A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 20 Two Slaps

Alina didn't have the guts to mention the dead boy around James, but she could use it as a weapon to provoke Maria. So she said that recklessly, her eyes flashing with complacency. When Alina mentioned Arthur, Maria's mood darkened. She glared daggers at the woman.

Alina also noticed what was going on. Knowing she hit a nerve, she added proudly, "Your son was just another brick in the wall that separates you and James!"

'Thank god that boy is dead. If he were alive, James and Maria would still be together. I can be James' wife without having to worry about the kid he had with Maria.' Alina was overjoyed.

Before Stella and Alina could enjoy the moment, Maria stood up in anger. A loud clap sounded as Maria slapped Alina across the face.

"Ouch!" Alina screamed. She literally had her gob smacked.

Miracle Cafe went dead silent, its patrons turning their heads in that direction to see what was going on.

Stella's heart skipped a beat. She covered her mouth with one hand and touched her face with the other as if she were the one being hit. 'Oh my God! That slap was so loud! Everyone in the cafe heard it too. That has to sting!' She trembled with fear.

Maria stared at the woman she slapped. The waves of hate emanating from her were frightening. Clenching her fists, she said, "Alina Tang, I care about Arthur more than anything. Bring him up again and I'll do worse than that."

Alina covered her right cheek and murmured in disbelief, "You...you hit me!" She didn't pay attention to Maria's words at all.

Until this moment, she was still taken aback by the sudden slap. She couldn't believe Maria would do that.

Stella came back to her senses and shouted at Maria, "Are you crazy? Alina is going to get engaged to Mr. Xi. What were you thinking? You are so dead!"

Ignoring her shouts, Maria took a tissue and wiped her hands slowly. Nothing had changed. Everyone in H City still hated her and leveled threats at her. They wouldn't give up. If she didn't fight back, they'd just try harder.

Alina wasn't the only one who got slapped. Stella also got slapped. It sounded as loud as the one Maria gave Alina. She went silent, almost as though Maria hit her off-button.

Maria massaged her aching hand. She sneered at the two women. "You're testing my patience! You two are really something. Thanks for letting me polish my slapping skills." Stella deserved to be beaten. Relying on Alina and the Qin Group behind her, she thought she was the Queen of H City. So a beating might teach her some humility.

One of Alina's friends took out her phone, hoping to quickly call the police. Maria's fierce glance made her drop her phone. It clattered on the table. The girl tried to make herself as small as possible, abandoning the idea of calling the police.

Stella was not cowed. She took her phone from her pocket and cried, "I'll call Lorenzo. He'll let Mr. Xi know. Then you'll be in trouble!"

Alina hadn't been hit since she was a child. Maria was the first one to cross that line.

It took Alina a bit to recover. Her ears stopped buzzing, finally.

She took out her phone and dialed a number. She took a deep breath and asked in a trembling voice, "Hello, is this the police? There's some crazy bitch at Miracle Cafe..." Just then, Maria grabbed her phone away from her and threw it against the wall.

Her high-end phone, decorated with diamonds and worth tens of thousands of dollars, was destroyed in the blink of an eye.

Stella's phone suffered the same fate. Before she could get hold of Lorenzo, Maria took her phone and stomped on it. None of Alina's group had bodyguards with them, so they couldn't do anything without phones.

Stella crowed like a rooster, "Help! Security! Throw this madwoman out!"

No one came to her aid. It was like they heard nothing. The baristas and busboys decided they didn't want to be part of this. They left, or hid in the kitchen.

Look at what was left of her phone, Alina stood up and strode forward, hand raised, intending to slap Maria. However, before she could lay a finger on Maria, a slap rang out again. Maria slapped Alina across her left cheek.

"Ah!" Feeling the burning pain again, Alina went crazy. She covered her face and looked at the woman with hatred. "You're so dead, bitch!"

Maria sneered, "You want to kill me? Go ahead and try! I don't think you can!"

Neither of Alina nor Stella had any martial arts training. They couldn't fight, or fight back.

Other customers of the coffee shop paid their bill and left, not wanting to get involved.

Maria was caught up in the mood. She picked up her coffee and poured it on Stella's head.

"Ah!" Stella looked at the coffee dripping from her head and running all over her body, screaming uncontrollably. "Consider yourself lucky, Alina. You don't fit into my plans at all. This is just for fun. There's someone else I'm gunning for." Although Alina and her sidekicks were annoying, there was one person even more hateful than them! Maria planned to take revenge on her after rolling back into town, but she had to replace her first. Word was, she had left H City.

The enraged Alina was astonished by her words. "And who might that be?"

She really couldn't figure it out. 'Maybe... James' stepmother?'

Maria didn't want to talk to her anymore. "None of your business. But I wouldn't get engaged to James if I were you. This is just a taste of what's coming to you if you do."

Brakes screeching, several cars pulled up to the Miracle Cafe one after the other. More than a dozen bodyguards left their vehicles and rushed into the coffee shop aggressively.

These were the bodyguards of the Tang family. One of Alina's friends did manage to contact them, and they were deployed.

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Alina grew much more confident. Heedless of how much of a mess she was, she pointed at Maria and ordered, "Tie her up! Beat her!" She was totally losing control. "Yes, Ms. Tang!" The bodyguards rushed over to Maria, ready to grab her.

Just then, a second group of people appeared on the stairs of the second floor in the cafe. "Stop!" the man in the lead said in a gentle tone. Something in his voice said that he didn't expect to be disobeyed. Wearing a gray suit and gold-rimmed glasses, he slowly walked downstairs, hands in his pockets. His every move was full of nobility, and everyone there knew him. They greeted him in unison. "Good day, Mr. Shen!"

"Hi, Mr. Shen. I didn't know you were here," said Alina, trying her best to maintain her composure, although she looked funny with red handprints on both cheeks.

And now she got her answer as to why Maria was throwing her weight around. 'It turns out Norman Shen is here!'

She was well-protected. No one dared mess with Maria for fear of angering Norman. She could do whatever she wanted.

When Norman had descended the stairs, he came to Maria's side. "Laides, please forget what happened today, for my sake. Go ahead and get a doctor to check you out, if you want. Send the bill to me."

This didn't help anything. Alina became even angrier, her fists clenched. But she kept quiet. Although he looked gentle and elegant on the surface, Norman had a reputation for ruthlessness and violence.

SL

Ophelia QSEB