Chapter 18 Pretending To Be Close Cousins


    After being addressed as "Mrs. Xi" a few times, Alina felt much better. She drank the liquor from her


    ss and said gracefully, "Thank you!"


    James didn''t say anything. He just watched them chatting and toasting.


    Twenty minutester, the business dinner was over. Alina and James walked along the corridor arm


    in arm as the other businessmen followed the golden couple out.


    Turning in the corridor, there were only the two of them and Lorenzo when Alina pretended to ask


    casually, "James, I heard that Maria was also here tonight. Did you see her?"


    Before James could answer, an enchanting voice cut in and said, "Of course he did! It was Mr. Xi


    himself who gave me a ride here."


    Following the familiar voice and the click-ck sound of her high-heels, a white figure came into


    sight.


    Maria looked at the couple in front of her with a faint smile. It didn''t take her much to figure out that


    Alina rushed to the hotel after learning she was there with James. Of course, she could only have


    heard the news from one of James'' men. At that moment, Maria nced at the special assistant


    behind them, who remained silent the entire time.


    James, in turn, kept walking. He nned to go around Maria as if she was any other stranger.


    "James, did youe here with Maria?" Alina asked him, seemingly in shock. As he heard the


    question, James stopped and looked at Alina without a word.


    Maria sneered inwardly, ''This bitch dares to pretend she didn''t know it!'' Learning from Alina, Maria


    decided to make use of her acting skills in front of the couple as well. So she took two steps forward


    and looked at James


    affectionately. "Oh, Mr. Xi, it seems your girlfriend is upset. I''m sorry, it''s all my fault! I shouldn''t have


    gotten in your car to negotiate about the shop with you."


    Alina put on an awkward smile the second she took in Maria''s words. Quickly, she denied, "Maria,


    you''ve misunderstood me. I''m not upset. If James met with you to talk about the shop, I can


    understand it. After all, he did it for me." As Alina spoke, she moved closer to James. The two


    looked more intimate than before.


    At this moment, a whistling sound came from afar.


    Although everyone could hear it, no one knew who was responsible for it except for James. ''This


    brat! He''s been hiding from me for a whole week. What is he doing here?'' he wondered. Maria took


    advantage of the diversion and approached Alina, holding her arm and pretending to be close


    cousins. "Mr. Xi is just my ex-husband. Alina, please don''t get us wrong!


    The whistling sound stopped abruptly.


    Alina wanted to say something, but Maria didn''t give her a chance. Pulling down her cardigan


    discreetly, the bruises on her neck gotpletely exposed. Then she continued, "I''m so sorry,


    Alina. It''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have done business on my ex-husband''sp. I shouldn''t have


    hugged and kissed him. It was so wrong..."


    Assimting the words p," "hug" and "kiss," Alina was almost torn apart by jealousy. She was


    about to lose her temper when another familiar voice sounded behind them. "James! Don''t let Maria


    Song fool you!"


    A young man in a pink shirt appeared in front of them. As everyone looked at him, they recognized


    Ethan.


    Afraid that Maria would trick James, he hurried to expose her. "James, you can''t let this woman fool


    you. She didn''t look this innocent in the hospital the other day. She was quite domineering and


    skillful. I''m serious!"


    "Ethan!" Ethan shivered after hearing his name in Maria''s soft voice. Meeting her gentle eyes, he


    went mute all of a sudden. ''Damn it! She is really a temptress!


    She''s so attractive. She could easily impress anyone!'' Ethan thought to himself.


    It took the young man a long time to find his voice again. Avoiding making eye contact with Maria,


    he added, "James, don''t fall for her. She hit me three times in the hospital that day! She''s not as


    gentle as she seems! Don''t let the way she looks fool you!"


    James knew better than anyone else that this woman wasn''t gentle. After all, she had just thrown a


    full ss of beer on him.


    Alina was smart enough to stand aside and watch the show, believing that Ethan supported her as


    James'' future wife. In order to show how understanding and kind she was, Alina waited the right


    moment to cut in. "Mr. Nan, you may have misunderstood Maria. She''s a nice girl."


    However, Ethan didn''t pay any attention to her. Instead, he continued to gesticte dramatically as


    heined to James. "I stretched out one hand to help her, and all of a sudden, my face was


    pressed to the bed. I couldn''t get up easily after that. James, you know I''m not weak, right? But she


    caught mepletely off guard."


    Realizing that she had been ignored, Alina lowered her head in embarrassment and didn''t say


    anything else. Yet she kept cursing Ethan again and again in her head.


    With her arms crossed over her chest, Maria waited for Ethan to finish and said coldly, "Ethan, my


    friend, thank you for your help, by the way. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to see James in


    his office the other day."


    Ethan panicked. "Maria, you liar! You''ve promised not to say anything! Besides, I''m not your friend! I


    won''t let you take advantage of me!


    When Ethan first met Maria, he felt that although she was a little fierce, he could trust her.


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    James didn''t want to waste more of his time hearing them debating. Running out of patience, he


    unhooked Alina''s arm from his and put his hands into his pockets, leaving without saying a word


    and with Lorenzo right behind him.


    The next second, Alina also chased after James in a hurry. As much as she wanted to re at


    Maria while walking past her, she didn''t want to do it in front of Ethan, so she left expressionlessly.


    Only Maria and Ethan were left in the corridor. Thetter seemed rather shocked.


    ring at him, Maria rudely reached out and pinched his ear. Ethan promptly shouted, "Maria, let


    go! I''m warning you, let go of me now!"


    Ethan felt quite humiliated. After all, nobody had ever dared to treat him this way. He considered


    fighting back, but he knew he didn''t stand a chance against the woman. Not taking his warning


    seriously, Maria threatened him instead, "If you dare to speak ill of me in front of James again, I''ll


    skin you alive!


    Ethan''s pale face flushed with pain and anger. Pulling out his cell phone, he retorted, "Stay here


    and watch. I''ll call someone over, and I''ll get rid of you today for James'' sake!"


    Maria didn''t want to argue with such a childish young man. Therefore, she let go of his ear and


    pped her hands. Looking him up and down, she suggested, "Mr. Nan, how about we help each


    other out?"


    "Why?" Ethan looked at the woman warily, rubbing his sore ear.


    "I want James. If you help me with that, I''ll do my best to help you with whatever you want in return."


    Revenge was her main focus. With James at her side, she would aplish twice more with half


    the effort than if she was on her own.


    Ethan kept rubbing his ear with a glint of anger in his eyes. ''Maria Song, don''t you believe for a


    second that I forgot what you did just now only because you changed the subject. Humph!'' Then he


    answered without hesitation, "Who doesn''t want James? I want him, too. Can you help me with


    that?"


    "Why not?" Maria shrugged.


    Ethan sneered. "Humph! I don''t believe you! Besides, there are plenty of women who want my help


    to get together with James. You''re just one in a million. Perhaps if you beg me, I''ll consider it."


    ''Beg you? Dream on!'' Maria rolled her eyes at him. "Call me if you change your mind!"


    She believed that once Ethan thought it over, he would agree to help her.


    Meanwhile, in his car, James told Lorenzo, "Send Alina home first."


    "Yes, Mr. Xi."


    The car became quiet.


    After a while, Alina said cautiously, "James, if Maria doesn''t feelfortable letting out the shop, I


    believe we should give up. Her life''s already pathetic enough. I don''t want to make things more


    difficult than they are for her!"


    James withdrew his gaze from the scenery outside the window and stared at the woman sitting next


    to him with his deep, dark eyes. Alina trembled with fear as he was silent. Atst, he uttered,


    "Lorenzo, start the acquisition of the building next to HL Group tomorrow." The building he referred


    to was the one where Maria''s shop was located.


    ''Give up?'' James snorted inwardly. He had never failed to get what he wanted.