9. The Future ll

"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, and Xander didn't bring up the subject again.

"After going through so much, we finally got rid of that bitch. Now our path is clear. Don't wait any longer." Emma said.

"Xander is single now. Many women will have their eyes on him." She didn't want to loss this opportunity at any cost.

She was enraged when William, years ago, chose Ariadne as Xander's wife and arranged their marriage. The Blakes were the wealthiest family in the country. People wanted to be close to them but they disliked mixing with others, specially those below their social status.

However, they made an exception for the Millers. Both families were very close, and William wanted to arrange a marriage between them. It was all because of Emily, Ariadne's mother. She was the daughter of William's best friend. However, as a selfish woman, Emma saw it as an opportunity to marry her daughter into the Blake family. The mother-daughter duo began their game to achieve their goal. After years of hardwork, they were finally close to achiving their goal.

"They will never succeed, Mom. I know Xander very well. If he ever marries again, he will marry only me and no one else." Crystal said with a smirk.

"Yes, we all know how much he adores you. You must seize this opportunity which has come your way after years of waiting. Like us, there are many opportunist out there. Don't give them any chance."

Many noble families in Zavion City wanted their daughters to marry Xander. After all who would not want to be a Blake?

"if we could convince Xander to divorce Ariadne, there are also other people who could take him away from you." Crystal became serious this time.

"If you can't ask him then let me do this on your behalf." Emma pondered something.

"What are you going to do, Mom."

"Don't worry, I will do exactly what we need to do." Emma smirked.

Crystal smiled enthusiastically at her mother's confidence. She was finally going to be Mrs. Xander Blake.

.....

"So, that woman has fled the city after ruining my son's life." Margaret said, gritting her teeth.

"Not only had she wasted his two precious years, but she had also killed his child. Xander, you should have put her in jail. You let her go too easily." She looked at Xander who was sitting on the couch, calmly drinking his wine.

"Sorry to say Aaron, but you gave birth to a vicious woman. I think she went after her mother. I never liked her."

"Margaret."

"Mrs. Blake."

Both William and Aaron spoke at the same time. They all gathered in the old mansion to discuss about Xander and Crystal's marriage.

"I am sorry Mrs. Blake. I am ashamed of my daughter's actions, but blaming them on her mother is unfair. Perhaps her mother's absence caused her to turn out this way."

William didn't expect Aaron to defend his late wife. Only if he had defended his daughter too. William sighed quietly.

"Don't act like you are the victim here." William said. "The ones who betrayed Ariadne are Crystal and Xander. You are fortunate that Ariadne took no action against these two. Otherwise, your reputation would have been destroyed by now. And that child would have been recognized as a bastard, nothing else." He added.

They all fell silent. They never really thought about it.

"Let's not talk about Ariadne. Xander made her apologize and we are fine with that. After all, she is also my daughter, and I understand her mental state, even though she is responsible for everything." Emma said, changing the subject from her daughter's wrong doings.

"However, she has already left the city. I believe, she wants to begin a new life away from all of us. We want the best for her, too. I hope she will grow into a better person in the future. Right now, the most important thing to us is Xander and Crystal's future." she added.

"Yes, Ariadne did cause a significant loss for both of them. It's good that she finally left. At least now, Xander and Crystal can live in peace." Margaret said.

William disliked how they described Ariadne, but he chose to remain silent. He knew it was pointless to argue with these people. He was only sad that his grandson had fallen into their trap. His gaze was fixed on Xander, who hadn't said anything untill now.

"We should get Xander and Crystal married as soon as possible. They are both going through a difficult time. They will support each other and get through this together." Aaron spoke after Emma gave him a suggestive look.

"Yes, I am thinking the same." Margaret also expressed her opinion.

"What do you think, Father?" she asked William.

"Let him decide what he wants to do with his life now." William had lost interest in getting involved in any decision.

"Do you have no objections to me marrying Crystal now?" Xander spoke for the first time.

"No, I have realized my mistake. You are free to do anything you want. I will no longer stop you." William spoke in a defeated tone.

Emma and Margaret smirked as they looked at each other.

"You really love Ariadne, Grandpa. You are doing this for her, not me." Xander chuckled as he said.

"It's the right thing to do. It's good for everyone." William stated the facts.

Xander nodded with a smirk, and everyone fell silent.

"Now that the child is gone, there's no need to rush the marriage." Xander spoke after a while, breaking the silence.

"But what about my daughter?" Emma blurted out.

"I don't want to get married right now. I need some time to fix things. I am sure crystal would want that as well. However, rest assured, Crystal will be given the respect she deserves. I care equally for her, and would never let anything bad happen to her. Right now, I am incapable of forming relationships. It would be unfair to her if I couldn't give her the love she deserves. I need some time."

"Yes, we can understand. He has just got out of a toxic relationship. We should give him some time to get himself together." Margaret attempted to be the understanding mother to her son. "They should concentrate on their careers for the time being, and then marry when the time is right. There's no hurry."

"Yes, yes, it's a great idea. There's no need to hurry. They can marry after a few months or next year." Emma said, forcing a smile.

No matter how dissatisfied she was with the decision, she knew her place in front of the Blakes. No one can force Xander to do anything. Only one person, Ariadne, dared to do this, and Xander made her life miserable. They would not want to be on his bad list.

.....

As the discussion concluded, everyone left the mansion, and William was led back to his room by his butler, Joseph. He was still thinking about their discussion. He was enraged by how everyone talked about Ariadne. His thoughts were interrupred when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in." William said, assuming it was his buttler.

The door opened, and a slender figure entered the room. William had his back to the person, but he recognized him from the silence and heavy footsteps.

"What are you doing here? The discussion is over." He asked the person without turning.

"I have come to ask you something."

William didn't respond.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" William asked, clenching his jaw.

"Don't act like you know nothing."

"Why do you want to know?"

"That's not the answer, Grandpa." Xander grew impatient.

"I don't know. Even if I knew, I would not have told you."

Xander clenched his jaw, frustrated. "You know what... don't tell me. I will find her on my own."

"Xander, let her go. Don't be heartless." William said.

"Oh, I did....from Crystal's case." Xander said, and William shook his head.

"She has already left and will not bother you again. Move on and start anew. You can remarry or do whatever you want."

"And how could I forget how she ruined all of my dreams and plans?"

"She has suffered enough, Xander. Have some mercy on her. Leave her alone, I beg you." William pleaded, knowing how heartless his grandson could become.

"That's up to me to decide."

"Don't do anything foolish."

"Oh, don't worry." Xanderd said as he turned and walked towards the door.

"You will regret it one day, Xander." William stated with a hard expression.

Xander stopped in his track and chuckle. "I am heartless, Grandpa, just as you said. How can I have any regrets?" he said before leaving.

.....

At Pearls

Xander was sitting on a couch in his mini bar, sipping his wine. He returned from the old mansion a few hours ago. The room was dimly lit and he was deep in thought. There was a knock on the door before it was pushed open.

Jose entered the room and bowed his head.

"There's no news about her, Boss. She vanished like thin air." Jose informed him, making him clench his teeth.

"She took a plane to Aerola, but she is not there, and there is no other information about her. She might have taken a train so no one could track her."

"So she knew I would come for her, huh." Xander smirked. "Keep searching." He added after a pause.

"Yes, Sir." Jose looked at him and Xander waved his hand dismissively.

Jose left the room.

"So you ran away, huh? Do you think you can get away from me?" Xander chuckled in the silence of the room.

"I will find you, Ariadne. Just you wait. I will find you." He said with determination.