Chapter 96 A Well-thought Plan

Chapter 96 A Well-thought Plan
Crystal's face turned pale.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she replied.

"Oh, please." Zidane gave an irritated look. "I know you're the one who exposed my bastard daughter." 

"What do you think of me? You actually thought you could ruin my reputation by revealing that I've a bastard child. Really?" he arched his brow, his tone mocking. 

Crystal gulped. She was furious and wanted to teach him a lesson. So she used a connection to reveal the news. Even after falling from grace, she had a few friends. They were mostly men.

"I'm not Xander Blake, dear. You have made a mistake here." Zidane clenched his jaw. 

He appeared serious. He moved to the wall and pressed a button. The wall slides to the side, revealing a glass wall. What drew Crystal's attention were the people on the other side of the glass wall. She gasped. The room was full of women. Most of them were under thirty. They looked scared as they sat on the floor. She immediately realized what was going on. 

"You!" she looked at Zidane with wide eyes.

"Yes, I do human trafficking." he nodded.

Her face had completely lost it's colour. Only now did she realize how dangerous Zidane was. He approached her, grasping her chin in his hands. He angled her face toward the glass wall.

"Look at them. Waiting for their fate. Your destiny could be the same as theirs.. if I want. I'll make a lot of money by selling you. You are a beautiful woman." he released her chin and pretended to think about something.

"I think... I should put you up for auction. That would bring me more money." 

Crystal shook her head, terrified. "No. You can't do this to me."

"Yes, I can, dear. Who's going to stop me? You should have thought before pulling that stunt." 

"I'm sorry... Please don't do this. I can do anything, but I don't want to be a prostitute."

She realized she had made a huge mistake by getting involved with Zidane. He was a monster.

"Please." she pleaded. Her eyes filled with tears. 

Zidane pretended to think again. Crystal looked at him, holding her breath.

"We had great fun that night. I enjoyed a lot. I think I should have mercy on you." he stated with a smirk.

Crystal's eyes lit up with hope. 

"But... You have to do something for me."

"I'm ready to do anything. But please don't sell me." Crystal burst into tears.

"Shhhh.... I won't sell you. You're very precious to me." he pretended to console her, tapping her on the head.

He then started untying her. He led her out of the room after she was freed from the ropes.

.......... 

A few days had passed, and the triplets' birthday had arrived. They turned five years old. Their birthday was being celebrated at one of the Blake family's resorts. For the first time, the children were celebrating their birthday in Zavion City. Furthermore, this time, their entire family was present. So it was a grand celebration. Margaret was the only one who wasn't present. Xander had made sure of it.

Everyone was excited. A few of the kids' classmates were also present with their families. Toby also brought his family with him.

However, Xander wasn't as happy as the others. He was happy for the children, but his heart was in turmoil. He had no idea what had happened between Ariadne and Mark during their short trip. Ariadne was in a good mood after returning. Xander couldn't muster the courage to ask Mark what her answer was. They had been so busy in the last few days that he didn't have time to sit down with Ariadne for a conversation. He made a mental note to speak with her after the birthday party.

"Everything is ready, Boss." Jose's voice drew him back from his thoughts.

He was standing in a corner, looking at Ariadne, who was talking to a staff member in the distance. She wore a red gown. He was admiring how stunning she appeared.

"Instead of ogling her from here, go to her and tell her she looks good."

Xander glared at Tiara as she commented. The woman winked at him before walking towards Ariadne. Jose gave him an awkward smile as Xander glared at him. Jose and Tiara were now together. Xander was happy for Jose. He had finally found a woman for himself. But his own life was a complete mess. He let out a sigh. It wasn't time to reflect on his messed-up relationship with Ariadne. 

"Have you checked the security?" he asked. 

"Yes boss."

"Good. Zidane is in the city, so stay alert."

The guests had already started to arrive.

"Boss." Jose pointed towards the entrance. 

Xander looked in that direction. He felt his heart skip a beat. Mark Steele made his way through the hall's entrance. He smiled as he looked at someone, and it was none other than Ariadne. She approached him with a smile and hugged him. Xander froze on his spot. He was almost convinced that Ariadne might have accepted his proposal. Otherwise, Mark wouldn't have arrived, and they wouldn't have greeted each other so warmly. His heart raced as he considered the possibility. He could no longer see the scene and left.

. 

The kids arrived at the hall and spread in the crowd to meet with everyone. Xander had appointed a bodyguard for each of them so that they could play on their on.

"Happy birthday, Alex." Gloria said as she approached Alex.

He was playing with some kids. 

"Thank you, Aunt Gloria."

Gloria sat beside him.

"Oindrila has come to meet you." she whispered into his ear.

"Really?" Alex asked, his eyes wide.

As he was in the hospital, he had no friends here. He became excited at the prospect of meeting one of his old friends after a long time.

"Yes. But she's afraid to come here. You know how shy she is. She was terrified after seeing the security. She's in the garden. Go alone if you want to meet with her." Gloria added. 

She made sure no one from his family was nearby before approaching Alex to carry out her plan. There were two children playing alongside him.

Alex looked around. There were more guards than guests. He knew Oindrila was a shy girl.

"He will not leave me alone." he pointed to the guard standing at a distance.

"Then let's sneak in. I've a plan."

Alex's eyes lit up as he heard that. Gloria whispered her plan into his ear and then left. She stayed close and watched him. 

After a while, Alex approached the guard. The guard was a young man.

"I need to use the washroom." Alex informed him.

"Okay." The guard began walking towards the restroom near them. 

However, Alex stopped him. "Not this one. I want to use the other restroom. That one is big."

The guard frowned but agreed, assuming it was his childish behavior. He took him in his arms and walked towards the other washroom. It was on the resort's backside, near the back door.

That side was deserted because no one was there. When they arrived, the guard put Alex down. He walked into the restroom and the guard stood outside.

Suddenly, he noticed Gloria walking towards him with quick strides.

"Hey, Mr. Blake is looking for you. I saw you coming this way and came to inform you." she said. 

"Thank you, Madam. I'm waiting for Alex to come out of the restroom."

"I think it's urgent. The other guards have gathered already. Mr. Blake is looking furious. You should go right away." 

The guard looked at the bathroom door and hesitated.

"I'll stay here and bring him to the hall. Go."

Gloria had stayed by Ariadne's side for the past few days. She helped her with the preparation and shopping as well. Everyone was convinced that she was one of Xander's trusted people. The guard nodded and walked toward the hall. Gloria let out a sigh before walking to the restroom door.

"Alex. It's me. Everything is clear. You may come out." she said.

The door opened instantly, and Alex stepped out. He looked behind her and saw no one there.

"Wow...your plan worked, Aunt Gloria." he said excitedly.

Gloria smiled at him. "Yes, of course. Now let's go."

She led him towards the back door. She had already broken the lock on the backdoor. The plan was well-thought. She had carefully studied the resort's blueprint to plan where she could successfully sneak Alex out of the building. The security in the backside of the resort wasn't as tight because no one was supposed to be there. There were just a few guards in the distance. 

"I can't go with you. You have to go alone. I'll stay here to keep an eye on the guards." Gloria explained.

"Okay. No problem."

Alex was always the daring child, so he didn't bother. He left through the door and arrived in the garden. 

. 

In the hall, Xander looked around for Alex. It was time to cut the cake. Autumn and Adrian were present, but Alex was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Alex?" he asked them as he couldn't find him in the hall. 

"We don't know, Daddy." the kids replied.

"Sir, have you asked for me?"

Xander noticed the guard that was assigned to Alex coming towards them. He frowned when he saw him alone.

"Me? No. Where is Alex?" he asked.

The guard was taken aback. "He's in the restroom, Sir."

"Did you leave him alone?"

"No, Sir. There's that woman, Gloria, with him. She informed me that you're asking for me." the guard informed.

"What?" Xander's face turned pale. Something was off.

He dashed towards the restroom. The guard followed him. He searched the restroom while calling Alex, but there was no sign of him or Gloria.

"You fool." he punched the guard.

The guard was as terrified as him. They began their search in the surrounding area. They soon found the back door which was ajar.

"Quick. Inform everyone and bring help." Xander said before rushing through the door.

The guard turned on his Bluetooth to inform everyone, and then he ran to the garden, too. 

. 

In the hall...

"What happened?" Ariadne asked when she noticed the commotion among the guards.

"Alex is missing." Jose informed her.

"What?" she became terrified.

"The back door was found to be open. He's probably in the garden. Boss has gone there." Jose told her as they walked towards the back door. She followed them. 

. 

In the garden... 

"Oindrila? Where are you?" Alex called out, looking around the garden.

His legs were aching from standing for so long. 

"Alex." 

Someone called his name. He turned and noticed a figure in the dark corner. He approached and noticed it was a woman.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your Aunt, Crystal." Crystal replied.

Alex frowned. He had never seen Crystal before, so he didn't recognize her.

"Have you seen a girl here? Her name is Oindrila." he asked.

Crystal laughed. "There's no girl here, kid. It's only me." 

She had a gun in her hand. Alex had no idea what was happening. He looked at the gun with a frown and didn't move from his place. 

"Alex." a voice came from afar, drawing their attention. 

Crystal panicked as the footsteps became closer.

"Good bye, Alex." she aimed the gun at him.

She saw a figure approaching from the corner of her eye. Without wasting time, she fired, closing her eyes.

Boom!!!!

The sound of the gunshot rang in the air and everything stilled.

When Crystal opened her eyes, she saw Xander's back. The bullet hit him on his shoulder as he shielded Alex in his arms. Guards arrived at the garden, along with Ariadne. They began to ran towards Crystal. But it was too late. 

Crystal shot again. This time, the bullet hit Xander close to his heart in the upper back. He groaned in pain.

"Xander!" Ariadne screamed, terrified.