Chapter 61 Chaos
((FLASHBACK))
"Are you going to meet that girl?" Margaret asked.
"It's none of your business. I'm not attending the family dinner... and that's final." Xander replied.
He stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his hair. Margaret was angry as she wanted him to attend the dinner. However, she was enraged more by the fact that he was going to meet Ariadne. She was furious when William arranged Xander's marriage to Ariadne. She didn't like that girl at all. She argued that she was unworthy of Xander. However, neither William nor Xander listened to her. She couldn't understand what they saw in that brat.
"I'm your mother. You will talk to me respectfully." she warned him.
"You forget that you're my mother sometimes." Xander remarked as he sat on his bed and put on his shoes.
"I don't like that girl. She's not worthy of you. There are many beautiful girls from the Royal families. You can choose one of them. Your grandfather will not object."
"Why don't you like her?"
"There's nothing to like about her."
"Then there's no need to discuss it."
"She's not good for you. Even Crystal is better than her."
"The only woman I'll ever marry is Aria. It makes no difference to me whether you like her or not."
"Don't disrespect me for a girl who's nothing."
Margaret was always proud of her status as the lady of the Blake family. She was also Xander's mother, who was the heir of the Blake family. She considered herself far superior to everyone else.
"She's the future Mrs. Xander Blake and the mother of my unborn children. She will be the Blake family's lady, and our children will be it's heirs. You have no right to disrespect her as well. Whatever your problem is, keep it to yourself. You have never bothered about me. Do the same thing again. No one is asking for your approval. Grandpa is enough for me." he left the room, passing his mother.
"Xander." she yelled at him for being disobedient.
However, he ignored her and went to the parking lot. He chose a simple car and got into the driver's seat. He didn't want attention, so he decided to drive himself. As usual, a group of bodyguards would follow him at a distance. So there would be no issue.
.
When he entered the club, he was greeted by a large crowd of teenagers. This section was for teenagers and only opened on special occasions. Anyone aged sixteen to twenty could visit here. Ariadne was excited to be here, so she asked Xander, and he agreed. Even though he was twenty years old and could go to any club, he never went.
He walked through the crowd, looking for Ariadne. He reached the bar, but there was no sign of Ariadne or Crystal. He sat on a stool in front of the counter and took out his phone.
Crystal arrived after a while. She was struck by Xander's appearance the moment she saw him. He wore a black shirt with black pants. He was looking hot. She also dressed nicely. She wore a decent dress and light makeup. She was aware that Xander liked decent girls.
"Hello, Xander." she said as she approached, drawing his attention.
"Hello," he said, raising his head from his phone to look at her. "Where's Aria?" he looked behind her.
Crystal's face fell as he didn't acknowledge her appearance.
"She will arrive later. So, I came." she said, clearing her throat.
"Later?" Xander frowned.
"Yes. She went to a friend's house to do some work. She told me to come here early and accompany you." she replied.
"She could have informed me. I would have also arrived late."
Ariadne had actually called Xander to inform him, but his phone was unreachable. She then informed Crystal that one of her friends had become ill, so she went to drop her off at home. However, Crystal didn't tell Xander about it and arrived early to spend time with him.
"Perhaps she forgot." she lied.
Xander sighed and returned his gaze to his phone. Crystal sat beside him. However, he was engrossed in his phone, completely ignoring her.
"You look good." Crystal tried to initiate a conversation.
"Thank you. You also look good." Xander replied without lifting his gaze from his phone.
He showed no interest in talking with her. Crystal became frustrated. How could someone be so cold? He wasn't as cold when he was with Ariadne. She clenched her jaw. She had to do something. She looked around the place. Girls were staring at him and gossiping among themselves. Xander didn't pay attention to any of them. An idea came to her mind.
"Um.. I need to use the washroom... Will be back in a moment." she said.
"Sure.. no problem." Xander replied.
Crystal went to the washroom. Xander checked the time as there was still no sign of Ariadne. He suddenly received a message from Crystal asking for help. He frowned. He hesitantly stood up and went to the restroom.
When he arrived at the empty hallway, his face turned red with rage at the scene before him. There was a boy attempting to force himself on Crystal. Xander moved quickly towards the boy and pushed him away from Crystal.
"How dare you?" he punched him hard in the face.
The boy also threw a punch, but Xander blocked it. They soon got into a fight, and a crowd gathered there.
After a while, the guards arrived and took control of the situation. Crystal dragged Xander out of the scene and returned to the bar. The fight made Xander's mood worse.
"This's why I don't like clubs." he said, taking a sip of his juice.
"I don't like either, but Ariadne asked me to come, so I did." Crystal said with a terrified expression, revealing her trauma from the incident.
Xander felt bad for her. They waited for a while longer, but Ariadne didn't arrive.
"Let's go. I'll drop you off at home." Xander had grown impatient by then.
Crystal became ecstatic inside. Her plan had worked.
"But Ariadne?" she asked, appearing worried.
"She can come whenever she wants." Xander said, clenching his jaw.
However, he paused for a second and sighed in defeat.
"That stupid girl... Call her." he instructed her.
After a while, Ariadne arrived. Xander's mood worsened when he saw Mark with her. There was another woman with them.
"Hey... sorry. We were late. I told Crystal to inform you." Ariadne exclaimed with excitement as she approached Xander with a smile.
She was completely unaware of the fight and Xander's bad mood. Xander, on the other hand, looked at her dress with a frown. She wore a short dress. Crystal chose two dresses for them, as she was the one who encouraged her to attend the club. However, Ariadne was surprised to see Crystal in a different dress.
"We're leaving." Xander said sharply as he stood up.
"What? Why?" Ariadne's face turned pale.
She thought he was joking, but his expression was serious.
"You have got some good companies. I don't think you need me." he glared at Mark before walking towards the exit.
"Xander... wait" Ariadne ran after him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop.
"What happened? Why are you angry?" she asked.
Xander grabbed her hand.
"I'm not in the mood to be here. I'm heading home. Don't follow me." he released her hand and left the club.
"Xander..." Ariadne wanted to follow, but someone stopped her.
"Don't go after him. He's angry." Crystal said.
"But why?"
"He got into a fight, and.... I'll explain everything later. I must go with him now."
"I will go too."
"No, Aria. He's mad at you. Don't make it worse. I'll tell him everything." Crystal said.
Ariadne stared at her silently. She hesitated, but eventually agreed.
.
Xander drove his car at a high speed. Crystal sat in the passenger seat, silently. Xander was visibly enraged. His jaw tightened and he gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his hands turned white. Crystal panicked as the speed increased.
"Xander, stop the car." she said but he didn't stop.
"Xander, please. I'm scared." Crystal cried, causing him to look at her.
He pulled over beside the road and climbed out. He went to the nearby trees, and sat on a stone. He was shaking in rage. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Crystal also got out of the car and approached him.
"Calm down, Xander." she said and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't touch me." he yelled, shrugging his shoulder.
Crystal gritted her teeth. If it had been Ariadne, he would have allowed her to touch him. Though the three of them grew up together and Xander thought of Crystal as a friend, he never treated her the way he did Ariadne.
"Sorry.... you had to wait so long and it ended like this." she said.
"I fought with Mom to come here today. But she had to bring that boy with her."
Crystal fell silent as she realized the real reason of his anger.
"I can understand.... you know.... Everyone felt grateful to have you as a friend. Girls would die just to speak with you." she said after a while.
"But the girl you love and care about treats you indifferently." she paused while Xander kept staring at the trees. "Do you know why?"
"Why?" he asked.
"Because she's unaware of your value. Others respect you and will do anything to get your attention. But Ariadne... she already has your attention. In fact, she has your heart...and she knows it. So she doesn't feel the need to do anything special for you."
Xander frowned and turned to look at her.
"She will start to obey you the day you treat her indifferently. She will realize your worth once she loses your attention." Crystal added.
Xander turned back to the trees. Crystal smirked, realizing she had caught his attention. She knew her words would work wonders now. She only needed to feed the fire over time.
"Return to the car. I'll be back in a moment." Xander said after a while.
Crystal nodded and returned to the car. Xander smoked his remaining cigarette as he reflected on Crystal's words. After a while, he returned to the car and drove away.
.
The next day, the news of him fighting with a boy spread throughout the city. Someone recorded the fight on their phone and shared it on social media. His mother gave him a long lecture. He got into another argument with her, and as a result, he was sent abroad for higher studies.
((END OF FLASHBACK))
"What have you done?"
Toby's voice brought Xander out of his thoughts.
He opened his eyes and looked at Toby. Toby looked around the place which was in chaos. Xander had broken everything in the room. Only the couches remained intact as he leaned against one, along with the glass of wine in his hand. Toby looked at him with sympathy. He looked completely broken .
"I can understand your pain." he said.
"I'm not in the mood, Toby" Xander said.
"I know. We will talk tomorrow." Toby said before leaving the room.