A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 381 Coaxing Maria

"If you dare to do that, I'll take my own life!" Maria retorted. She couldn't give in and let James control her future. The moment she handed him the reins, she would be under his control for the rest of her life. "If you dare to take your own life, I will abuse your son. You said you don't want me to replace a stepmother for him, right? Well, I'll definitely replace one, and I'll even bring her to visit your grave! And that's if I'm in a good mood. If I'm in a bad mood, I'll just let your corpse rot in the wilderness. Then, I'll travel the world with Bob's stepmother, and send your son to an orphanage."

Maria felt her blood run cold. How could this man be so cruel?

A moment later, however, his voice softened as he added, "So, no matter what happens, you have to live."

There were many people in the world who were eager to live for a few more days, weeks, or even years, but there was nothing they could do about it.

Therefore, those who had the gift of life had to cherish it. Only by living could they win.

Maria burst into laughter, breaking the depressing atmosphere in the dining room. She pinched his cheek and said, "Our Valentine's Day is so special!" Realizing her mistake, she decided to give in this time. After all, she was the one who had started it.

Holding her tightly in his arms, James said, "I wanted to just spend a quiet, relaxing day with you, but this meal ruined everything."

Maria nudged her nose with his and smiled. "Just treat me to a big meal one day to make up for this." "Okay."

James stood up and picked her up horizontally. Maria wrapped her arms around his neck and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

"I've fantasized about making love to you in the home theater for a long time. Today, I can finally do it." That was why he had sent away John and all the servants, leaving the villa empty except for the two of them.

Maria was speechless. How could they do that in the home theater? He was so shameless! "I haven't eaten yet," she protested.

James smirked and carried her up the stairs. "Let me eat first, and then I'll let you eat."

Maria pressed her lips together unhappily.

When they arrived at the landing of the second floor, she patted his shoulder and urged, "At least take a shower first. You stink of oil and smoke!"

Furrowing his eyebrows, James lowered his head and took a sniff. "Fine," he agreed.

While he was busy taking a shower, Maria replaced his gray home clothes with the red pajamas she had bought for him.

However, James, who was determined not to wear the pajamas, just walked out without wearing anything after he was done with his shower. "Maria..." He trailed off.

She was standing barefoot on the snow-white carpet, with her back to him. Her long black hair cascaded down her smooth, fair back. She was wearing a red satin lace nightgown that hugged her curves and revealed her delicate skin.

Looking at her in this nightgown, James felt a strong desire rising in his body. There was only one thought in his mind now. He wanted to make love to this woman.

Since the heating was on throughout the villa, Maria didn't feel cold even though she was barely wearing anything.

Hearing the sound of the bathroom door open, she turned around and found James staring at her with wide eyes and parted lips.

"What's wrong?" she asked, flashing him a charming smile.

His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he shook his head and said, "One minute." He decisively went back into the bathroom and put on the red pajamas.

In this moment, he was just a man who was utterly enchanted by the woman in front of him. All he wanted to do was immerse himself in her beauty.

As soon as he walked out, he lifted her and kissed her passionately, letting her straddle her legs around his waist. Without pulling away from her lips, he carried her from the bedroom to the home theater. Soon her nightgown was torn apart and discarded onto the floor.

Maria didn't have lunch until four o'clock that afternoon.

They were back in the bedroom. Holding a spoon in his hand, James gently coaxed her. "I'll be gentle next time. Have some rice first, okay?"

Maria rolled her eyes and complained, "I won't believe you again. You say that every time, but what do you do in the end? I'm your woman, not a call girl. How could you be so rough with me? Do you have a grudge against me?"

"No, of course not. How about having some soup first?" James put the bowl of rice aside, picked up the chicken soup, and raised a spoonful of it to her lips.

Maria was really hungry, but because of her pride, she was reluctant to let him feed her.

In the end, James tipped the spoon against her lips, forcing her to open her mouth. With a satisfied smile, he said, "You can scold me after you're full. I don't have to work today, so I'll sit here and listen, okay?" "No need. Go bring Bob back later." Only when the baby was with them would James restrain himself to a certain extent. When they were alone, she couldn't believe a word of what he said to her. For example, just now, he had told her that he would be gentle. But that was what he said every single time, and he never kept his word. He never let her go until he was fully satisfied.

"Bob is with Lawrence's grandma. He has only been there for a short time. How can we bring him back so soon?" James said calmly. Elizabeth had always longed for a great-grandchild, so after replaceing out that James had a son, she insisted on spending a few days with the baby.

Maria didn't know how to refute him, so she just suppressed her annoyance and quietly drank the chicken soup. "Fine. Then you go to the study. I want to rest for a while," she said once she was done eating. She just wanted to have a good sleep now.

"I'll sleep with you," James said softly.

"No way!" Maria wouldn't let him trick her again like that.

But James chuckled and said, "I'm serious. I also need to rest. I'm not a robot." He had indeed gone too far just now. It was a good idea to just hold her in his arms and have a good sleep.

Maria decided to cut him some slack for now. So after lunch, the two of them took a nap together.

In the evening, Maria went to the home theater to watch a movie, while James took an important phone call in the study.

While she was watching the movie, her phone rang. She was getting a call from a rich man who had sent her flowers earlier. After hesitating for a moment, she answered the phone. "Happy New Year, Mr. Liu!" "Cut the crap, Maria! What are you playing at?" The man was obviously pissed off with her, but Maria had no idea why.

Was it because she had asked her assistant to dispose of the roses that he had sent her? "Mr. Liu-"

"It's okay for you to reject my advances, but how can you show off your relationship to me? Why are you so cruel?"

Maria frowned. The more this man spoke, the more confused she became. She hadn't gone out at all today. When had she shown off her relationship to him? "Mr. Liu, has there been some misunderstanding?' she asked tentatively.

"What did I misunderstand? I'm not blind! I can see that it's you and James in the photo. Don't worry, I won't try to win your heart anymore! Have a good life," he said hotly before hanging up the phone. Widening her eyes in confusion, Maria lowered the phone from her ear and stared blankly at the screen. He had mentioned a photo just now. But what photo?

She decided to ask about him about it on WeChat, but as soon as she opened their chat conversation, she realized what he had been talking about.

There was indeed a photo that had been sent by her. She clicked on it and found that it was a photo of her kissing James in the elevator.

Was it James who had sent the photo to Mr. Liu?

That was the only explanation. But she had no idea when he had been able to take the photo. She closed the photo and anxiously scrolled through the rest of the conversation. At about five o'clock that afternoon, a message was sent by her. "Sorry, I have a husband."

Maria was dumbstruck. She had been fast asleep at that time, so James was definitely the one who must have sent these messages.

Suddenly, something occurred to her. She closed the conversation with Mr. Liu and scrolled through her conversations with other people.

As expected, it wasn't only Mr. Liu, but also many other people who had sent her flowers for Valentine's Day had received the same photo and message.