Chapter 14 Old Friends
Ariadne closed her eyes, frustrated.
It was Crystal who called her.
The other representatives looked at her with curiosity. She smiled awkwardly at them before turning around to see Crystal and Xander standing near the meeting room.
She didn't want to face Xander or Crystal, but she had no choice.
Mr. Hugh and Mr. Wright also emerged from the meeting room at that time.
"We should leave as well." Mr. Wright informed Xander.
"Ok. We will meet tomorrow." Xander said, looking at Ariadne, who was approaching them slowly.
"Ok, sure." Mr. Wright and Mr. Hugh walked towards the exit.
Mr. Wright smiled at Ariadne as they passed through the corridor, and she returned the smile politely.
With only three people remaining, The corridor fell silent. Crystal and Xander also began walking towards Ariadne.
Ariadne didn't miss how Crystal held Xander's arm.
'Nothing has changed. It's the same as in the past.' Ariadne sighed. 'You can do this.'
Before Ariadne could say anything, Crystal engulfed her in a tight hug.
"Aria, I can't believe my eyes. I thought I would never see you again. Where had you been all these years? We missed you so much." Crystal exclaimed excitedly.
Ariadne broke the hug and noticed Xander was staring at her coldly. She averted her gaze to Crystal and smiled.
"Same here. It's nice to get back to my hometown and see everyone again." She said.
"We are very happy that you have finally returned. Is it not, Xander?" She moved closer to Xander and asked, to which he gave a small nod.
Ariadne was well aware that Crystal was staking her claim on Xander by her actions. She laughed in her mind. She hadn't returned to get Xander back.
"Hello, Ariadne. Nice to see you again." Xander extended his hand.
"Hello, Mr. Blake. Same here." Ariadne shook his hand.
Xander frowned at her formality. He held her hand for longer than necessary before letting it go.
"So you are an architect, interior designer, and CEO of Watson Group as well." Crystal stated, trying not to clench her teeth.
She didn't like how Xander's attention was focused on Ariadne the entire time.
"I just pursued my dreams." Ariadne replied.
"Oh, good... very good."
"I have to leave now." Ariadne looked at her wrist watch.
"You seem to be quite busy. But why didn't you visit us after you returned? You must come to our house." Crystal stated seriously.
'Their house? Why should I go to their house?' Ariadne furrowed her brows.
"I mean, it's your house too. Dad has missed you a lot. He will be happy to see you." Crystal added.
Ariadne got confused. 'Doesn't she live with Xander?'
"Ofcourse I will pay a visit whenever I have the time." She replied to brush off the topic, refraining herself from asking what was confusing her. She had vowed never to interfere with their lives.
"Will not you stay with us? Where are you staying then?" Crystal asked.
Even though she didn't want Ariadne to stay at Miller Residence, she had to pretend in front of Xander.
"Don't worry about my stay. The company has arranged everything for me." Ariadne informed.
"Oh, yes, you are the CEO. How can I forget?" Crystal gritted her teeth.
Ariadne was amused by Crystal's struggle to maintain her pretense.
Xander never said a word the entire time, just staring at Ariadne, which irritated Crystal.
"Okay, I am leaving now. See you soon." Ariadne said goodbye to them.
She left the building, leaving the two persons behind her deep in thought.
Crystal was taken aback by Ariadne's calm and confident demeanor, despite her attempts to provoke her with Xander. If it had been the old Ariadne, she would have acted foolishly and done something to piss Xander off. However, there was no reaction from her even after seeing Crystal and Xander so close to each other. Crystal became restless as she wondered why Ariadne had returned.
'I need to stay alert. That bitch must have come to get Xander back. I will never let this happen. She will get nothing. She will only harras herself, just as she has in the past.' Her lips curled into a smirk as she thought about this.
"I am really surprised to see Ariadne. Did you know about her participation in the presentation." Crystal asked as they remain standing there.
"No." Xander denied.
"Oh. Anyway, I am glad she is back. After all, she is part of the family. But why didn't she meet with us? She is staying somewhere else as well." She sighed and pretended to be sad. "I think she isn't over the past yet."
"Don't think too much about it." Xander said.
Crystal nodded and made a mental note to gather information on Ariadne.
"You should go home too." Xander said.
"Hmm...Yes. I should leave as well." Crystal walked towards the exit after saying goodbye to Xander.
She suddenly stopped and turn around. "Xander."
Xander was about to turn when she called him.
"Let's go for dinner tonight." She said excitedly.
"I will be busy today." Xander said.
"You always say it." Crystal's face fell.
"You know everything, Crystal." Xander did not bother to explain to her about his busy schedule and looked at his phone.
"Oh, ok. But if you change your mind, just call me." She knew better than to press him for the dinner.
"Sure." Xander said.
"Hmm...Will you give Ariadne the contract?" Crystal asked hesitantly.
"The best candidate will receive the contract. You don't need to worry about it." Xander looked at her with a serious expression.
"Oh..Ok. See you soon." She finally left the building.
.....
At Eden Garden
Ariadne reached her suite. Zidane Watson, president of Watson Group, and her boss arranged for Ariadne and her family to stay in Eden Garden's presidential suite.
Eden garden was a newly opened restaurant owned by the Watson Group. They provided housing for the employees of Watson Group in Zavion City. It was a family restaurant. The ground floor served as a restaurant, while the upper floors were given to the employees. There was also a children's park with a safe environment. It was an ideal place to live for Ariadne and her kids.
She heard laughter coming from the leaving room, as she entered the suite. Her face immediately brightened with a smile.
Autumn and Adrian sat on the floor, writing something in their notebooks while Mary sat on the couch.
"What's going on here?" Ariadne asked.
"Mommy." both the children smiled at their mother.
"There will be a function at our school in a few days. We are preparing for it." Autumn informed seriously.
"Wow...that's great. How was your first day at school?" Ariadne sat next to them before placing her office bag on the couch.
"It's great. I made three friends." Autumn announced excitedly.
"Oh, that's nice. What about you, Adrian?"
"It's good." Adrian said.
Ariadne ruffled their heads. At that moment Jennifer emerged from the kitchen. She had informed Ariadne of her arrival.
"Jennie" Ariadne stood up and approached Jennifer, hugging her tightly.
"I missed you, Aria." Jennifer said. Her eyes welled up.
"Me too, Jennie."
They cried in each other's embrace for a while before releasing each other.
"I am very happy that you have returned. And your kids are so cute.... and naughty too." They laughed while wiping away tears from their cheeks.
"Kids, have you met with Aunt Jennie?" Ariadne asked her children.
"Yes Mommy. She's very nice. I like her very much." Autumn announced with a grin.
"Aawwww... So cute." Jennifer smiled.
"You two continue your work. Mommy will talk to Aunt Jennie. Call me if you need anything. Okay?" Ariadne instructed them.
"Don't worry, Mommy. We will be good." Adrian said.
"Good boy." Ariadne smiled and grabbed two mugs of coffee from the kitchen as she walked to her room with Jennifer.
"Now, tell me, how are you? Are you happy?" Jennifer asked seriously as they entered the room.
Ariadne had not met with Jennifer until now because she was preoccupied with the project and their relocation to Zavion City.
"Yes, Jennie. I am happy with my small family. I am just worried about Alex." Ariadne handed Jennifer one mug.
They sat on the bed. She told Jennifer everything she had done over the last five years.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. You made the right decision to bring Alex here. Alex will be able to walk." Jennifer encouraged her.
"I hope so." Ariadne sighed and took a sip from her coffee.
"By the way, how was the presentation?" Jennifer changed the topic.
"Oh... It's good, and yes, I did meet with them... Both Xander and Crystal." Ariadne answered.
"Huh, what was that bitch doing there?" Jennifer frowned.
"This is not surprising. After all, she is his wife. So she..."
"What? Wait, wait." Jennifer didn't let Ariadne finish her sentence.
"They are not married. Crystal is not Xander's wife."
"What? Why?" Ariadne's eyes widened in shock.
"I am not sure, but there are rumors that Xander wanted a break after getting out of a toxic marriage. They hang out together, but Xander never officially introduces Crystal as his woman."
"I assumed they would have a family with children by now." Ariadne was utterly confused. "But, five years ago, Crystal said they would marry within a month. Then why didn't they marry?" She furrowed her brows.
"Perhaps they decided to marry quickly because of the child. But as the child was gone there was no need to hurry." Jennifer made her assumption.
However, her words made Ariadne recall her miserable past and her expression darkened.
"But I think he regretted his actions towards you. Otherwise, they could have married after a few years. But thay didn't." Jennifer added.
"No, that's not the reason. Even though they aren't married, they are clearly in a relationship. Forget it. It's their business. I have nothing to do with them." Ariadne felt uneasy discussing their marriage.
It still hurt her to think about Xander, though not as much as it did five years ago, but it still hurt. However, she had learned to mask her emotions and made up her mind to remain strong in front of them. As she returned to Zavion City, she had prepared herself to see the man, she once loved with her whole heart, as someone else's husband; to have children with someone else; and to have a happy family with someone else. But here she was, shocked to learn that Xander had never married again. However, she would not live in delusions.
"I know it still hurts you. But if Xander regretted his actions, will you give him another chance?" Jennifer asked.
"Jennie, I can forgive him for everything, but I will never forgive him for cheating on me. I have long accepted that Xander and I could never be together, and it will remain in that way." Ariadne said.
"You are correct; he doesn't deserve you. But, Aria, what about the kids? Will you tell him about them. Even if you don't, there's a high possibility that he will find out on his own." Jennifer expressed her concern.
"I will not tell him right now. I will consider telling him if he convinces me that he will love my children; otherwise, I will not tell him. And if he finds out on his own, then let him." Ariadne had thought about this long before.
They fell silent for a while as they sipped their coffee.
"Enough about me; now tell me about you." Ariadne said, and they resumed their conversation about their lives as they met after so long.