A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 258 Another Baby

"What would that be?" Maria asked and raised her head.

"Do your best to give us another grandson. Once the baby is born, you are free to raise him by yourself. And if you don't want to, then you can just leave him to us."

Maria gaped at the old man.

"You may leave now, Maria. Don't come to us again unless you're carrying our future grandchild,"

Augustine said.

Maria got into her car and drove back downtown in a sluggish pace.

To say that she had totally offended James would be an understatement. How would she manage getting pregnant with his baby at this point? Augustine had handed her a rather difficult task indeed.

But she couldn't refuse. Augustine and his wife had treated her so well all this time, and she had already let them down. How could she bear to do it again?

Alas!

She glanced at her rearview mirror and looked at the car tailing her. She grew more irritable.

Maria swerved at the next corner and headed to a nearby bar.

The bodyguards were quick to alert James. "Mr. Xi, Ms. Song has made a stop on her way back home. She's currently at XY Street."

'XY Street?' James recalled that one time Maria had been drunk. She had come out of a bar in XY Street and had been brought back to her apartment by Kent.

"I see."

He hung up the phone and stood from his seat, buttoning his suit jacket as he made his way to the door.

"James!" Ethan called from the table he had just vacated. "Where are you going?"

"To a bar."

"What? Why, so suddenly?" Ethan was perplexed. "And a bar? Isn't the wine here good enough?"

James didn't even bother looking back when he answered, "Maria is not here."

Ethan's eyes widened in surprise. James had recently been acting like he had broken up with Maria for good. What was with this new, 180-degree development?

Well, he might as well return to his own apartment. He walked out of the establishment with James, but when they passed the latter's car, Ethan was pulled along into it. Once again, he ended up tagging along against his will.

Ethan sighed in resignation. He hated having to be subjected to this couple's public displays of affection.

They walked into the bar in question.

James' eyes zeroed in on the woman singing onstage. She had taken off her coat and was sporting a black, figure-hugging dress.

Her long hair fell in a curtain over her shoulder as she crooned a sad melody into the bar. "We are all living hard. We have won and lost in love and hatred, and we have been brilliant and disappointed, without any regret. I believe that at the end of suffering is a gain."

Despite the nature of the ballad she was singing, the men all around didn't seem affected. They all stood at her feet under the stage and looked up at her in adoration.

A few patrons who seemed to share a streak of lovesickness were singing along. "There are a few twists and turns on the way to grow up..."

Ethan had to raise his voice inside the bar for him to be heard. "James, shall we ask the management for a private room upstairs?" There were exclusive VIP rooms on the second floor, and they had usually stayed there whenever they came to this place.

James surveyed the hall before saying, "That won't be necessary." Then he went straight to the bar counter and sat on one of the stools.

Ethan followed suit and ordered drinks for them while they waited for the end of the performance. They had a perfect view of the stage from their chosen spot.

The big screen behind Maria showed all sorts of gifts sent to her by the men in the bar.

The items were just popping up incessantly one after another-different kinds of wine, cocktails, and flowers.

Soon her slot was full.

Ethan propped an elbow on the countertop and perched his chin on his hand. "Maria truly is an enchantress, and a very tempting one at that. One random song was all it took to bring these men to their knees. James said nothing.

She used to go on and on about how he had a string of women willing to do his every bidding.

Now he took into account all the men fawning over her and the gifts she had been offered. They were the most expensive gifts on the table, too, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. And they were all hers.

She also had a string of men who would enslave themselves to her whims, didn't she?

Maria sang the last notes of her song and ran her fingers through her hair in one sultry motion before walking off the stage. The men instantly moved in unison, clearly about to surround her, but the appearance of one man made them pause. Maria smiled and waved at him, and he escorted her to what appeared to be their table.

Ethan peered at them with great interest from the bar. "Kent Jiang? He seems to be quite close with Maria."

James' face was devoid of any emotion; he just fixed his eyes on the woman.

They watched and sipped their drinks as the other pair chatted for a while. Well, they weren't exactly able to talk much, because different men kept walking up to their table and tried to invite Maria for a drink. Ethan glanced at James. "Are you sure you won't go over there?"

James seemed to possess the ability to stay calm in the face of his woman getting surrounded by so many men.

A bunch of women had been eyeing the two men, too, of course. But none of them dared to approach because of the cold energy James was giving off. Ethan soon grew bored of the evening and let his mind wander. "James, what if Maria wasn't pregnant at all? I mean, we all know she hates you a lot. She might have lied to you on purpose as a part of her revenge."

James was about to bring his glass to his lips, but Ethan's words made him pause. It seemed to make sense to him somehow.

Now that the possibility was out in the open, other loopholes in Maria's pregnancy narrative were appearing in his mind.

First, Maria had gone to the hospital by herself; the results she had shown him afterwards could very well be a fabrication.

He hadn't been present either when she had aborted the child. Why did she chose to do this at the exact time period when he was abroad?

The baby had gone just as suddenly as it had appeared.

James narrowed his eyes at her from the distance, wondering if there was any truth to her pregnancy at all.

Shortly after that, Maria stood and picked up her coat, walking toward the door without any of the gifts. James downed his liquor and strode after them.

Ethan rushed to keep up, but not before telling the manager, "Please charge it to James' account."

"Yes, of course. Take care, Mr. Xi, Mr. Nan!"

James' long legs proved to be an advantage this time; Maria and Kent had just emerged from the bar and had barely said anything to each other when he reached them. He grabbed Maria's arm and pulled her to the side of the street. He dragged her behind him as he walked to his car.

Kent stepped forward to pull Maria back when Ethan appeared in the next moment and blocked him. "Kent, hi. Come on, I'll buy you a drink. Let's go."

"Ethan? Why are you here?"

Ethan's smile was fixed on his face. "Coincidence."

Kent opened his mouth to say something else, but he was taken away before he could utter a word.

"What do you think you're you doing, James?" Maria demanded as she jogged after the man.

James flung her against the door of the Harkim and braced his arms on either side of her, trapping her between the car and his body.

"What is wrong with you?" Maria tried to break free, replaceing herself almost lip to lip with him all of a sudden.

Their eyes met as their breaths mingled in the small space between them.

James drew close subconsciously, and just as they were about to kiss, he seemed to return to his senses. He stopped and whispered, "Maria Song."

His breath was hot and carried a faint scent of alcohol, making Maria swallow. "Just get to the point," she said coolly, averting her eyes.

"Why did you go to the hospital that time?"

"What time?"

"That time you discovered you were pregnant."

She didn't answer right away. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, and she wondered if he had discovered something. Maria gritted her teeth and stifled her guilt. "I wasn't feeling so well at the time, so I decided to get a check-up."