CHAPTER 251
Ronald was about to respond when there was another knock on the door. A secretary entered and said, "Mr. Crawford, the team from Moreland is requesting a video conference in about ten minutes. Should I accept it?"
“Yes, go ahead and confirm. I’ll inform Mr. King,” Ronald replied. He then turned to Arianna with an apologetic look. "Mrs. King, I’m not sure how long Mr. King’s meeting will last, so would you—"
Arianna quickly cut in, “I think it’s best if I head out. It seems like everyone is swamped, and I don’t want to get in the way.”
She stood up and made her way toward the door.
Ronald escorted her to the elevator, only turning back once the doors closed and the elevator descended.
…
As Arianna sat in the taxi, she gave her head a gentle tap with her hand.
She realized she had been overthinking things. Thankfully, she hadn’t interrupted Xander's busy schedule.
Everything she had been anxious about was just coincidental...
Letting out a breath of relief, Arianna made a note on Harmony’s WhatsApp profile before putting her phone away and gazing out the window.
…
Xander’s meeting finally wrapped up around eight in the evening, and he returned to his office.
The moment he stepped inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to the cake on the coffee table. A flicker of surprise crossed his face as he asked,
“Where did that come from?”
He nodded slightly in the direction of the cake.
Ronald, trailing behind, glanced at the cake and responded, “Oh, I forgot to mention—Mrs. King stopped by this afternoon. She brought the cake for your afternoon tea and asked me to remind you to eat properly and get some rest.”
'So Arianna came by? Did my wife miss me?'
The corners of Xander's lips lifted ever so slightly, a hint of joy softening his expression. But when his eyes landed on the cake again, a faint frown creased his brow.
Ronald, noticing the shift in his boss's demeanour, asked curiously, "Is something the matter, Mr King?"
Xander glanced at him. "I don't eat cake."
Despite being pleased that Arianna had shown some thought for him, it puzzled him. She knew well enough that he wasn't fond of sweet things. So why bring him cake?
Could she have been that inattentive?
Ronald quickly caught on. He was aware that Xander wasn't a fan of sweets. However, Ronald himself had a bit of a sweet tooth, and after such a long meeting, he was starting to feel a little hungry.
He swallowed hard and then tentatively offered, "Well, if it’s not to your taste, Mr. King, I can take care of it for you. No need to worry about the cake going to waste. I’ll finish every last bite!”
With a hopeful look, Ronald awaited Xander's approval, half expecting to be handed the cake.
But instead, Xander’s lips twitched slightly, and he replied dryly, "You’re craving cake?"
Ronald nodded eagerly, his eyes drifting back to the cake on the table. Yet, before he could get too excited, Xander's sharp voice cut through his hopes,
“Go buy your own.”
Ronald stood there, speechless. He couldn’t help but feel a little slighted. Here Xander was, not even liking sweets, yet still refusing to share. It seemed to Ronald that his boss’s possessiveness over Arianna extended even to trivial things like this.
He vividly recalled a time when Xander had shot him a deadly glare just for lingering his gaze a little too long on Arianna. It was a reminder—Xander was not someone to be trifled with.
"Right, Mr. King. I'll head out now if there's nothing else."
“Mm,” Xander muttered in acknowledgement
Ronald quickly made his exit, carefully closing the door behind him.
…
Xander walked over to the sofa and sat down. He stared at the cake for a moment, his frown deepening. Despite his reservations, he picked up the small fork, sliced off a piece, and popped it into his mouth.
The overwhelming sweetness hit Xander’s taste buds, and his expression soured immediately. He stood up, grabbed a glass of water, and downed it before returning to the table. Alternating between bites of cake and sips of water, he managed to finish the whole slice, though it took some effort.
Afterwards, he wiped his mouth, picked up his phone, and sent a brief message on WhatsApp.
…
At the villa, Arianna stepped out of the bathroom just as her phone buzzed with a new notification. She dried her hands, walked over to the bed, and opened the message from Xander.
[The cake was too sweet.]
She stared at the message, a little surprised. She knew well that Xander didn’t care for sweets, and buying the cake had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, driven by her own swirling emotions. She hadn’t expected him to eat it.
[You ate it?]
[Of course, I ate it. My beautiful wife bought it, especially for me]
Arianna couldn’t help but blush.
Unable to explain the real reason she bought it, Arianna typed back: [Grandma showed me how to make her famous sauerkraut fish. I’ll cook it for you sometime.]
She attached a few photos she had taken of her first attempt at the dish.
Xander’s reply came quickly: [Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.]
Arianna smiled, feeling a sense of relief. Xander had been so straightforward, and thinking back to her earlier doubts and assumptions made her feel a little sheepish.
It was time to clear her head and concentrate fully on the competition ahead. Both she and Xander were working hard on their paths.
She sent one last message: [No matter how busy you get, don’t forget to take breaks. I’ll give my all and win this competition!]
…
Xander smiled as he read her message. Although the exhaustion from his long day still weighed on him, the fatigue seemed to fade after their brief conversation. His weariness felt lighter, replaced by a quiet warmth.
