Chapter 39 The Business Festival
"This's your room, Madam."
"Okay, thank you." Ariadne said to the room service as she took the key from him.
It was the night before the business festival and Ariadne arrived at her room on the third floor. There were three more doors in the hallway.
"Who occupies these rooms?"
"That room is occupied by Mr. Hopkins." said the boy, pointing to the door at the corner on the opposite side of the corridor. "...this one is empty for now." he added, referring to the room next to her.
"And that room?" Ariadne pointed to the room directly across from hers.
"It's occupied by Mr. Blake."
"What?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
'No, no, I need to stay away from Xander and Crystal.' Ariadne thought in her mind.
"Can I have another room on the first or second floor?"
"I am sorry, Madam, but all of the rooms are full. This year there were a large number of guests. Only these two rooms are available."
"Oh... Okay." she sighed.
She entered the room, and the boy assisted her in getting her luggage inside. Nearly all of the guests had arrived. They would rest the night before joining the festival the next day. There was also a dinner party today. Ariadne wasn't interested in attending, as she was tired. She ordered her dinner to her room and went to bed after speaking with the kids via video call.
.
The next day, Ariadne was awakened by a knock on her door. She adjusted her nightgown and approached the door. When she opened the door, she saw the room service. However, her attention was drawn to the opposite door, which opened at the same time, revealing Xander. He stepped out closing the door behind him. Their gazes met.
"Madam, your coffee." as the boy spoke, Ariadne turned her head away from Xander.
"Thank you." she took the tray from him.
Xander gave her one last look before heading to the elevator.
"There's a tea party in the garden." the boy informed her.
"When is it?"
"It's about an hour later."
"Ok. I will be there on time."
The boy nodded before leaving.
Every year, a festival was held at Rose Garden. This festival was open to all businessmen, big and small. To keep the people entertained, various activities such as dancing, singing, magic shows, games, and so on were planned. It was a three-day festival. The goal of the festival was to meet new people and expand one's business.
One and a half hour later, Ariadne found herself standing at the entrance of the tea-party, in the garden. The place was beautifully decorated with flowers and soft music played in the background. Women were dressed in floral-printed sun dresses. She herself wore one too.
"Hello.. Miss Miller."
Ariadne turned when she heard a male voice. A well-dressed man in his late twenties stood behind her, smiling.
"I was looking forward to meeting you." he extended his hand.
Ariadne didn't get a good vibe from him. Nonetheless, she smiled at him politely.
"Hello.. Nice to meet you too, Mr...."
"Tom Cooper." the man introduced himself as Ariadne shook hands with him.
Ariadne recognized his name immediately.
"Tom Cooper from C Group?" she asked.
Everyone was familiar with C Group, one of the larger companies in Zavion City.
"Yes. So you know me..huh... not bad. By the way you are really a gorgeous lady."
"Thank you."
"May I address you as Ariadne?"
Ariadne was shocked by the man's audacity. They had just met, but he wanted to address her by name.
"I think we should stick with our formal names for now. We are all professionals after all." she declined politely.
"Sure... I will wait untill you are comfortable around me."
"Hey... Aria." Crystal called her from a table. "Come here."
Ariadne frowned. She was well aware that there was always a hidden motive behind Crystal's sweet behavior.
"Let's go." Tom said.
On the table, there were also other people with Crystal. It would be impolite if she refused to go, so she went reluctantly. They joined the table, and everyone began to converse. They greeted Ariadne and congratulated her on the success of the Autumn Collection. Crystal didn't like it and changed the subject.
"There will be a dinner party tonight. Has everyone picked a date?"
Everyone began to talk about it.
"Aria, have you found a date for tonight?" Crystal asked. "I mean, I am going with Xander. Everyone would come with a partner. You should get one, too. You wouldn't want to go there alone. Would you?"
Before Ariadne could speak, Tom proposed. "It will be my pleasure if Miss Ariadne comes with me to the dinner party. I would like to be her date."
Ariadne glared at him. Not only did he propose to be her date, but he also addressed her as Ariadne, which she clearly denied just moments before. It appeared that the man lacked manners.
"As far as I know, this isn't a date night party. One can attend alone. It's not necessary to bring a date, and I prefer not to. Sorry, Mr. Cooper, I would like to attend this party alone."
"Come on, Aria, you are passing up a great opportunity. He's both handsome and rich."
"Crystal, you don't need to tell me this. I am an adult, and I can choose for myself. I'm sure he will find a better woman than me."
Crystal was about to say something but stopped when she saw Xander approaching their table. He came and sat beside her, the only seat that was left empty.
"Let me know if you change your mind, Miss Ariadne. My offer will remain open for you." Tom said.
"What offer?" Xander frowned as he asked.
"Mr. Cooper asked Aria to be his date tonight, but she declined. We were all saying that she should accompany him." Crystal explained to him.
"Why? It's her choice. If she doesn't want to go then she shouldn't."
Everyone changed the subject as soon as Xander said those words. Ariadne looked at him, surprised. The conversation carried on. Everyone began to discuss the upcoming engagement. Xander and Crystal occasionally glanced at Ariadne, who tried to appear unaffected by the topic. Crystal was clearly trying to irritate her, but Ariadne had no idea what was on Xander's mind.
Despite Ariadne's reluctance, Tom continued to flirt with her throughout the conversation. Xander became irritated and glared at the man. However, he did not say anything because everyone was having a good time talking.
After a while, Ariadne excused herself and left the party. She no longer wanted to stay with them. She had a feeling Crystal knew Tom and was helping him pursue her. She needed to be careful around people, as Tiara warned her. She spent the entire day in her room until the evening came.
.
She got ready and left her room. She wore a green knee-length dress with her hair pulled back into a bun. She went to the hall where the dinner party was being held. As expected, the beautifully decorated hall was packed with people. On the stage, a vocalist was performing a romantic song. Some couples were dancing on the empty space beside the stage. Others were formed in groups and sat together in the tables. She didn't have a group because she had not talked much since arriving. She would join whoever wanted her at their table.
"Hello, Miss Miller." a middle-aged woman approached her with a smile.
"Miss Morkel... Nice to meet you." Ariadne recognized the woman.
The woman was Alma Morkel, a famous fashion designer.
"Oh dear, the pleasure is mine. I'm a huge fan of Autumn Collection and was very excited to meet the owner. You're such a gorgeous and talented lady."
"Thank you. You're just as great, Lady Alma. Everyone is aware of your achievements. I admire you greatly."
"Thank you. Would you like to join me at our table?"
"Sure." Alma led her to a table.
However, Ariadne's face turned pale when she saw Crystal and her minions at the table. She wanted to avoid Crystal and Xander as they would intentionally humiliate her, but she couldn't deny Alma. She reluctantly sat next to the elderly woman.
"Meet Miss Ariadne Miller, the owner of Autumn Collection." Alma introduced her to everyone.
"Lady Alma, you might be surprised to learn that she's my sister." Crystal remarked.
She wore a mermaid gown and left her hair open. She always dressed elegantly, and everyone admired her style. However, she looked at Ariadne with hatred, noticing her stunning appearance. Five years ago, Ariadne was nothing in front of her, but that had changed now.
"Really??. I didn't know that. No doubt both of you are talented."
There were several new faces at the table as well. They all complimented Ariadne.
"May I join you." a voice directed their attention to the newcomer, and Ariadne nearly rolled her eyes as she noticed the person.
"Sure, Mr. Cooper... It looks like luck is on your side." Crystal said sugestively.
To Ariadne's dismay, the seat next to her was empty and Tom sat on it.
"You are looking stunning, Miss Miller."
Ariadne gave him a forced smile.
After a while, Xander and Jose joined them. He sat next to Crystal, across from Ariadne. Their gazes met briefly before Ariadne turned away to face the other people. When Xander's gaze fell on Tom, his expression hardened.
As everyone was talking, Ariadne felt a hand on her thigh. She gritted her teeth and glared at Tom. He gave her a wide grin, which made her furious. She yanked his hand from her thigh.
"Don't cross your limit, Mr. Cooper. I will not tolerate any disrespect." She said with a lower tone.
"What are you going to do? Do you think anyone will support you here?"
"I had no idea you were such a shameless man."
"Oh, I am only offering you my comfort. Your sister and your ex-husband are getting engaged. It must be painful for you. I can console you."
"Shut up. You are a sick bastard."
"You both look good together." someone said, drawing Ariadne's attention.
"Is Mr. Cooper your date for tonight, Miss Miller?"
"No. I don't have a date tonight. We are just talking."
Ariadne didn't want to cause a scene, so she remained silent. She was angry and helpless. No matter how successful you were, if you didn't have a man by your side, people would always dare to humiliate you.
After a while, Tom suddenly began to rub his leg against Ariadne's leg under the table. She felt terrible. She glared at him with gritted teeth, but the shameless man didn't stop. She became extremely uncomfortable. As she looked around, her gaze fell on Crystal, who was smirking at her. It dawned on her that it was Crystal's plan to humiliate her with this bastard.
She kicked Tom's leg and lowered her head, contemplating how she could get out of this.
Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed Tom's collar, and he was abruptly lifted from his chair. Tom collapsed on the floor, unable to handle the sudden force.
Everyone gasped in shock, including Ariadne.