CHAPTER 194
Arianna spotted Xander approaching and instinctively tried to retreat, but Xander was faster. He effortlessly caught her by the back of her waist, pulling her gently back toward him.
Embarrassed by being caught eavesdropping, Arianna’s eyes darted nervously as she stammered, “I was just worried. But I didn’t overhear anything. The conversation was too far away for me to hear!”
Though she had been concerned about a potential confrontation, she was startled when the two men abruptly shook hands, a stark contrast to the tension she had felt earlier.
Xander chuckled softly. “What’s the matter? Were you afraid I’d lose my temper with him?”
Arianna bristled at the comment. How could he read her thoughts so easily?
Arianna chuckled awkwardly and said with a hint of flattery, “Of course not, Xander. You’re always such a gentleman!”
When Arianna called him by his first name instead of the usual ‘Mr. King,’ Xander felt an unexpected surge of warmth, a small smile tugging at his lips. Arianna caught the brief smile, realizing that he seemed to appreciate being addressed more personally than just with his formal title, Mr. King.
As Xander reflected on Alan’s earlier words, his gaze grew intense, causing Arianna to shiver. She swallowed nervously, bracing herself for what might come next.
After a few moments, Xander spoke softly,
“When you…were away…”
He hesitated, faltering midway through his sentence before starting again, only to pause once more.
Arianna, puzzled, asked, “When I what?”
Xander’s expression revealed a mix of conflicting emotions, but soon, his face settled into a sombre look.
“Never mind. It’s not important.”
After uttering those few words, Xander withdrew his hand from Arianna’s waist and turned to head upstairs with purpose.
Arianna watched him retreat, her mind spinning with confusion.
What was he trying to communicate?
‘You…were away…’
Away, where?
Arianna mulled over it for a moment but eventually decided it wasn’t worth dwelling on, as she couldn’t decipher his meaning. What mattered was that the evening had ended on a positive note, and she was relieved that the tension between Xander and Alan had eased.
As night fell, Arianna tidied up the kitchen, washing the dishes before heading upstairs.
Finding Xander in the study rather than their bedroom, she felt a bit more at ease. With her clothes in hand, she headed to the bathroom to enjoy a soothing hot bath.
After finishing her bath, Arianna completed her skincare routine and leaned back against the headboard. She briefly spoke with the caregiver on the phone, confirming that Charlie was well and reiterating her instructions before ending the call.
Exhausted from the day’s events, Arianna yawned as she settled into bed. She glanced at the wall clock, noting that it was already past 11, and then her eyes drifted to the door, wondering if Xander would come to bed.
As soon as she had that thought, she froze and quickly dismissed it with a shake of her head.
There was no use worrying about when Xander might come to bed—or if he would come at all. She needed rest.
With that resolved, Arianna lay down, pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, and closed her eyes, as if trying to escape her thoughts.
.............
In the study, Xander lounged in his large chair behind the desk, his posture relaxed yet thoughtful. He rested his arms on the desk and held a lit cigarette between his fingers, watching as thin trails of smoke spiralled upwards.
He took a drag, exhaling smoke with a sigh, though it did little to ease his furrowed brow.
After stubbing out the cigarette in the ashtray, Xander booted up his computer and began to navigate to the email login screen. His fingers moved deftly across the keyboard as he typed in his password and hit enter.
Once logged in, he was greeted by a flood of unread emails. The emails were sent at regular intervals—once a week—starting from the day Arianna went abroad and concluding on the day she returned.
As he scanned through them, the content revealed much about Arianna’s experiences over the past two years.
Xander had instructed his contacts to monitor Arianna and provide regular updates, but he had never opened any of the reports. It was unclear whether he had avoided reading them out of disinterest or for some other reason.
Regardless, Alan’s words weighed heavily on his mind. Had Arianna truly endured such hardship over those two years?
He hesitated, his hand hovering over the mouse. With a deep breath, he clicked on the first email.
One by one, he read through the messages: the first, the second, and then the third. The further back he delved, the more his hands began to shake.
Despite Alan’s prior warning, experiencing Arianna’s trials through these firsthand accounts was far more unsettling and emotional.
Arianna, once cherished and adored, endured immense hardship while living abroad. Struggling in an unfamiliar city, she was often overcharged by taxi drivers who took advantage of her ignorance. On one occasion, she was forced to sleep on a street stairwell after a dishonest landlord evicted her in the middle of the night.
Job opportunities were scarce and often came with either meagre wages or gruelling hours. Initially, Arianna was overwhelmed by the bullying she faced at work, her distress evident as she cried until her eyes were swollen. Over time, however, her tears ceased, and she learned to endure in silence.
Her body struggled to adapt to the new environment, leaving her frequently ill. She tried to manage her sickness at home as best she could, resorting to the emergency room only when necessary. Even then, she opted for the least expensive medications. After a severe leg injury, she spent just three days in the hospital before returning home on crutches.
Dining out was a rare luxury for Arianna. Instead, she often bought near-expired groceries and prepared her meals at home, honing her cooking skills out of necessity during those two years.
The house she rented was so inexpensive that she had been a victim of several burglaries. This constant threat made her overly cautious and she struggled with insomnia, her nights often disturbed by anxiety.
By the time Xander finished reading the final email, his breath had become shallow, and he had to close his eyes and steady himself with deep breaths.
Though Arianna had betrayed him two years prior, and he might have felt entitled to relish her misfortune, the suffering described in the emails only deepened his heartache. The pain was overwhelming, like a thousand arrows piercing his chest.
Xander was consumed by the desire to know if Arianna had ever regretted her past actions after enduring such hardship.
With trembling hands, he closed the webpage, stood up slowly, and made his way back to the bedroom.
The room was quiet, illuminated only by a soft lamp beside the bed.
As Xander approached the bed, he moved with an unusual gentleness, his gaze fixed on Arianna’s peaceful face. He reached out, intending to wake her and seek the answers he longed for, but hesitated just before touching her shoulder.
Ultimately, he chose not to disturb her serene sleep, his reluctance to interrupt her rest outweighing his need for answers.
