A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 231 Sleep Through New Year

Maria threw the bag of potato chips aside and swiveled to him. "What's wrong? Keep playing the video. I want to see! I've never watched this kind of movie before." And it was true, hence her overwhelming curiosity.

James expression grew darker even under the dimness of the cinema. "Let's just watch another movie."

"No, please! Let me look at the man." It would pain her to admit this, but she had never seen another man's private parts, only James'.

James grabbed his phone and dialed a number. "Send ten women to Ethan's apartment and lock them in. No one is allowed to come out before sunrise!"

'Ten women?

Wow.' Maria's jaw hung open for a second time.

"Can you just send the video to my phone then? Please? I'll watch it by myself, okay?"

"No way!" he thundered.

"Oh, don't be so petty! It's just a video."

He was being petty? Didn't she just want to see another man's private parts? There was no way in hell he was going to let that happen!

Maria matched his stubbornness, however. "Come on," she whined, shaking his arm. "Let me watch and learn different positions. I'll be sure to give you even better experiences in the future." James said nothing.

He took hold of her waist and pulled herto him until she was straddling his lap. She gazed down at him, her confusion clear in her eyes.

The tips of her long, fragrant hair teased his nose. His hands slid to her nape, and he slowly pulled her face down until he was devouring her lips.

He didn't let her go for a while, and when he finally did, they were both panting. "How about I teach you the techniques myself?" he whispered in a hoarse voice.

All too sudden, she didn't feel like learning anymore.

Escape was impossible, of course. Before she knew what was happening James pressed her into the sofa and forced the questionable education upon her.

As the clock neared midnight, everyone in the city was celebrating the New Year. The downtown square was full of people who were waiting for the countdown.

Maria pulled the reluctant man behind her, who was sporting casual street clothes, and they joined the crowd. They managed to get to the center of the square just to minutes before the New Year came. The only thing James wanted in that moment was to sleep with this woman through New Year's Eve.

But Maria had insisted on taking a second shower right after their first round, and had begged him to drive downtown and celebrate with other people.

Excitement vibrated in the air as the clock's minute hand went closer and closer to 12. Most of the people here were young, and they didn't appear to feel the cold at all.

The HL Group building was not far from here, and they had mounted a LED screen outside that displayed the time in digital format.

Just then, Maria grabbed his hand urgently and stood on her toes to whisper in his ear. "Look over there!

Someone is cheating on his woman!"

Following her gaze, he saw two women and a man standing a short distance from them. The man was standing on the left, and he was holding hands with the woman standing on the right, behind the back of the woman in the middle. The woman between them was oblivious.

James quickly looked away and glanced at her in silence.

Maria rolled her eyes. This guy was a total killjoy!

The crowd around them started to chant to the countdown, and Maria held onto James' arm. "Let's count together!"

He kept his mouth shut, wondering to himself, 'Shouldn't I be looking down at H City from my perch on the top floor of that building, all warm and cozy?' Why, then, was he out her in the cold, looking up at his office instead?

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!" The people's voices grew louder as the numbers neared one.

Maria was shouting along with them. "Five! Four! Three!"

The moment they all yelled the number one, the time stamp on the LED screen changed to a new year.

Al around them people cheered, screamed, and laughed. It was like something out of a superstar's concert.

Maria looked up at James, feeling happy. This was the first time they had spent the New Year's Eve together.

If she died one day, she would make sure to carry this beautiful memory over to the next world so she could replay it in her mind from time to time.

'I love you, James,' a voice inside her said.

Then that very same voice added, 'I hate you, James.'

She hated him just as much as she loved him.

James had no idea what was going on inside her head, but the atmosphere of the place was getting to him. He smiled at Maria and bumped her forehead with his as he looked deep into her eyes. She returned his smile before going that last small distance and touched her lips to his. He kissed her deeply, and she closed her eyes and held onto his waist, quietly relishing this small moment of joy. On the morning of the first day of the New Year, Maria woke to James' hot kisses. She opened her eyes, and the first sight to greet her was his handsome face.

"Hmm..." Maria groaned, pushing him weakly. "Your stubble is chafing my skin."

He ignored her halfhearted protests and pinned her underneath his body. He didn't let her go until they were both satisfied and breathing heavily.

He rose from the bed and took a shower while she went back to sleep.

As per usual, James headed straight to the company, and Maria slept until noon. It was around that time that she received a call from one of the assistants in HM Group. "Happy New Year, Ms. Song! Are you ready for the New Year's banquet tonight?"

The New Year's banquet? She remembered then. Colby had sent her a message a few days ago informing her of this event. "Yes, I'm ready. I'll be there tonight. Have you finished all the preparations?" "The guests will have dinner on the thirteen floor after arriving, and then attend the banquet in the main hall on the first floor afterwards."

"I see."

"All right, Ms. Song. See you there."

Maria was aware that this event attracted not only personalities from the financial circle, but also the elites from various other fields and industries all over H City.

She finished her brunch and went to choose her wardrobe for tonight's affair.

She had been perusing for a while when something occurred to her. She grabbed her phone and sent a message to James. "Will you attend the banquet tonight?"

HM Group must have invited Jonathan and Clayton, and she knew those men wouldn't miss any chance to get their vengeance.

"No, I won't. Summer will be there on my behalf." He had to spare some time for his client visits in the coming days, so he needed to take care of the work that was bound to pile up when he was away in advance.

"I see."

Maria mused for another moment before sending another message, this time to Ethan. "Ethan, do you have any engagement for tonight?"

He didn't reply for a long time, leaving her to wonder what he could be possibly busy with. But then his message came. "I was taken home by Grandpa. I can't go anywhere at the moment. Why, what's up?" "Nothing. I was just asking randomly. Okay, have a good one then."

Then, Ethan sent her a red packet on WeChat. Maria clicked on it and saw 66, 666 dollars with the words: Happy New Year.

She chuckled-he really was filthy rich. She replied, "Thank you. I wish you grow even more handsome and replace a girlfriend as soon as possible!"

Ethan didn't send a reply after that, and Maria tossed her phone aside. Well, this shouldn't be a big deal. Ethan must have his own affairs to attend to at home, so she should stop bothering him.

So neither James nor Ethan would be at the party. Norman wouldn't attend either; these events only bored him. And Colby and Lawrence were both out of town at present.

As her principles went, it was better to rely on herself rather than relying on others after all.

Maria took a deep breath and braced herself. There was another tough battle to be fought tonight.

She settled on a tight, off-shoulder, crimson evening dress with long lace sleeves. She draped a white mink shawl over her shoulders, and the stark contrast of the colors somehow lent a rosy glow to her skin. She looked ethereal.

She had curled her long hair into waves, and they bounced daintily over their shoulders. She wore black diamond jewelry she bought in France. She carried a limited edition, creamy white purse to complete her look, and she strutted into the banquet hall in a pair of four-inch heels.

She signed her name at the reception and handed the shawl to the attending server by the entrance. Now without the cover of the fluffy fabric, she glided gracefully inside in all her glory.