"Do you think that my bed isn't big enough to accommodate all three of us?" James asked.
"No, I just don't want to bother you," Maria replied softly. She was afraid that if Bob was still uncomfortable and kept crying, James would get annoyed by the disturbance.
James clenched his jaw and said unhappily, "Maria, I don't like it when you say such things."
"But, Bob-"
Knowing what she was worried about, he quickly interrupted her. "Love me, love my dog. Do you understand?"
Maria was speechless. Of course she understood his words.
He meant to say that since he loved her, he would love and accept Bob as well.
She glanced down at the little boy, who was full and happily playing on his own. "All right, but if you have any inconvenience, let me know."
"What kind of inconvenience do you think I'll have?" James felt that she was being too sensitive and cautious these days.
She was acting as if she was living in his house with a child she had with another man, and she was afraid that she and the child would cause him some trouble.
It was not at all like the way she had behaved in the past. Now, because of a little baby, she seemed to have become a different person altogether. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that things weren't as simple as they seemed to be.
The thoughtful look on his face didn't go unnoticed by Maria, who immediately realized that she was being too nervous. Afraid that he would be suspicious of her, she pretended to be indifferent and quickly said, "I'm just afraid that you'll try to make a move on me when the baby is around. I don't care whether you like him or not. You're the one who asked me to bring him along."
She rushed to say all these things because she couldn't bear to lie that Bob was not her son.
"All right, all right. I'm the one who begged you and this little kid to live with me. Are you happy now?" James said in a resigned voice, knowing what she wanted to hear.
Maria smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm so happy! The famous Mr. Xi begged me to move in with him. I'm so proud of myself."
James scoffed and didn't say anything.
After dropping them at the villa, he stayed for only a few minutes before heading back to the company.
Maria took the opportunity to bask in the sun with Bob. She also took him to visit the stable inside the villa to show him how rich his father was.
In the villa of the Zheng family, Rosa stopped the girl who was about to go upstairs.
"Joslyn, wait a minute," she said in a kind tone.
Joslyn rolled her eyes and said impatiently, "What's up?"
"There's something I want to ask you. What’s the name of that bitch you mentioned on the phone the other day?"
Joslyn was already planning on hiring some people to make trouble for Maria, so when she heard Rosa's question, she didn't bother to hide anything from her. "Maria Song. She seduced your husband. While you were away, she even entered this villa. Keep an eye on your husband from now on."
It was indeed Maria, just as Rosa had guessed. She felt disgusted as if she had swallowed a fly.
With her arms crossed over her chest, Joslyn looked down at Rosa and continued, "I asked around about her. It turns out that she's the CEO of DS Group. She's apparently with James Xi now, but she has hooked up with a lot of men in the past. You should find a way to deal with her soon!"
Ever since Joslyn had heard that Lawrence was going to be engaged to an unknown woman, she had been so depressed that she wasn't in the mood to care about anybody else.
"Okay, I see," Rosa replied plainly.
Joslyn went back to her room upstairs, leaving Rosa alone in the living room, lost in thought.
She was really afraid that Maria would rise to power again. If that happened, she would be doomed for sure.
Therefore, she believed that she had to take advantage of Colby's current power and influence to attack Maria as soon as possible. She would only be able to calm down and live at peace if Maria was out of the picture, whether it was by leaving H City or this world altogether, though preferably the latter.
It was already winter in H City. In the evening, Summer came to the villa with a stack of winter clothes that James had arranged someone to buy for Bob.
Looking at the dozen or so paper bags brought in by the bodyguards, Maria asked, "So many?"
"Yeah. Mr. Xi also chose a few thin down jackets and overcoats for you. Try them on!" Summer replied, beaming. She could not help but envy Maria, who was lucky enough to meet a man who not only had a successful career, but also loved her truly.
Summer had thought that she had met her true love when it turned out to be just her wishful thinking.
Maria was about to take a look at the clothes when she noticed Summer standing there in a daze, lost in her thoughts. "Summer, what's wrong?"
Hearing her voice, Summer came to her senses and smiled. "Nothing, I'm fine. Go on, try them on!"
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