A Vengeful Ex-Wife
Chapter 89 Bargain

Since she woke up very early today, Maria felt listless as she sat in the armchair. She didn't even try to be like a gentlewoman. She casually leaned against the armchair, closed her eyes, and said, "I need your help. And if you refuse, I will file a rape case against you."

She gave it careful thought and eventually decided that she shouldn't just hand over the evidence to him easily. She had to look for a way out so that Alina would never be able to bounce back for the rest of her life.

James, who was lifting the dumbbells in both hands, glanced at Maria. In his life, he had never met such a cunning woman like her. It was her who requested for this meeting in exchange of giving him the evidence. But now, she was trying to threaten him with filing a lawsuit against him.

After lifting the dumbbells one hundred times, he gently put them on the floor. He then took out his phone and made a call. "Tell Joshua to see me when he arrives."

Maria opened her eyes and stared at James, who had just hung up. She wondered what was in his mind.

Much to her surprise, James sat down beside her. He then said, "Ms. Song, it was you who requested to have dinner in my villa. You even exerted so much effort to cook different dishes to please me. I didn't know that you planned to seduce me. So shouldn't I be the one to sue you for harassment? But if you are really determined to sue me, go ahead. I trust Joshua enough. I know he can handle any case you file against me very well."

James sounded very arrogant. As soon as he finished his words, he went straight to the lounge without giving Maria a chance to retort.

Maria could only watch his receding back. She was too furious to replace her tongue.

She was the one who had the evidence, so she should be at an advantage. But why was he the one threatening her all of a sudden?

For a moment, Maria really wanted to file a lawsuit against him and Alina. She would file a homicide case against Alina and rape against James.

However, she doubted if she could win against him. Perhaps his reputation would be damaged. But if Joshua showed the evidence that she had made a lot of efforts to seduce James, things would be different. After all, she had deliberately tried to hit on James many times, even in public. If Joshua wanted to investigate and gather some evidence, it wouldn't be that difficult for him.

As for Alina, James would definitely protect her no matter what. He always wanted to erase all the negative news about her, so if Maria sued her for homicide, he would surely help her overcome it. In short, Maria would only waste her time and energy if she sued the two of them.

And whether she admitted it or not, she was only confident in fighting against her enemies if she could rely on James' help. Just like today. It was she who requested this meeting because he was the only person she thought could help her deal with Chuck. She knew that as long as she agreed to his condition, and she gave him what he wanted, he would help her.

But if she went against him, she would definitely suffer a loss.

Maria stood up from the armchair and quietly walked towards the French window. She took a deep breath while looking at the view outside. James' office was on the top floor, so from the window, she could see a clear view of almost half of H City.

Looking down at the beautiful city below her, Maria felt like an empress who ruled an empire. She imagined all the people got down on their knees in front of her.

This made her realize that James had really reached the highest level. He had acquired more than she had imagined and made HL Group a big empire. Wishing that he lost everything again was impossible. Maria had always believed that a wise person must be flexible and knew how to deal with a situation accordingly. Therefore, she decided not to fight against James on impulse. After a long time, the door of the lounge opened, and James came out. He was already in his usual business attire. He had neatly put on his shirt and trousers, but his suit jacket and his necktie were in his hand. Maria turned around decisively, smiled, and trotted towards him. "Hold on. Let me do it."

She took the necktie from his hand, stood in front of him, and started tying it around his neck. Since she was good at this task, she was able to neatly tie the necktie around his neck swiftly. With a darkened expression, James blurted out, "Why are you so good at tying a necktie?"

Maria smiled from ear to ear. "I am surrounded by many men. How can I not learn to do it?" Of course, she couldn't possibly learn this skill for women.

James fell silent upon hearing her answer.

Maria straightened his tie and took a step back. Pursing her lips, she crossed her arms over her chest and said, "With a stainless steel wristwatch and a dark handkerchief, I'm sure that you will be the most handsome CEO in the whole world. Wait, I'll get them for you." She then strode towards the lounge.

James just watched her leave without saying anything.

Then he heard her voice. "Where is your wardrobe? Oh, I found it. Your lounge has great design. The wardrobe is hidden well."

A few moments later, she came out with a watch and a dark blue handkerchief in her hands.

She folded the handkerchief and put it inside his suit pocket. While putting on the watch around his wrist, she asked, "James, do you know my favorite color?"

James looked at her long over-sized white shirt which half of the collar slid down, revealing her shoulder and the strap of her bra. He couldn't help but reach out his hand and lift it up.

Maria was amused by his gesture and smiled casually. "You're an old man who knows nothing about fashion. Don't worry. I'm not seducing you."

"White," James suddenly said.

Maria was a bit stunned as she didn't expect him to answer her question. She thought he would say that he was not interested to guess.

After putting on his watch, she tiptoed and wrapped her arms around his neck. As she pulled him closer, a faint fragrance of mint teased her nose. She kissed him on the lips and said, "Always keep this in mind. My favorite color... is the color of your lips."

It was only then that James realized that Maria was starting to flirt with him again. He couldn't believe that she did it to him in such an early morning. He pulled her arms down from his neck and warned her in a stern tone, "Ms. Song, you'd better watch your language and your behavior. Remember that I can use this as evidence that you are seducing me."

Maria shook her head helplessly. Her charm didn't seem to work on him at all. Whether he was naked in bed or dressed up properly, this man could always remain calm.

If James was a calm beast with his clothes off, he was also a calm ruler with his clothes on.

She knew once a man got laid, he wouldn't be able to quit it.

When they were still a couple, he never got tired of having sex to her. Why was he not interested in her anymore?

Perhaps it was because he had other women to satisfy his needs. She was now dispensable to him when it came to sex.

What happened that night in Fairview Villa was all because she had provoked him. He wouldn't even lay a finger on her if she hadn't annoyed him. After all, she had clearly told him that he could deal with her in any possible means, but she would never allow him to send her to other men. Thus, what happened that night was his punishment to her.

Since Maria was lost in thought, she didn't notice that James had already sat behind his desk. She only came back to her senses when she heard him say, "Do you want to leave by yourself or be driven out?"

Maria picked up her purse from the sofa and took out her phone. The expression on her face turned cold as she said to James, "Give me your email address. I'll send you the evidence. I want Chuck Li to lose his job as soon as possible. And I want to know who smashed my coffee shop."

James picked up a sticky note from his desk and wrote his email address on it. He pushed it to the edge of the table and asked, "Anything else?"