CHAPTER 409
The clock ticked well past nine before the estate's front gates opened again-this time for Grandma King.
The sharp tap of her cane echoed through the marble hallway moments before her voice sliced through the stillness.
"What is that nuisance doing here?"
Arianna looked up just in time to see Grandma King standing in the doorway, expression twisted in disgust as her sharp eyes landed on Harmony, who was still milking her injury on the settee, arm cradled against her chest like royalty.
Xander tensed immediately.
"Grandma, calm down," he said, rising from his chair, running a hand through his already disheveled hair.
"Harmony hurt herself. She needed-"
"Needed what?" Grandma King snapped.
"You've got the entire city to choose from and you brought her here? Have you lost your mind, Xander?"
Harmony shrank back dramatically, biting her lip like she'd been personally wounded by the words.
"She's not staying," the older woman continued firmly, voice low and cold as ice.
"Not under my roof."
Xander took a step forward, exasperated.
"She's already here, Grandma. Just for the night. I'll have her dropped home first thing in the morning-"
"I said no," Grandma hissed.
"She's a viper. And you're letting her curl up right next to the fireplace like she's family?"
Xander barely had a moment to process the tension when he heard the sharp clack of his grandmother's cane striking the marble floor.
"You!" Grandma King hissed, pointing the tip of her walking stick straight at Harmony, her eyes blazing with fury.
"I thought I told you never to step foot in this house again!"
Harmony froze in place, "I didn't mean to-"
But she didn't get to finish.
Grandma King stormed forward with surprising speed for a woman her age, fury giving her strength. Her cane came up with deadly precision-aimed straight at Harmony's shoulder.
"Out! Out, you little snake!"
Xander rushed in, grabbing his grandmother's arm just as Aunt Julia darted forward to restrain her from the other side.
The cane swung wide, narrowly missing Harmony, who let out a sharp gasp and ducked.
"Grandma, what the hell are you doing?" Xander snapped, holding her back.
"What's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me?" Grandma King exploded, yanking her arm free with a force that shook the room. Her eyes blazed with fury, her voice trembling with rage.
"What the hell has gotten into you, Xander? Are you that blind? That damn foolish?"
She stepped closer, jabbing a finger toward him like a weapon.
"You can't see it, can you? You won’t see it! That poison in her eyes, the lies dripping from her tongue—she’s manipulating you, twisting you around her finger while you stand there like a clueless child!"
Her voice cracked into a shout, raw with desperation.
"She’s a parasite, Xander! A leech! Feeding off your guilt, your sympathy, your weakness! And you’re just letting her sink her claws in deeper while you defend her like a damn fool!"
Aunt Julia gripped her shoulders.
"Grandma King, calm down, please-don't stress yourself-"
"She's in my house," Grandma spat.
"She has no shame. You think she's here because she's hurting? Ha! She's here because she's plotting. Always has been."
Xander looked between them, stunned, trying to make sense of the chaos.
"Grandma, why are you being like this?"
Xander asked, his brows drawn together in confusion. "I just-I couldn't turn her away. She was scared, crying-what was I supposed to do?"
"She's not hurt, Xander!" his grandmother snapped, her voice shaking with barely restrained fury.
"There wasn't a damn thing wrong with her except that she needed another audience."
He blinked, taken aback by the intensity of her reaction.
"“Grandma, please…You used to like her-"
"That was before I realized what a manipulative little snake she is!" she cut in harshly.
"And you're too stupid to see it. God help us-how are you running King Enterprises when you can't even see through a girl who's been playing you like a fiddle since day one?"
Xander stared at her, stunned
"Oh come on Grandma...…she’s not what you think.”
He stepped closer, gently but firmly.
“She’s been through things, things that would’ve broken most people. She’s not perfect, but she’s not a manipulator. She’s not some… parasite feeding on me. She’s just trying to survive, same as anyone.”
Grandma king rolled her eyes and pointed her cane at him, furious tears in her eyes.
"Unbelievable. You fell for it. Again. You idiot"
Arianna almost wanted to let Grandma King swing that cane. A small, silent part of her hoped the old woman would land it squarely on Harmony's smug face. But now wasn't the time. Not when Harmony was already unraveling. Not when Arianna was so close to everything falling into place.
Grandma's voice cut through the thick silence like a crack of thunder.
"Arianna," she barked, eyes blazing,
"How could you let that she-devil into your house?"
The room went still.
"She's a witch," Grandma hissed, pointing her cane at Harmony like it could cast her out.
"You have no idea what she's capable of. I thought you, at the very least, had some sense."
Arianna’s jaw tensed, but she kept her tone measured, her gaze flicking briefly to Xander before settling on Grandma King.
“With all due respect, Grandma… it wasn’t my decision,” she said softly, her voice laced with quiet emotion.
Just the faintest tremble slipped through—enough to suggest vulnerability without appearing dramatic.
She offered a small, strained smile, as if trying to smooth things over.
“I only stepped back because I realized that… when it comes to Harmony, nothing else seems to matter to him.”
Her words hung in the air, gentle but pointed.
And it was true.
Xander flinched like she’d struck him—not with her words, but with the weight behind them. His voice came out quieter this time, raw and aching.
“Arianna…
“You mean more to me than anything—you know that. You always have.” His voice nearly broke.
“But Harmony... she needed help. That’s all it was. I was just trying to do the right thing.”
He swallowed hard, his hand brushing the back of his neck.
“If I made you feel like you don’t matter, I’m sorry. That was never my intention. I’d never choose to hurt you, Arianna. Not in a thousand lifetimes.”
Grandma's voice quivered now, thick with disappointment.
"My grandson has no damn sense. God help King Enterprises with a fool like you at the helm."
Arianna stepped in, gently taking the older woman's arm. Her voice remained calm, though her eyes still burned.
"Grandma. You're working yourself up again. Come on, let me walk you to your room."
Grandma gave Harmony one last withering glare before allowing Arianna to guide her away.
Harmony sat in the lounge like a queen on her stolen throne, silent but seething. Her eyes followed Grandma King's retreat with thinly veiled hatred. Her fists tightened in her lap, nails digging into her palms.
Enjoy your moment, you wrinkled old bat, she thought with a venomous curl of her lip. Because once Arianna's out of the way... I'll deal with you myself.
Xander gripped Arianna's arm gently but firmly.
"Arianna, you're hurt. Sit down, please," Xander said, concern lacing his voice.
"Aunt Julia, can you take Grandma to her room?"
Arianna placed a hand against his chest, her touch soft but her words edged with something cooler.
"I'm okay," she said, a faint smile curving her lips.
"You stay and tend to your friend. She seems to need you more tonight."
Her tone was sweet-almost too sweet-and it carried the sharp sting of something unspoken. Something deliberate.
Xander's brows knit together at her words, guilt flashing across his face.
"I'll just settle her in," he murmured, almost apologetically.
"Then I'll be with you. Okay?"
Arianna nodded, but her eyes said otherwise. She pulled away, her hand dropping slowly from his chest as she turned to guide Grandma out of the room-leaving Harmony to sit there, basking in the flicker of victory she hadn't earned.
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