A Vengeful Ex-Wife

James had already known what happened last night. He stood by the bed and comforted Alina in a flat tone, "They are still kids. Don't overthink."

"I know. James, can you stay longer? The doctor said that I still have trauma after the accident, so I have to stay in the hospital to recuperate." As she spoke, Alina reached out her hand and held James coquettishly.

James casually withdrew his hand and looked at his watch. "I have a meeting in P City, so I need to go to the airport in twenty minutes. I'll ask Lorenzo to stay here and take care of you."

Alina knew that there would be a forum for economists in P City. Business tycoons like James, Colby, and the CEO of Mu Group were all invited.

Clayton had also attended this forum for several years in the past. But since the Tang Group had started to weaken these years, he wasn't invited to take part in any meetings anymore.

If she and James could get engaged this year, Clayton would definitely be able to attend the meeting next year with James' help.

"I understand, James. Please go ahead with your work. I'll just ask Mom to accompany me." Knowing that the forum was quite important, Alina had no choice but to let James go.

"Okay. Have a good rest. I'll leave now," James said. He then turned around and walked towards the ward door.

Alina was stunned. He said just now that he still had twenty minutes before he went to the airport. Why was he going to leave her now?

"James!" she called out to stop him from leaving.

James stopped and looked back at her in confusion.

"Well, can I go with you?" she asked tentatively. Before he could answer, she added at once, "I'm not so busy recently, so I have a lot of free time. If you take me with you, I promise, I won't cause you any trouble."

"My schedule is quite tight, so I can't keep you company there. Don't worry. I'll be back the day after tomorrow. Besides, you haven't recovered yet. You need to take a rest."

There was a trace of finality in James' voice, so Alina didn't insist anymore. Eventually, she said, "Take good care of yourself. Remember to eat on time."

"Hmm," James replied nasally.

He then turned around and left. When Alina was left alone in the ward, a feeling of emptiness filled her heart. James had only stayed for less than five minutes. He was so in a hurry to leave. If he didn't want to spend time with her, she could only imagine how lonely her life could be after marrying him.

She heard that when Maria was still James' wife, he only came back home to Maria once in a while. If Maria was able to put up with it and manage not to disturb him, she believed that she could also do it. Somehow, Alina felt better after comforting herself.

In Miracle Cafe, Norman had come to see Maria.

Maria put a cup of freshly brewed coffee in front of him and said, "Here, try this."

Norman picked up the cup, inhaled the aroma of the coffee, and took a sip. He then remarked, "This is awesome! You know what? I always love the coffee you make every time I come here." Maria handed the tray to a waitress and sat opposite him. "Mr. Shen, what can I do for you today?"

"Well, I happen to pass by here, so I thought of paying you a visit. I can have a chat with you, plus I can get a free cup of coffee," Norman replied in a gentle tone, half-joking. From the way he smiled and talked to Maria right now, no one would associate him with the infamous ruthless Norman Shen. On the surface, he looked like a sensible man from a bookish family, gentle and elegant.

But Maria knew Norman better than anyone else. She knew that he was joking with her, and she just smiled and said nothing.

She couldn't help criticizing him inwardly. 'I wonder who the unlucky woman is to marry this lunatic in the future.'

"I can hear you're swearing at me," Norman said, putting down the coffee cup.

Maria's face slightly fell. She smiled awkwardly and said, "How can that be possible?"

She couldn't believe that he was able to read her mind. Perhaps he was not really a human. Norman and James were indeed siblings.

Although they were only half-brothers, they were both freaks.

Norman leaned back and elegantly crossed his legs. "I turned down the meeting invitation from P City."

He didn't specify what meeting he was referring to.

But Maria understood right away, so she nodded. "I see."

"James and Colby will be there." She already knew. Even the members of the Mu family would also attend the meeting. The Mu family had always been low-key, and they had nothing to do with her, so Maria didn't pay much attention to them.

Maria thought for a while and said, "It's just a forum that will take two or three days at most. I don't think Colby will leave any clues."

"Why don't you go there and see for yourself?"

She didn't respond as she saw the mysterious smile on his face.

P City was in the northern part of the country.

Its temperature was much lower than that of H City. Right now, it was early autumn in H City, and the temperature ranged from twenty to thirty degrees. But in P City, it was below twenty.

At night, it was even colder as the temperature fell down to fifteen degrees and below. That evening, a black luxury car stopped at the entrance of a five-star hotel. The usher immediately walked forward and opened the rear door.

Then a man in a black suit and shiny leather shoes got out. The indifferent look on his face and the cold aura he emitted sent a chill down the spine of people around. They couldn't help taking a step back and hiding from him automatically.

"James!"

A clear voice rang out from behind, not far away.

James, who was about to walk into the hotel, turned around. He then looked in the direction where the voice came from.

There he saw a woman in a white coat with a casual belt standing a few meters away from him. Her long black hair hung loosely on her shoulders. As soon as their eyes met, she smiled brightly, waved, and trotted towards him.

While she loped, her hair fluttered in the wind.

This moment reminded Maria of her dream ten years ago.

In her dream, she was running towards James under his gaze. It was as if she was the only one in his eyes and heart. She didn't expect that her dream would finally come true tonight.

Before he could even react, she rushed over and threw herself into his arms. Hugging his waist, she looked up to him and asked, "Are you surprised?"

James looked down at her without saying anything. He didn't know that Maria could also be childish at times. Just now, she was like a teenager who saw her crush.

With a frown, he tried to pull her away. "How did you know that I'm here?"

Maria held his waist even tighter, not giving him a chance to pull away. Clinging to him, she answered, "You will know how when you fall in love with someone."

James' frowned deepened as his eyes narrowed. If that was the case, he might have to wait for a lifetime.

"I know that Alina is not here, so we are free to make love," she said half-jokingly with a cunning smile.

James grabbed Maria's hand firmly. As he stared at her, he thought inwardly, 'How dare you flirt with me in public!' He spun her around, pressed her against the car door, and suggested, "How about we do it right here, right now?"

Maria looked around, and her brows creased. 'Here? At the hotel entrance?' she asked inwardly. In a daze, Maria decisively decided to play along. She nodded and said firmly, "As long as you don't stop halfway, I can do it anywhere." She then rubbed herself against his body.

James' grasp on her wrist tightened as he pulled her, closing the distance between them. He then asked, "Maria Song, are you having a death wish?"

The moment he finished his words, he caught a glimpse of several furtive figures approaching them from the corner of his eye.

He thought for a while before he looked at Maria, who had already buried her head in his arms.

His lips curved into a mischievous smile and he clenched his teeth.

He surmised that Maria had only pretended to flirt with him and even challenged him to make love freely. But the truth was, she was only trying to hide from the assassins who were hunting her.

She was being chased, and she came all the way to him for protection. James was actually right. When Maria saw him, she decided that she would follow him wherever he went. In this way, she could use his bodyguards for free as well.

He had many bodyguards, and they were all professionals. She was much safer having them near her than being alone.

At the thought of it, Maria whispered to James in a low voice, "Carry me in, and I'll tell you a secret."

However, James didn't believe her at all. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested to know that so-called secret of yours."

"I'm sure you will. Just trust me."

"No way!"

Maria heaved a deep sigh. Feeling helpless, she decided to use a soft tactic this time. "Oh, please, James. Carry me in. My life is in your hands now." She knew that Colby would also be arriving soon. And if he saw her here, all her efforts would be in vain. Thus, she had to convince James to take her inside the hotel.