Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. ❤️❤️❤️
"I made it clear that you would keep me updated on whatever happened there." Tiara shouted from the other end of the phone. "Come down, girl. I am fine. Nothing happened." Ariadne assured her. She was currently in her bed, after returning to her room a while ago. After Ariadne slammed Mrs. Garner in front of everyone, the insults stopped, and everyone resumed normal conversation. Crystal and Catherine acted normally while Mrs. Garner's head hung down in shame. However, Xander appeared disturbed after the argument, and left early with his men. Ariadne and Mark went back to their rooms after speaking with a few people after dinner, while Crystal stayed with the ladies. The first thing Ariadne did when she returned to her room was call Tiara to check on the kids. She didn't tell anyone what happened at the festival back home. She didn't want them to worry about her. However, Tiara managed to get every news about her. "By the way, how did you know about this?" Ariadne asked. "I
"They're looking good." Ariadne remarked as she and Mark sat at the bar, sipping drinks. Their eyes were fixed on Jennifer and Dean, who were dancing on the dance floor with others. "We will look better." Mark said as he placed his glass of drink on the bar counter after downing the liquor. Ariadne frowned as she looked at him. Mark rose from his seat and took her glass and placed it beside his own. "We're going to dance, too." he said as he grabbed her hand. "What? No." Ariadne was surprised. "Oh, yes." he forced her to stand up from her seat and dragged her to the dance floor. Ariadne stopped struggling as everyone was there. Mark took the position, and they began dancing to the music. Jennifer gave them a smile. Ariadne couldn't help but giggle. A romantic song played and Mark pulled her closer, placing his hand on her waist and looked at her eyes. "Don't try to be romantic with me." Ariadne gave him a funny look. "I'm just feeling the song." he smirked, causing h
When Xander came out of his room and nearly fell to the floor, Toby saw him. He was near the elevator, talking to his wife. As soon as he saw Xander, he approached him. However, when Xander banged on Ariadne's door he stopped in his tracks. He silently observed him without saying anything. Inside the room, Ariadne was lying on her bed, trying to sleep. After arriving at his room, Mark went to the bathroom and threw up three or four times. Only then did he feel better. Ariadne stayed in his room while he changed and freshened up. After taking a pill, he fell asleep, and Ariadne returned to her room. She, too, freshened up and changed into comfortable clothes. She didn't call home as she was exhausted and it was already late. She went straight to bed. However, she hadn't yet fallen asleep when her doorbell rang, followed by a loud banging on the door. She sat up abruptly, perplexed. She assumed it was Mark as she had instructed him to come to her room if he needed anything. She hurri
"None of this would have happened if they had allowed me to stay with you." Crystal said bitterly, expressing her anger. "They did as they were told. It's not their fault." Xander replied, sipping his juice. He was eating breakfast with Crystal in his room at noon. Because of the drug, he slept for a long time and woke up a while ago. "But Xander, you needed me. Only I could have helped you in that situation. We're getting engaged and we have slept before, so what happens if we do it again?" Crystal was furious after hearing what happened last night. She couldn't stand Ariadne near Xander, and last night they almost slept together. "I dislike doing anything while unconscious." "You don't do anything in your conscious state either." Crystal expressed her disappointment. "You didn't even kiss me once in these five years. You also refuse to let me near you." "Crystal, you know the reason. I don't want to talk about it now." "Yes, I understand that you care about me, and don'
Autumn stopped crying and looked at Xander with her doe eyes. "Ok." she said. Everyone was staring at Xander, surprised that he offered Autumn a piggyback. Xander, on the other hand, looked at the girl as he realized what he had done. Now, he would have to give her a piggyback. He didn't expect her to stop crying right away and accept his offer. He looked at the audience, who were clearly enjoying the show. He noticed a faint smirk on William's face and raised his brow with suspicion. He began to wonder, had he fallen into a trap? William actually played Xander. He was informed about his arrival yesterday. He knew the kids would come as well, as it was the weekend. He deliberatly didn't inform Ariadne of Xander's arrival and asked Xander to come in the morning. He pretended to give Autumn a piggyback as well. After all, he knew he wouldn't be able to piggyback anyone due to his current health. As he expected, Xander fell right into his trap. He wanted him to get closer to his chi
While the kids were at the old mansion, a couple sat at a corner table in a five-star restaurant on the other side of town. "How did your meeting with Mr. Yang go?" Ariadne asked, sipping her juice. "It was good. The contract will be ours." Zidane winked at her with a smile. Zidane had come to Zavion City to meet with a new client. He met them yesterday. While he was in town, he visited the construction site and observed all of the activities. This time, he stayed at a different hotel that belonged to his friend. He also had some personal work. He did, however, see Ariadne and her children on a regular basis because they were good friends. "So, are you planning to return or will you stay for longer?" Ariadne asked as the meeting with Mr. Yang was the main reason for his visit. "I've received an invitation to Mr. Blake's engagement. I'm thinking about staying to attend his engagement. After all, he's our biggest client." he said. Ariadne shifted in her seat at the mention o
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
"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
"What are you doing here, Mr. Blake?" Ariadne asked sharply.Xander was about to reply when Ace's father spoke up from behind."You're Mr. Blake." he exclaimed in disbelief, looking closely at Xander. He was on his way to congratulate Xander when he overheard Ariadne address him as Mr. Blake."I apologize, Sir. I didn't recognize you. Nice to meet you." he extended his hand. Xander shook his hand with a nod."Congratulations on your victory. I didn't know that you have kids." he added, looking at the kids.Xander frowned at his comment."Hello, Miss Miller." the man also greeted Ariadne.She smiled at him."We should leave now. Good night." the man left with his kids.Xander cleared his throat as they were alone now. Ariadne returned her gaze to him."Daddy, let's have dinner together." Autumn blurted out, drawing their attention. She grabbed his hand. "Dinner?" he asked hesitantly and looked at Ariadne. "Yes. Let's have dinner together. Mommy has prepared our favorite dishes toda
"Boss?" Jose's voice snapped Xander out of his reverie. He lifted his head and looked at the two men at the door to his bedroom. They walked in. "They're leaving, Boss. Aren't you going to stop them?" Jose asked, concerned. "No." Xander replied defeatedly, shaking his head. His gaze was fixed on the floor. He had no idea how long he had sat there like that. "What happened?" Toby asked. Xander looked tired. "I've destroyed everything... Everything." he exhaled. Jose and Toby exchanged confused glances. Silence fell. After a while, he abruptly stood up and headed towards the exit. They followed him downstairs. However, instead of going to Crystal's room he went towards the exit. He turned abruptly. "Give me the car keys." He ordered Jose. "Why? I can drive for you. Where're we going?" "Not we. Just me. Give me the keys right now." Xander's voice was serious. Toby gestured for Jose to do as he was told. A team of guards always followed Xander from a distance to ensure his
Xander appeared calm, but anyone could see the termoil behind his composed demeanor. Crystal lowered her face and looked at her nails. "I was playing with Autumn. Everything was fine." she began to explain in a low voice. "She has exams tomorrow, and you were playing with her!" Xander frowned. She immediately lifted her head to face him. "No... We played for a while, then I told her to go study, but she didn't listen." her voice was louder than before. She sighed and looked away before proceeding. "She wanted to see the file that contained the project documents. I denied because she could tear them." she lowered her voice again. "But she tried to snatch the file from my hands. We were on the steps. She accidentally pushed me during the process, and I lost my balance and fell down the stairs." she paused and looked at him. Xander listened to her quietly, staring at the far wall. "It was an accident. She didn't do it on purpose, I guess. Then she began to cry out of fear. T
"Where have you been these days?" Ariadne asked. "I was out of town." Mark replied. They were sitting on the couch in Alex's hospital room. Alex sat between them, examining the toy car Mark had brought for him. "You're looking depressed. Is everything alright?" Ariadne looked at him with concern. "Everything is fine. It's just the workload." "Oh... I can understand." she nodded, her lips pressed together. Mark took over as CEO of the Steele Group recently. It was difficult for him to deal with everything. She felt sorry for him. "So, with whom are you attending Jennifer's engagement party?" he asked, changing the subject. "Oh.. I forgot you have your whole family." he added, shaking his head and smiling. "I'm going alone." "What? Why?" "Autumn and Adrian can't go because they have exams. Tiara and Mama Mary will stay with the kids. So it's only me." she explained. "Then let's go together." "Um.. that's a good idea." Ariadne's eyes widened. "Which party? I
The maids finished serving, and everyone started eating. There was an awkward silence. Autumn and Adrian ate their food, lowering their heads, not interested in conversing with anyone. Xander watched them silently while eating his meal. "How are you, Margaret? It has been a long time." Mary asked, breaking the silence. "I'm fine, Mary. I've heard you're now the president of Autumn Collection." Margaret replied, looking at her. "Yes. You have heard it correctly." Everyone looked at them as they talked. "Do you know each other?" Crystal asked, surprised. Xander, too, appeared curious. "We were classmates in school." Mary replied. "Wow. I didn't know that." Crystal replied. "You don't know a lot of things." Mary shot her a sharp look. "Do you remember me?" Margaret asked as she looked at the kids, interrupting the conversation. Her expression suggested that she disliked the fact that she knew Mary and she didn't want the subject to continue. The kids looked at eac
"Go on. I'm listening." Tiara said lazily. Crystal shifted in her seat and looked at her nails. "I don't know what your relationship is with Aria. You aren't her friend. How did you become a member of her family? I'm curious." She raised a brow at Tiara. "I think that story is useless to you." Tiara replied in a boring tone. Crystal nodded. "Anyway... I like how you always protect her and her kids." she paused for a moment while Tiara stared at her intently. "I'm sure you're with her for your own benefit... after all she owns the Autumn Collection." "What do you want to say?" Tiara said, irritated. She wanted her to get to the main point. "I'm saying you're a lawyer and you will always see a profit. So why don't you switch to someone who can provide you with more benefits than Aria?" Crystal said, leaning into the desk. "Are you referring to yourself?" Tiara asked. "Of course." Crystal leaned back in her seat again. "I'm the CEO of Miller Group. I'm now engage
Ariadne didn't look at Xander as she entered the car that was waiting at the entrance. She felt ashamed of herself for thinking that ring was cheap. The ring held historical significance. As a jewelry designer, she was able to easily identify the quality of a piece. She was curious if he still had the ring. However, she chose not to talk about it as it was pointless at this time. Thinking about past mistakes would only bring pain. She brushed the subject off her mind. They both sat silently as the car drove away. "Where are we going?" she asked when she saw the car taking a different route. "To the hotel." Xander replied casually, looking outside. "Hotel? Why? Shouldn't we return to your jet?" Ariadne frowned. "We will visit their factory tomorrow. You will complete your first contract." "But.." "When you find a good partner, don't wait to finalize the deal. They will trust you if you demonstrate a willingness to collaborate with them." he said, cutting her off as he looke
"Mr. Hart can you handle things here for a few days?" Ariadne asked, as Mr. Hart entered her office. "I'm going out of town for a few days." she added. "O.. yes... don't worry.. I'll handle everything here." he said, placing a file in front of her. "Thank you." she smiled. "Let me know if you need anything." "Sure." Ariadne signed the documents and handed them back to Mr. Hart. "See you in a few days." she said. Mr. Hart nodded before leaving the office. Ariadne grabbed her belongings and left as well. ..... "How far is it?" Ariadne asked, irritated. "It will take another hour." Xander replied from his seat in the distance, where he was reading some documents. Ariadne sighed and gazed out the window. They had been sitting in Xander's private jet for the past five hours. It was a six-hour journey. What irritated her the most was having to sit with him. Even though she sat away from him, she was still uncomfortable. Xander suggested her to take a nap in the jet's pri
Xander was in a good mood after Alex addressed him as 'Daddy'. He put on a mask and followed them inside the restaurant. As they passed through, Autumn kept looking back at him. When Xander raised his brow at her, she looked away. They entered a private cabin. Xander looked around. It wasn't as cozy as the five-star restaurants, but it was still nice. Everyone took their seats. Tiara sat between the two kids, with Mary next to Adrian and Jose beside Autumn. Xander sat next to Jose. Autumn tugged on Jose's hand, causing him to look at her. "Why is he wearing a mask?" she asked. It was loud enough for everyone to hear. Jose looked back at his boss before smiling at her. "So that no one can recognize him." he replied. "Why? Are the police looking for him?" Tiara burst out laughing while Jose pressed his lips together to hold it in. Xander stiffened, embarrassed. His daughter thought he was a criminal. He removed his mask, without saying anything. "No. Your dad is the most fam