Chapter 218 The Grace Of Raising Her


    Upon hearing James''ment on her figure, Maria fell silent. She had always been happy with the


    way she looked. "Are you not satisfied with my figure? Or are you already tired of me?"


    Maria asked in a harsh tone.


    James put down his chopsticks again. "I get it, you''re mad at me.1''


    Indeed, Maria was angry with the way he had treated her in bed. He was much too rough, she felt


    suffocated.


    The woman couldn''t keep it in any longer. Throwing her chopsticks across the table, she hissed,


    "You ate the food I cook. I said so many honeyed words. We had sex the whole afternoon. What


    more do you want? If you don''t want to help me, then just say so. Quit ying tricks with me!"


    ''y tricks?'' He pursed his lips in silence, trying to figure out what to say.


    But before he could utter a word, Maria''s phone rang.


    Her head swiveled in the direction of the ringtone. The phone was lying on James'' desk.


    She stood up and walked over. The caller ID showed it was Carolina calling.


    Maria picked up the phone but didn''t even wait for her sister''s greeting. "Carolina Song, don''t you


    ever call me again! I don''t have the ability to persuade James. He has a fiancee, why don''t you


    contact her instead? Anyway, I have cut ties with the Song family. I don''t care what anyone thinks of


    me. You can say whatever you like, words won''t kill me."


    After a long pause, Carolina finally spoke up. "What are you talking about, Maria?"


    Maria choked. "Don''t you get it?"


    "HL Group just asked us to sign the contract tomorrow. I was calling to say thank you. Didn''t you


    hear about it?"


    Maria was stunned. "What contract?" The man responsible was sitting right behind her. She didn''t


    dare to look back.


    "Mr. Xi has agreed to lend us three billion dors. Did you not know?" Summer had called her. She


    said that Mr. Xi had only granted the loan for Maria''s sake and that this would be the only time he''d


    extend such grace.


    Maria was floored. She looked like a fool just now, since she was kept in the dark and James never


    bothered to mention anything.


    Carolina didn''t know what happened between them, so she didn''t dare ask anything more. "Maria,


    thank you so much. The Song Group would''ve been in ruins if it weren''t for you."


    "Don''t mention it." The woman''s tone went t, as though all the anger just now had evaporated into


    thin air.


    What the hell was going on? How on earth could she face that man after having such a revtion


    over the phone?


    Therefore, Maria decided she wasn''t going to face him.


    Still on the call, she clutched the phone tightly and strode around the office as though nothing had


    happened. Once she gathered her things into her bag, she walked to the office door and left without


    looking back.


    When she passed by the area where the secretaries were positioned, they stared at her with wide


    eyes.


    This was the woman who had stayed in the CEO''s lounge the whole afternoon. It was likely they


    were just chatting inside, but two hickeys that shone red on Maria''s neck said otherwise.


    As Maria was leaving the HL Group headquarters, Carolina had already hung up the phone since


    she had nothing more to say. But since she was too embarrassed, Maria continued to pretend she


    was on the phone.


    Maria didn''t feel a sense of relief until she was safely within the confines of her coffee shop. She


    decided to avoid James the next couple of days.


    In the Song family vi


    Chandler, ine, and Dani had received a call from Carolina to wait up for her, so they were all


    waiting anxiously in the living room.


    When Carolina finally arrived, it was almost midnight. "Hi, everyone."


    "Carolina, what happened? Have you found a bank that is willing to loan us money?" Chandler


    asked expectantly, albeit sleepily. He had juste back from a business trip.


    While he focused on overseas branches, Carolina was in charge of the Song Group overall.


    Carolina shook her head. Chandler''s and ine''s faces fell.


    Eyes sweeping over the luxuries of their vi, ine sighed sadly. "There''s no way God will


    abandon us!"


    Chandler said nothing.


    Dani, on the other hand, lounged on the sofa as though none of this was her business. However,


    the whole reason why the Song family was in a crisis now was because of her scandal. Chandler


    was nning to send her back to his hometown in the countryside, so she had been trying to act on


    her best behavior as ofte.


    Standing in the middle of the living room, Carolina looked at her family with a calm expression.


    Finally, she smiled bitterly. "Dad, Mom, if it weren''t for Maria, the Song Group would have been


    doomed."


    Chandler was confused. "What do you mean?"


    At the mention of Maria''s name, ine wrinkled her brow in annoyance. "Why mention her?"


    Dani was even more furious. She jumped up and pointed at her sister usingly. "Carolina


    Song, don''t you dare mention that name in front of me anymore. I''m going to kill her!"


    Seeing how violent her family''s reaction was, Carolina couldn''t help but feel a little downcast.


    "Originally, no bank was willing to lend us the money. Three billion dors is too much, even for a


    mortgage loan. It''s all thanks to Maria, I swear. She managed to persuade Mr. Xi to lend us the


    money. Tomorrow, I''m going to sign the contract with the HL Group."


    The three of them were speechless from shock.


    Dani seemed to know something, but she didn''t want to admit it. She said sourly, "How is this


    possible? Howe Mr. Xi listens to her?"


    "Carolina, are you sure? Couldn''t it have been Alina?" ine asked in disbelief.


    Chandler, on the other hand, was so excited and grateful that his lips trembled and his eyes turned


    red. The Song Group was finally saved, and by the most unlikely person, too.


    "No, Mom. It was really Maria who did this," Carolina said firmly.


    "How could she be so kind? I don''t believe it!" ine turned away, visibly ufortable.


    However, it didn''t matter whether she believed it or not. Carolina continued, "Maria was willing to


    help us because she wants to make a clean break with the Song family. She doesn''t want to owe us


    anything anymore."


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    A silence fell over the Song family vi.


    Chandler nced at ine and said, "ine, Maria helped us in our time of need despite


    everything that happened. Treat her better when you see her in the future. After all, she is our


    daughter."


    Unconvinced, ine sneered. "James is so kind. Or has he already forgotten how Arthur died? How


    could he still hang out with Maria like this? Isn''t he afraid that the baby will stand at the head of the


    bed and look at him when he sleeps at night?"


    "That''s enough, ine Wen!" No matter how heartless Chandler was, he was still grateful. Saving


    the Song Group from ruin was no easy feat, and it was all thanks to Maria. He didn''t expect that


    ine would still shun their daughter despite the kindness she extended to them.


    "Mom, do you want Mr. Xi to withdraw the loan from us? Then thepany will apply for


    bankruptcy. Everything will be taken from us to pay our debts-this vi and everything in it. Will you


    really be happy living in a small house in the countryside?" Carolina asked in a low voice. She didn''t


    expect her mother to be so mean. Everything ine said just now was utterly uncalled for.


    ine opened her mouth, but no words came out.


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