8. The Future l

"Xander, is Ariadne staying at your mansion?"

It was the following day at Blake Corporation. Crystal had arrived to discuss the joint project of Miller Group and Blake Corporation. They were eating lunch together after finishing their work.

"No." Xander answered while eating his food.

"No?" Crystal learned from Cathy that Ariadne didn't return to the mansion after the incident. However, she pretended ignorant. She wanted to know if Xander knew where Ariadne was.

"Do you know where she is? I have not heard anything about her since that day."

"No. Why should I know about her whereabouts?" Xander became irritated by the topic.

Crystal's lips curved in a sly smile at Xander's reply. "Oh, yes. I just wondered if you knew. I am just worried about her."

"You don't have to. She is not a child in the first place."

"Yeah, I just don't want anything bad to happen to her."

"It's her hometown, and she has lot of friends. She might be staying with her friends. It's good actually. You two should stay away from each other for the time being."

..........

Two days later

Xander received a phone call from Crystal in the evening.

"Xander, did you hear it?" Crystal asked, as soon as he received the call.

"What?" Xander was looking through some documents in a private room of a bar.

"Ariadne left Zavion City." Crystal said.

"What?" Xander paused.

"Yes. Today, I ran into her friend, Jennifer. When I asked her about Aria, she told me that she had left the city last week. I never knew about it. I am shocked, Xander. I never imagined she would leave the city."

"Where did she go?" Xander asked.

"Jennifer said she doesn't know."

"She may have left for a few days."

"Her friend said that she would never return."

"Huh, that's not possible." Xander furrowed his brow.

"Yeah. I had the same thought, but Jennifer looked serious."

"Oh. Don't worry too much. She had previously stayed abroad and new everything. She will be okay." Xander advised Crystal but he was feeling restless himself. It was also shocking for him.

........

It was raining outside. The aroma of freshly cooked food emanated from the kitchen of a small apartment.

"Aria, dinner is ready." came a voice.

Ariadne sighed as she stopped working on the computer and closed it.

"Coming, Mama Mary." she shouted from the small room before heading to the kichen.

She approached the dining table next to the kitchen and took a seat.

Ariadne and Mary arrived in Purple City a few days ago. They took a long route to get here, so no one could track them. Jennifer was the only one who knew their whereabouts. She didn't even inform Grandpa so that he wouldn't have to lie to Xander. Grandpa was upset, but Ariadne assured him that she would contact him if she needed anything. She had a friend here called Lily, whom she met while studying abroad. They were very good friends. She worked as an architect in Purple City. Lily made all the arrangements for them in Purple City.

Purple City was also a developed city, much like Zavion City. While Zavion City was famous for technology, Purple City was better known for it's architecture and entertainment industry. It was also quite far from Zavion City. Zavion City was located in the north of the continent, while Purple City was in the south. Ariadne chose this city for this very reason. And, like Blake Corporation in the north, Watson Group dominated the south. The Watson group owned a number of businesses, including clothing, jewelry, fashion, film and also architecture. So it suited Ariadne's preferences as well. She hoped to establish a name for herself in this city.

Mary served the food at the table. "I prepared some special food today; it is good for both you and the baby's health."

Their appartment was small, even for one person, but they were content.

"Mama Mary, you don't need to exaust yourself." Ariadne exclaimed looking at the abundance of dishes on the table.

"You are pregnant. You must eat a lot of healthy foods."

"Okay, but don't overdo it. You are the only person I have now. I don't want you to get sick."

"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to me, I am too young to be weak." They began to eat.

"did you got the job you mentioned earlier."

"No, Mama Mary. There's no response. Some other companies did invite me for an interview, but their pay is not as high as Watson Group's."

"You can accept what you are getting right now."

"Always remember that you must wait for good things." Mary added.

"Oh, thank you, Mama Mary. You know you can become a motivational speaker if you try." Ariadne teased her.

"Haha."

"No, I am not kidding; you always give the best advice and you understand the situation very well."

"Okay, okay, I am glad I can help you with my advices."

"By the way, have you enrolled your name at the University?"

"Yes, I will be starting classes on Monday."

"Are you sure you can balance work and studies? You should not be stressed right now."

"I can handle it, believe me. Keeping myself busy will actually help me stay stress-free."

She had left the city, but the memories remained; as did her broken heart. Every night, she would cry. Whenever she was free, those depressing thoughts surrounded her and made her feel like choking. It hurt way too much. So she decided to keep herself busy so that those thoughts wouldn't come to her mind. Though she was still unable to break free from those thoughts completely, it did help a little. Perhaps it would get better with time and stop hurting. And one day, she would be free of those pains. She could only hope for now.

"Aria?" She was brought back from her thoughts when Mary called her.

"Huhh.. ah, sorry. What were you saying?"

"You don't need to hide anything from me, child. If you want to cry, don't hide your tears. Let them fall. They will take the pain with them. It will take time but it will be completely gone oneday."

"I am hoping the same, Mama Mary."

After dinner they chat for a while before retiring to the bedroom to sleep. As there was only one bedroom, they shared it for the time being.

.....

Aria left for an interview early the next morning.

"What happened? Did the interview go well?" Marry asked as they sat down for dinner that evening.

"Yeah, it was good. Actually, they hired me right away, but I asked for some time to consider."

"Why?"

"The pay is not great. I considered waiting to see if other companies could provide a better offer, but I received no invitation from anyone. This job is my only option right now. I am not sure what I should do." Ariadne wanted a decent job so that they could be financially secure and live comfortably. She didn't want to spend their savings right away.

"Then accept the job. You will grow big by taking small steps." Mary suggested.

"But in that way, we must maintain an ordinary lifestyle."

"I don't need a luxurious lifestyle, Aria. Do you need one?" Mary asked.

"No, I am just concerned about the child."

"That's it. We have got enough for now. It will take time to grow. But that's ok. By the time the baby arrives, we will have enough money to spoil him." Mary reassured her.

"Ok." Aria nodded.

To achieve her dreams, She had a long way to go. And she was determined to do so. One thing Ariadne had learned in Zavion City. If you didn't have power, people would bully you. And money brought power. She would never let her child to go through what she had to. She would be a strong mother to her child, not only mentally but also physically and financially.

"There's one more thing. I found these." Mary brought a notebook, which Ariadne recognized the moment she saw it.

She studied architect and interior design but she was also interested in jewelry design. She used to spend her free time drawing jewelry designs. She took the notebook from Mary and opened it. She drew these designs over the last two years, while still married to Xander. It provided her with a temporary escape from her miserable life. She flipped through the pages, shocked by the sheer number of designs.

"There are about 300 designs" Mary answered for her. "And each of them is magnificent. They're also unique. It's like you poured your heart into them"

Ariadne's eyes welled up with tears as she recalled those days again. These designs were like a momentos for her, a recollection of her painful years.

"Why don't you use these designs to start your own jewelry line."

Ariadne looked at Mary, surprised by her suggestion. "Jewelry line?"

"Yes. If you want to be financially secure and powerful, you should become a businesswoman."

Ariadne was astounded by Mary's ability to read her thoughts.

"But I don't think I could handle everything at once."

She would take on a part-time job while attending university to further her studies. Her hands were already full. Launching her own jewelry line would require a lot of hard work and time, which she didn't have right now.

"Don't worry. You just concentrate on your studies and work. I don't have much to do at home, so I will take care of the jewelry line."

Mary was an educated woman. She went to the same college as Ariadne's mother, and they became friends. After graduating from college, Mary got married to her longtime boyfriend. However, after two years of marriage, they had an accident while she was pregnant. She lost both her husband and her child in that accident. After that accident, Mary completely broke down. Ariadne's mother brought her home in the hope that she would recover in the company of Ariadne, who was an infant at the time. It worked and she stayed with the family as Ariadne's nanny. It was also Marry who encouraged Ariadne to pursue a career in design. She was also interested in design, particularly jewelry design, but was unable to pursue further studies in the field. She taught Ariadne everything she knew about design, which helped Ariadne become a skilled designer.

Ariadne nodded in agreement. With hope, they made their plans for a better future.