Chapter 59 Father of Three
Xander was deep in thought as he walked out of the room. Toby and Jose trailed behind. Xander had provided his samples for testing. He was still denying that the kids could be his.
"We will know the results tomorrow." Toby said.
They returned to the room. It was already evening.
"You both return to the penthouse. I'll spend the night here." he added.
Toby would stay and ensure that the test was conducted correctly. Xander sighed before nodding.
.
Tiara arrived at the hospital in the evening.
"Hello, Alex." she said as she entered the room.
"Hello, Tiara." Alex smiled at her.
Tiara approached the bed and hugged him. She sat on the couch as they broke their hug.
"Have you brought my favourite cookies?" Alex asked.
"Yes. Mommy has prepared these for you."
Tiara took out a small box full of cookies and gave it to Alex.
"Yeeehh... mommy is so sweet!"
Tiara smiled at his enthusiasm.
"I'm going to Purple City today. So I can't stay. Aunt Bella will stay with you. Okay?"
"Okay." Alex replied munching a cookie.
He was a brave boy. He had never had a problem when family members were unable to stay with him. Bella, the nurse, was a nice woman and he liked him.
"When will you be back?" he asked.
"After a few days. Mommy and Grandma Mary will stay with you until then. They are busy today." Tiara explained while taking the things from her bag that she had brought for him.
"It's okay."
He actually enjoyed it when there were no family members around. Without them, he felt free to be his naughty self. Tiara had brought him dinner as well. Tiara stayed for a while, until Bella arrived. She explained everything to Bella before leaving the room after saying goodbye to Alex.
"Take care of him." she said to the guards as she exited the room.
She had become familiar with them.
"I'll be out of town for a few days." she informed.
"It's fine, we will handle everything." one of the guards said.
Tiara left the hospital. After a while, Xander, Toby and Jose entered the room wearing masks. Jose saw when Tiara arrived, so they waited until she left. They didn't want her to see them.
"Leave the room for a moment." Toby said, posing as a doctor.
Doctors frequently visited Alex, so Bella didn't suspect them. She nodded and left the room. However, Alex recognized them, despite their masks.
"You said you would tell me a secret." he remarked while munching on a cookie and reading comics.
He had a carefree attitude.
"I'll. But not today. We will visit again." Toby said.
They came to see him as Xander and Jose were leaving. Xander stared at Alex intently while the boy spoke with Toby. Thousands of thoughts racing through his mind. The more he saw the child the more he came to believe that he was his son. But how? He had no idea. He suddenly remembered a night, when he went to the mansion drunk and had an argument with Ariadne. That night, he couldn't return to his penthouse as he was too drunk and stayed at the mansion in a different room. If the test came out positive, it meant that Ariadne had taken advantage of him that night and become pregnant with his child. He clenched his jaw at the thought of it. How could she stoop so low? He shook his head. They also leave soon after.
"If the results come out positive, what will you do?" Jose asked as they got in the car.
"I still don't think it will come out positive... but if it does.... then someone have to answer a lot of questions." Xander replied, clenching his jaw.
.
When they arrived at the penthouse, Xander changed into comfortable clothes. He went to his bar and poured a glass of wine before sitting down on the couch. He felt restless. For a moment, he considered staying at the hospital and wait for the results but he decided against it at the end. He took a sip of his drink. He knew it would be a long night.
...
The next morning, Xander took an early shower. He couldn't sleep all night. He kept thinking about Ariadne, the kids and the paternity test. The doorbell rang as he emerged from the bathroom, wearing a bathrobe. He opened the door and saw Jose.
"The results have arrived." he informed.
Xander felt uneasy. However, he composed himself and moved aside to let Jose in. Jose followed him as Xander made his way to the living room.
"Here's the report." Jose handed his phone to him.
Toby had sent a photo of the report. Xander's hand shook slightly as he took the phone from Jose. He appeared hesitant. His mind was telling him it would be negative but his heart wanted something different. He felt strangely nervous. He opened the photo and looked at it. He frowned and glanced at Jose, who was staring at him.
"The reports came out positive. You are their father." Jose stated, confirming his doubt.
Xander gasped and collapsed onto the couch.
"Boss, are you okay?" Jose was about to hold him, but he raised his hand, stopping him.
Xander was utterly baffled. It was as if his life had turned 180 degrees. What could be more shocking than this? He lived five years unaware that he was a father. He hadn't just one, but three children, and he had no idea. His head was spinning as he struggled to control his emotions.
Alex was his son. He was a mini-version of him. Autumn was referring to Alex when she mentioned that he looked like her brother. Autumn. That adorable princess was his own daughter. He remembered how he had predicted that she had gotten her eyes from his father, which was him. He suddenly recalled their first meetings. The school function. He made her cry and Adrian was also sad. He felt ashamed. His eyes welled up as he thought about them. They were his kids. A question arose in his mind. Did they know who he was? His expression hardened as he knew the answer. Jose looked at him silently, equally shocked.
"She stole my kids from me. All the while, she lectured me about her family... her family." he whispered.
"Stay away from my family."
"My kids are none of your business."
Xander clenched his jaw, recalling her words.
"That evil woman! The audacity of that woman... she will pay for this. How dare she?" he threw a vase to the floor, breaking it.
"She would never have come here if not for Alex's surgery. I would have never known about my kids." he realized everything as he thought more.
"They have a father. Still, they live like this. People called them bastards. Even I called..." he closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.
"She made them suffer all of this. She hadn't changed one bit. She's the same selfish, arrogant woman." he stated, clenching his jaw.
The room fell silent.
"Boss, what's now?" Jose asked.
Xander stared at the floor, his eyes red with anger.
"I've got some work for you." he stated after some thought.
"Yes, Boss."
Xander instructed him what to do.
"Umm. Are you sure, Boss? Toby said that we shouldn't act recklessly." Jose said hesitantly after hearing Xander's plan.
"Fuck Toby. Do as I said. ..now." he yelled at him.
"Okay, Boss." Jose said before leaving hastily.
...
The Rolls-Royce stopped in front of the Watson Group's building. Xander got out of the car and went inside. He didn't wait for Jose. Jose jumped off the passenger seat and dashed after his boss. Xander walked straight to the elevator, while Jose went to the counter. Everyone looked at them with curiosity and confusion.
"Is Miss Ariadne in her office?" Jose asked the receptionist.
"Yes, Sir. Do you have an appointment?"
...
Ariadne sat in her office, focused on the documents in front of her. The door suddenly burst open, startling her. As she looked up, she noticed a furious Xander standing there. She was surprised to see him. Xander closed the door with a thud, startling her again. He appeared angry, very angry. She frowned, utterly confused. She had a feeling that something was wrong as Xander glared at her. She stood up when he took quick steps towards her.
"What happened?" she became agitated.
Xander moved across the table and approached her. Before she could understand anything, he grabbed her throat and pushed her backwards until her back touched the wall.
"You evil woman! How dare you lie to me. How dare you?" he shouted in her face.
Ariadne was terrified by his behavior. "Leave me. What are you talking about?"
She grabbed his arms and tried to free her throat from his grip. However, he didn't budge.
"Never. You will pay for your actions. Just when I start to believe that you have changed... maybe I was mistaken about you, your true face appears in front of me... Every single time." he hissed, increasing the pressure on her neck.
Ariadne's face paled.
"How dare you hide my kids from me? I kept asking you about their father, and you kept playing me." Xander continued to shout.
Ariadne's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her.The door flew open, and Jose and Linda entered the office. They were horrified after witnessing the scene.
"Boss." Jose rushed up to them and grabbed Xander's hands, while Linda covered her mouth in terror.
"Leave her, Boss. We can talk it out."
"There will be no talks. She doesn't deserve any." Xander released her throat.
Ariadne was too shocked to say anything. She had no idea how Xander discovered the truth. Xander moved closer to her again. Jose positioned his hands between them, ready to prevent his boss from touching Ariadne. However, Xander didn't touch her this time. He pointed his finger at her face.
"You stole my kids from me. You hide them from me. Now I'll go get them and bring them home with me."
Ariadne's face turned pale as she listened to his words.
"Xander. Don't even try to..."
"We will meet in the court. They're my kids and they will live with me. I never give up what's mine." Xander cut her off before turning and walking to the door.
"Xander..."
He stormed out of the room without listening to her response.
"Miss Ariadne. Are you okay?" Jose asked with concern.
Xander's grip wasn't painful but Ariadne was terrified that he had found out the truth about the children.
"Please calm down. He's angry and out of his mind." Jose added.
"How can I remain calm when he threatens to take my children away from me?" Ariadne replied.
"We will talk about it later." Jose looked at her with sympathy. "Please take care of her." he said to Linda before leaving the office and following his boss.
He needed to stay with Xander as he was utterly furious right now and could do something wrong. The office was in chaos. Although the employees were unaware of the truth, they suspected that something had happened.
"Are you all right, Madame?" Linda approached Ariadne as she sat on the floor, dazed.
"My kids." Ariadne covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes welled up.
Once again, her fear had come true.