A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 255

Maria flushed under James' gaze. "If you don't want to-"

"Okay,"

he interrupted.

His answer was so firm and sudden that she was taken aback.

Maria couldn't help touching her flat belly. 'The prospect of having a child is truly a blessing," she thought.

Unfortunately, while James had abstained from using condoms every now and then, she had been diligent with her birth control pills. Her ever conceiving his child would be next to impossible.

Believing her ruse, James sent her back to the manor in East District. "Don’t go anywhere for the time being," he cautioned. ”1 will arrange for two bodyguards to be with you 24/7. Make sure to take them with you if you want to go for walks."

She had made a number of enemies; if they learned that she was carrying his child, he was sure that they would plot something against Maria again.

She nodded and went along with his orders, and calmly watched as he gave instructions to John concerning nutritionists and servants to attend to her needs.

In the days that followed, no matter how busy he might be, James always spare some time during the day to come home and check on her. And if he couldn't leave the company, he made sure to call her.

In the evenings, he came home to her, except for the few times when he needed to go on a business trip.

But what surprised Maria the most was the fact that James had informed his grandparents about her so-called pregnancy.

The elders wasted no time coming to visit her at the manor. They were obviously pleased, and they kept glancing at her belly with joyful smiles. For her part, Maria wasn't able to muster a smile at all.

Before leaving, Charlotte tried to persuade her to stay with them, saying that she wanted to personally take care of Maria and her unborn baby. James happened to come in that exact moment, and he was the one to refuse his grandmother.

One day, Summer came to the villa with a bunch of spring maternity dresses. The first thing she said was, "When did you get pregnant, Maria?" She had no idea at all, and she would have probably remained oblivious if James hadn't sent her to shop for the maternity outfits.

Maria glanced at the bodyguards carrying the shopping bags.

"Hey, what's wrong? Wake up!" Her silence brought on a curious look from Summer.

Maria came to her senses then and stepped aside. "Please come in first."

"What? Can I really go in?" Summer asked cautiously.

"Of course." Maria smiled. "Come on, were you expecting me to move these bags by myself?" She was sure James wouldn't have prevented Summer to come into the villa.

"Of course not, you're pregnant! Okay, here, let me do it. " Summer stepped into James' manor for the first time in her life, and the bodyguards followed inside.

The men set down the packages before leaving through the door to give them some privacy. Summer looked around in amazement at the majesty of the place, while Maria started to look through the clothes. "How far along are you? How come you never told me? When Mr. Xi told me to shop for maternity clothes, I was stupid enough to ask if he was planning to give them to a client-"

"I'm not pregnant," Maria declared abruptly, interrupting Summer's excited chatter.

"What did you just say?" Summer exclaimed.

Maria nodded calmly and looked straight into the other woman's eyes. "I am not pregnant."

Summer's jaw hung open. "Maria! This isn't funny at all."

They were alone in the manor at the moment, so Maria didn't hold anything back. "I'm not joking, okay? But please pretend that you don't know. James believes I'm pregnant."

"What are you up to, Maria?"

What the hell was she planning this time? Maria inhaled deeply, her eyes taking on a cynical glint. "You know how James treated me in the past. Did you honestly think I would let myself get pregnant with his child again?"

"Why did he say you were?" This wasn't making any sense to Summer, but she could tell that something serious was afoot beneath the surface.

"Because I told him that I was."

Summer shook her head, at a complete loss.

Maria put away the dresses and came up to Summer. "It's okay. This is between James and me. Just act like you don't know the truth. If he asks you later, you can just tell him that I was very happy to receive the gifts and they suit me very well."

Summer couldn't utter a single word, but she eventually agreed.

When she finally left, Maria sat by herself in the middle of the large living room, looking at the bags printed with logos of international brands. She drifted into a somber silence.