A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 456 Let's Talk It Over

In the midst of their friends' cheerful voice, James stood before Maria and stared at her affectionately. "Mia," he uttered.

Stunned, Maria instantly understood what was going on. A little embarrassed, she didn't know how to respond.

"It was all my fault. I failed to cherish you. But I can assure you this won't happen again," James said earnestly as he passed her the flowers, fumbled in his pocket and took out a brocade box. Taking a step forward, he knelt on one knee. There was a sudden sparkle as the diamond ring caught the light. "Maria, I love you. Please marry me!"

Maria remained speechless.

So James was proposing to her.

Soothing music was played in the background. Every single spectator had their eyes glued onto them.

Ethan raised an electronic firework and said, "Maria, are you too excited to speak? Hurry up and say yes!"

Peggy echoed, "Yes, Maria! Say yes already!"

The crowd was hooting. Maria, on the other hand, still hadn't given James a response.

A few minutes later, the crowd began to whisper and look at each other in confusion. They were starting to wonder what Maria's silence meant.

James, who was still on his knee, gazed at her.

Maria put down the roses he had given her. Looking him in the eye, she said, "James."

James remained in the same position. "Don't speak!" he said in a pleading tone.

Maria then chose to not say anything.

After a while, he stood up and grabbed her hand. Despite her refusal, he forcefully put the diamond ring on her finger.

Maria struggled a little but didn't push him. "James, you don't have to put it on my finger. I refuse your proposal!"

As these words came out of her mouth, everyone in the crowd gasped in surprise.

However, the ring was already put on her finger. She took it off and continued, "James, I don't love you anymore. In fact, I have stopped loving you since a long time ago. The only reason I was with you is because I wanted a chance to take revenge."

James shook his head and said, "Honey, this isn't the time for jokes. Be serious, okay?"

"Trust me when I say this isn't a joke. All my enemies have been punished. I have made my decision two days ago. Nobody can change it. Bob belongs to me and I don't need a penny from you! That's all!" Her tone was ruthless and the expression on her face was cold as ice.

James stared at the ring she had casually returned to him. "Is this the reason why you have maintained a distance these past days?" he asked.

"Yes! Do you know why I chose to not deal with Elina? I've investigated and gathered she has no bad record. On top of that, she has had a crush on you for a very long time. She worked in HL Group because of you.

She is genuinely in love with you. Transfer her back to H City and allow her to love you..."

James clenched the diamond ring in his hand until his knuckles were white. In a cold tone, he asked, "Who are you to decide my fate and future?"

The harmonious atmosphere was suddenly taut with tension. The others were dumbstruck. They held back their breath.

Maria nodded and said, "You have a point here." His words surely made sense.

"Maria, while I was thinking about having a second child with you, you were busy planning to separate me from the first one!" He tried to keep his voice calm.

"We will break up sooner or later. I never intended to be with you for a very long time." If it weren't for Bob, who had accidentally entered her life, she would have ended her life quietly in the hospital some time ago.

Her cold eyes stared at him. There was neither love nor affection in them.

James wouldn't give up. He resumed his gentle tone and said, "Maria, I was the wrong one. If you refuse me, I am not going to be angry. After all, I don't blame you for anything. I've told you that you can do anything you want. Just don't consider leaving me."

He tried to hold her hand, but she took a step back and dodged him. His hand was frozen in midair.

"Let's end our relationship once and for all, James!"

"You are going to regret this one day!" he said, raising his voice a little.

"No, I won't." She looked at him with a firm expression. "I have made it clear I won't regret this. I know myself very well. If I say I won't, I am pretty sure I won't."

"Well, In that case, I won't give you the child. In fact, unless you come back to me, I won't even let you see him again. If you don't believe me, you can give it a try."

Maria was shocked by his audacious words. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't try to challenge me!"

"Then please don't push me away!" said James. He was willing to do anything if that meant keeping her with him.

Cooper took two steps forward and coughed to ease the embarrassment. "James, Maria—"

Maria turned around and interrupted him. "Cooper, Lawrence, and everyone, I would like to thank you for the help. See you later!"

She bent down, bowed to everyone, and then decided to leave the place.

When she was about to move, James grabbed her wrist and pleaded, "Maria, let's talk it over."

Maria wouldn't even look at him. "I honestly don't think there is anything to talk about. This is it!"

After saying that, she broke free from his grasp and left Leopard Club without once looking behind. Once everything with settled, she could start afresh. She would leave behind this life of hatred.

A few minutes later, James rushed out of Room 999. Not caring about his image, he screamed, "Maria!" He was panting and breathless.

Maria stopped in her tracks but wouldn't allow herself to look back at him. The driver opened the door for her and she got in the car.

Once she was inside, she swiftly shut the door close. The window was rolled down. There was two people in the car. One was the expressionless Maria and the other one was Norman.

He looked at James, a smile glinting in his eyes. Before James could catch up with them, the car was driven away from Leopard Club.

Watching them leave, James turned livid. Without wasting any time, he rang his driver and tried to catch up with them.

Sitting in Rolls-Royce, Maria asked, "Why were you here?"

"I heard that James was going to propose to you. I couldn't miss the fun. I didn't expect to meet you as soon as I arrived," he replied, quite surprised he was there right when he was needed. Maria made no reply to this.

"You have escaped and left him unscathed! Good job, Maria!"

Maria had once said that when her job here was done, she would leave James safe and sound. And now she had finally done it. Norman couldn't hide his admiration.

"Mr. Shen, Mr. Xi's car is behind us," the driver said.

"Make sure he doesn't catch up with us," said Norman and smiled. He found the whole thing quite amusing.

James couldn't let go of her. He couldn't afford to lose her.

Maria didn't turn around, but clenched her hands on

her knees.

Norman's driver sped the car. He was also familiar with the nearby terrain. Soon, he managed to escape James' car.

A few minutes later, James' car pulled over to the side of the road. James, with a gloomy face, got out of the car and kicked the door.

Bang! It was closed shut with a thud.

In the next few days, Maria was nowhere to be found. No one could get in contact with her. DS Group was now managed by an interim CEO.

James had taken revenge on Shen Group. Norman's business had suffered a loss of several billion dollars.

Norman fought back soon. Recently, James's focus was committed to replaceing Maria. He couldn't concentrate on anything else. As a consequence, HL Group also suffered a great loss. However, Norman didn't gain any benefit from it, except for watching his enemy suffer. All in all, both the brothers got substantial damages.

In a villa, Maria was sitting opposite to a man. "My last requirement is that I want Bob," she said with a firm resolve. She could give up on James, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing Bob.