Chapter 63 The Real Boss
"Oh.. Crystal. You're so selfless and kind-hearted. I'm proud of you." Emma said.
Margaret still looked dissatisfied, but she said nothing. The three women made a mental note to deal with Ariadne and the kids in their own way. Aaron remained silent.
"How is the third kid? What exactly happened to him?" Crystal asked, concerned.
Xander sighed as he thought about Alex. He felt sorry for him.
"His legs were disabled since birth, so he couldn't walk." he said.
Margaret and Emma exchanged glances while Crystal wore a sad expression.
"I'm sorry. It's very unfortunate." she said with a sad tone.
"Yeah... but he has undergone surgery and will be able to walk after the treatment." Xander added with a smile.
"Oh.. wow... that's a great news." Crystal said excitedly.
"I will visit him." she added.
Xander fell silent.
"Can we talk in private?" he asked.
"Yeah... sure" Crystal nodded and stood up.
She took him to the first-floor balcony.
"What's it? Is there any problem with him?" she asked as soon as they reached the balcony.
"Crystal, I've just started interacting with them. I don't want any complication now. I'm not sure how he will react... don't meet him now."
"But I've met the other two." Crystal said.
Even though Ariadne had introduced him as their father, the kids didn't warm up to him. He remembered Adrian assuming he had left Ariadne for Crystal. He was afraid that his relationship with Crystal would have an impact on his relationship with the children, especially Alex.
"It's different. He's in the hospital. I don't want anything to bother him." he replied firmly.
"Okay. I will not do anything you dislike." Crystal said with a smile, looking at his face.
She leaned against the balcony, facing him, admiring his handsome face. Xander, on the other hand, looked outside while keeping his hands in his pockets. He didn't look at her once. Silence fell.
"I've something else to discuss." Xander said after a while, his expression serious.
"Yes.. I'm listening." Crystal replied softly.
"Crystal... you can reconsider our relationship." Xander said.
"What? Why?" Crystal asked.
Her sweet expression faded and was replaced by a frown.
"I've three kids now. Not everyone would want to be with a man who already has three children. You have got your entire life ahead of you..." he paused.
"One day, you will want to start a family with your own children... I might not be able to fulfill your wish. You can cancel the engagement, if you want." he looked at her as he finished.
Crystal stiffened as she looked at him, shocked. Xander promised to marry her after her pregnancy, but he didn't as the child was miscarried. Margaret was constantly telling him to marry and produce an heir for the family, but he never listened. However, when he learned about Ariadne's kids, he became jealous. Margaret and Emma pushed him to get engaged, and he agreed in a fit of rage. Crystal was aware of this and was constantly concerned that he could cancel the engagement at any time. But she wouldn't let him cancel it so easily.
"Xander... my feelings for you haven't changed despite everything. I still want to spend my life as your wife. I want nothing else." she said after a while, her eyes welling up.
Xander sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
"You know that you will get nothing from this relationship. You deserve a man who will cherish and love you... both physically and emotionally. I can't give you any of them." he said, frustrated.
"I love you, Xander. If you want to get back with Ariadne, I'll gladly back down. But if you aren't, let me stay by your side... even as a friend."
Xander didn't reply as he was deep in thought. He believed he and Ariadne would never be together. He had no expectations from anyone. However, others had high expectations of him. He was already engaged to Crystal and everyone was happy, especially his mother. He decided not to upset them. With this relationship, at least they could continue to be happy.
..........
Ariadne was sitting in her office when she heard a knock at the door.
"Come in." she said with a sigh, knowing who it was.
The door opened, and Crystal walked in.
"Good morning, Aria." she said with a fake smile.
"Good morning, Crystal."
Crystal approached the table and took the seat opposite Ariadne. She looked around the office, carefully observing everything. Ariadne waited for a while, watching her every move.
"Why are you here, Crystal?" she finally asked, when Crystal didn't say anything.
"Of course to congratulate you." Crystal smirked, causing her to frown.
"For what?" she asked.
"For the success of your plans." Crystal replied.
She was still confused.
"Oh.. common sister. Don't act dumb. You used your masterstroke to get Xander's attention, and now you are pretending innocence."
Ariadne rolled her eyes as she realized Cryatal was referring to her children's paternity.
"You may have won this round, Aria. It's an excellent move, without a doubt. I hadn't anticipated this. But remember this,...you will never get him back. He's mine and will always remain so." she paused and looked at her nails.
"Once I give him an heir, he will not look back at your children. Just as he didn't hesitate to divorce you because of me and our child. He just sympathizes with you for raising three children alone. And yes... one of them is also cripled." she added with a smirk.
Ariadne remained silent. She was aware that she wanted a reaction from her, but she wouldn't give her that. She wouldn't ruin her mood by responding to these taunts. Once Alex could walk, those who mocked his disability would get a hard slap. That day would arrive soon.
"It's so sad that they grew up without a father." Crystal added when she didn't get a response.
"My kids have never needed Xander, and neither will they in the future. I've allowed him to spend some time with them because he's their father. Don't think we need him. You can keep him to yourself. Best wishes for your future family. We don't want anything from you. We're happy with our lives."
"Yeah, I see that. But what if he takes the kids away from you permanently? They will be at my mercy... I'll ensure that they have a good life, even better than yours." Crystal said, suggestively.
"Don't even think about hurting my kids. It will not go well with you if you try anything on them. Mark my words." Ariadne warned her as she leaned forward, glaring at her.
"Oh, really? I would love to see that, sister." Crystal smirked as she stood up and exited the office.
Ariadne was confused that Crystal had arrived only to say this. Nevertheless, she became concerned about the kids and immediately called Mary.
...
"What are you cooking?" Cathy asked as she entered the kitchen.
"Chicken nudgets, Madam?" a maid replied.
"Why? I didn't tell you to cook it." she asked, looking at the other dishes.
"Miss Mary told me to make this and a few other dishes for the kids."
She approached the maid and stood in front of her. The maid swallowed in fear.
"Does Miss Mary pay you?" she asked.
"No, Madam?" the maid answered, stumbling.
"Is she the housekeeper here?"
"No, Madam."
"Then why are you following her orders?" Cathy yelled at the maid, causing her to flinch.
"She takes care of the kids. She knows what they like so I..."
"Shut up. She maybe the caretaker in her home... but here. .. everything will be done according to my instructions. None of you will follow that woman's commands. Do you get it?" Cathy said, looking at the maids, who nodded in fear.
"Now, stop cooking these right now." she ordered.
"But, Madam. They're Mr. Blake's children." another maid said hesitantly.
"They're Mr. Blake's kids but they don't own this place. Our actual bosses here are Miss Crystal and Mrs. Margaret. They will eat as I have instructed." Cathy announced arrogantly.
"Okay, Madam."
After instructing the maids Cathy went to the living area where the kids were playing.
"Don't touch that vase." she shouted when she saw Autumn holding a vase. Autumn looked at her, confused. She was admiring the design of the vase.
"I said don't touch it." Cathy said, clenching her jaw and approached Autumn in quick strides.
Autumn was startled by her loud voice and dropped the vase, causing it to break.
"You brat. Why..."
"Why are you shouting at her?"
She was cut off by Mary.
"She broke a vase." Cathy said as she turned towards Mary.
Adrian stood beside her, holding a ball in his hand. He ran to his sister when he saw her tearful eyes.
Autumn was extremely sensitive and would immediately cry if anyone yelled at her.
"You made her cry over a vase!" Mary glared at her.
"Do you know how expensive that vase was? Everything in this mansion is expensive. I just can't sit here and let her break these expensive items."
"You could store them somewhere else." Mary said, approaching Autumn.
The little girl hugged her tightly.
"Why should I? They're for decoration." Cathy glared at them.
"And they're kids. It's normal for them to break things." Mary replied loudly.
"If they knew how to behave, they wouldn't break anything." Cathy walked away without waiting for a reply.
Mary shook her head. "Ignore her. She's crazy." she cooed Autumn.
Adrian looked at Cathy's retreating figure, silently. The kids continued to play in the living area, while Cathy glared at them from afar. She had promised Margaret and Crystal that she would deal with them.
After a while, they all sat down to dinner.
"What's this, Grandma. I don't like these dishes." Adrian said, looking at the food.
When Mary looked at the menu, she noticed that there was nothing that the children would like.
"Where are the dishes I asked you to prepare for them?" Mary asked, looking at the maid.
"I told her not to cook anything else as we already have so much to eat." Cathy answered from her seat.
After seeing Mary sit with the children, she also joined them.
"But they don't eat these foods." Mary frowned.
"They will." Cathy raised a brow at her before turning to face the children. "Eat the foods, kids."
"No, I'm allergic to mashrooms." Autumn said.
"Then you can eat the other dishes." Cathy rolled her eyes.
Adrian frowned as he watched her.
"Grandma, can you make us some pasta?" he said, turning to Mary.
However, before Mary could answer, Cathy protested, "No..these foods will be wasted."
"No one told you to cook these. Why didn't you ask us before cooking." Adrian said aloud, giving Cathy a hard look.
Cathy swallowed at the boy's authoritative tone.
"Leave it, Adrian. I'll cook some pasta for you two." Mary interrupted.
"And Cathy I would like to talk to Mr. Blake about why the kids can't eat their favorite foods." she added.
Cathy's face turned pale.
"What? Do you want to disturb him over such a trivial matter? Do you think he's free to discuss food?" she replied.
"He brought the children here on his own responsibility. I'm sure he will not mind if I discuss any matters concerning the kids with him."
Cathy swallowed and smiled awkwardly, her arrogance vanished.
"There's no need. He has asked me to look after everything... Gigi. Make pasta for the kids." she instructed the maid, Gigi.
"Okay, madam." the maid said before heading towards the kitchen.