A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 248

James shot Norman a piercing gaze. "Don't force my hand; I just might do something to Shen Group."

Norman shook his head ever so slightly. "I'm looking forward to it."

Maria grabbed James' hand and pushed him out of the door, growling as she followed behind. "Come on, let's go. Hurry!"

The man said nothing, but let himself be bodily removed from the ward.

When they were out in the hall, she immediately shook off his hand and strode to the elevator without a backward glance.

James remained standing where she had left him, staring first at his discarded hand, then at Maria's back. "Maria Song, you must know that it's a hundred times easier for me to put you in jail compared to getting you out."

She was just about to step inside the elevator in that moment, but she paused and took a deep breath. She turned around and pasted a fake smile on her face. "Here we are, Mr. Xi, the elevator is here. After you."

Her grievances seemed to be piling up rapidly in just one day. She had yet to get over his little show back at the ward, and he wouldn't even afford her a proper way to vent her anger.

Indeed, he made his satisfaction at her change in attitude known, and she sauntered over to the elevator with a smug face. Of course, once he was inside, he made sure to pull Maria with him.

She could only grit her teeth and maintain her silence.

She walked away from him again when they reached the parking lot, and Maria got inside her car in a huff. She slammed her car door hard enough to make the vehicle shake a little.

But then in the next second, rapid, successive knocks came at her window.

She rolled her glass down and asked impatiently, "What can I do for you now, Mr. Xi?"

He ignored her obvious anger and spoke in a light tone. "Let's continue what we were doing back there this evening. I'll see you later."

And then he turned around without waiting for her answer.

"I refuse!"

"You have no right to refuse."

Maria swallowed hard, too furious to even retort.

She knew she couldn't win this one, and begrudgingly decided to let him do what he wanted.

It would just be sex anyway, right? She could just consider this as payment for taking her out of jail.

It was already past midnight when James arrived at Golden Mansion, and Maria happened to be in the middle of a call.

She opened the door of the apartment with the phone still against her ear. "Yes, I know. Transfer some money to her account. Yes, I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. That would be all."

She ended the call and watched as James closed the door behind him before changing his shoes and taking off his coat.

Maria had her arms crossed over her chest the entire time, silent and waiting.

James walked into the living room and threw his suit jacket on the sofa, followed by his tie.

"Why are you still up so late?"

"I've been waiting for you, of course," she replied with just the slightest hint of sarcasm. "I mean, how could I dare to sleep without you?"

He paused in the act of unbuttoning his shirt, then pulled her into his arms without warning. "Figure out a way to explain why you chose to take the blame for the crimes of the HM Group's senior executive. I'll go take a shower in the meantime."

Maria hesitated. Was there a way for her to avoid having to tell him the truth?

The answer to that would definitely by a resounding no.

And James knew a wealth of methods to force her to speak.

In the end, she told him that she had asked Colby for help in getting a friend out of jail, and the price she had to pay was to go in herself. She deliberately omitted the rest of the story, and was adamant with herself that if he pried further, she would let loose with her long-withheld rage.

James left early the next morning and headed straight to the company.

Maria ate breakfast alone, then armed herself before driving to the coffee shop.

When she arrived, she found a man waiting for her.

Maria took off her sunglasses and stared at the young man in front of her. "Are you kidding me?" she asked after a while.

"I'm not. You must have heard about what happened to my father, right? I have to support myself now. Please give me a chance, Maria. I'm willing to start from the grassroots level."

She said nothing.