A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 264

"Cooper!" Maria exclaimed with a smile. "I see you never changed your phone number, what a pleasant surprise!"

"Well, it's too troublesome to change my contact details."

That made sense. People like James and Cooper must possess a wide range of network and connections. Of course they couldn't just change numbers as they liked.

"I wanted to thank you for what you did. I do have a question though. How did you know that I was about to donate a kidney?"

"Well, you did lie to my brother about your abortion last time, and I got worried you two might get into a serious fight. So I asked my men to keep an eye on you. You're not mad at me for doing this, are you?" Cooper explained in his usual gentle manner.

She wasn't entirely sure just yet. 'So he was there when James answered the phone that time.' She answered, "Why would I be mad at you? I know you had my best interests in mind. But where did you find the donor?"

"That's a secret."

Maria burst into laughter. "We haven't seen each other for years and you're still keeping secrets from me?"

"Can't I? I'm a twenty-something grownup now, you know."

"Well, anyway. I just called to let you know that I’ve broken up with your brother. Will you still be willing to help me when I'm in trouble?"

"You broke up with him?”

"Yeah." They even had the breakup sex to account for it.

"Of course I will help you. You will always be my sister-in-law." To Cooper, only Maria was deserving of that title.

She went silent for a moment. "I have something to tell you. Can you promise me not to tell anyone? Including your brother."

"Sure."

Then she dropped the bomb.

"I'm pregnant with your brother's child. I intend to go to the US and give birth there. Do you think you can help me keep the whole thing a secret?" Cooper was rich anyway, it wouldn't burden him too much if she came to him for help.

Besides, the child was his nephew, too, so he bore a measure of responsibility in raising it.

Cooper was unable to respond for a good while as his eyes bugged out of their sockets and his jaw hung open.

Much later, Maria went over to Miracle Cafe.

She had rarely dropped by recently, and when she did, she had often chosen to do so at night.

If the shop assistant hadn't called her and told her that Elaine had brought someone here to make trouble, she wouldn't have come. She didn't want Colby to know she was discharged from prison.

Most of the staff were already off duty when she arrived, and only Kent and a female clerk were left behind, cleaning up the mess.

Elaine hadn't actually wrecked the whole store; perhaps she had feared the same retribution that Ronald had reaped. Instead, she and the men she brought only smashed a handful of furniture.

Maria stepped inside. Kent paused what he had been doing and walked over to her. "You're here," he nodded.

"Yeah," she replied, taking off her sunglasses. "I see you're still working. Thank you for your hard work."

"Not at all," Kent smiled.

Maria eyed the rest of the mess that hadn't been cleared yet. "Do you know why Elaine did this?"

"Yes, I think so. She kept cursing you over and over for having her daughter donate her kidney."

'A kidney?' She had to wonder whether the donor that Cooper had found was Carolina or Daniela.

Maria's face changed slightly. She took out her phone and called Carolina.

"Maria!" Carolina answered in obvious surprise. "Are you released?"

"Where are you now?"

"I'm at the company, why? What's wrong?"

So it wasn't Carolina. "Where is Daniela?"

"She was taken away," Carolina said after a short pause. "It looks like she was forced to donate her kidney against her will. She's still recovering at the hospital." Elaine had been insisting that Maria was behind Daniela's predicament, but Carolina had always said that was impossibly. Maria was supposed to be still in jail after all.

It turned out that she had already been free all this time. That would make more sense to Carolina, though. There was no way James would just stand by and watch his woman stay locked up in prison.