Chapter 99 A Hope

Chapter 99 A Hope
A few days had passed, and Xander's condition had improved. He could talk without difficulty and move his body as well. Ariadne no longer stayed overnight at the hospital. It was always Jose who stayed with him in the night. But Ariadne visited Xander every day, spending a lot of time with him and took care of him. She had even taken a leave from her office. Many of his close and trusted friends, relatives, and business partners had come to see him, and everyone was relieved that he was safe. 

One morning, Ariadne arrived with some guests.

"Someone has come to meet you." she declared and Mark walked into the room behind her.

But what caught Xander's attention was the woman with Mark. 

"Hello, Mr Blake. How are you?" Mark asked. 

"I’m fine." 

Mark noticed Xander's gaze on the woman beside him. 

"This is Rene, my fiancée." he introduced.

Xander's eyes widened with surprise before he frowned at him. Mark smirked at his expression.

"Hello, Mr Blake. It's nice to meet you." the woman, named Rene, said with a polite smile. 

"Hello." Xander nodded with a smile.

He glanced at Ariadne who looked happy. He was utterly confused. What was going on?

"Can I talk to Mr. Blake for a moment?" Mark asked Ariadne. 

Ariadne was surprised when she heard that. They didn't get along well with each other. She looked worried that they would fight among themselves. 

"Nothing to worry about. I've something to say to him. It's between us." Mark assured her.

"Okay." Ariadne agreed and left the room with Rene, leaving them alone.

"What's this?" Xander asked as soon as the door was closed.

Mark sighed. "It's a long story."

Xander narrowed his gaze at him. "What happened between you and Ariadne?" 

"Nothing." he paused and approached him, then sat in the chair near the bed.

"She doesn’t love me. She only ever saw me as a friend and nothing more." he explained.

Xander visibly relaxed after hearing this. "So she declined your proposal?"

"Yes." 

He smiled. This time it was Mark who frowned at him. Xander composed his expression when he saw Mark glare at him.

"And where did this woman come from all of a sudden?" he asked, driving the attention to the mysterious woman.

"I met her a year ago during my stay abroad. We got close and dated for a while, but there was some misunderstanding, and we broke up in haste. I returned to Zavion City, and we went our separate ways." he paused.

Xander didn't say a word, silently listening to him.

"I met her again in the same restaurant where I had taken Ariadne to propose. I told Ariadne everything about us. And guess what? She played the matchmaker and reunited us." 

A smile appeared on Mark's face as he explained.

"What an emotional story!" Xander commented, shaking his head. 

Mark chuckled. "I think Ariadne still loves you."

Xander tensed at his words. "What makes you assume this?" he frowned.

"She was frightened when you got shot, and she's taking care of you so well. How will you explain all of these?" Mark asked, raising his brows.

Xander sighed. "She's doing this as her responsibility. She's only returning the favor."

"I don't think so." Mark shook his head.

"Then why isn't she saying that?"

"She's just scared. You'll need to win her trust... Don't give up on her." Mark said seriously.

"How?" Xander raised a brow as he asked.

"You have to express your feelings to her. If you can't express them in words, then show them in your actions. You need to leave your ego behind." he explained calmly.

Xander looked out the window and let out a sigh as he heard him.

"Yes... she's taking care of you because you've done the same for her. But there's still a part of her that really does care for you. You need to bring that side of her to the surface." Mark added.

Xander nodded as he thought deeply about his advice. He chuckled while shaking his head.

"I never thought I would be taking advice from you, someday." he said, looking at Mark.

"Me too." Mark laughed as well. "But it's normal to take advice from others... especially when you're trying to win your woman back."

"You're not a bad person." 

"Excuse me, I'm a good person."

The door burst open, interrupting their conversation, and the kids dashed in.

"Daddy!" they went up to Xander with excitement.

"Sorry, I tried to stop them, but they didn't listen." Ariadne said as she entered the room behind the kids with Rene.

"It's okay. We're done." Mark said. 

. 

After a while, Mark and Rene left. They sat down to eat lunch together. Ariadne dismissed the nurses and took care of everything by herself.

Xander's left side was bandaged, so he was using one hand to do his work. He was having trouble eating his food with the spoon. Ariadne stood up and approached him.

"Let me." she said, and fed him with her hands.

"Yes, Mommy, feed Daddy!" Alex yelled, clapping his hands with excitement. 

Autumn joined him. Ariadne glared at them, and they giggled.

"You're having a lot of fun, aren't you?"

Ever since Alex had returned home, they had become more naughty, like in the past. That boy's influence is deep.

"Don't disturb your mommy." Xander faked to scold them. 

Ariadne glared at him as he smiled innocently at her. She shook her head and continued to feed him.

"It's alright. I can eat this on my own. Eat your food." Xander grabbed her hand as he spoke.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to freeze. Ariadne averted her eyes and went back to sit on her seat. They ate silently while the kids kept talking about their adventures.

The scene was serene. He wanted this every day in his life.... eating food with his kids and the woman he loved. Previously, he thought it would be unfair to ask for a second chance after all he had done to her. She deserved a better person if she wanted one. He didn't want to take advantage of the kids and force her into a relationship she didn't want, agreeing only for the kids' better future. But if she still had feelings for him, no matter how little, he would fight for it. That look in her eyes that night had given him hope. Perhaps he still had a place in her heart. And this time, he would show her how much he loved her. 

..... 

Days passed and Xander had been discharged from the hospital. He had returned to the old mansion, but he was still too weak, so he remained there to rest and recover.

"Crystal is sentenced to life imprisonment, Boss. Emma also faced charges for helping her and was punished with a one-year jail sentence." Jose informed. 

They were in Xander's room, where Jose informed him about the latest activities. Xander hadn't set foot outside the mansion yet.

The incident was recorded on the CCTV of the resort. Furthermore, Aaron had submitted proof of Crystal's stealing money from the company. There were many things against her, and it didn't take long to prove that she was a dangerous person capable of harming anyone. Due to the influence of the Blakes, Crystal's case was resolved in just two days, resulting in her life imprisonment sentence. 

"But Crystal didn't mention Zidane's name. Her statement was that she did it herself to take revenge on Miss Ariadne." Jose added. 

"What about Gloria?" Xander asked.

Ariadne was also present in the room. She clenched her jaw at the mention of Gloria.

"She has escaped and is hiding somewhere. There's no trace of her. She might have left the resort immediately after bringing Alex to the garden. Our men are searching for her." 

Xander nodded. Jose left after reporting the recent news.

"When will the kids be able to resume school?" Ariadne asked as they were now alone in the room.

"Not now. Let me get well, then we'll see. We can't take any risks. He sent Crystal this time. He might send someone else again."

Ariadne frowned. "Then what should we do? Are they going to stay at home forever?"

Xander shook his head. "No. I'll destroy Zidane completely. Only then will the threat be over. For the time being, they'll be homeschooled. You don't have to worry about anything. I'll take care of everything." he stated, looking at her. They sat on the couch facing each other.

"Seriously? You're shot twice, and luckily, the bullet didn't hit your heart. But it was close. You just rest and get well soon. There are other men to handle the situation. We have our entire family." Ariadne stated.

"Yes, we're a family." Xander smiled like a fool. 

Ariadne felt awkward at the sudden slip of her tongue. They didn't mention their last conversation at the resort when Xander was shot yet. The room fell into an awkward silent.

She cleared her throat. "I think I should leave now. We will talk later."

"Sure. I'll be waiting." Xander smiled again. 

Ariadne looked at him with surprise. She found his behavior oddly funny. 

"Hmm... okay. Take care." 

She got up and left the room hurriedly.

.....

The phone on the desk was ringing, but no one received it. After a while, it began to ring again, and this time Zidane answered it.

"Hello."

"You bastard. You betrayed me." a loud voice came from the other side.

"Oh." Zidane shrugged casually, recognizing the person.

"All this while, you kept saying that you would marry me and give our daughter your name. But you were actually fooling me."

Zidane's father had announced his engagement with a woman from Purple City in a press conference that morning. When Gloria saw it, she was furious.

"I'm a businessman, Gloria. I'll always see to my profit." Zidane replied arrogantly. "What profit would I get by marrying you? Tell me." 

Gloria was speechless. "So.. all this while, you were just using me?"

"Of course. How can you think that someone like me would ever marry you?" 

"You bastard."

"Look, Gloria, everything can remain the same as it was in the past. You've been with me for a long time, so I won't abandon you. I really like you." Zidane said.

"You'll keep me as your...mistress." Gloria gritted her teeth.

Zidane sighed. "You have to understand. I'll provide you with everything you want, but I can't marry you."

"And what about your daughter?" she paused as she recalled something. "Zidane, where's Oindrila and my mother? I know it's you who took them."

"Relax, they're fine."

"But why did you take them?"

"As I said, you've been with me for a long time, and you know everything about me. So, I can't risk it."

Gloria's eyes widened in disbelief. "You kidnapped your own daughter to blackmail me?" 

"Enough. Now isten to me carefully. Don't try to do anything funny now that my engagement has been announced. I won't tolerate anyone tarnishing my image. So, know this very well that I won't hesitate to kill Oindrila if you go against me. And meet me in a few days. I'll send you the location and time." Zidane hung up the call after giving his message. 

Gloria collapsed onto the couch in the apartment where she was hiding. Zidane hadn't just betrayed her, he had destroyed her. And she couldn't do anything against him. She burst into tears.