A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 215 Acting Coquettishly

"Once this matter is settled, please don't come to me for anything ever again. The Song family and the Song Group have nothing to do with me. And stop trying to manipulate me just because the Song family raised me."

Maria's tone was firm. If she somehow managed to convince James to help Song Group, she would owe nothing to Chandler and Elaine in the future. She never wanted to hear things like family affection from these people again in the future. In fact, she didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore.

Caroline was silent for a while before finally responding, "I got it. I'll tell Mom and Dad."

Maria hung up the phone and looked at the table laden with dishes and two full glasses of wine, her face twisted into a sneer.

She had wanted to thank James and celebrate the success of her scheme against Jonathan, but now it looked like the purpose of this meal was going to change.

She lifted her gaze to the ceiling, feeling helpless. And beneath that was a whole bundle of complex emotions, too.

While she was indeed rich, she was not capable of producing the amount the Song Group needed in such a tight time frame.

And she didn't want to use her last trump card just to save the Song Group.

She needed to replace a way to persuade James.

Maria plucked one of the glasses and downed its contents.

When James arrived half an hour later, she had already drunk several glasses of wine.

He rang the doorbell, and she went to open the door on unsteady beat.

When she saw him standing outside, she pounced on him and clung to his arms like a spoiled child. "Why are you so late?”

One of his arms snaked around her waist and he led her back inside the apartment. "Traffic jam." Those two words were explanation enough.

They had taken only a few steps into the room when Maria kicked the door closed, then proceeded to kiss James, who had been about to change into his slippers.

He returned her embrace without missing a beat and kissed her back just as fervently.

He soon realized, however, that Maria seemed to be acting a little strange.

He pressed her against the shoe cabinet by the door, and the loose sleeves of her dress slipped from her shoulders and now draped over her arms. The sudden cold it brought to her body sobered her up in an instant. James had buried his face on the crook of her neck, planting kisses on her skin. She pulled at his nape. "Let's eat first."

He ignored what she said for several seconds before finally nipping gently on her lips and pulling away.

He headed to the bathroom, and Maria settled at the dining table and waited for him. She perked up and patted the chair beside her when she saw him approach. "Sit here!"

He did as she asked, casting a sideways glance at her as he sat.

Maria placed a glass of red wine in front of him. "Let's make a toast."

"Did anything special happen today?" She had cooked dinner and opened a bottle of wine. There must be something.

They clinked glasses and Maria took a sip before saying, "It's Valentine's Day."

Valentine's Day? James had to wonder if he had been so engrossed with work that he had forgotten the date, or if Maria was extremely drunk already. She had, after all, reeked of alcohol since the moment he had come home.

She leaned on his shoulder, chuckling gently to herself. "Every day I spend with you is Valentine's Day in my book."

He said nothing. She was definitely up to something again.

But if Maria wasn't going to be out and open with what she wanted, he wouldn't take the initiative to ask her about it either.

She fished a forkful of lobster meat from one of the dishes and put it against his lips. "Here, try some lobster."

James paid no heed to the food, and looked into her eyes instead.

She personally prepared dinner, made out with him, and fed him. It was not easy for James to realize that she had a big favor to ask of him.

"What are you looking at? Aren't you going to eat?" Her eyes drifted over to the lobster. "Perhaps you don't like seafood?"

James opened his mouth and ate the forkful of food she was feeding him.

"Is it good?" she asked expectantly, tilting her head to look up at him.

James chewed, swallowed, and nodded. "It's not bad."

Maria smiled happily. "I learned it from a chef. Thank God my lessons didn't go to waste."

"How long are you going to keep saying things you don't want to?" James snorted.

Her expression didn't change. She continued to smile, and when she spoke, her tone was gentle. "You misunderstood. What I said is true."

'Oh really?' James decided not to expose her just yet and watch how her performance would play out.

"This dish is called mustard oyster. The oysters were shipped all the way from New Zealand. Here, let me dip this in my special mustard sauce."

"No, thanks. It's not the season for oysters yet."

"That's fine. How about foie gras then?"

James matched her every blow. "No, thank you. It's grown cold."

"Oh, yes, a little. I'll make another serving for you. Have some lamb chops while you wait." No sooner had she said that than she was bounding off her chair and rushing to the kitchen. James watched her disappearing back in pensive silence. His eyes darkened.

He would like to see just how long she could keep up with this act.

Back at the kitchen, Maria hurriedly washed her hands and took out some goose liver from the freezer. She sliced it with practiced speed and seasoned the pieces with salt and pepper.

After eating the foie gras that she had just fed him, James quietly watched her every move in the kitchen. He had kept wondering what she might be planning ever since he had noticed how out of the ordinary she was acting.

Things had gone smoothly with the Jonathan issue. And she hadn't had any contact with Colby recently, much less anyone from the Tang family.

But then he thought of the Song family, and that brought a frown on James' face. Was it possible that this had something to do with them?

If that were true, he needed to devise a method to deal with this new matter at hand.

What could he do, exactly?

In the end, he had to face the reality that there was no other way to refuse Maria; he would have to be blunt about it.

Soon enough, the fresh batch of foie gras was ready, and Maria served the dish on a plate and placed it in front of him. "Careful, it's hot. Go on and have a taste."

James took his knife and fork and cut himself a piece, looking at her as he ate. "Sit down," he said when he finished swallowing.

"Oh, okay." Maria returned to her seat, but not before refilling his glass with wine.

She turned to her own plate and started to eat. She would need sustenance in order to deal with this man.

The dinner went very well, and if Maria hadn't kept on urging him to drink, James would have been immensely pleased indeed.

They managed to finish an entire bottle of wine. All flushed, Maria hiccupped as she stared at the man sitting so still across the table. "Why don't we go open another bottle, James?"

He reached over and grabbed her chin between his fingers. "No, thanks.

What are we going to do next?" "I'm going to wash the dishes of course. You can just go ahead with your work." Then, without waiting for a reply, she stood up and started to clear the plates from the table. "Put them down," James ordered out of the blue.

She turned back to him and asked innocently, "Do you want to do them? Thank you!"

James scoffed in disbelief. Wasn't her goal supposed to be to please him? Was she actually asking him to do the dishes right now?

"You can use the dishwasher," Maria continued, oblivious to his mood. "The detergent is in the cupboard. I'm going to mop the floor." Then just like that, she was out of the dining room.

James looked at the plates and the leftovers, and gritted his teeth. "Maria Song!"

"What's wrong?"

"Get back here and do the dishes yourself."

"Are you mopping the floor then? I've prepared the mop and the bucket anyway. You can go start." Maria walked past him and resumed picking up the plates.

James watched her, speechless. But as he saw her circling the table and going back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room with dishes in her hands, a sense of guilt came over him.

She had prepared the food by herself, but it fed the both of them. How could he just sit and watch her get busy all by herself?

He went to pick up the mop for the first time in his life.

Seeing him head over to where the mop and bucket

were, Maria smiled to herself. "Remember to wipe the floor with that white duster over there before you start mopping."