Chapter 76 The Graceless Patron
"I won't waste my time on a cheater! Don't call me again!" Marsha also took a bank card from her pocket. "I haven't touched a penny of it. Save it for yourself!" After saying that, she pressed the card into Ronald's hand, spun on her heel, and stalked off.
"Marsha Zhao, stop!" Blushing with shame and anger, Ronald called out to the girl who just left him. She didn't look back.
Since childhood, Maria was the only woman in his life who had insulted him twice. Because of her, Marsha left him alone and humiliated. He was fuming because Marsha did it in front of his friends. Marsha finally looked back at him and said, "Remember this the next time you hook up with someone!"
Ronald was stunned. "Screw you!" he cursed. Who did she think she was, anyway?
Seeing Marsha disappear, Kent whistled and asked, "Ronald,
what's wrong with that chick?" "I dumped her!" said Ronald shamelessly, trying to save the last shreds of his dignity. It was all Maria'a fault. If she hadn't released the video of the orgy, he would have slept with Marsha already.
Anyway, he had plenty of time. He vowed to make Maria kneel down and beg for mercy.
Looking at the gifts scattered on the ground, Kent laughed. 'Some ladies' man. Looks like Ronald has a date with his hand tonight.'
Kent's laughter stung like a slap. Ronald stomped on the expensive gifts littering the ground to vent his anger. Finally, he got in the car, slamming the door. He roared off.
He didn't stop the car until he arrived at a bar. After sitting quietly in the car for a few minutes, he took out his mobile phone and dialed a number. "Take fifteen men and find Maria Song. Bring her to me!"
But Ronald's men couldn't find Maria at all. She hadn't been back to the hotel for several days. It was like she dropped off the face of the earth.
She finally showed up four days later, but the group Ronald assembled couldn't lay a finger on her.
To help Ronald out, Alina called James, inviting him out for coffee. "James, I'm in the coffee shop near your company. We need to talk. You free now?" James rubbed his eyebrows and answered, "Give me about twenty minutes."
"Sounds good. I'll wait for you." "Mm.'1
Knowing that Maria was working in Miracle Cafe, Alina deliberately chose this place. She wanted to show Maria who James really loved.
She took a menu from a waitress and ordered a cup of freshly brewed coffee.
"Okay. One moment please." The waitress left with her order.
At the bar counter, Maria was teaching a new barista the ropes. "The first thing you want to do is submerge the tip of the steam wand in the milk, just below the surface. Angle the pitcher so you create a whirlpool when you turn it on- "
"Maria, Ms. Tang just ordered a medium espresso." The waitress came over with the menu.
Maria handed the tools to the barista. "I'll do it."
Maria knew the moment Alina walked in. They were busy today. But Maria took over because she knew Alina was going to cause trouble. Maria wasn't going to put her employee through that.
But Maria was too naive. Less than two minutes after they served Alina, she started calling for the waitress. Her voice echoed all over the shop.
The waitress trotted over and asked, "What can I do for you, Ms. Tang?" Alina slammed the coffee on the table and asked, "Who made this?" "Our barista."
"It smells disgusting. Did you use fresh beans?" Alina deliberately made things difficult because she saw who made the coffee. She wanted Maria to apologize to her personally.
The waitress laughed. "That's impossible, ma'am. Our coffee might not be the best in the world, but it's the best in the city. Besides, we've got an awesome barista. Are you trying to say we deliberately served you bad coffee?"
Alina was irritated by her attitude. She hated it when Maria acted like she was better than her, and now a waitress was mouthing off to her. Why was this happening to her?
Keeping this in mind, she stood up and raised her hand to slap the waitress.
Clap!
The waitress recoiled. She covered her face and looked at Alina in disbelief.
Alina stood there arrogantly. She wouldn't try anything with Maria because she was a skilled kung fu master. But she was comfortable bullying anyone she considered weaker. "What kind of coffee is this? Was it freshly brewed? This smells disgusting! My good mood is ruined! The waitress held back her tears and explained, "It's really freshly brewed coffee."
Noticing the fuss, Maria strode over with a cold face and pulled the waitress behind her protectively. She looked at Alina in the eye and said, "I brewed the coffee myself. It's freshly ground and made on the spot. Is there any problem?"
Alina answered arrogantly, "Of course! It smells sour. How could you fool your customers like that? This tastes like it's been sitting around all day! Are you really a barista?"
Knowing that Alina was causing drama on purpose, Maria thought she needed to make things clear. "When the coffee beans are harvested, they're packed in jute bags -natural fiber bags that allow air to circulate. Those beans are flown here. And they're tested to make sure they're as fresh as they day they were picked. Certain government offices can test these for you, Ms. Tang."
Then she asked someone to bring a clean cup and poured out a little coffee from Alina's cup. She smelt it, had a sip, and found there was nothing wrong.
"I don't believe a word of it!!" Alina remained arrogant and she refused to give an inch of ground to Maria.
With a faint smile, Maria asked someone to bring her purse, took out a bill from it and handed it to Alina. "Here you go." Alina looked at the watch on her wrist and knew that James was arriving, so she decided to stop making a fuss. She took the money from Maria and slammed it on the table. "Make another two cups for me!"
Maria didn't move. "Ms. Tang, now that you got compensation in double, I'll return the slap to you in double too." Hearing this, Alina hurriedly covered her face and said, "What are you doing?"
Maria took a step forward, put her hands on the armrests of the chair where Alina sat, and trapped her there. The two looked into each other's eyes. Maria gradually lowered her head and said, "Alina Tang..." "What's going on?" A man's voice rang out beside them.
Maria cast a sidelong glance at the man. It was Lorenzo, standing next to James. She asked, "What do you think is going on?" Then she raised her hand and pinched Alina's chin to lift it up, a suggestive look in her eye.
The waitress even stopped sobbing to stare at Maria.
Maria wore a white shirt, casually tied into a pair of high waist jeans, and her long hair was tied up above her head. The wound on her arm was hidden in her sleeve, so no one could see anything unusual.