A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 270 A Baby

"Summer!" Maria chided her softly.

"I am honestly terrified that I'd end up getting fired when Mr. Xi discovers everything." It was just inevitable!

"That won't happen. And even if it does, I will be able to protect you." Maria winked at her.

Summer sighed and leaned over to touch the other woman's bulging belly. "You're just saying that now. You have no idea how scared I was when I defended you in front of Mr. Xi. It felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. It was lucky that he didn't blame me. And now here you are, pregnant with his baby! It's no small matter. I really admire your courage, Maria."

Maria motioned for her to take a seat. "There was a time when I wanted to tell him about the baby."

She had pondered over it for so long before arriving at that decision. She thought that he could at least protect her and their baby.

"Well, how come you didn't?"

Maria looked back on what had happened and smiled self-derisively. "I gave him a call late one night and Alina Tang was the one who answered his phone."

To be precise, it had been nine o'clock in the evening when she had called. That was already considered late, and yet he was still in Alina's company. Maria remembered feeling like a bucket of ice had been dropped on her head, and whatever desire she had to tell him had immediately disappeared.

Although she had been fairly certain that nothing would happen between the two, she had still been unhappy about the fact that they were together at that time of the night.

"There is nothing between them," Summer asserted, armed with the knowledge that with the way things were now, it would be extremely difficult for Alina to even see James. "I know, I know, but I still don't like it." Maria shrugged. "I'm based in New York now, anyway. Cooper hired the best people to cook and guard me. I'm living quite the life." "Wait, what? You're staying with Cooper?"

"What? No way! Cooper is a bachelor, as you know. Even if we have servants living under the same roof, it still won't be proper for us to stay together. I'm residing in an apartment close to his villa." When she had first gone to the US, Cooper had initially proposed they live together so he could take proper care of her.

Her refusal had been blunt and immediate. What if he was seeing someone? Their living arrangements could cause a misunderstanding. In the end, she had only spent two days in his place before moving out to the apartment.

The women spent their evening chatting and catching up on each other's life. Later, they went shopping to walk off their meal, and didn't part until about nine o'clock.

And, just as she had said, Maria flew back to the US the next day. She would never step foot on H City again before giving birth.

Three days before her due date, Maria started to feel labor plains. Cooper was still on a business trip in San Francisco, and she didn't bother informing him of the sudden emergency. Instead, she asked the bodyguards to fetch the bag she had prepared beforehand, then head to the hospital by herself.

A few hours later, she was crouched against the wall of the hospital's stairwell, enduring the bouts of continuous spasms in her belly. The cervix hadn't opened yet, and the doctor suggested she walk up and down the stairs to encourage dilation.

She had been on it for a while, and now she was groaning on the handrail at the onslaught of pain.

A young nurse passed by and stopped to throw her a snide look. "So now you know how painful it is? You should have considered this first before having your fun with a man."

Maria glared at the nurse and grabbed her arm. "Apologize to me!"

The nurse shook her off with a disgusted expression. "Why? I was only telling the truth. You must be another mistress kept in the dark. Look at you, near bursting and about to give birth, why would you be here all alone otherwise?"

Maria gritted her teeth and bore the pain, then dragged the nurse to the director's office. She threw the other woman in front of the director.

The director got to her feet when she saw Maria. "Ms. Song! Hello, what brings you here?" This was, after all, where Maria had been getting all her pre-natal examinations. Cooper had even spoken to the senior executives personally, and the director was very familiar with her.

"Is this woman working in your department?"

The director glanced at the nurse and shook her head. "No, she's a surgeon nurse. Why, what happened?"

Sweat was dripping from Maria's forehead at this point, and her face had gone pale. Still, she persisted to relay the events from earlier, ending with, "She insulted me, and I expect an explanation from you!" The nurse didn't look the least bit daunted, but the director flushed with mortification. She asked Maria to take a seat first. "It would be best for the dean to deal with this matter!"

Maria frowned, confused. This was just a trifling matter, why would they have to bother such the dean?

But soon, the man in question appeared. He looked to be in his sixties. "I'll take my leave, there's a patient waiting for me," the director said before scampering off.

When only three of them were left in the room, the nurse quickly came over to the dean and embraced him before he could say anything.

Maria watched in astonishment as the nurse proceeded to act like a spoiled child, clinging to him and peppering him with kisses.

The man quickly pushed her away and turned to Maria awkwardly. "I deeply apologize, Ms. Song."

The nurse glanced at Maria and pouted. "Why are you apologizing to her?"

"Isis, this lady is Mr. Xi's family. Hurry up and apologize to her now!"

'Mr. Xi's family?' Isis' eyes widened and color drained from her face. She lowered her head and begrudgingly gave an apology. But Maria was in too much pain to pay attention. She closed her eyes and demanded, "Arrange a C-section for me, please.

I don't want to wait any longer."

When Cooper returned from San Francisco, Maria had already given birth.

He learned about the debacle with the nurse from the hospital, and she was fired that same day.

A month later, a white car stopped in front of Augustine's villa in H City.

The driver got out of the vehicle and rang the buzzer.

Tami answered on the screen. The car window was rolled down, and a familiar face was revealed. "Hi, Tami. It's me."

Tami was surprised. "Hi, Maria. Come on in!"

The gates opened and the car cruised into the driveway, stopping at the villa's parking area.

Moments later, in the study located on the second floor, Augustine inhaled a deep breath. He had been silent this whole time, engrossed in his calligraphy. "You may ask me to help you, but only after you pass my cultural test."

"Of course, Grandpa." Maria had already prepared herself for this.

"Tell me about 'Six Chinese Characters' and 'Nine Positions of Calligraphy"," Augustine said.

Maria answered them all with breeze. She had fortunately done her homework before coming over.

She knew the old man was going to test her; he had done the same when she had just married James.

He was still using this trick even after all these years.

Augustine nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Well? What do you want me to do for you? Tell me."

Maria said nothing as she turned on her heel and left the study.

Charlotte was confused. "What is she doing?"

"Oh, settle down. Maybe she's getting something."

He was right. Maria did go to get something.

When she returned with the bundle in her arms, the elders' faces instantly lit up, their eyes wide open.

Tears were pooling in Augustine's eyes. "Whose baby is it?"

Maria answered in a neutral tone, "It's my own baby."

Charlotte blinked, her mouth opening and closing several times before she managed to say something. "Just a month old, right?" "Yes, Grandma."

Maria was holding a pink, chubby baby, sound asleep with a pacifier in his mouth.

"Does James know?" Charlotte asked.

"No, he doesn't."

"Where did you give birth?"

"In New York."

Augustine processed this for a while. "Has Cooper been taking care of you?"

"That's right."

At that, the elderly couple exchanged a look.