Chapter 42 Two Couples
Xander noticed Ariadne and Mark approaching the golf course. They were talking, unaware of his hard glare on them. Ariadne burst out laughing as Mark said something to her. They looked happy, enjoying each other's company. Xander clenched his jaw while watching the scene and averted his gaze.
"Do they come to play golf as well?" Jose murmured under his breath.
However, Xander heard him.
"You are very curious about other people's affairs." he remarked sharply.
"Um.. nothing like that. Sorry, Boss." Jose lowered his gaze and kept quiet.
He couldn't figure out why his boss was suddenly in a bad mood.
"Look, who's there." Mark pointed towards where Xander sat as they got closer.
Ariadne's smile vanished as she noticed him.
"Shall we greet him?" Mark asked, giving her a wink.
Ariadne rolled her eyes. Mark walked towards Xander, and she reluctantly followed him.
"Good morning, Mr. Blake." Mark greeted him, appraoching his table.
Xander looked up from his food and nodded.
"Good morning." his voice was emotionless.
Though the Steeles and Blakes were considered rivals, they never engaged in open conflict with one another. Their main businesses were not the same. The Steele family was well-known for their modesty. Despite being the second wealthiest family in Zavion City, they preferred to live a simple lifestyle. Because of this, everyone got along well with them. The Blakes also respected Timothy Steele, Mark's father. Mark, too, was a nice guy. However, Xander never liked Mark and expressed it openly. As Mark was Ariadne's childhood best friend, Xander and Ariadne had previously argued about this.
Ariadne greeted Xander as well but he simply nodded. He clearly looked in a bad mood. They didn't stay any longer and went to play. They both tried, but neither could get the ball into the hole. They were miserable, but they enjoyed it.
"Noisy people." Xander muttered in irritation as their laughter interrupted his peaceful breakfast.
His phone rang, and it was Crystal.
"Where are you? I went to your room but you were not there. I looked for you in the hall too." Crystal blurted out as soon as he answered the call. Xander frowned.
"I thought we would eat breakfast together."
"I am at the golf course." Xander informed her, without giving an explanation.
Silence fell as Crystal pondered something before adding, "I am coming." she said before hanging the call.
After a few minutes, she arrived at the golf course. However, her mood was dampened after seeing Ariadne in the field. Xander had finished his breakfast by then.
"What are you doing here with them?" Crystal asked, unable to hide her fury.
"Excuse me! I am here to play golf." Xander raised a brow. "And as for them... it's a public place. Anyone can come here."
"Um...I am sorry. I didn't mean to... I was just... forget it, let's have breakfast."
"I have already finished my breakfast. You can have yours." Xander replied.
"Oh, leave it. I had some food a while ago. It will suffice for me. Let's go to the hotel and check into the other section." Crystal offered.
"Will go later. I would like to stay here for longer. There are too many people in the hotel." Xander replied.
Crystal knew Xander disliked being surrounded by people and always preferred privacy. But she didn't want him to stay near Ariadne.. especially alone.
"Okay, let's spend some time here." she followed Xander as he walked towards the golf course to play another round.
"Do you even know how to play golf, Mr. Steele?" Xander said as he approached them.
"To be honest, we don't know, but there's no harm in trying. Right? At least we can enjoy our time and this beautiful place." Mark replied.
"Yeah... I can see you both are enjoying a lot." Xander commented mockingly.
Xander took a shot, and the ball fell into the hole. Crystal let out a loud cheer.
"That was incredible, Mr. Blake." Mark appreciated and Ariadne also nodded, impressed.
"Yeah, Xander is really good at golf. After all, it's one of his favourite sports." Crystal exclaimed.
She moved beside Xander and held his arm with excitement, like a little girl. Ariadne rolled her eyes at her drama.
"Yeah, without a doubt." Mark proceeded to take his next shot.
"You should try too." Xander handed Crystal the club before retracting to where Ariadne was standing.
He stood next to her, watching the game. Crystal attempted a shot, but the ball didn't fall into the hole. She went on to try again. Ariadne, on the other hand, felt awkward, standing beside Xander. She opened her mouth after a brief contemplation.
"Thank you for yesterday... umm... for everything you did for me." she said softly.
Xander turned his head and glanced at her for a moment before looking ahead.
Ariadne was thinking about thanking Xander for the last night. Though surprised, she is grateful.
"You don't have to thank me. It would be a shame for me if I let someone humiliate a woman in front of me. After all, I am a gentleman. If someone else had been in your place, I would have done the same." he said arrogantly.
His gaze was fixed on Mark, who gave Ariadne a charming smile as he proceeded to take his shot. Ariadne, on the other hand, was stunned by Xander's reply. She frowned as she looked at him, noticing his signature proud expression.
'Attitude'.
She shook her head. It appeared that Crystal was right, and Xander defended her only to maintain his gentleman image. How foolish she was to believe he did it for her. He was the same arrogant man. He had just stopped being harsh with her as there was no need for it. She no longer stood in the way of him and his beloved. In the past, Ariadne had been humiliated by others many times. Some were direct, while others were indirect. Xander always ignored it, never defending her. He was now playing the gentleman.
'What am I expecting from him anyway?'
Ariadne smiled bitterly and focused her attention on Mark. The situation became tense between them as they both fell silent. However, thousands of thoughts were racing through their minds.
Crystal approached them and spoke to Ariadne in a formal manner while constantly demonstrating how beautiful they were as a couple.
After a while, Ariadne and Mark returned to the hotel, leaving the perfect couple on the field. Crystal and Xander began speaking with those who arrived on the ground later.
.
Ariadne and Mark returned to their rooms and rested for a few hours. The entertaining program would last all day, but not everyone attended. While some people spent the entire day enjoying the festival, others only attended the main events.
Ariadne decided to eat lunch with Mark in her room. In the afternoon, when her doorbell rang, she opened it to see the room service bringing them their lunch. However, Xander emerged from his room at the same time, and their gazes met. He had changed into more casual clothes and had also come to get his lunch. Ariadne averted her gaze and hurriedly took their lunch before entering her room, avoiding looking at him or his room. Ariadne was certain Crystal was staying with Xander in his room, and she didn't want to watch her drama of being a loving couple again. Xander frowned at Ariadne's behavior and took his breakfast. He was about to enter his room when Mark came out of his room. Both men locked eyes for a moment.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Blake." Mark smiled with a nod.
Xander, on the other hand, silently glared at him without saying anything. However, his face turned red with fury when Mark entered Ariadne's room. Xander entered his room and shut the door with a thud.
.....
In the evening, the entire resort was illuminated. Games and magic shows were the main attractions for entertainment. Ariadne arrived with Mark in the entertainment area. She wore a purple gown, while Mark was dressed in a green suit. They looked stunning together. Mark went to some of his acquaintances and introduced Ariadne to them. Everyone complimented Ariadne on her gorgeous appearance.
The incident from last night appeared to have no impact on the festival, as everyone continued to enjoy themselves and greeted Ariadne as well. No one mentioned Tom Cooper. Their family had a history of scandal, and everyone was aware of it. It wasn't the first time Tom got involved in a controversy at an event. He had a bad reputation with women, which was why no one said anything in his support. So everyone chose to forget the incident.
Some people, however, continued to look at her with interest. It was because of the revelation that she was Xander Blake's first wife. They were curious about the reason for their divorce as Ariadne was both beautiful and successful. She would be a better candidate than Crystal to be Xander's wife right now. Naturally, Xander, Crystal and Ariadne had become the topic of gossip. While Xander was getting engaged to Crystal next week, he defended his ex-wife in front of everyone. They were even working together on a project. The fact that Crystal and Ariadne were sisters added to the drama. Everyone was curious about the trio's relationship.
After a while, Xander and Crystal arrived with Jose and Toby. Xander wore a blue tuxedo rather than his usual black suit, while Crystal wore a gorgeous red gown. Xander's eyes searched the crowd and stopped when they fell on Ariadne. Ariadne was talking to Mark, and she didn't notice him. Xander averted his gaze from them before approaching a group of businessmen. As usual, the crowd began to murmur, causing an uproar, which drew Ariadne's attention to the couple. Everyone watched the two couples and their reactions with interest. Ariadne refrained from rolling her eyes and resumed her conversation with Mark.
As the party went on, they tried some drinks and watched the magic show. They kept their distance from Xander and Crystal. After the magic show, everyone sat down for dinner. Mark led Ariadne to a table. The most prominent families were seated at that table.
"Is Miss Miller your date for tonight, Mr. Steele?" someone asked.
"You can say that." Mark replied.
"You seem to know each other very well." a woman commented.
"Yeah..We are childhood friends." Mark smiled and looked affectionately at Ariadne.
"Wow.. that's so nice."
Everyone was polite to Ariadne as they spoke with her. She felt good while talking to them. She was feeling uneasy around strangers after the previous night's incident. With Mark by her side, she felt more comfortable.
"May we join you at your table?" a sweet voice asked.
All eyes turned to the owner of the voice. Ariadne became irritated as soon as she noticed the couple.
"Urrgg... not again." she muttered under her breath.