CHAPTER 243
Arianna sipped the last of her latte and then paid the bill. As she glanced down at the receipt, a wave of melancholy washed over her.
For all the kindness Xander had shown her, all she could offer in return was a simple cup of coffee.
She didn’t have many friends to begin with, and now, with Xander leaving, she felt the weight of losing one more. A pang of regret settled in, as she wasn’t sure if their paths would ever cross again.
A sudden need to confide in someone gripped her, and she instinctively reached for her phone, tempted to call Xander.
But she hesitated.
Arianna wasn’t the type to be overly dependent, calling just because they hadn’t seen each other in a few hours. Besides, she knew Xander had a mountain of work to catch up on after his time off to spend the day with her. He was likely buried in tasks by now, and she didn’t want to distract him.
With a sigh, she put her phone away, deciding not to disturb him.
Xander made it a point to return to the villa for dinner each night, so Arianna figured she could speak to him later that evening.
...
At the King Group, Xander had just wrapped up a lengthy video conference by the time the clock hit 5:30 p.m. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his tired eyes.
A notification pinged on his phone.
Glancing at the screen, he saw a message from Arianna on WhatsApp. He opened it right away.
Arianna: [Grandma says she’s making your favourite sauerkraut fish tonight! What time will you be home?]
A smile tugged at Xander’s lips as he quickly typed a response.
[Are you asking me to come home early? Do you miss me already?]
[…Of course not. I’m asking on Grandma’s behalf.]
[Well, since it’s Grandma asking, tell her not to worry about the fish. I might not make it home tonight.]
Arianna promptly replied with an angry emoji.
Xander chuckled and followed up: [Are you sure you're still asking for Grandma?]
After a brief pause, Arianna responded: [Fine. I’m asking. Happy now?]
Xander’s mood lightened, and he texted back with a grin: [Since this is a personal request from Mrs King, it's only right I come home immediately.]
It wasn’t often that Arianna took the initiative to invite him home for dinner, and he certainly wasn’t going to miss it.
Feeling refreshed, he set his phone down, the weariness from his day fading away.
Ronald knocked on the door before entering and approached Xander’s desk, placing a neatly organized stack of documents before him. "Mr. King, these are the notes from today's meeting. Kindly review them at your convenience."
"Thank you," Xander replied, glancing up briefly before beginning to skim through the paperwork. His eyes scanned the key points, but his mind was elsewhere. After a moment, he set the documents down and leaned back in his chair.
"Also, cancel my dinner plans for tonight," he added, his tone firm but casual.
"I’ll be heading home instead."
Ronald nodded without surprise.
"Understood, sir."
Xander signed his name at the bottom of the document and looked up at Ronald, who was still standing by the desk.
"Is there something else?"
"There is..." Ronald hesitated briefly before deciding to speak. "About that issue you asked me to look into. I’ve found—"
Before Ronald could finish, Xander’s phone rang.
He glanced at the screen, half-expecting it to be Arianna, but it was an unfamiliar number. Considering how few people had his number, it caught his attention.
He raised an eyebrow at Ronald, who immediately fell silent. Xander swiped the screen to answer. "Hello."
A soft, familiar female voice greeted him from the other end. "Hi, Xander. It’s me."
Xander's eyes sharpened slightly.
Ronald, overhearing the voice, thought to himself, *Looks like I don’t need to update him about Ms. Jackson —she’s already reached out.*
Xander remained quiet, but Harmony didn’t seem to mind. She let out a light, cheerful laugh and continued,
"I’m back. I returned a few days ago."
After a beat, Xander finally replied in a neutral tone, "Is that so."
"I didn’t tell you sooner because I wanted it to be a surprise! You’re not upset with me, are you?" she asked playfully. After a short pause, Harmony added,
"Zach is hosting a small gathering tonight to welcome me back. You’ll be there, right?"
As if sensing that Xander wouldn’t decline, Harmony continued without waiting for a response. “I have some other matters to take care of, so I’ll see you tonight, Xander.”
With that, she ended the call before he had the chance to respond.
Xander set his phone down, and the brightness in his eyes faded. His expression was devoid of emotion. After a few moments of silence, he looked back up at Ronald and said,
“You were saying, Ronald....”
Ronald understood that Xander was expecting him to finish his report. He picked up where he had left off and said,
“Ms. Jackson returned home recently. The Harmony Jackson you saw on the list the other day was indeed her.”
Xander remained silent for a moment. After about ten seconds, he said,
“You’re dismissed.”
Ronald nodded and turned to leave the office.
Once he closed the door gently behind him, a flicker of concern crossed his usually calm demeanour.
*Why would Ms. Jackson come back at such a critical time?*
*What could be her reason for returning just as Xander and Arianna were starting anew?*
An unsettling feeling gnawed at him. Was turbulence on the horizon now that things were beginning to improve?
