A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 165 Gifts For Her

Maria put her phone away and said, "Thank you. I'll get some sleep now. You can leave."

James approached the bedside and looked down at her as he commanded, "Come with me."

Then he turned around and walked out of the bedroom.

Maria gaped. She didn't want to move unnecessarily for fear that her pants were stained with blood again.

However, before she had the chance to protest, the man had already left the bedroom.

With no other choice, Maria followed him all the way to the study. Leaning lazily against the door frame, she looked at him and asked, "What's the matter?"

James' eyes fell upon the things on the desk as he replied, "They are all for you."

Following his gaze, Maria noticed many paper bags from several different brands, all of which were well-known internationally. She asked suspiciously, "What for?"

James walked towards the door and said, "These are the latest arrivals of the season. If you like them, just keep them. If you don't, keep them as well." He would never allow her to refuse anything he gave her. Maria didn't know what to say. She wondered if James had indeed bought all those things especially for her.

While Maria was unwrapping the gift boxes, she heard a faint sound of a car engine starting outside.

She knew immediately that it was James leaving the villa.

A trace of disappointment flashed through the woman's eyes, yet she didn't stop what she was doing.

It took Maria half an hour to open all the gift boxes. Inside them, she found handbags, shoes, clothes, jewelry, and accessories.

As she looked at herself in the mirror, holding a handbag over her shoulder, her phone rang. Pulling out the device, she checked the caller ID and answered, "Hi, Summer. What's up?"

"Hey, Maria. Could you open the front door for me please?"

Maria didn't go to her. Instead, she told Summer the passcode of the lock over the phone and asked her to meet her upstairs.

Summer was bringing Maria the medicine for her cold when she found the woman cleaning up the torn gift boxes and unwrapped papers in the study. "Maria, Mr. Xi asked me to deliver you the medicine. Oh! These are the gifts Mr. Xi picked up for you. Do you like them?"

Maria separated some of the trash and answered with a smile, "How could I not? Every woman loves to receive gifts from famous brands, right?"

Despite what she said, her smile did not reach her eyes.

Noticing this, Summer held her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, Maria. Mr. Xi doesn't care so much about Ms. Tang."

Nevertheless, Maria felt sad, especially since James left right after he had given her the gifts. Still with a smile, she asked, "If he asked Lorenzo to buy gifts for Alina, would you know it? Maybe he asked you to buy these for me and sent Lorenzo to get even more shiny things for Alina."

After all, Alina was his fiancee. How could a man as wealthy as James be stingy with his own bride-to-be?

Summer was reticent. She wasn't sure whether that was the case or not.

Maybe James bought gifts for Alina as well.

Summer sighed. "Maria, don't overthink this situation. Look how much progress you've made with James since you got back to town!"

She couldn't help recalling when Maria had just come back to H City. Every time James heard about her, he wouldn't react or show any sign of emotion.

Now, not only he visited Maria often, but he also got some nice gifts for her.

Unexpectedly, Maria held Summer's face between her hands and teased, "Oh, Summer, you're still as nice as you always were. You're so good at comforting me. In fact, you're much better than that son of a bitch!"

'Son of a bitch?' Summer wished she had time to cover Maria's mouth before she uttered those words. "Be careful, Maria. Aren't you afraid that Mr. Xi might come back all of a sudden and teach you a lesson?" Maria shrugged. "Don't worry. He won't come back." When she was still his wife, he would return to Fairview Villa and rest beside her for a few hours after they had sex.

But now, whenever he came to have sex with her, he would always leave no matter how late it was. He just wouldn't spend a whole night with her.

Summer shook her head helplessly, removing Maria's hands from her face. "Go take your medicine. I'll clean up here."

"Just separate the trash. A servant will come help clean the house tomorrow."

"I see. Now, go!"

Maria grabbed the medicine and went to the kitchen.

After the boiled water cooled down, she took the pills according to the instructions.

By the time Summer went downstairs, she saw Maria taking the medicine, and said, "Go to bed after you're done. Don't stay up late."

"I know. Thank you!" Maria smiled at her, feeling a mix of warmth and helplessness inside.

As Summer was about to leave, Maria suggested, "Why don't you stay over tonight? I'm alone here anyway."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I have to go. My husband is waiting for me!" Summer answered in a low voice, blushing.

Maria drove her towards the door. "I get it! Go! Go! Drive carefully."

"Okay. Good night, Maria."

"Bye!"

After sending Summer away, Maria looked at the empty villa, and her eyes fell on a certain spot. She couldn't help but hear Arthur's voice calling her "Mom" again.

She then shook her head frantically and thought, 'I'm sorry, Arthur.

If I keep missing you like this, I'll never be able to recover from that tragic day.'

On the eve of Carolina's engagement, she called Maria and invited her to the ceremony.

At the sound of that, Maria sneered, "Aren't you afraid I'll make trouble?"

Carolina choked at her harsh words. However, she quickly regained her composure and said seriously, "Maria, in the past..."

"Let's not talk about the past!" Maria raised her voice, interrupting her.

"Maria, I just want to apologize for not being there for you when you needed me the most. I know I was wrong. Can you forgive me?"

"Forgive you?" Maria thought about it for a moment and then asked her, "Do you mean from the moment I stepped into the Song family when I was eight, or just after I got divorced six years ago?" Carolina took a deep breath and muttered, "Maria, don't blame me. If you hadn't married James, I wouldn't have been against you or ignored you when you asked for help."

As far as she was concerned, Maria stole her chance to marry James.

"Carolina Song, you know what?"

Carolina held her breath when Maria called her by her full name.

"Once I returned to the Song family as a child, I used to tell everyone I met that I had a smart, pretty, and kind-hearted elder sister. I loved to show off when you tied my hair, whether it was on a ponytail or a bun."

Maria flashed a happy smile as she recalled her childhood memories with Carolina. "One day you gave me a beautiful dress and a tiara. Although I knew you just gave me those because you didn't want them, didn't care at all. I always preferred you to Daniela, and everything you gave to me was special."

As she listened to Maria's words, Carolina couldn't help but remember the bubblegum pink dress and the princess tiara.

At that time, Maria had just come back to the Song family, and Carolina was very curious about her youngest sister.

She wondered how a girl could get so dirty every day. Maria's hair was always messy, and her face seemed to have never been washed in her entire life.

Despite changing clothes every day, the young girl found ways to either tear or cover them with dust before lunchtime.

Carolina believed that Maria's odd behavior was a result of her growing up in the countryside since she was little.

Once, when Maria got up, Carolina came to her room and asked her to take a shower because she wanted to dress her up.