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"Xander, is Ariadne staying at your mansion?" It was the following day at Blake Corporation. Crystal had arrived to discuss the joint project of Miller Group and Blake Corporation. They were eating lunch together after finishing their work. "No." Xander answered while eating his food. "No?" Crystal learned from Cathy that Ariadne didn't return to the mansion after the incident. However, she pretended ignorant. She wanted to know if Xander knew where Ariadne was. "Do you know where she is? I have not heard anything about her since that day." "No. Why should I know about her whereabouts?" Xander became irritated by the topic. Crystal's lips curved in a sly smile at Xander's reply. "Oh, yes. I just wondered if you know. I am just worried about her." "You don't have to. She is not a child in the first place." "Yeah, I just don't want anything bad to happen to her." "It's her hometown, and she has lot of friends. She might be staying with her friends. It's good ac
"Have you talked about your marriage with Xander?" Emma asked. They had recently learned of Ariadne's departure from the city and they were overjoyed. Not that she was a threat to them now, even if she stayed, but still it was a bonus to them. Now Emma was becoming impatient about getting her daughter married to the Blakes. "No mom. He is been very busy lately. I didn't get to talk to him." Crystal informed her. Emma came to Crystal's room to have this conversation while the latter was getting ready for work. "Then ask him to take you on a dinner date and discuss the marriage. You need to put pressure on him and get married as soon as possible." Previously, Xander stated that he would take responsibility for the child in Crystal's womb. He did not want the child to be recognized as a bastard. He divorced Ariadne immediately after learning about the child and promised to marry Crystal soon. However, since the child miscarried in that incident, many things had changed
Ariadne sat in the receiving chair of Dr. Cook's room at Kind Hospital in Purple City. She held a report card that the doctor had given her. Tension was written all over her face as she reviewed the report. It was her son, Alexander's report card. "Don't we have other hospitals that can perform this surgery?" Ariadne asked the doctor, after reviewing the report. "The surgery is quite complicated. Only a few hospitals around the world have the resources to perform this surgery, and Grace Children's Hospital has the highest success rate. They have risen to become the world's best pediatric hospital, in recent years. It will be the best option for your son." the doctor explained. "How much time will it take for his surgery and recovery?" "It will take around a year if the surgery is successful." "One year!" Ariadne panicked. "Yes, after being admitted to the hospital, he will be monitored for a few days before undergoing surgery. He will need to stay about two months in
Xander was having dinner with a business partner at their house. He had come to Silas City for the inauguration of a joint project with the Anderson Group. Mr. Kevin Anderson, president of Anderson Group, had invited him to dinner at their mansion. Xander had never involved himself in these types of family dinners with a business partner, but the Andersons were longtime friends of the Blakes. His grandfather would have wanted him to attend the dinner. William had kept his distance from him for the past five years, but Xander still attended the dinner to honor his sentiment before returning to Zavion City. After dinner, Xander and Jose sat on the couch opposite Mr. and Mrs. Anderson, having a casual conversation. A little girl came and stood in front of Xander. He raised an eyebrow at her as the girl was staring at him expectantly. He remembered she was Mr. Anderson's daughter as she kept staring at him throughout the dinner. Normally children avoided Xander because of his intim
At the Miller residence, Emma entered Crystal's room just as the latter was applying moisturizer before going to bed. The house was silent as everyone had retired to their rooms. It was almost midnight. "How did your dinner date go?" Emma asked as she sat on the bed. "It's good, Mom." Crystal replied. "Did you talk to him about your marriage?" "Actually, no. We didn't get the time to talk about this." "Crystal, baby, you have to make time and talk with Xander. It's been five years now, and he still hasn't married you. You are already twenty-nine. When will you two get married?" Emma expressed her concern. "We will marry soon, Mom." Crystal said casually. "You have been saying this for the last five years." "Why are you so impatient, Mom? He just needs some time. Everyone knows we are together." Crystal became irritated. "There's huge difference between being in a relationship and being the wife." Crystal sighed as she approached her mother and sat beside h
There was dead silence when Ariadne explained her proposal. She had years of experience describing proposals to their clients. Her voice was confident, reflecting her experiences. The way she described the plan was so convincing that everyone looked at her in awe. While Xander and Crystal had surprise and disbelief on their faces, Mr. Wright and Mr. Hugh appeared to be impressed by Ariadne. She poured her heart and soul into this plan. It was not because it was an important project for their company, but because she had a dream of planning an ideal hospital. Because of Alex's treatment over the years, she had visited many hospitals and observed how certain aspects could be improved. Since then, she had begun designing an ideal children's hospital, hoping that one day she would be able to make it a reality. The lights in the room turned on after she finished explaining her plan, and her figure appeared in sight. "I am done with the presentation. Please ask if you have any quest
Ariadne closed her eyes, frustrated. It was Crystal who called her. The other representatives looked at her with curiosity. She smiled awkwardly at them before turning around to see Crystal and Xander standing near the meeting room. She didn't want to face Xander or Crystal, but she had no choice. Mr. Hugh and Mr. Wright also emerged from the meeting room at that time. "We should leave as well." Mr. Wright informed Xander. "Ok. We will meet tomorrow." Xander said, looking at Ariadne, who was approaching them slowly. "Ok, sure." Mr. Wright and Mr. Hugh walked towards the exit. Mr. Wright smiled at Ariadne as they passed through the corridor, and she returned the smile politely. With only three people remaining, The corridor fell silent. Crystal and Xander also began walking towards Ariadne. Ariadne didn't miss how Crystal held Xander's arm. 'Nothing has changed. It's the same as in the past.' Ariadne sighed. 'You can do this.' Before Ariadne could say anything,
At Grace Children's Hospital "Everything's fine, Miss Ariadne. We will run a few more tests to be sure. But I don't think there will be any issues. He is a very cooperative child. We can perform the surgery in two weeks." The doctor informed Ariadne. "Oh, that's good. Thank you, Doctor." "You are welcome." Ariadne exited the doctor's office. She had come to the hospital to stay the night with Alex. Jennifer dropped her off at the hospital after they had dinner in the suite. As Tiara had gone out of town for some important business, leaving only Mary and Ariadne with the children. Mary would stay with Adrian and Autumn in the suite tonight, while Ariadne would stay in the hospital. She went to the doctor first to get an update on Alex's surgery. She entered the room and saw Alex reading a comic book. He looked up and saw her. "Mommy." He exclaimed excitedly, grinning. "Alex." Ariadne approached the bed and hugged him. "Will you stay with me tonight, Mommy." He asked wit
At the Miller residence. Crystal's room was in chaos. A flower vase was thrown to the ground and broke."That bitch. I will kill her...What's her name?... oh yes...Tiara. She dared to challenge me. The audacity of that bitch.""Crystal, stop this." Catherine shouted."How can I stop? It was supposed to be my day. I am Xander Blake's fiancee,... soon to be his wife and the young lady of the Blake family,... he gifted me the most expensive necklace in the auction. I should have been the center of attention. But that bitch... Ariadne ruined it. Have you seen how the guests went to congratulate her? How they praised her as if she's a damn goddess?"After returning from the auction, Crystal was venting her rage on household items. Emma and Catherine tried to calm Crystal down. Aaron, on the other hand, did not say anything and went to sleep, having lost interest in their drama. He had discovered their true faces long ago, and stopped interfering in their matters. Catherine assured Emma tha
They turned around and saw Tiara standing behind them. They glared at her. "Well, what did you say? We came here for free food... We can't afford anything here... Oh.. So much confidence." she fanned her face dramatically as she approached them slowly. "Alas! Everything went down the drain. Look at your faces. You are all looking like clowns." she laughed sarcastically. "Be as happy as you can right now. The final laugh will be mine....because I have Xander, whom she will never have." Crystal said through gritted teeth. "You have a point. You have Xander. But, who said Aria wants him?" Crystal glared at her. "And as for you having Xander..." Tiara made a face as if she was deep in thought, then she approached Crystal and whispered in her ear. "The question is... for how long? You know?.... secrets never remain hidden forever." She looked at Crystal's pale face with a smirk. She walked past them without waiting for her reply. ... "The meeting is going to take place tomorrow a
"And this beautiful necklace goes to Mr. Blake. This is the highest bid of the evening so far. Not only that, but this is one of the most expensive items ever auctioned at this Gala." Everyone applauded and began guessing the brand. They would have assumed it was from Sparks, but their necklace had already sold out. "Ladies and gentlemen,... the Black Heart from the Autumn Collection. Congratulations to the Autumn Collection on their first bid at this Gala." "Omg, Crystal... it's from the Autumn Collection. No doubt, it's gorgeous. It's the best of them." Catherine exclaimed, excitedly. Crystal smiled from ear to ear as well. A girl delivered the necklace to Blake's table. Xander told her to give the necklace to Crystal. Everyone started murmuring about Xander's romantic gesture. He placed such a high bid for his fiancee. Everyone knew that if Xander set his eyes on something, he would definitely get it. They thought Crystal was lucky to have him. "Thank you, Xander." Cryst
Autumn had no idea how to respond and was uncomfortable with their hateful stare at her. She just looked at Crystal silently, not getting a good vibe from them. "Why did even she bring her kids here?" Emma asked. "To look at the items, obviously. Where would they see such expensive items? As they can't have them, they can at least see them." Catherine commented, and they all burst out laughing. Autumn's face fell as she looked at them innocently, not fully understanding what they were saying. "Oh, come on. Aria was able to give an Autumn Collection bag as compensation. Have you forgotten? Maybe she can bid this one too." Crystal spoke up in protest. However, anyone can see the mockery in her words. "Huh... getting one Autumn Collection bag is easy. But she will never be able to win a bid here. You can dream, little brat." Margaret said. Even prominent families lost bids during the auction. So it was impossible for someone like Ariadne to win a bid. "But she can beg Mr. Wa
"Ariadne!?" Crystal exclaimed in shock. She exchanged a glance with Catherine before turning her gaze to Xander, who was looking at Ariadne, his face expressionless. He looked at Ariadne from head to toe. She wore a one-shoulder blue gown with her dark brown hair loosely open. She looked absolutely stunning. Adrian, Autumn, and Tiara were all there with her, posing for photographs on stage. "What's she doing here? Is not this a gala for the world's top businessmen?" Margaret said with displeasure. She gave an expression as if she had seen a dirty beggar. Her gaze moved to the children. "She even brings her bas.... kids with her." Margaret changed her words as Xander gave her a look. Aaron looked longingly at the children. It was his first time seeing them. The stage was brightly lit, but the surrounding area was mostly dark. After a few clicks, Ariadne looked in the other direction, near the stage, and Zidane's parents joined them. They all posed together, like a family.
"Everything is ready for the Gala, Boss." Xander nodded as Jose updated him on the Gala presentation. Toby was also present in the office. It was two days before the Gala. Though Xander wasn't in charge of the Gala's preparations, as it was taking place at their resort in Zavion City, he provided some help. "What about the Autumn Collection owner?" Xander asked. "Lily Garner isn't coming to the Gala, Boss. According to the organizers, this time the owner will attend the Gala. The organizers informed that they sent them an invitation last year as well, but they refused to attend due to an unknown reason." Jose reported as he sat down next to Toby. Lily Garner was the face of Autumn Collection. She was the CEO and handled all the meetings and public appearances, but she was not the owner. The owner remained hidden, unwilling to reveal her identity. The public only knew that the owner was a woman. "Interesting. So the owner will reveal herself at the Gala, this year." "Why a
The guard led them to the top floor of the building. There were only two doors in the corridor: one on the left and the other on the right. They came to a stop in front of the left door and pressed the doorbell. After a while, the door opened, revealing Mary. See gasped when she saw the scene in front of her. "What happened to Adi?" she exclaimed, terrified. Though the bandage on Adrian's leg was covered by his pant, Mary could tell from his pale face that something had happened to him. "He's all right. There's no need to worry." Xander immediately informed the elderly woman, noticing her pale face. Mary looked at Xander and noticed how he was holding Adrian in his arms while standing at the door. Soon confusion overtook her as to why Xander was there. Behind him, she could see Autumn, the guard, and Crystal. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Mr. Blake, please come inside." She said after composing herself and stepped aside. "Adi got into an accident, Granny." Autumn informed M
"Why are we here?" Xander looked around, sitting on the chair at a table of two people in an opening. The place was beautifully decorated. There were a few tables, each located a long distance away, providing privacy. They were surrounded by grass and trees, and the lights created a romantic atmosphere. Crystal had invited Xander to dinner and insisted on choosing the restaurant. "Well, it's a new restaurant and we had not been here before, so I thought we should try something new." Crystal stated, adjusting herself in her seat. "It's Watson Group's restaurant." "I know." Despite the fact that Watson Croup and Blake Corporation were working on a project together, Xander still disliked them. So he was not happy that Crystal took him to Watson Group's newly opened restaurant. It's the same place where the majority of Watson Group employees lived, including Ariadne. Xander's expression hardened at the thought of her, and he turned to Crystal. "Have you come here to create a
It had been two days since the scandal. "It's not a joke. It's impossible for someone like her to get a bag that costs twice as much as a Jucy Life bag. It will cost her a fortune. She must have lied, that old hag." Emma scoffed while sipping her coffee in Margaret's office at the Blake Corporation Building. "I know. That's why I told her to deliver it to my office. I would love to see how her face falls in front of the entire staff when she fails to bring me such an expensive bag." Margaret smirked. "She tried to ruin my reputation... The audacity of that bitch. Oh, now she has the support of two more bitches. I will teach them a lesson." she added. "But Xander handled the situation very well." Emma praised. All of the news and posts about Margaret was removed by Xander's team. As she had apologized, Ariadne made no objections. However, Margaret was not happy. "He could have handled it better." she was furious that Xander made her apologize for her actions. "We are the