.

She didn't stop him after that, allowing him to have his way.

.....

Ariadne woke up in the next morning with pains all over her body. When she opened her eyes, she discovered that her surroundings had completely changed.

"This is not my room. Where am I?" she wondered, and then she recalled everything.

She checked herself and found herself completely naked beneath the white sheet. She quickly got off the bed and picked up her dress that was on the floor.

Xander was sleeping soundly. She panicked at the thought of how he would react to the incident. She couldn't muster the courage to confront him. She was afraid he would accuse her of taking advantage of his drunken state. She dressed quickly and left the room.

As it was still early in the morning, there were no people in the corridor. Taking a cab, she departed from the hotel.

.....

Nearly two months had passed in the blink of an eye. After that party, Xander never visited or spoke with Ariadne. Ariadne learned from others that Xander and Crystal frequently met for business works. She felt insecure, but she couldn't do anything. Xander never answered her phone calls.

Today marked their second marriage anniversary.

She was alone in their mansion as she gave all the maids a break today.

She wanted to celebrate with Xander. Putting aside the humiliation of his previous visit, she delivered her message to him through his bodyguards.

However, they informed her that he had an important appointment and would be unable to visit Ariadne. She was expecting him to reject, but still she tried. Last year, he didn't show up as well.

She was sitting on her bed with a gift in her hands. She had purchased a wristwatch for him as a gift. Even though Xander didn't show up, she would have someone deliver the gift to him later.

She felt hollow inside as she sat alone. She was getting frustrated with Xander's cold behaviour towards her.

She had started to feel tired of trying. She didn't want to accept defeat, but deep down she knew that she was losing this battle day by day.

Feeling restless, she turned on the TV and flipped through the channels mindlessly.

Her attention was drawn to the news coverage on a news channel. She was surprised to see two familiar faces on the screen. She increased the volume.

"Blake Corporation President Mr. Xander Blake was spotted having dinner with Crystal Miller, the recently appointed CEO of Miller Group at a five-star restaurant in Zavion City"

'So this was the important appointment he had to attend.' She smiled bitterly.

Her phone lit up with a notification. Ariadne openned it to find Crystal had sent her a photo and a link to a post with a message,

"Happy Anniversary, my dear sister".

The image showed Xander and Crystal sitting on a table, staring at each other, with Xander holding Crystal's hand. They looked like a loving couple.

Ariadne's heart ached at the sight. She then opened the link and saw another photo of them.

However, it was the comment below the post that drew her attention. Her heart was pounding as she began to read the comments.

"Oh, They look amazing together"

"They're childhood sweethearts, but unfortunately they split up two years ago"

"Xander Blake is already married to Ariadne Miller, but rumour has it that their two-year marriage is not going well. Mr. Blake never appears in public with his wife"

"I have heard Mr. Blake doesn't like his wife at all. It's because of the family pressure that he has to marry her, leaving his beautiful girlfriend"

"Yes, Ariadne came between Mr. Blake and Crystal; they were such a beautiful couple."

"I have also heard that Ariadne used some dirty tricks to convince Mr. Blake's grandfather to force Mr. Blake into marriage."

"Omg. What a horrible woman she is."

"But her efforts appears to have failed; otherwise, why would Mr. Blake have dinner with Miss Crystal?"

"True love can never be stolen or destroyed."

"Is Mr. Blake planning to divorce Ariadne?"

"I think he might be as he has begun dating his first love."

Ariadne's breathing stopped at the word 'divorce'. Unable to take any more, she exited the comments section. Panicked thoughts began to cloud her mind.

The tone of an incoming notification brought her attention back to her phone.

It was another message from Crystal. With her heart racing, she opened the message.

"Enjoy the day to the fullest, dear sister, because everything will change tomorrow. It's time for me to reclaim what you stole from me, two years ago." Ariadne's face paled.

She felt terrified as it was clear that Crystal was upto something. She was affraid of lossing Xander. She couldn't afford it.

She remembered how two years ago she jumped at the opportunity to marry Xander, despite the fact that it was not ideal.

She had endured every insult and mistreatment, only to win his heart. She even sacrificed her career.

How could she possibly afford to lose him. She couldn't hold back her tears. Crystal's message left Ariadne with a bad feeling.

She didn't realize when she fell asleep in between her measurable thoughts.

.......

The ringing of the phone awoken Ariadne from her dreamless slumber. She opened her eyes and looked around.

The cake on the table caught her attention, and she recalled that it was their marriage anniversary yesterday. However, Xander didn't came to celebrate. Once again, all of her efforts were in vain. She sighed.

The phone began ringing again. She hurriedly searched for her phone, only to find it beneath the pillow.

"Hello." she answered the call.

"Is this Mrs. Ariadne Blake?" asked a heavy voice. It appeared to be a middle-aged man's.

"Yes. Who are you?" Ariadne rubbed her eyes, perplexed. Who would call her at this hour?

"Hello Madam. Good morning. My name is Peter Ford." Ariadne became overwhelmed by the man's formality.

"Hmm.. I am sorry, but I don't think I know you."

"Yes, Madam, I am aware of that. I am Mr. Xander Blake's lawyer."

She was surprised and confused at the same time, but then a realization dawned on her and she became terrified.

'No, whatever my mind is telling me, it will not happen.' She said to herself.

"Y..yes.... How can I help you?" Her voice trembled.

"Mrs. Blake. It's about the divorce between you and Mr. Blake. He wants to get divorced. I would like to discuss with you regarding this matter. Madam, when will you be free?"

And there it was. Her fear had become real. She could not hear anything else as she felt an explicit pain rip through her heart before darkness consumed her. She collapsed on the bed with the phone.

"Hello, are you there, Mrs. Blake?" the man kept calling her name for a long time before ending the call when he got no answer.