Chapter 12 Alina Got Stood Up


    The thick door separated the two, James standing in the bedroom and Maria in the hallway. They


    stood there, each with their own thoughts. Eventually, she breathed a sigh of relief and went


    downstairs.


    After hearing her head down the stairs, James called John. "Find me new property management


    and securitypanies for Fairview Vi!"


    ''They were useless. They couldn''t do what they were hired to do. So why shouldn''t I fire them?''


    James mused. His inner voice told him Maria was not as simple as she looked.


    When passing through the living room, Maria nced at the spot where the ident happened. Her


    joy evaporated. She should be ecstatic since she escaped James unscathed. But Arthur''s face


    shed through her mind.


    "Arthur, my baby. It''s my fault you''re dead, but that woman is more responsible for your death! I


    won''t let her get away with it!'' Maria pushed the door open while vowing revenge for her son.


    Once she left, silence nketed the vi.


    James stood at the windowsill in the bedroom on the second floor, watching the woman walk away.


    He lit a cigarette and took a drag. After returning to her hotel room, Maria sat in front of the window,


    deep in thought. After a while, she leaned against the back of the chair and surrendered to sleep.


    Maria''s eyes snapped open, awakened by the buzz of her phone on the coffee table. It was light


    outside, but it felt like she hadn''t slept a wink. She reached over and looked to see who it was. A


    nce at the caller ID confirmed it was the call she was waiting for. "Hello? Yeah, it''s me," she said.


    She was surprisingly wide awake, and all ears. "Did you find it?"


    "Yes, I have." The person at the other end of the line told Maria what Alina wanted the most right


    now.


    Maria smiled, "Great. Then buy it. Spare no expense."


    "Yes, Ms. Song."


    Meanwhile, Alina had just finished breakfast.


    She stretched and her silk pajamas shimmered. Closing her magazine and putting it on the table,


    she turned her head to address the dapper man next to her. "How''s everything with the shop on


    South Town Street?"


    The man in the suit was Alina''s assistant. He bowed his head and reported respectfully, "I tracked


    down thendy, but she doesn''t want to sell it. She only wants to let it out. Sorry, Ms. Tang." Alina


    was nning to open a shop, and it took her a long time to find the ideal spot. Not long ago, she


    found a shop with a loft, nearly five hundred square meters, located at South Town Street. She


    nned to buy it, using her family''s wealth and influence. But thest thing she expected was that


    the owner wasn''t willing to sell it.


    "Not as sorry as she''ll be," Alina mumbled. "Ms. Tang?" the assistant asked, puzzled. "Nothing,"


    Alina answered. "How much is the rent for a year, anyway?" She wasn''t dead set on buying it, but


    wondered why the owner was ying at.


    "She wouldn''t tell me. She wants to talk to you face-to-face," said the assistant.


    Alina frowned. "Can''t she just talk to you?"


    "I tried to tell her that, but she refused and insists on talking to you in person."


    Alina had seen the shop with her own eyes. It was the perfect ce — just the right size, centrally


    located, plenty of ancient charm, lots of foot traffic. After thinking for a moment, she got out of the


    recliner, ready to change clothes. "Call thendy now. Ask her to meet me at the new cafe there


    in half an hour."


    If it were any other random shop for rent, Alina would just find another location. But she had her


    heart set on this one. Moreover, thendy also wanted to meet her in person. Alina was quite


    unhappy about that. She was the most famous celebrity in town. She couldn''t waste her time with


    common folk.


    "Miracle Cafe, right?" her assistant asked.


    "Yeah." The coffee shop she was talking about was not small. It upied the entire first floor of HM


    Group''s building. It was famous for its high-quality coffee beans and pleasant service. The decor


    inside was also unique, making it the most popr spot in the central business district. The owner


    certainly had good business sense.


    HL Group was right across the street, kitty corner to HM Group. The shop that Alina had her eyes


    on was also in this district, pretty close to this coffee shop. Its proximity to HM Group was a major


    selling point. If she got the shop, she could see James more often. James'' wealth and power could


    be good for business as well.


    "Okay, I''ll get ahold of thendy right now." The assistant dialed the owner''s number.


    Half an hourter, Alina arrived at the Miracle Cafe right on schedule. She found a seat outside,


    where she could see the HL Group offices. She opened a magazine and tried to look nonchnt.


    It was three minutes till they were supposed to meet, but no one showed. Alina''s assistant called


    the owner as a reminder, sweat beading on his forehead.


    "She''s caught in traffic. She might bete," the assistant reported after finishing the call. Alina


    repliedzily with a nasal voice, indicating that she got it. Her patience was almost gone.


    Ten minutester, the owner was still a no-show. The assistant called again, but thendy''s line


    was busy this time. He tried again and again. He just couldn''t get through. He panicked. Alina was


    not a patient or forgiving boss. If looks could kill, the assistant would be lying on the floor.


    Twenty minuteste, the owner finally called. The assistant picked up quickly. He asked, "Where are


    you now? Do you have any clue who you''re meeting with?" His tone was full of anxiety and fury.


    Unexpectedly, thendy said, "I''m sorry, but my car broke down along the way. I''m afraid I can''t


    make it today. Take a rain check?"


    The assistant was totally speechless. He took a deep breath to suppress the impulse to berate this


    person and unleash a string of curses. "How could you stand Ms. Tang up? Do you want to do


    business in H City anymore?"


    What bothered the assistant was that Alina would be mad no matter what. ''I''m so dead!'' he thought.


    Thendy kept apologizing to him. He blew her off and hung up. Alina might have her nose in a


    magazine, but she was getting more and more anxious. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Ms.


    Tang..." Alina looked up at him without saying anything.


    The assistant had to bite the bullet and continue, "Thendy can''t make it today. She wants to


    make another appointment with you."


    Alina mmed the magazine on the table. It hit her coffee cup and knocked it over. The coffee


    soaked the magazine and finally dripped off the table, staining the ground. The scent of coffee was


    much stronger now.


    Seeing her do that, the assistant hurriedly called a waitress over to clean up the mess.


    Alina tried hard to control her temper and red at the assistant. "She wasted 30 minutes of my


    time. Now you''re telling me she can''t make it! She''s got some balls!"


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    "She said his car broke down on the way here. Ms. Tang, you have a business meetingter on.


    How about we reschedule your meeting with the owner for tomorrow?" The assistant knew clearly


    that Alina had decided on this shop no matter what, because it was so close to James'' office.


    Instead of making more excuses for thendy, he decided move the meeting date.


    Silently, Alina grabbed her purse and left the coffee shop. The assistant jogged over to the counter


    to pay the bill and followed her.


    At HM Group, Maria swaggered out of the bathroom stall.


    She put her cell phone into her pocket, humming while she washed her hands in the sink.


    Standing in front of the basin and freshening herself in the mirror, she smirked. ''Alina Tang, how


    does it feel to be stood up?''


    She didn''t know whether Alina even cared. Her assistant was certainly nervous. But Maria was in an


    extremely good mood. Alina had a terrible temper, so Maria guessed she must be hopping mad


    right about now.


    Her guess was correct. Sitting in the car under the scorching sun, Alina daydreamed about


    purchasing the whole building where the shop was located.


    Even though she was the most prominent celebrity in the city, her worth was peanutspared


    to that of James.


    A building in the central business district was not that easy to acquire. The person needed to be as


    wealthy as the crown prince from Saudi Arabia with the power to do anything. So Alina just had to


    roll with the punches even though she was stood up. She hit the road back to herpany and


    addressed stockholders with a dour face.


    Alina knew James was on a business trip today; otherwise she would have gone to HL Group and


    comin to him. Maybe James would purchase that building and teach thendy a lesson to


    make her happy.


    Alina''s assistant made another appointment with the owner for the same time the next day. They


    never imagined Alina would be left in the lurch again under the scorching sun. Moreover, the


    landy even didn''t apologize when the assistant called her. Her line had been busy the whole


    time.


    Although Alina was smarter and sat inside this time, she totally went insane when her assistant let


    her know. Heedless of her image, she cursed loudly, her words echoing through the cafe. "Who the


    hell does she think she is? Why did she set up an appointment and stand me up again? Does she


    really think the Tang family couldn''t do anything to her?"


    Her assistant didn''t dare utter a peep. He just nodded and bowed, listening to Alina''sints.


    Turning to him, Alina pointed at her assistant and continued, "And you! You''re supposed to help me


    out! You never met the owner in person and asked me to wait for her—twice. If it happens again,


    you''re so fired!" Then she stalked out of the coffee shop and drove away, leaving her assistant


    behind. Alina had made up her mind. She would take this shop. If she could just meet the owner,


    she would definitely teach her a lesson!


    After Alina left, the assistant called the owner again, intending to give her a piece of his mind. This


    time the call was connected. However, the person on the other end of the line hung up the phone as


    soon as she heard the assistant''s curse. ring at his cell phone, Alina''s assistant wanted to kill


    that woman!