Chapter 37 Unexpected Guests
At the Miller residence, Crystal's room was in chaos. A flower vase was thrown to the ground and broke.
"That bitch. I will kill her...What's her name?... oh yes...Tiara. She dared to challenge me. The audacity of that bitch."
"Crystal, stop this." Catherine shouted.
"How can I stop? It was supposed to be my day. I am Xander Blake's fiancee,... soon to be his wife and the young lady of the Blake family,... he gifted me the most expensive necklace in the auction. I should have been the center of attention. But that bitch... Ariadne ruined it. Have you seen how the guests went to congratulate her? How they praised her as if she's a damn goddess?"
After returning from the auction, Crystal was venting her rage on household items. Emma and Catherine tried to calm Crystal down. Aaron, on the other hand, did not say anything and went to sleep, having lost interest in their drama. He had discovered their true faces long ago, and stopped interfering in their matters. Catherine assured Emma that she would handle Crystal, so she too went to sleep as everyone was exhausted.
"Calm down."
Crysta went to the bed and sat beside Catherine, exhausted.
"So what if she was the center of attention at today's gala? She is still nothing in front of you. You are the CEO of the Miller Group and will soon be Xander's wife." Catherine tried to console her.
Crystal fell silent as she looked deep in thought.
"Yeah." She replied after a while. "When we were younger, Xander took me and Aria to this gala many years ago." she added, recalling an incident from their past.
Catherine looked at her with curiosity, eager to learn the story.
"It was at that gala that people started talking about my relationship with Xander. You know how?" Crystal looked at Catherine as she asked.
Catherine shook her head in denial.
"I asked him to get me a necklace, and he did. It was the highest-bid necklace at that gala. I became the center of attention." Crystal said proudly before breaking out laughing. "And you know what? Ariadne got a simple ring that was not expensive... ha ha... She became furious and fought with Xander... such a fool." Both women burst into laughter.
However, Crystal's expression became serious after a while. Despite receiving the most expensive necklace at this year's Gala, she faded into the shadows, while Ariadne received all of the attention at the end.
"But she's not a foolish girl anymore. I had underestimated her. I assumed she was still the dumb Ariadne. Next time, I will not make the same mistake. I will never allow her to beat me. It was just a bad day for me. She will always remain beneath me."
"Yes, let them enjoy their small victory. The next time, it will be you." Catherine encouraged.
"She has returned to challenge me...huh? It's enough now. I had maintained my kind-hearted demeanor for far too long. From now on, she will face the real Crystal. I will tarnish her image and reduce her to the same pitiful woman she was five years ago." she paused and thought for a moment. "The business festival will be held next week. I hope she attends the festival. Her downfall would begin with that festival."
Both women smirked as they looked at each other.
...............
A few days had passed since the Gala. Ariadne, Mary, Tiara, Autumn and Adrian were waiting outside the OT at Grace Children's Hospital. They were all nervous. Even though the kids were not yet mature enough, they remained silent, praying for their brother.
"Do you want to rest for a while?" Tiara asked the kids.
They were outside the OT for nearly an hour. It would take another hour. While they waited, the children might need to rest.
"No, we will wait with you all." Adrian said.
Suddenly, there was a commotion, and a few men dressed in black appeared. Behind them was William, who was in a wheelchair. As soon as Ariadne noticed him, she rose from the bench and approached him.
"Grandpa. You are here. You should rest. You didn't have to come."
"How can I sit at home and rest while my great-grandson undergoes surgery? Relax, I will be fine. Nothing will happen to me." He stood and hugged Ariadne.
"Don't worry, Jacob will handle everything." As they broke the hug, Ariadne nodded with tears in her eyes. Everyone sat down, and William talked to the children.
After a long time, Mr. Wright emerged from the OT. Everyone stood up. He smiled as he approached them.
"Congratulations, the operation was successful." William stepped forward and hugged him as he delivered the good news.
"Oh my god, thank you, Mr. Wright." Ariadne said as they broke the hug.
Mr. Wright smiled at her.
"Thank you, Jacob." William said, wiping his tears away.
"He is also my grandson."
Everyone smiled with relief, while the children were overjoyed to meet their brother.
"Can we see him?" Autumn blurted out.
"Of course, but he's unconscious right now. You have to wait, and don't make any noise when you visit him, okay?"
"Ok," the kids said together.
"We will move him to his room after a while. You can see him after that." Mr. Wright informed Ariadne.
Alex's surgery was scheduled to take place earlier. However, when William informed Mr. Wright that Alex was his great-grandson and wanted him to handle the situation personally, Mr. Wright postponed the surgery. Not only did he select the best doctors from Grace Children's Hospital for the surgery, but he also invited a world-renowned child surgeon to assist them. Mr. Nakamura took longer to arrive, so the surgery was delayed.
After a while, Alex was moved to his room, and everyone went to see him. Because it was William's family, the nurses let everyone enter the room together. No one wanted to return without speaking with Alex, and the doctor said it would take several hours for him to awaken. So, they reserved extra rooms to stay and rest. They left the hospital only after Alex awoke and they spoke with him. Ariadne stayed with Alex all the time and worked from the hospital because she was unable to travel to the company or the construction site, while others paid him regular visits.
While William, Ariadne and her family were dealing with Alex's surgery, Xander and Crystal announced their engagement date in a press conference and began their preparations.
.....
Several days had passed and Alex felt slightly better as the pain was fading gradually. He was still resting in bed, and the bandages remained in place. After one month, the doctors would begin the walking therapy. Mary and Tiara began to stay with Alex alternately. Ariadne relaxed a little and returned to her previous schedule as Alex was doing well.
...
On a weekend evening, Ariadne was in their suit, making cookies when their doorbell rang. Tiara went to open it. Her eyes widened in surprise as she opened the door.
"Wow... what a pleasant surprise?" she exclaimed, looking at the guests.
"Who's it, Tia?" Ariadne's loud voice came from the kitchen.
"Come and see for yourself." Tiara shouted before addressing the guests. "Please come inside Mr. Blake, Mr. Romero and Miss Miller." she greeted the guests politely.
Her voice had a hint of mischief. Crystal rolled her eyes before entering the house. Xander and Jose trailed her. Tiara smiled at Jose and he smiled back before averting his eyes and glanced around the living room, looking flushed.
"Please sit down." Tiara led them into the living room.
Ariadne emerged from the kitchen at the same time, surprised to see them. The kids were behind her, munching on cookies while she wore an apron. The delicious aroma of the food gave off a homely atmosphere. Xander felt strange and looked at them with a sense of longing.
"Oh, you were cooking." Crystal said as they sat down on the couch.
"Yeah... It's the weekend, and I was free, so I decided to make something. By the way, I'm surprised to see you in our home." Ariadne said as she approached them.
Xander was impressed that, rather than resting after work, she chose to cook for her family in her spare time.
"We have come here to invite you to our engagement party." Crystal went right to the point.
She took a card from her purse and held it up to Ariadne. Silence fell as Ariadne appeared confused.
"Mr. Blake and Miss Crystal are getting engaged on the 25th of this month. They recently announced." Tiara informed her.
Because of Alex's situation, Tiara didn't tell her about it. She didn't want to add to the tension because she wasn't sure how the news would affect Ariadne. However, it couldn't stay hidden forever. Ariadne's eyes widened for a moment as she took the card, then she collected herself.
"Oh, I didn't know... Anyway, congratulations." Ariadne said, smiling.
Everyone was surprised that she was unaware of the news.
"Oh, you must have been extremely busy to miss the news. By the way, you must attend. Bring the kids, too." Crystal said.
"Thank you for coming in person. We will definitely attend."
"You're my sister after all."
Tiara snickered at Crystal's words, making her frown.
"Give me five minutes, I will make coffee for you."
Ariadne said before heading to the kitchen. The kids trailed behind her.
"You too must come with Aria." Crystal looked at Tiara as she said.
"Of course, you are her sister, and Mr. Blake is her ex-husband. It's very nice that you have come personally to invite us. How could I miss it?"
Everyone could see the mockery in her words. However, they all remained silent. Xander didn't want to come, but Crystal requested him to accompany her. She intended to humiliate Ariadne by handing her the invitation card as a couple. Since her purpose had been fullfilled she didn't have to respond to Tiara's mockery in front of Xander. On the contrary, she was pleased that her mockery would enrage Xander.
The kids returned and sat beside Tiara on the couch. After a while, Ariadne returned with two trays, one containing coffee mugs, and everyone took one for themselves. There were cookies in the other one.
"Try them. Mommy makes the best cookies!" Autumn exclaimed as she picked a cookie for herself.
"Umm... It's delicious." Jose praised as he ate one.
When Xander tried one, he immediately glanced at Ariadne. It was indeed good. When she was his wife, she used to cook for him, but he never complemented her. Deep down, he missed her cooking. Tasting her food after so many years brought him back to the past and his expression hardened.