Chapter 106 Bonus Chapter

Chapter 106 Bonus Chapter
Three years later....

"I can't see Oindrila." Autumn said, looking around the field.

"Neither can I." Alex said. 

"Isabella!" Adrian yelled, drawing everyone's attention.

They followed his line of sight and saw a beautiful red-haired little girl at a distance. She looked at them, and her eyes widened. Adrian ran to the girl with a smile and held her hand.

"Adi..." the girl smiled at him.

"How are you? I've come to meet you." Adrian said excitedly.

"I'm good. I thought you have forgotten me." she said, hesitantly.

"I'll never forget you, Bella. I missed you."

His words brought a big smile to her face. "I missed you too. How are you?" 

"Perfectly fine." Adrian said.

They were interrupted as the family approached them. Isabella’s face lit up when she saw them. 

"Hey, Alex, Autumn!" she greeted warmly. 

The children rushed into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Hello, Aunt Aria and Aunt Tiara." Isabella greeted them as well. 

"Hey, dear. How are you?" Ariadne asked.

"I'm good, Aunt Aria." she replied before her eyes landed on Xander, who was holding Xandria in his arms. 

Adrian stepped forward. 

"Bella.... This's my Dad, and this's my little sister, Xandria." he introduced like a gentleman. 

Xander stared at him, surprised.

"She's his girlfriend." Tiara whispered into his ear. 

"What?" he frowned, looking at her. 

She winked at him. Xander rolled his eyes before returning his gaze to the little girl and smiling at her. He placed Xandria down who toddled towards them. 

"She's so cute." Isabella exclaimed, looking at Xandria. Xandria giggled.

They were overjoyed after meeting again after a long time and began talking about their lives while the elders looked around the school. 

Ariadne had paid a visit to Purple City with the whole family. They had some work regarding the Autumn Collection, as they were going to launch it's headquarters in Zavion City soon. They went to see Oindrila but came to know that she was in school. So they all arrived at the school to meet Oindrila and the kids' other friends as well.

"How did this year's annual ceremony go? Did you participate?" Autumn asked excitedly.

They missed their old school.

"Yes, I did. I won the princess contest." Isabella replied with joy.

"Of course you will. You're the most beautiful girl in this school." Adrian said, looking at the red-haired girl. Isabella blushed.

Adrian’s words caught Xander's attention and he looked at them. 

"Heyy.... Oindrila is more beautiful." Alex declared. 

"No, Isabella is more beautiful!" Adrian shot back immediately, folding his arms as if his judgment was final. 

Isabella giggled, covering her mouth. Autumn joined her too. Their parents exchanged glances, amused. 

"These kids…" Ariadne murmured, shaking her head with a sigh. 

"Both are beautiful." she stated, her voice soft. She knew this was just one of those harmless arguments that children loved to have. "There’s no need to argue. Everyone’s beautiful in their own way." she added. 

The two brothers exchanged glances but said nothing. 

"By the way... Where's Oindrilla, Bella?" Ariadne asked. 

"Um... Actually, I dont know for sure. She no longer mixes with us and prefers to stay alone." Isabella said with sympathy.

"Why?" Ariadne asked. her brows knitting in concern.

"She has changed. No one talked with her much after the news about her parents. The other parents warned their kids to stay away from her. My parents too. But I will never leave her alone. She's my close friend."

Ariadne and Xander exchanged glances upon hearing that. 

"You're a good girl. Let's find her." Ariadne said.

"She might be on that side." Isabella pointed towards the other side of the garden, where there were only trees.

They moved towards the side Isabella pointed at. They spread out to find her. After a while, Ariadne found her. She was sitting alone on a bench in the far corner of the garden, away from everyone's eyes. Her heart ached at the sight. She approached her.

"Hey." she sat on the bench beside her.

"Aunt Aria!" Oindrila was surprised to see her. They hugged.

"What are you doing here alone?"

"I like the peace here."

"Do they annoy you? Does anyone bully you? I can complain to the principal." Ariadne said, concerned.

Oindrila shook her head. "No, no. It's just that I like being like this. I feel comfortable here."

"You can always tell me everything if there's a problem." Ariadne patted her head.

"I will."

"Oindrila.." Autumn and Alex called out, running towards them.

"Your friends are here. Go meet them." Ariadne said.

Oindrila smiled as she stood up and ran towards them. They hugged and began to talk. Ariadne smiled as she looked at them. Xander approached her and sat beside her.

"I'm worried about Oindrila. She has changed. She was a talkative, bubbly girl. Look how she has become a silent and distant girl."

"Hard times teach us to mature before our age." Xander said.

"She's innocent."

"Yes, but it's her fate. We can only help but she has to fight her own battle." 

Ariadne nodded with a sigh. 

"I think he likes her." Xander said, looking at Isabella and Adrian.

"Yes." Ariadne smiled. "But fate is so cruel. They can't stay in the same city."

"If they're meant to be, they will eventually get together." Xander said.

"Yes..." Ariadne replied. 

They looked at each other and smiled before standing up and approaching the kids. 

..... 

One month later.....

The Autumn Collection had successfully launched it's headquarters in Zavion City. Xander and Ariadne's new mansion was ready, and they had moved in. William had moved in with them too, as his health was deteriorating day by day. He didn't have much time left, so Xander wanted him to live with everyone. Jose and Toby's family also lived in the area. They had their own villas behind the mansion. They all lived like a family. Only Margaret stayed in her penthouse and visited them occasionally. 

Jose and Tiara had married and had a son. Mark was also married to his girlfriend. Everyone had settled into their lives and was now having their own family.

On a summer day, the garden of the mansion was filled with the laughter of the children. They had planned a picnic together. 

A few mats were spread on the grass with baskets of food and other things. The elders were arranging the things while the kids played in the garden. Adrian, however, sat alone on the side, watching them silently. The kids decided to play Tag.

"Adrian, are you joining or not?" Alex asked.

"I'm not interested." he replied.

"He has become so grumpy." Autumn stated, frowning.

"Yes, he doesn't spend much time with us like he used to in the past." Alex nodded.

"He's always busy with his books." Autumn added.

"Ignore him." Alex shook his head.

As they talked about Adrian, Rachelle's eyes were fixed on him.

After a while, the game began, and Rachelle was the one to chase. Everyone began to run, but suddenly Rachelle ran to Adrian and tagged him, surprising everyone. They began to chant his name, urging him to join the game. Adrian, on the other hand, went red with anger. He abruptly stood up and glared at Rachelle.

"Why did you tag me? I'm not interested in playing. Can't you understand?" he yelled, startling her. 

The others were also taken aback by his outburst. Even the elders looked at them when they heard the commotion. 

"I just wanted to play with you." Rachelle said meekly.

"Stop annoying me. I don’t want to play with you." Adrian declared. Rachelle flinched. 

"Adi, behave." Xander's voice came from behind as he approached them.

But Adrian was angry. He kept venting his anger at Rachelle with hurtful words. 

"Adi, I said stop."

Sofia was worried, while Toby looked at the scene with an expressionless face.

"Why don't you say her to stop as well? She always irritates me." Adrian shot back as Xander stood in front of him.

Without warning, Xander’s hand shot out and struck Adrian across the cheek. The sound of the slap echoed, freezing everyone in place. 

"Xander!" Ariadne gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. She stepped towards them.

Adrian was equally shocked. But soon his shocked expression turned into fury, and he looked at Rachelle murderously. His father slapped him for the first time, and it was because of her. 

Rachelle stood there wide-eyed and speechless. For a brief second, silence fell before Adrian spun on his heel and bolted. He ran towards the mansion. 

"You shouldn’t have slapped him!" Ariadne said as she approached them. 

"No." Xander said firmly. "He needs to know how to behave."

Ariadne sighed and crouched down before Rachelle. "Are you okay, dear?"

Rachelle nodded.

"Good." she ruffled her hair before standing up. "Alright, kids, let's get the game going again!" she said with a smile, breaking the tension in the air.

The kids relaxed and restarted the game. Ariadne exchanged a look with Xander before heading towards the mansion. 

...... 

Night fell, and everyone returned to their rooms after dinner. There was silence regarding what had happened at the picnic. Ariadne was worried. She was sipping her coffee on the balcony, looking at the far sky, deep in thought.

"Why are you still worried about that? It's just an argument. It's normal among children." Xander said as he hugged her from behind, kissing her shoulder.

Ariadne sighed. "Do you remember the statue that broke and Adrian was upset?" she asked.

"Yes, Isabella gifted that to him."

She nodded. "Rachelle broke it?"

"What?" Xander frowned in disbelief.

"Yes. I saw her breaking it."

Xander was speechless. 

"She always likes to play with Adrian, but he doesn't give her any attention. I've noticed how she looks at him. She likes him very much."

"But Adrian likes that girl from Purple City, and his liking is quite strong, just like I used to like you in our childhood."

"Yeah.... that's why I'm worried. I don't want Rachelle to become like Crystal. She had become possessive of Adrian, and he hated it." 

"We can't dictate people's choices, but we can guide them. Ultimately, it's their decision what path they'll take." 

He made her turn around, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Ariadne placed her hands on his shoulder. 

"We've gone through so much.... We fell for each other. Then we hated each other. Then we realized our mistakes and worked on our relationship. And ultimately, here we are. They will find their way too... just like us. We'll always support them and guide them."

Ariadne relaxed at his words. 

"I'm lucky to have you." she whispered with a smile. 

Xander shook his head. "No.... I’m lucky to have you." 

Ariadne looked at him and they both laughed. 

"We have a new role now." he said softly, pecking her lips. "New problems will arise… but we’ll fight them all together." 

She nodded and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. Together, they stood there, bathed in the soft light of the moon, their hearts beating as one. The night air was filled with the promise of a new beginning, and they were ready to face it hand in hand. 



 

While True love binds two people forever, it's trust and understanding that make a relationship strong. 



 

THE END