Chapter 40 Corrupted Woman
Everyone looked at Xander, who stood there glaring at Tom as he collapsed on the floor.
No one noticed when he rose from his seat and walked around the table to Ariadne's side. Stunned, Ariadne abruptly jumped out of her chair, but she stumbled and fell backwards. Jose arrived instantly and stopped her from falling. She stood up with his help and steadied herself. By then, Xander had grabbed Tom's collar and yanked him to his feet.
"She said she's not interested. What part of it did you not understand?" Xander shouted and punched him hard in the face.
He was furious beyond control. Ariadne covered her mouth with her hand as she scurried to the corner, her gaze fixed on Xander, her body trembling. Jose stood close to her, on guard.
Everyone stood up from their seats, and silence fell as all eyes were on Xander and Tom.
"Xander?" Crystal rushed to him. "What are you doing? leave him." she grabbed his hand, which was still holding Tom's collar, and attempted to release it, but Xander didn't budge.
Tom was so shocked that he couldn't speak.
"He was constantly trying to humiliate Ariadne in front of all of us. You approached her inappropriately. How dare you humiliate a woman!?" he threw another punch before pushing him on the floor.
He was fumming and looked like a raging bull. Ariadne stared at him in panic. She had never seen this side of him before.
The place was a complete mess as all of the guests gathered, horrified by the scene.
"Please calm down, Mr. Blake. You have done enough. We should not take this issue any further, as the festival atmosphere may be ruined." the manager came forward and attempted to resolve the situation.
"Kick this bastard out of here right now." Xander yelled.
"I am sorry, Mr. Blake. I didn't want to offend you." Tom said, after finally gathering himself.
"That woman isn't what you think." he pointed his finger at Ariadne.
"What do you mean?" Xander furrowed his brows.
"You know her better, Mr. Blake. After all, she's your ex-wife." Tom remarked, and everyone who was unaware of this gasped.
Xander clenched his jaw.
Everyone was vaguely aware of Xander's marriage because it was private and no one had announced it to the media. People had no idea who his wife was as he never mentioned her in public. Ariadne, too, maintained a private life and was never exposed to the media, so few people knew her as Aaron Miller's daughter. After seeing Xander and Crystal together for a long time, everyone forgot about his first marriage. So it was shocking to learn about his ex-wife now, who had now become a well-known figure.
"She must be a foul woman, that was why you divorced her. Isn't it? She has two kids, but they are not yours. So, it's clear what type of woman she is." Tom added.
Xander looked at Ariadne and their gazes met. Ariadne stared at him silently, wondering what Xander would do next. It had all come down to Crystal and his reputation. Would he dare to reveal the true reason for their divorce and ruin Crystal's reputation alongside his own? Xander looked away from Ariadne, and silence fell. Crystal smirked and stared at Ariadne triumphantly, knowing that Xander would never reveal the real reason. Ariadne sighed and looked around the place. Everyone was murmuring among themselves while casting questionable glances at her. Some of them realised what had happened and told the others, who were confused. She felt uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Lady Linda approached Tom and slapped him hard. "How dare you slander a woman like this? You first tried to humiliate her, and now you are questioning her character to conceal your wrongdoings! You are such a disgusting man!"
"She is acting innocent. She had previously tried to seduce me." Tom protested.
"Don't dare to lie. We have all seen what happened. She clearly rejected your approach." Xander warned the man.
"She's just playing tough. She's a foul woman." Tom continued to defend himself.
"Oh... so according to you, a woman, who is divorced and a single mother is a corrupted woman? Since I am a single mother and a divorcee, I am also corrupted. Right?" Lady Linda asked.
"No, I didn't mean you, Lady Linda."
"Yes, you meant it... clearly."
"No, no..."
"Do you all think like this hypocrite?" Lady Linda didn't let Tom finish and asked, turning towards the guests.
Everyone fell silent, while some shook their heads in refusal.
"You don't know what happened between them, so you are in no position to judge her." she pointed her finger at Tom before looking around. "Mr. Blake has moved on and is now with another woman. No one has questioned Mr. Blake's character because it's normal. Why can't a woman do the same? What's wrong with being a mother? It's her choice... It's her life... and she has every right to move on as well." she paused and several of the guests nodded in agreement. "She has made a career for herself by working hard, raising her children on her own. She's not involved in any scandals. She's such a polite lady. Furthermore, Mr. Blake wouldn't have raised his voice if she had been a bad woman. They are now business partners, and they respect each other. You have the audacity to question her morals. You are spreading dirt in a peaceful environment, where all businessmen have come for a good reason. You even dragged her personal life. Why? Simply because she rejected you. Tell me, who is the foul person here? Your kind of people are nothing but garbage to the society."
Tom lowered his head, knowning he had nothing to counter. Crystal fumed inside as the scene shifted dramatically, one she had not planned and definitely didn't like. However, she had to maintain her good-hearted persona.
"Lady Linda is correct. You should not have tried to humiliate and question my sister's character unfairly. We didn't expect this from you. I personally wouldn't tolerate any disrespect towards a woman, let alone my own sister." she stated. "However, we have gathered here for a good cause, and we shouldn't let anything ruin the festive atmosphere."
Lady Linda approached Ariadne, smiled, and took her hand. Ariadne thanked her for her support.
"I am sorry that Miss Miller has to go through this. I apologize for this. However, I am asking you to put an end to this." the manager looked at Ariadne.
She nodded in agreement as she didn't want any drama.
"He should apologise, not you. But we don't want his fake apology. Take him out right now. I don't want to see his face." Xander instructed.
His words were considered law as he was the most powerful person in the building.
"Sure, Mr. Blake." the manager said. "Please, Mr. Cooper, this way." he instructed Tom to follow him.
Tom looked around the hall and was met with glares from the others. He directed his gaze towards Ariadne. However, Xander moved in front of him, blocking his view of Ariadne.
"Don't you dare." he gave him a death glare.
Tom lowered his head and followed the manager silently.
"I didn't know you are such a great woman. You are a fighter.... a true inspiration to all the women. Your kids are lucky to have you as their mother." Lady Linda praised Ariadne. She, like most people, was unaware of Ariadne's marriage to Xander.
"Thank you." Ariadne smiled softly at the elderly woman.
.
Even after Tom left, the hall remained chaotic, with people murmuring among themselves. The peaceful environment had been ruined. After all, they learned something shocking tonight, so they started to gossip about Ariadne, Crystal and Xander.
Xander shook his head in irritation as he looked around the place. He then looked at Ariadne who wasn't looking well. He turned to Jose, who nodded in understanding.
"Miss Ariadne, do you want to return to your room?" he asked her.
Ariadne didn't hear him as she was looking around the mess. Jose put his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention to him.
"Huh?" Ariadne looked at him.
"Would you like to return to your room?" he asked again, softly.
"Yes... but." Ariadne glanced around the hall again, unsure.
"Don't worry ...we will handle everything here." Jose assured her.
However, Ariadne appeared uncertain.
"You should take a rest." Lady Linda suggested her. "I am going to retire now, too. That bastard ruined the mood. We need to refresh for tomorrow."
Ariadne sighed and decided to call it a day. "Okay. Good night, Lady Linda, and thank you again for your support today."
She hugged the elderly woman.
"Oh, you don't need to mention that. Good night. See you tomorrow." Lady Linda said as they broke their embrace.
Jose moved aside and let Ariadne walk past him before following her to the elevator. After a while, they arrived at the third floor.
"Thank you. Are you sure everything will be fine there?" Ariadne asked as she opened the door to her room.
"Yes, Miss. Don't worry about the incident. I will ask someone to bring the dinner to your room right now."
"Okay, thank you."
Jose gave her a nod and left.
......
Everyone returned to their tables, while some had gone back to their rooms after the incident. Crystal approached Xander.
"Let's go to the room." she said softly.
"You leave, I will go later." he replied, his face gloomy.
"But, Xander."
"Not now, Crystal. Go."
"Okay." Crystal let out a sigh before leaving.
Xander went to the garden, lit a cigarette, and smoked under the open sky. He needed to clear his mind before returning to his room.
"Looks like someone is in a bad mood." a mocking voice said from behind.
However, Xander didn't turned to look at the man. The man approached him and stood next to him, lighting a cigarette as well.
"What do you want, Toby?" Xander asked, fixing his gaze on the sky.
"Nothing. You have already provided a good show to watch." Toby smirked, irritating Xander.
"Leave me alone."
"Sure." he replied, but remained in place. Silence fell.
"You did a great job protecting your women." Toby added after a while.
Xander frowned at him as he used the word 'women'.
"What? You first protected Ariadne from Tom, then Crystal's image, by keeping the true cause of your divorce hidden." Toby explained to defend himself.
Xander rolled his eyes, irritated.
"By the way, she's a nice woman. She could have disclosed it herself, but she didn't. You and Crystal owe her."
Xander did not respond as he continued smoking.