Chapter 102 True Face

Chapter 102 True Face
"There will be media. Are you nervous?" Xander asked softly, looking at her face. Ariadne nodded.

He tangled his fingers with hers. "I'm here with you."

He flashed her a warm smile. Ariadne stared at his face, smiling. 

One week had passed since their passionate night. The next morning, they went to the old mansion hand in hand, and everyone was surprised. They didn't expect that just one date would bring them close, eliminating all the differences. They were over the moon when they found out they had agreed to give their relationship a second chance. William was the happiest among them.

Ariadne moved in with Xander and started living with him in his room. She wanted to take some time before they could think about marriage. Xander gave her full freedom to do whatever she wanted. His only focus was to cherish her and show her how much he loved her. He was very caring and responsible towards her. Their lives had changed completely, and both were happy with each other. 

The car came to a stop. They could hear sound of people talking and faint music from inside the vehicle. Xander climbed out of the car and rounded it, opening the door for Ariadne. He extended his hand to her. She blushed at his gesture. She had no idea he could be so romantic and gentle. She was seeing a different side of Xander since their patch-up.

She placed her hand on his and came out of the car. When she looked up at him, she noticed the affection in his eyes as he stared at her. Her heart fluttered as they lost in each other's eyes. 

A sudden flash of a camera ruined their moment as Ariadne's eyes fluttered shut at the impact. She looked around, only to notice all the cameras were pointed towards them. 

The garden was brightly lit. They could see the resort, which was equally decorated, in the distance. There was an entrance made of flowers. Beside the entrance, there was a place decorated for taking photographs of the guests. 

"Come." Xander said, placing his hand on her waist and leading her to the carpet. 

They needed to pose for photographs. Cameras flashed and the reporters captured their photo as they posed as a romantic couple. 

"Are you together, Mr. Blake and Miss Miller?" one of them asked.

"Yes. It's very much obvious. Isn't it?" Xander smiled and looked at Ariadne. 

"How romantic!" another one exclaimed. 

"Thank you." Xander said as the photo session ended and led Ariadne through the entrance. 

This side was quieter, with only guards here and there. They stopped for a moment to breathe in the fresh air. Tiara and Jose joined them. 

"Ah, the most ravishing couple of the night. You two are going to set the party on fire." Tiara declared.

Xander raised a brow at her, while Ariadne smiled.

"We should head inside, Boss." Jose said. 

"Yes." 

They began walking towards the entrance. 

Tiara grabbed Ariadne's hand and whispered into her ear, "Look, this's how a man behaves when he's with the woman he loves." 

Ariadne looked at her, surprised. Tiara smirked and walked ahead of them with Jose. She was referring to the time when Xander used to arrive with Crystal in parties. Tiara would always tell her that Xander wasn’t that interested in Crystal as he had never tried to be a gentleman to her, let alone show any affection. It was always Crystal who clung to him. Ariadne used to believe Xander was like this, cold and distant. But with her, he was a totally different person. A smile formed on her lips as she now realized Tiara had been right all along. 

"Are you okay?" Xander asked, drawing her out of her thoughts. 

"Yes." she smiled at him. 

Xander frowned but said nothing. When they entered the main hall, they stopped in their tracks. There were too many people in the huge ballroom. 

Famous businessmen, journalists, and powerful persons were gathered together. It was a grand party, hosted by the third richest person in Zavion City, Mr. Thomas Grey. 

As they entered the hall, all eyes turned towards them, and a murmur followed. For the first time, Xander and Ariadne arrived together at a public gathering. Though they were living together, it wasn’t known to the outside world. This party was where they would make it known that they were together now. Due to all the recent incidents, they were the hottest topic in the country right now. 

They made their way through the crowd. Mr. Grey approached them with a woman when he spotted them.

"Welcome, Mr. Blake and Miss Miller. It's our pleasure to have you two with us. This's my wife, Fiona."

"Hello. Nice to meet you." Mrs. Grey shook hands with them. "You're such a gorgeous lady, Miss Miller. I'm a huge fan of yours." she said to Ariadne.

"Thank you."

"Are you two together?" she asked, noticing how Xander held her close.

"Of course, we're." Xander replied.

"Nice. You two look perfect together. A very beautiful and romantic couple, I must say."

"Thank you, Mrs. Grey," Xander said.

He looked at Ariadne, smiling. His hand never left Ariadne's waist. 

"Look who have graced us with their appearance." someone said, drawing their attention.

They turned around and saw Zidane. Ariadne frowned before her face turned red with anger.

"Oh, Mr. Watson, come." Mr. Grey greeted him.

He cleared his throat before looking at Xander. "It's unfortunate that your project has been halted and your partnership with the Watson Group has been cancelled. I hope you don't mind that we've collaborated with the Watson Group."

"Oh, never." Xander shook his head. 

However, the atmosphere became tense.

"Enjoy the party. We have to go welcome the other guests." Mr. Grey and his wife excused themselves, noticing the rising tension. 

"Sure."

"You're looking gorgeous, Aria." Zidane said as soon as they left.

"Shut up... You bastard! You tried to kill my kids. You'll rot in hell." Ariadne said, gritting her teeth. 

"Hey.... Calm down, Angel." Xander whispered into her ear. 

Zidane smirked as Ariadne composed herself, aware that all eyes were fixed on them. 

"Mr. Blake, the first time we met, she was with me. And now, see, she has switched sides. Not bad." he mocked.

"Actually, we were together from childhood, Mr. Watson. It was you who came later."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course.... An unwanted guest who thinks himself a king, but in reality... he's a loser. And soon his false kingdom will perish." Xander said sharply, looking at his eyes.

"I think you should take care of your own kingdom, Mr. Blake. I've heard that Blake Corporation has lost many projects and clients in the last few weeks. Your company’s share price has also dropped. Is everything alright in the company, Mr. Blake?"

"You don't need to worry." 

"Oh, really?"

"Hi, darling." A voice interrupted them. 

They all looked at the woman dressed in a beautiful red gown. The woman approached Zidane and pecked his lips.

"This's my fiancée, Lydia." he introduced her.

"Hello, Mr. Blake." the woman smiled sweetly, looking at Xander.

However, when her eyes landed on Ariadne her expression changed. Lydia eyed Ariadne with a heated glare. Xander frowned.

"I think your fiancée doesn't know how to behave, Mr. Watson."

Lydia's face paled as she looked at Xander and composed her expression.

"I think we should meet the other guests." Xander said to Ariadne before they could say anything.

He led her away, without giving them a second glance. They talked with a few guests. After some time, Mr. Grey went to the podium.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we're here for a good reason. Grey Corporation has joined hands with the Watson Group for a hospital project..." 

Mr. Grey spoke on the mike drawing everyone's attention. Zidane glared at Xander and Ariadne before walking towards the stage with his fiancée. 

"Before I describe the motive of this project, please have a look at this video..." Mr. Grey said.

The hall went dark before dim lights came on, and the screen behind the podium illuminated. 

The video showed scenes of poor people and patients in critical condition.

"There're countless individuals suffering from life-threatening diseases who can't receive treatment due to financial difficulties." he began to describe. "These people desperately need our help. That's why Grey Hospital will offer low-cost to free medical services to those in need. I'm deeply grateful to Mr. Zidane Watson, who's passionate about this cause and is one of the co-founders of this hospital. We have been blessed with so much, and now it’s time to use our resources to treat those who truly need it. So, we're building a hospital for the underprivileged. Now, let’s take a look at our objectives."

Suddenly, the video went off and then restarted. Images of women being trafficked and drugs being transported were displayed. The guests watched silently, thinking it was part of their project. However, everyone gasped when they saw Zidane with the smuggler, giving orders.

They were confused while Zidane's face paled. He hurriedly instructed his bodyguards and they moved to the background but were stopped by the other guards. 

"What's this?" Mr. Grey asked, confused.

"This's nonsense. Stop this video immediately." Zidane yelled.

"No. We should watch the full video." Xander said. 

Mr. Grey nodded and the video continued. Zidane clenched his jaw. He glared at Xander, who raised his glass of wine towards him with a smirk.

A woman appeared on the screen, and it was none other than Gloria. 

"So... this's the real face of Zidane Watson. The man whom the world thinks of as a reputable businessman is actually a criminal." she said, looking at the camera. 

"You all might be shocked... confused...but this's the truth.... And as for who I am..." she sighed and sat on the stool behind her.

"I'm Gloria. Zidane's secret girlfriend.... or you can say his secret mistress, now that he has a fiancée."

Lydia gasped and looked at him. 

"We were high school lovers. We have a daughter too. I was his partner in crime and he promised me he'd marry me, but...." she shook her head. "So... I'm just returning the favor." she said with a smirk.

The hall fell into pin-drop silence as she described his every plan and how they had executed them. 

"I've sent the location and other information about all of his criminal businesses to Mr. Xander Blake." she added lastly.

Everyone looked at Xander. They now realized that he was behind this. He exposed Zidane in front of everyone. 

"This video is fake. This's a trap. Mr. Blake is trying to frame me." Zidane yelled frantically. 

"We will check whether it's fake or not. But for now, you have to come with us." a man approached him and said.

He was the head of police of Zavion City. There were a few armed men behind him. Zidane looked around and noticed everyone was watching him. He calmed down and nodded before leaving the hall with them.

The hall erupted in murmurs as soon as he left.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see we have an unexpected problem here. All the further program is canceled. We would directly go to the dinner. I request you to have your dinner before leaving. Sorry for the chaos." Mr. Grey announced. 

Everyone spread. Some went to have dinner while some left without it. Xander and Ariadne didn't stay for dinner and left the hall. 

"You're sure that video will be enough? I don't trust him." Ariadne asked as they get in the car. 

Xander nodded. 

"Yeah, it's enough. We have other evidences as well, which will be provided to the police." he said, pecking her lips.

Their car drove away from the resort shortly after. 

..... 

A car sped through an empty road. 

"Where are you taking me?" Zidane asked. 

He sat in the back seat with four officers. He wasn’t handcuffed. 

"To headquarters." one of the men replied. 

Zidane nodded. He was being taken in for questioning, and they would verify the authenticity of the videos before taking further steps. 

Suddenly, the car came to a complete stop. 

"What happened?" the same man asked, looking ahead. 

A car was parked in the middle of the road, blocking their way. The officers immediately sensed danger and drew their weapons. Two of them stepped out of the vehicle, but before they could react, several masked men emerged from the darkness and swiftly knocked the officers unconscious. 

"Everything’s clear, Boss." one of the masked men said. 

Zidane smirked as he climbed out of the car and walked away. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a slow drag. 

"Oh, Gloria… I underestimated you." he murmured. 

A car pulled up in front of him. Without hesitation, he approached, climbed inside, and it sped away.