A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 101 Have Lunch With Me

Maria watched the car disappear from sight. As soon as that happened, she heaved a sigh of relief. Slowly, she squatted down on the roadside and buried her face between her knees.

'What are you doing, Maria? Weren't you going to be nicer to him? It's not like James killed your son,' she thought.

Soon enough, the car that had once sped away was now heading back in her direction. It rolled to a stop next to her.

Hearing the roar of the engine, she raised her head in confusion. She saw James leave the car, walking towards her aggressively. Before she could react, he hauled her to her feet, gathered her in his arms, opened the passenger side door, and gently deposited her on the seat.

It was like it was one smooth action.

Seeing that she was about to protest, the man pressed her into the seat and warned her, "Sit still! Or I'll kill you."

She was the only one in the city who had ever hit him and cursed him.

He would never get a moment's peace if she couldn't settle down for a few minutes. Maria stubbornly stared at the man who was stopping her from moving. "Good. Go ahead. There's nobody around. What's one more body?"

James pinched her jaw with one hand. "Think I won't kill you?"

However, he wondered, 'She has zero makeup on. Why is she so cute?'

Before Maria could retort, James' phone began to vibrate.

Without letting go of her jaw, James fished his phone from his shirt pocket with the other hand. A row of numbers spread across the screen.

Maria saw the phone number, too, and instantly knew who it was.

James swiped his screen to answer. "It's me," he said impatiently.

"Hi James, are you busy now?" The phone was pretty loud, and Maria's sharp ears picked out Alina's voice.

Maria wrapped her hands around his neck and mouthed, "Have lunch with me!"

He stared at the woman in front of him without any reaction.

Since he didn't answer Alina's question, the phone was quiet for a bit. Maria rolled her eyes at him and moved her head closer to his phone. When she was about to say something, he squeezed her hand firmly to stop her.

James couldn't figure it out. Maria was obviously depressed. Why was she suddenly in the mood to mess with him?

Maria didn't know what he was thinking. She just smiled and felt much better.

James still hadn't answered Alina's question. After a long silence, Alina asked in confusion, "Are you still there?"

This time, James shook off Maria's hand and left the car. Once outside, he tidied up his coat before replying, "I'm here. What's up?"

"Well, you seemed pretty down today. I figure a little lunch and a little me might cheer you up. I even got us a table. Did you wanna go?"

James closed Maria's door and sat back down in the driver's seat. At the same time, he turned Alina down. "I'm sorry but I have a business lunch today."

"Oh, I see! What about dinner?"

Leaning back in his seat, James said, "Tonight... "After he uttered that one word, a soft hand covered the back of his hand and gently pinched him twice, a gesture full of warning.

He looked next to him and only saw Maria's deadpan look. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed Maria did that. The next moment, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Hard. Maria's face paled.

"I also have a dinner party tonight."

He really did have a dinner party. In fact, he had three of them. He didn't need Maria to warn him about anything. He drove to the cemetery after a morning conference. He was free before one o'clock in the afternoon, so he had time to have lunch with Maria.

"All right. Call me when you have time!" Alina's voice was thick with disappointment. She was counting on James to take her up on her offer.

"Okay. Bye." After hanging up the phone, James put the device in the glove compartment beside him.

"Let go of me!" Maria hissed. The woman massaged her hand. It was white, and just starting to get color in it.

'What a jerk!' she thought.

After releasing her hand, James started the engine and drove away from the cemetery.

When the car arrived downtown, Maria said, "Can you drive me back to the hotel, Mr. Xi? Thanks!"

Finding an opening, James glanced at her and asked, "You want to get dressed for lunch?"

"I've changed my mind. I'm not going to lunch. I want to go back and grab a nap." After visiting her late son, Maria was still moody. She had lost her appetite.

She admitted she did that on purpose. She just wanted to feel like she had beaten James.

James was stupefied. She threatened him to make him take her to lunch. After he gave in, she stood him up. What was up with that?

'Nice job, Maria!' he thought to himself.

When the Harkim was about to arrive at the hotel, Maria's phone rang.

She took it out and saw it was from Colby.

She stared at the caller ID for a long time before she adjusted her mood and answered the phone.

The Harkim stopped at the traffic lights. She swiped her screen to answer the call while James watched. Her voice had lost its down in the dumps tone, and she sounded cheerful. "Hello, Mr. Zheng. Yes, it's me!"

Inwardly, Maria heaved a sigh. 'This is life, isn't it?' She didn't even have the chance to mourn properly. Now she had to force herself to cheer up and smile at the world.

There was even a smile on her lips, which annoyed James.

Maria was always reticent when she was around him. But another man called, and her mood lifted instantly. How capricious! "Oh, at noon? Of course I'm free! It's been awhile. I missed you!"

Listening to her conversation on the phone, James lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled.

"Okay! Where do you want to meet? I'll be there right away!" The woman's tone was extremely gentle.

The green light was on. James sped up the car and the Harkim rushed forward.

The car sped up so suddenly that Maria was taken aback. Her face turned pale. She covered the phone and scolded the smoking man in a stage whisper, "What's wrong with you?" Why did he speed up the car so quickly? Was he in a hurry to meet a woman?

Ignoring her, James kept increasing his speed.

Colby's voice came from the other end of the line. They both heard what he said. "I'll reserve a private room in BY Restaurant."

Maria put the phone back to her ear. "No problem - '

She was interrupted by the car suddenly stopping, the tires squealing on the pavement.

Maria was beside herself. Since when was James such a crazy driver?

James sped up and slammed on the brakes so suddenly. If she hadn't fastened her seat belt, her head would have hit the dashboard.

"Are you okay, Maria? What happened?"

Maria forced a smile. She covered her chest and stared at the man smoking next to her. "Nothing. The car in front suddenly stooped, so I had to as well."

"Oh, be careful. See you later then!"

"Okay, Mr. Zheng. Bye!"

After she hung up the phone, James said flatly, "Get out of the car!"

Right then, Maria finally had a chance to blow up. She roared back, "You force me to get in. Now you kick me out. Who do you think you are, ordering me around like that?" "My car, my rules. Get out."

"So what? You think you can do whatever you want?" she retorted. Maria really wondered if James was in his right mind.