Chapter 3 Arthur


    Maria slid the answer bar on the screen of her phone and said, "I''m in your car."


    "Okay." Then their conversation was over.-


    Hanging up the phone, Maria tossed it into the seat next to her. The cherry on her cigarette glowed


    in the shade of the car. She stared at the hotel, lost in thought.


    James had be even more difficult to deal with since shest saw him. She wondered what kind


    of tactics might be more useful —hard or soft.


    Finally, she decided that both would be necessary to win his heart.


    Before long, several people made their way through the parking lot. Norman, James, and their


    subordinates were walking to their cars.


    James'' car was parked nearby. It was a one-of-a-kind ck Harkim developed by HL Group, worth


    tens of millions. It made its debut a year ago at the International Motor Show. Watching them arrive


    with the window down, Maria leaned back in her seat. Through the smoke, she made a note of


    Norman and James bidding each other farewell.


    After the Harkim left, Norman''s assistant got in the driver''s seat, and drove the car over to where


    Norman waited.


    The assistant opened the other door for his boss. After getting in, Norman nced at Maria. "Did


    you have anything to do with the wound on Miss Qin''s forehead?" Although he was asking a


    question, his tone hinted that he already knew the answer.


    Watching the cigarette slowly burning to the end, Maria didn''t deny it. "Yep. That was me."


    "It''s not your usual style."


    She understood what Norman meant. She had let her off too lightly. "Just a warning," she exined


    indifferently. She would not be so gentle to Ste if she angered her again.


    ''What did Ste just do? She told me to stay away from Norman and James.


    Interesting. Who does she think she is? She had the temerity to try and boss me around? You''ve


    gotten too big for your britches, Ste Qin!'' Maria narrowed her eyes.


    Silence reigned in the car. After arriving at the hotel where Maria stayed, the assistant stopped the


    car. She had already gotten out. Norman rolled down the window and said, "Now everyone in H City


    knows you''re back. I have a lot of work to catch up with, so what you do next is all on you. Good


    luck, Maria."


    Without looking back, Maria tucked her hair behind her ear and waved at him. "Got it. Thanks."


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    She was a bit more animated than most women.


    Norman didn''t say anything more. After watching Maria enter the four-star hotel, he ordered the


    assistant to drive away.


    It was Maria''s first night back in H City. Earlier, she had checked into this hotel room. It was more


    than 50 square meters, at less than 90 dors per night. She''d get a huge discount if she decided to


    stay there longer.


    Maria nned to stay in the city indefinitely. Room andundry services made staying in the hotel


    better than renting an apartment of her own and hiring a temporary cleaner.


    After scrubbing her face clean of make-up, Maria poured herself a ss of liquor and sat in front of


    the French window. Staring at the night scene of H City, she was lost in thought once more.


    ''H City, Maria Song is back! Cheers!''


    Half an hourter, Maria left the hotel in street clothes after changing out of her evening dress.


    It was August, the hottest month of the year there. By the time Maria left the hotel, it was almost ten


    o''clock at night. Everyone else would be getting ready for bed, or already fast asleep in their air-


    conditioned houses.


    After paying the cab fare, Maria was left standing at the gate of a vi. She put her hands on the


    bars of bronze and looked through them at the vi and the courtyard beyond.


    The three-story vi looked as brand new as it was six years ago because the grounds were well-


    kept. Raked leaves, mulched flowerbeds, seededwns, trimmed trees and bushes, not to mention


    keeping the trim on the house in good shape. It was exactly as she remembered. However, it was


    dark inside and no one lived there.


    Maria stared at the window of one room in particr for a few minutes. Then she took out her


    phone and dialed a number. "Hello, John, it''s me," she said after the call was connected.


    John Zhou used to work for James'' grandfather, andter for James as his personal butler. He had


    watched James grow up, and had been loyal to the Xi family all his life.


    Hearing her voice, John Zhou was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Hello, Ms. Song."


    Maria didn''t beat around the bush. "I''m at the gate of Fairview Vi now. May I go in and have a


    look? Thanks in advance, John." Her attitude towards the old butler was as full of respect as it ever


    was, but her voice was more mature now, her tones measured. She was different, but he couldn''t


    quite say why.


    John Zhou didn''t give her the answer she was hoping for. Instead, he answered, "Sorry, Ms. Song,


    but I need to ask Mr. Xi first. You know how he is." "Yeah, I know," she said gravely.


    In HL Group


    The CEO''s office, which covered an area of some two hundred square meters, wasvishly


    decorated. A dark gray wood desk with an array of hidden high-tech devices sat under the French


    window.


    James sat at his desk, working. His white shirt was well-starched. A pair of Blu-ray radiation-proof


    sses sat on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were focused on the documents in his hands.


    Hearing his phone vibrate, James picked it up and slid the answer key. "Yes, John?"


    "Hello, Mr. Xi." After greeting James, the loyal butler ryed what was going on.


    Three minutes after her call to John, Maria received his reply. "Ms. Song, Mr. Xi said you don''t


    deserve it!"


    John said this like an emotionless robot, passing the original message from James to Maria in a


    professional manner.


    ''He said I don''t deserve it! Ha!''


    Maria smiled bitterly. "Thanks all the same, John."


    She thought that John would hang up the phone right away, but before that, John Zhou added, "You


    should have stayed away, Ms. Song." Hearing him hang up afterward, Maria was stunned.


    She knew well no one would be happy she was back. But she didn''t expect to be so unwanted that


    even a butler would tell her that.


    Standing in front of the bronze gate, Maria kept staring at that one certain room on the second floor.


    That room was originally the master bedroom belonging to James and her. After they moved in,


    James only stayed there every once in a while. Later, she and her son lived in the room.


    ''My son...'' Maria felt tears welling in her eyes at the thought. Yes, this ce used to be her


    paradise, but it also turned to be the hell that she finally was kicked out of.


    "Mommy." A soft, sweet tone echoed in Maria''s memories. In a trance, she could still hear the


    babbling and mumbling of her son, who was just five months old then.


    Arthur was still young and had just learned to call her Mommy back then. He also knew how to say


    "Daddy," but he was more familiar with the word "Mommy"—Maria was the one who spent the most


    time with him.


    Back then, James had just taken over HL Group. He was so busy that he could only sleep three or


    four hours a day. Besides, their marriage was not based on love, so James was gone most of the


    time. He might be there one day a month, if she were lucky.


    Arthur''s tender, fair face shed in Maria''s mind. His lovely peals ofughter echoed again and


    again.


    ''Arthur, my son...'' Arthur was only five months old. Before he had a chance to experience everything


    life had to offer, he died. He''din in a cold grave for six long years.


    Tears streaked Maria''s face, and her aching heart felt like it had been rent asunder by an invisible


    devil''s ws. Every time she thought about it, Maria found it hard to breathe, like she was being


    suffocated.


    The dawn came. A brand new day began. The city gradually came to life. The workers in the city


    woke up to their rms ring. They ate breakfast, got dressed, and went to work. The older


    denizens gathered inmunity parks to get some exercise, practicing Tai Chi, group dancing, and


    working out. Parents tried to rouse their kids, softly at first, but shouting at them at the end. Kids


    were busy shoveling the first meal of the day into their mouths and getting ready for school.


    After a slumber of less than four hours, James turned on his phone on the way to the gym. One of


    the messages was from John Zhou. "Mr. Xi, Ms. Song stood outside Fairview Vi all night."


    There was no change of expression on his face when James read the text. He clicked back to


    check if there were any more important messages.


    After an intense session at the gym, James received another message from John Zhou. "Mr. Xi, the


    cemetery staff spotted Ms. Song there. I thought you might like to know."