A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 234 An Outburst Of Anger

The moment James appeared, many people in the room greeted him.

Maria didn't turned around and slapped Alina two more times. "That was for what you did to my shop assistant! I'm paying you double today."

At that point, Miranda paid no heed to James and rushed over. "Maria Song, you bitch! Don't touch my daughter again!"

Judy, on the other hand, ran to James. "James, hurry! You need to stop Maria, or she might beat Alina to death!"

Alina spat a mouthful of blood, feeling more wretched by the minute.

Maria forcefully pulled Miranda away from her daughter and landed her third kick on Alina. Just then, her wrist was grabbed from behind.

She swiveled to replace James standing there, his face devoid of any emotion.

"Mr. Xi!" Miranda sobbed and pleaded. "Please save my daughter. This bitch is crazy!"

"Get your hands off me, James Xi," Maria said in a cold and steady tone.

She was determined to teach Alina a lesson here and now.

"That's enough, Maria," James said flatly.

Enough? Who was he to say when it was enough? Maria yanked her hand from his hold and screamed, "It is not enough! It will never be enough!"

Then she turned around and gave another kick to Alina, who had just been helped up by her mother.

"Mr. Xi, please help Alina!" Miranda was hysterical.

"Maria Song!" James thundered in a dangerous voice.

Maria turned and glared daggers at him. "Don't you dare say my name, James Xi! These people need to learn that I, Maria Song, am not some pushover they can just trample on to their hearts' content!"

A tense silence fell over the room.

Judy was fuming. She couldn't believe that Maria would go against James. "It looks like your time in prison hasn't taught you your place!"

Maria cocked her head in the woman's direction and took a deep breath to reign in her temper. Then a bright smile lit up her face. "That's right. Mr. Xi should have asked the authorities to lock me up for a few additional years instead of letting me go after two years."

Two years in prison? James frowned, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Maria sneered. Was he so forgetful that he didn't remember he had thrown her into jail right after divorcing her?

Now faced with James, Maria's emotions clawed into the surface. She could still manage keeping up a strong front before her enemies earlier, but not anymore.

Tears slipped from her eyes, and she laughed derisively at herself. "Stop pretending to be innocent, you bastard.

He stared at her in silence, his eyes swirling with unnamable emotions. He had just been called a bastard in public, and he didn't refute it.

Just then, a couple of security guards came into the scene and grabbed Maria by the arms.

She did not struggle; instead, she looked deep into James' tormented eyes. "Didn't you say that I was crazy, ruthless, and what was the word-inhumane? But you've never actually been kind to me, have you? Elaine asked me to be generous.

She said let bygones be bygones. Why the hell should I? My Arthur would have died in vain then! I've suffered a lot in prison and trained so hard for my revenge. I won't let it all be in vain!

Did you know, James Xi? When you forced me to gulp down three bottles of that damn strong liquor, I had a bout of stomach hemorrhage. Alina came back and kicked me in the stomach. She hit me when I was already dying! It would never be enough even if I kicked her dozens of times today."

Clayton jumped to his feet and muttered an order to the guards. "Coverthat woman's mouth!"

As they were going to do so, James raised a hand to stop them. "Go on," he said in a hoarse voice, nodding for Maria to continue.

It was like a dam inside of her had been opened, and she no longer cared if she became the laughingstock for what she was about to admit. "After we married, Alina would always call and brag that she was with you. We divorced, but she wasn't satisfied. She had someone poison me, and while I lived, I ended up becoming mute. You made me surrender the proof that I got drugged so you could protect her. Answer me, James Xi, are you not the more ruthless of us two?

You threw me away and the Song family cut all ties with me. Then your beloved stepmother hired people to torture me in prison, I was practically half-dead those entire two years! I'd already lost my child, I had nothing then. Why did you still treat me like this?" Then, without warning, Maria broke free from the guards and hit James in the chest, hard.

Judy chose that moment to hurriedly clear her name. "Don't try to slander me, Maria Song!"

"Me, slander you? Then tell us where the three-hundred-million-dollar alimony James provided for me went! You would know more than anyone else, wouldn't you?" Maria stared daggers at the older woman, her eyes brimming with hatred.

The three hundred million? James listened quietly, his own eyes growing ominous as he seethed.

"There was nothing between me and Cooper, but you accused me of seducing him. Don't you know why he's not coming home? He just wants to avoid arousing any further suspicion.

I only married James because I wanted to leave the Song family. He agreed to marry me of his own accord. I didn't force him. I didn't play any dirty tricks. So why were you all ganging up against me? What did

I ever do to you?" In the past, if James had refused her proposition, she would have gladly found another way to leave Song family. She wouldn't have bothered him anymore after that.

But he hadn't refused.

Maria took a deep, ragged breath, and stepped away from him. Because of her high heels, though, she stumbled and fell awkwardly on the carpeted floor.

James instantly leaned over to help her up. "Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away.

Then she removed her heels and threw them aside before staggering back to her feet. "All I wanted was to leave the Song family. Why were you all doing this to me?"

She cast a last look at the people in the room, then walked toward the door. She would be better off alone at the moment.

James strode after her, ignoring the clamor of the other

guests who tried to stop him. He caught her up to her soon enough, and only then did he notice how Maria's back was exposed to the cold air. Despite that, her bare skin was red and raw. His expression darkened even more. He grabbed her hand. "Maria—"

She shook him off and quickened her pace, entering one of the elevators just as its doors opened.

She turned back to James before he could follow her inside. "Don't you dare follow me, or you will watch me die today!" He remained rooted on the spot.

The doors of the elevator closed, and he rushed to the one next to it and pushed the button.

When he arrived at the first floor, Maria was nowhere in sight. He ran out of the hotel, ignoring the appalled glances from the crowd milling around the lobby.

It was snowing outside, but she didn't seem to notice it. Maria held onto the hem of her dress as she trudged barefoot on the snow.

James caught her, of course. He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. Despite her struggles, he took her in his arms and held her close to his body. "Let go of me!"

He only held her tighter. "I really didn't know what you went through," he said, his voice low and full of regret.

There he was, a man who had never believed in having to explain himself to anyone, baring his transgressions to Maria for the first time in his life.