Chapter 114 Wishful Thinking


    Alina was in high spirits upon thinking that she was about to get the bracelet that James had


    personally taken back from Maria.


    She was working in her office when Summer arrived. As soon as she saw Summer, she said in a


    lukewarm manner, "Thank you for sending the bracelet here in person. Where is it?"


    ''This woman is blind. It seems that she doesn''t see the real situation. I will soon be James''


    wife, but she still keeps on helping Maria,'' she thought with disdain.


    With a faint smile, Summer took out the bracelet from her pocket and put it on Alina''s desk. She


    then said casually, "Mr. Xi gave me this bracelet this morning as soon as he came out of the hotel.


    Ms. Tang, Mr. Xi really cares for you."


    Summer deliberately mentioned that James had just gotten out of the hotel this morning to sicken


    Alina.


    ''He got out of the hotel this morning?'' Alina reechoed in her mind. She instantly got what Summer


    was trying to say. Giving Summer a questioning gaze, she asked, "You mean the hotel where Maria


    is staying?"


    "Yes, Ms. Tang. Oh, don''t you know about it? Mr. Xi stayed in the hotelst night. He just asked me


    to send his clothes there this morning, then he gave the bracelet to me."


    Unfriendliness shed across Alina''s eyes as she stared at Summer. But still, she tried to justify


    what James did. "James went there to get the bracelet for me. Maybe he had no other choice but to


    stay there overnight."


    Summer nodded as if she understood what Alina meant. Then she asked, "Ms. Tang, do you really


    think that Mr. Xi had no other choice?"


    "What do you mean?" Alina couldn''t conceal the fury in her voice anymore.


    Summer knew that she was just James'' assistant and she shouldn''t talk back to Alina. But every


    time she remembered how Alina had hit on James behind Maria''s back when they were still a


    couple, she couldn''t restrain herself. "Nothing special. This is only my opinion. I''m not sure if I''m


    only imagining things, but it seems that Mr. Xi doesn''t really want to go against Maria."


    Alina wouldn''t tolerate anyone''s provocation, let alone Summer, who was just a mere assistant in


    her eyes. "Does James know how you talk to me?"


    "For me, Mr. Xi is a godlike man, who has led the huge HL Group to its glory. There is no way he is


    unable to deal with a woman. To put it bluntly, he probably doesn''t have the heart to go against


    Maria."


    Summer knew that James had also targeted Maria before, but she deliberately didn''t mention it. To


    piss Alina off, she focused more on emphasizing the rtionship between James and Maria.


    Bang! A loud thud echoed in the office when Alina pounded her desk. Totally losing interest in the


    bracelet because of Summer''s words, she stood up and threatened Summer, "Don''t you want to


    work in HL Group anymore?" As soon as she became James'' wife, she would definitely ask him to


    fire Summer.


    "Of course, I do. Ms. Tang, please don''t take my words to heart. Well, if there''s nothing else, I''ll


    leave now." Summer then turned around and left Alina''s office. She had achieved her goal of ruining


    Alina''s mood, so she had to stop. Alina was still James'' girlfriend. She couldn''t go overboard.


    As she walked out of the beauty salon, she couldn''t help heaving a sigh. She just didn''t like Alina at


    all because her loyalty was in Maria.


    ''Maria, please try harder. My future is in your hands,'' she prayed inwardly.


    Actually, James was in a dilemma. Right now, he had two special assistants, and he relied on both


    of them so much. However, one of them was on Alina''s side while the other was on Maria''s.


    They all knew that once the battle for the crown as Mrs. Xi came to an end, one of them definitely


    had to leave HL Group.


    After all, Maria couldn''t tolerate Lorenzo while Alina couldn''t tolerate Summer.


    That day, Maria didn''t leave her hotel room. She slept the whole day and only got up at dusk.


    She leaned against the headboard, flipped her messy long hair, and looked at the empty jewelry


    box on the nightstand with a smile.


    She didn''t regret that she exchanged the bracelet for a night with James.


    Did she suffer any loss? Not at all. It was even more worthwhile.


    She got out of bed and cleaned up the mess on the floor. After taking a shower and tidying herself


    up, she went to Miracle Cafe.


    When Maria arrived, she saw James entered the coffee shop with a man that she didn''t know. Their


    eyes met. She looked at him with interest, but James just nced at her like she was a stranger.


    With a smile, she shrugged and followed them in.


    After ordering, James told the waitress, "Tell your boss to personally make our coffee."


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    He was not satisfied with the coffee that the baristas made for him. For him, their skills needed to be


    polished. He only preferred the coffee that Maria made herself.


    Since the waitress was already familiar with James, she nodded. "Okay, Mr. Xi. One moment


    please."


    Maria was working on herptop when the waitress approached her. Upon hearing James'' request,


    she snorted coldly, stood up, and walked towards the sink. "I''ll let it pass this time. But the next time


    he asks this kind of favor, don''t forget to ask him for a tip. Tell him it''s my extra charge for my


    special service to him."


    The waitress was a little stunned. "Tip? But Maria, how much should I ask from him?"


    As far as she could remember, they had a rule in this coffee shop that they were not allowed to


    receive tips from customers. But this time, Maria was telling her to ask for it.


    Maria washed her hands and wiped them with a paper towel. She looked in the direction of James


    and said, "He''s a super-rich man. It''s not too much to ask him for ten or one hundred thousand


    dors."


    The waitress gaped at Maria. ''Wow! Maria, you''re awesome!'' she thought inwardly.


    After making two cups of coffee for James and hispanion, Maria personally served them to


    their table. While she was walking towards them, the man sitting opposite James stood up and went


    to the men''s room. She put the tray in front of him and said, "Mr. Xi, don''t forget the tip."


    James looked up at her, and the first thing he saw was the hickeys on her neck. His Adam''s apple


    bobbed. He picked up the cup of coffee, took a sip, and said in a soft voice, "I''ll invest two hundred


    million dors in yourpany. How much profit do you n to bring me in a year?"


    Maria smiled. "If you will let me use the name of HL Bank in my business, a return of millions of


    dors a year won''t be a problem."


    James was rendered speechless. Indeed, Maria had wishful thinking. Aside from HL Group,


    associating HL Bank to the name of anypany could definitely result in a steady profit even for


    startups.


    He thought for a while. Then he said, "I''m leaving for a business trip tomorrow. Let''s talk about the


    details when Ie back."


    "Where are you going?" Maria blurted out.


    James looked at her with a hint of warning in his eyes. "Why? Are you nning to use me again?"


    Maria put on a dry smile. "How can it be possible? I''m just asking, okay? But anyway, never mind."


    With a snort, she then turned around and left.


    As a matter of fact, she wasn''t really interested to know where he was going.


    Watching her walk away proudly, James couldn''t help smiling. There was a trace of amusement in


    his eyes.


    ''You are just a woman, but why are you so arrogant and proud all the time?'' he thought, shaking his


    head.


    A few dayster, Maria finally got the news that Lawrence would return to H City from his mission in


    S County. He had dealt with a major case and made great contributions in aplishing it. So now,


    he could take a vacation for some time.


    In his office, Lawrence handed over some unimportant tasks to his subordinates before calling


    Ethan and Maria for a drink.


    When Maria arrived at the bar, she found Lawrence sitting at the bar counter, surrounded by several


    women. Despite his standoffish aura, he still had a ma for women. They couldn''t stop


    themselves from approaching him.


    It was not surprising at all. With his handsome face, tall height, and sturdy, muscr physique, he


    looked stunning even in a simple T-shirt and jeans. It was as if he always had a card with him


    that said, "I''m not only rich, but I am also handsome and strong."


    But when she noticed how insensitive he was to women''s seduction like winks and flirty words,


    Maria shook her head helplessly.


    Her high heels click-cked when she walked over to them. Putting her right hand on his shoulder,


    she then said in a coquettish tone, "Honey, you''vee so early.


    Ophelia