A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 5

Maria and James were divorced, and Alina, his fiancee-to-be, was right there. Even if Maria's beloved back then was really James, it wasn't appropriate for her to say it out. Obviously, Stella's purpose was to embarrass Maria.

Ignoring her discomfort, Stella continued to provoke Maria. "Come on, Maria. Tell us who the guy was! We're dying of curiosity."

Maria took a sip of the beer and then put down the glass with a faint smile. "Who didn't have a secret crush as a teenager? Let bygones be bygones. He's married now, and I have a new sweetheart."

As soon as Maria said it, everyone started booing. They didn't believe her at all.

Seeing that Maria didn't fall into the trap, Alina came out with another idea. Silently, she refilled her glass with liquor and raised her head to look at the man sitting with an indifferent look by her side. Clearly, he wasn't interested in anything going on in that room. "James, I have a stomachache. I remember that Maria can hold her drink. I want her to have this glass of liquor on my behalf. What do you say?"

As the decisive man he was, James took the glass and placed it in front of Maria. Then he looked at her sharply and ordered, "Drink it!" Alina lowered her head, and the corners of her lips raised slightly. 'Let's see if you can get out of this now, Maria!'

Maria looked at the liquor bottle in Alina's hand. If she read it correctly, it was a limited edition of a Remy Martin cognac with 52% alcohol by volume. She stared at the full glass in front of her and then glanced at her heartless cousin.

At that moment, Stella added, "Alina just opened a limited edition brandy. Maria, I'm sure you've never tried such a refined liquor, have you?"

"Judging from Maria's shabby look, the Song family doesn't care about her very much. How could she ever afford to drink such a high-end liquor?" echoed someone close to them.

"Exactly!" said another one.

Under the many curious gazes, Maria walked up to James and took the glass of liquor he had ordered her to drink. With a smile, she said, "Actually, I don't mind drinking it. Maybe I'll ask you for a favor too someday, Mr. Xi."

Maria was very straightforward. Without saying another word, she gulped down the whole beverage in front of everyone's eyes.

The hot liquid flew through her throat and into her stomach as if she had just tasted some hot chili pepper. The strong heat stimulated her right away. Putting down the empty glass, Maria coughed violently and picked up another drink at random in front of her. Not taking the time to see what it was, she poured it into her mouth quickly in order to ease her discomfort.

Compared with the brandy she had just had, whatever she drank afterward felt much better! At least, it greatly relieved the burning sensation in her throat.

However, the next moment, Maria realized that the room was awfully quiet. Even Alina seemed a little weird. 'What happened?' she wondered.

Soon, Stella answered her inner inquiry with a roar. "Maria! How dare you take Mr. Xi's drink?"

Unable to suppress the irritation in her throat, Maria coughed a bit more. Then she looked down at the empty glass in her hand and realized that it indeed seemed different from the others.

In it, there was a non-alcoholic beverage the bartender made especially for James. After all, he would be driving after the party.

The point was that he had already drunk a third of the glass before Maria grabbed it and gulped it down. In the eyes of the others, this was considered a very intimate gesture, which was often exchanged between two lovers. Hence, it was equivalent to an indirect kiss.

Under James' deadly gaze, Maria put down the glass with an awkward smile and foolishly said, "Mr. Xi, it's alright. I don't mind it. It's not like we haven't kissed before." 'Otherwise, where could've Arthur come from?' Her inner voice finished her words.

Everyone in the room was too shocked to tell whether she meant what she said or was completely accidental, including James himself, who was still staring at her.

If Maria was not mistaken, he had a murderous look on his face.

Bending her head slightly, she hurried to explain, "Oh no! I mean...I'm sorry, Mr. Xi. I didn't mean to do that. It's just a drink."