A Vengeful Ex-Wife

Chapter 179 Farewell Gift

James gaped at her. He wondered what was wrong with Maria this time. Although he blocked her attack with his elbow, she managed to throw two other blows his way.

The woman kept hitting him with her handbag several times before stopping. When she did, she still glared at him as he answered the phone.

James ended the call as soon as possible. However, before he could say anything, Maria shouted, "Who told you to get engaged to that woman? Did you know I had to hear her brag that she's going to be the hostess of your manor?"

James was surprised to learn the reason behind Maria's fit of anger. Knowing exactly who she referred to as "that woman", he said lightly, "I didn't expect you to be so pissed off by Alina."

Indeed, it didn't happen very often.

Maria glared at him fiercely. "It's all your fault! She is in my coffee shop now. You're not allowed to go there!"

The man looked displeased to hear that. "Maria Song, it's none of your business where I go."

Maybe he had really been too nice to her recently. Now she thought she could control his whereabouts.

Maria was shocked by his attitude. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Won't you listen to me, then?"

"She wants to talk business with me."

"What fucking business? All she wants is to meet you in public and show off how in love you are with each other while my cafe is full of customers!"

"Maria Song!" he warned her.

James didn't like to hear the woman swearing.

"Fine, you're right." Maria suddenly calmed down, but her eyes didn't hide the fact that she had broken heart. "She's your fiancee, and I'm just an ex-wife who you have sex with from time to time. I don't even have a place in your heart, so how can I have a say in where you go?"

James' attitude towards her made her realize that she had been acting too arrogantly in front of him lately.

Seeing her disappointment, the man's heart tightened. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but Maria didn't give him a chance. Carrying her handbag, she turned to leave.

James watched her walk out of his office, speechless.

After leaving HL Group, Maria didn't go back to the coffee shop. She was in no mood to watch her ex-husband and cousin showing off their love.

In the meantime, Alina had been waiting in the coffee shop for over ten minutes, yet James never showed up. Instead, he called her. "I'm sorry, an important partner came to see me in the office. I can't leave now. I'll ask Lorenzo to deal with the project."

Alina inhaled and looked at the bar counter unconsciously. She didn't know when it happened, but Maria was gone.

She wondered if the woman had left to see James. Could it be that she persuaded him not to come over?

At the thought of this, Alina clenched her phone, trying her best to remain calm. Next, she said, "It's okay. Let's talk about it another day. I happen to have something to take care of as well." "Okay," he

said before hanging up. Alina glanced at the cup of coffee, which she had only taken a sip of, and then at the strangers taking pictures of the coffee shop. Suddenly, she felt like a fool.

How could she have thought James would come as soon as she called him? ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

He was a shrewd businessman. He didn't love her. The only reason he got engaged to her was that he wanted to bring Tang Group back to life while making billions of dollars as its partner.

Alina laughed, mocking herself. She wondered if Maria used to wait for James to return home like this every day when they were married. And yet Maria got nothing in return.

James was a heartless man and he wouldn't love anyone. Therefore, anyone who fell in love with him was destined for a lifetime of sorrow.

By the time Maria returned to the hotel, she received a call from Lawrence. "Hey, Maria. I'm leaving in the next two days. I'll have dinner with James and Ethan tonight. Would you like to join us?"

"Okay. Shall I bring a bottle of wine or something?"

"No, thanks. James has everything under control. Just come here. I'll send you the address later."

"Alright."

The gathering was meant to be a send-off. Every time Lawrence went on a mission, he would leave for a month or two at least. After giving it some thought, Maria got changed and went out to buy him a farewell gift.

The banquet was held in a high-end club. Lawrence didn't invite anyone else, so only the four of them attended.

As Maria was the last one to arrive, the three men had already started drinking.

Walking into the private room, she handed Lawrence his farewell gift and said helplessly, "It's quite difficult to pick a gift for someone who was born in a wealthy family. You have everything! After spending a whole afternoon looking for something, I decided to buy you a pair of deerskin gloves. The saleswoman told me they were the latest. Inside they're made of silk lining. I thought it sounded fancy. Try them on."

Lawrence took the gift and said, "Thank you!" Pulling out the gift box from the paper bag, he opened it and showed everyone the gloves.

Ethan asked, "Maria, when I go abroad next time, will you give me a gift too? I'm the only one who hasn't got any gifts from you."

Maria smiled at him. "Of course. Just tell me in advance when you are leaving!"

Ethan mumbled wistfully, "I've just come back from France. I don't think I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

"France? When did you go there?" Maria asked casually.

At that moment, James, who had been silent this whole time, ordered, "Ethan, go get a bottle of red wine."

The other three people's gazes fell on the bottle of red wine in the middle of the table at the same time. Confused, Ethan said, "There's already one here."

"It's not enough for all of us," James replied calmly.

Ethan thought he was planning to drink a lot with Lawrence, so he didn't argue anymore. Standing up, he nodded. "Okay!"

As he left, the conversation between him and Maria ended naturally.

Lawrence took out the pair of gloves from the gift box and put them on. They fit perfectly. "Don't you think it's a bit early to buy me gloves, though?"

There were still a couple of months before winter came. Also, the gloves seemed a little thick for Lawrence to wear them while on a mission.

Maria brought a hand to her head and said helplessly, "As I said, you're wealthy. You have everything. I really didn't know what to buy, so don't make this even more difficult than it already is for me. Anyway, you don't have to wear them now. Wait a month or two.”

With a faint smile, Lawrence glanced at the man sitting next to him and said, "Sure. I will."

Maria served herself with some of the cold dishes on the table and asked, "Will you be back for New Year's Day?"

"I don't think so. I rarely come back for the holiday." In the past ten years, Lawrence had spent New Year's Day only once at home.

Maria nodded and continued to eat in silence.

Soon, Ethan came back with a bottle of red wine in his hand. After putting it on the table, he turned to James. "Is this wine of your taste?"

The man took the bottle and looked at it carefully before commenting, "More or less."

Ethan nodded. "The last bottle of good wine they had was already with us. How about I ask somebody to get another one from my place?"

"No, thanks. This will do." James put the bottle back on the table, facing Ethan again.

Ethan pushed it aside, not ready to open it yet.

Turning to Maria, he resumed their chat. "Maria, as we were talking..." "Ethan, ask them to serve the hot dishes now," James interrupted them again.

Ethan scratched his head in confusion. 'Does James take me for a waiter?'