Chapter 88 The Real Homewrecker

Chapter 88 The Real Homewrecker
"Holy sht. He's confessing his love in front of the whole world. Wow." Tiara exclaimed.

Ariadne looked at her, frowning. "What nonsense is this? Is this how he will handle everything... by lying?"

"He's not lying... Jose told me everything." Tiara replied.

Ariadne's heartbeat quickened. She was hesitant to believe it was true.

'I love you, Angel' his words from that night echoed in her mind.

"Keep quiet, both of you. Let me listen." Mary said from behind.

They all returned their attention back to the television.

"This's something..." the anchor was at a loss for words. "But up until now, everyone knew that Crystal Miller is the love of your life. She stated this herself." 

"Yes. That's why I've come here to correct all of the false information." Xander said sharply.

"That means she's lying!" the anchor stated in disbelief.

She didn't seem convinced. They had seen Crystal with Xander over the years. This information was difficult to digest. His relationship with Ariadne was always a mystery. Everyone was now aware that Ariadne was his ex-wife. However, they had never seen them together in public. Many people had no idea who Xander's ex-wife was.

"I'm totally confused. Please tell us everything. What happened next? Did you fall in love with Crystal Miller later?"

"No. She was just a friend. Crystal would always be there when I went to see Ariadne. So we became friends. After a few years, my Grandpa arranged my marriage with Ariadne." 

"What?.. this's something we didn't know." the anchor interrupted him.

It was another shocking revelation. Xander nodded. 

"It wasn't announced to the media. It was between the two families. You can confirm it with the Millers or the Blakes." he said.

"What happened next?" 

The anchor appeared impatient.

"We were both happy with this. But Ariadne's relationship with Crystal soured after that. She began to feel insecure about Crystal for some reason and didn't want her near me. But Crystal never stopped getting along with me, which made things complicated." he paused and sighed regretfully.

"I didn't look for the reason and assumed it was Ariadne's immature behavior. But as we grew older, misunderstanding developed between us. She went abroad to further her studies. We concentrated on our careers. It got worse after that. In her absence, I met Crystal several times because our families were close. Some fools spread false rumors that I was dating her. Something similar happened to Ariadne. Her name was falsely associated with a few men. It was as if someone tried to break our relationship. What was worse was that we both believed the rumors. She was furious and insisted on marrying as soon as possible. She was afraid of losing me. And I was a fool not to understand that simple thing. I was twenty-four at the time. I didn't want to marry at that age. I wanted to take over the company before marrying her and starting my own family. But she was adamant. She saw my denial as betrayal. So she turned to Grandpa for help. He forced me to marry her. I was furious at her. I mistreated her for two years in order to exact revenge. Many things happened that shouldn't have. If only I had understood her sooner." he sighed and lowered his head. 

Silence fell. The anchor kept her gaze fixed on him.

"We eventually divorced, and she left the city. At that point, I was devastated. Crystal remained as a friend in my life. My mother wanted me to marry her. But I had made it clear to Crystal that I could never love her, but she insisted on staying with me."

After a brief pause, he gave the anchor a stern look.

"After I called off the engagement with Crystal, everyone blames Ariadne for it. They even went as far as calling her a homewrecker." he clenched his jaw.

"Now tell me.. who's the real homewrecker here? Ariadne felt insecure about Crystal. Crystal was aware of this, but she never made an effort to distance herself from me. After Ariadne left the city, she stuck with me. Her intension is now clear to us... isn't it? Otherwise, who would stick with her own sister's ex-husband?" he asked sharply.

The anchor was speechless. 

"I got engaged to Crystal, believing Ariadne had moved on in her life. But I regretted it even more when I learned about my kids."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"She gave birth and raised them on her own. Crystal could get any man. But can my kids have another father?... I failed to be a good husband to her, but I can't fail my kids."

The anchor nodded in agreement.

"They need me. They don't deserve a step-mother. Especially the woman who's responsible for their parents' separation."

Ariadne was frozen in place as she watched the interview. Tiara placed a hand on her shoulder.

"She played you both." she said, her tone sympathetic. 

Ariadne remained silent, unable to speak. She could now point out the things, recalling their past. It was always in front of them, but they were unable to see it. She was always focused on the negative things. The image of 'The Stone of Love' flashed before her eyes. She let out a sigh.

The interview ended after a while. Xander didn't limit himself to Crystal's topic. He claimed that Zidane Watson was behind the Grace Children's Hospital project fraud. It was another shocking revelation. As he didn't have reliable evidence against Zidane, it became a verbal debate. Everyone was now curious about Crystal and Zidane's response to Xander's blame.

After Xander's interview things took a different turn. Many began to blame Crystal for being an opportunist who broke her own sister's marriage for power, while others remained skeptical of the entire situation. Xander wanted to completely expose Crystal, but they didn't have evidence against her. He could only wait for their next move.

..........

"Boss has arrived." Jose said as he rushed into the hall.

All of the noise died down and everyone looked towards the entrance. After a while, Xander arrived. Ariadne gasped when she saw him. She placed her hands over her mouth, and her eyes welled up. Xander was carrying Alex in his arms.

"Alex." she said softly and stood up from the couch. 

Xander searched through the crowd until his gaze fell on her. He approached her as she walked towards them.

"Mommy." Alex exclaimed with delight.

He bent down to get into her arms. But Xander held him in his arms.

"Her shoulder's injured, Alex. She can't carry you." he said softly.

He moved closer to her so they could hug.

"My baby, I missed you." Ariadne cradled his face in her hands and kissed his forehead.

"I miss you, too, Mommy." he replied.

"Alex."

Adrian and Autumn dashed towards them.

Xander put Alex on the ground. A guard brought his wheelchair. Alex hugged his siblings before sitting in the chair. They wheeled his chair over to meet William and the others. Ariadne smiled as she looked at Alex. He was happy. After so many days, he stepped outside the hospital for the first time.

"Thank you for bringing him." she said, looking at Xander.

"We're celebrating Grandpa's birthday. How could I leave him out of this party?" he replied.

Everyone was happy to see Alex. They had organized a small family party to celebrate William's ninety-third birthday. Aside from the family, there were only household workers and Xander's men. Toby brought his family along. Xander planned it so that the kids could fully enjoy the party.

After a while, William cut the cake and everyone cheered. Soft music played in the background. The children played amongst themselves. Autumn was delighted to see Rachel. She took her to meet her brothers. 

"This's Adrian, my brother." She introduced Adrian and Rachel. "Adi, meet Rachel. My new friend." Autumn said excitedly.

Rachel appeared delighted to meet Adrian.

"Hello," she said, hugging him unexpectedly. 

"Oh my God, she likes him." 

Everyone laughed. Adrian on the other hand, frowned. 

"Look at his face." Tiara pointed.

"He's grumpy. Come on, I'll give you a hug." Alex said from behind.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Xander smiled and looked at them from a distance, standing next to William. The old mansion came alive with joy. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy.

"This's the feeling of having a family." William stated. 

Xander nodded. "But it's still incomplete."

"Don't give up. Do your best to win her over."

"I don't deserve her..." he sighed as he said.

"Then make yourself worthy of her..."

Xander looked at him as he said.

"Don't punish yourself for it. What's done is done. Look at them. She deserves everything. The kids deserve to grow up in a complete family." William added.

"I'm afraid, Grandpa. If she doesn't forgive me." 

He looked at Ariadne. She was smiling alongside the kids.

"At the very least, you will not regret that you didn't try."

Xander stayed silent, deep in thought.

"It's not your fault, actually. It's my fault." 

After some time, William said, drawing his attention. Xander shook his head.

"I didn't want your father to marry Margaret." William added.

"I knew from the start what kind of woman she's. Despite my dislike for that woman, I gave in for your father's happiness."

Xander looked at him and listened silently.

"After the marriage, your father fell into depression." he swallowed, recalling the past. "I saw him suffering in his marriage but I couldn't do anything to help him... and...he... he committed suicide." he said in a broken voice.

"Calm down, Grandpa." Xander held his arms, concerned.

William took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I didn't want you to go through the same thing. But in my haste, I made the wrong decision." he added with a sigh.

"No. It's not your fault. I was just a fool. But I promise you. I'll do everything to keep them happy. Don't worry about anything." he assured him.

William smiled. They composed themselves when they saw Ariadne approached them.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" She had noticed his discomfort before and became concerned.

"Absolutely... Let me spend some time with my grandchildren." he said. 

"Sure." Ariadne grabbed his arm and led him towards the kids.

She cast a glance at Xander. He smiled at her. They hadn't confronted each other after his interview. They had a lot on their minds, but they kept it to themselves.