Chapter 368 Show Off
By then, Rosa was totally convinced that Ines was in the hands of Maria. Not knowing her
daughter''s condition was torture.
That night, Maria made her way out of the hotel.
As she pushed a pair of sunsses over her face and opened the car door, a woman''s voice
stopped her. "Maria."
Looking up, she saw Rosa pointing a gun at her, nked by several ck-d bodyguards.
''Ah, right, it''s legal to carry guns in this country,'' she thought.
Several of her own bodyguards came out of the dark to protect her. Soon, several guns were aimed
at Rosa. Not to be outdone, the bodyguards behind Rosa also took out their weapons.
For a tense moment, the two parties were locked in a standoff in front of the hotel.
This kind of confrontation scene wasmonly seen in movies, but it actually happened very rarely
in the States.
To avoid getting caught in the crossfire or any stray bullets that might miss their targets, the
passers-by who chanced upon the scene quickly fled to safety.
Standing there in her pumpkin-colored wool overcoat, Maria was the picture of dignified elegance.
Without any fear in her eyes, she stared at Rosa.
Rosa was a devious woman. Despite knowing about Maria''s affair with Colby, she was able to keep
unruffled facade. She was controlling everything behind the scene, with none the wiser.
However, her child was the only thing that could shake that calm surface.
"Let go of my daughter, or you will be killed today," Rosashed out with her bloodshot eyes
shing, like a hunted animal driven into a corner. The light makeup on her face could barely hide
her haggard face.
Maria''s stare turned mocking. "If I do die here today, your reconciliation with your daughter will
happen in the afterlife."
With trembling lips, Rosa cried out, "What the hell do you want from me?"
Maria''s lips curved up in a cold smile. "I want you to die. As long as you make that happen, I''ll make
sure that your daughter will be set for life."
A stormy mix of emotions shed across Rosa''s face.
Just then, Maria''s phone began to ring. After a cursory nce at the screen, she answered the
phone.
"Honey! Did you miss me?"
James replied, "Look after yourself. I''ll be right there if anything happens."
Maria looked over her shoulder to the bodyguards behind her. "Why did you say that all of a
sudden?" ''Oh. I forgot. They are all James'' men.''
"I''ve sent some people to assist you. Do whatever you want," he said, not answering her question.
Maria chuckled and then spoke up in a louder voice. "Really? You want me to kill her? Babe, she''s
saying that you don''t love me and that you don''t have my back. What should I do?"
James said, "Mia, can''t you tell by now whether I love you or not? You don''t need other people to
tell you that."
"All right, all right. I know you love me, so I won''t believe her. Don''t send anyone over anymore. I''m
sure that she doesn''t have the gut to actually hurt me." Sure enough, Rosa was just bluffing, but she
had no idea that Maria was immune to any attempts in intimidation on her part.
"Well, I''m already in H City, so I''ll pick you up once you''re done."
"Got, it, honey. Mwah!" Maria pretended to kiss the man through the phone and then ended the call.
Rosa sneered, "Maria, don''t you know what people say? People tend to show off something they
lack of."
Maria shrugged. "Really? I''m not showing off, though. James and I are like that on a daily basis.
You don''t know James at all. He may look cold on the surface, but he''s actually very clingy. He even
followed me when I went on that ind holiday. He actually wanted to follow me when I came here,
but I told him not to. Now that he knows the situation, he has sent another group of people to
protect me. He is using his actions to tell me that he loves me. What about you? Apart from money
and the tile of Mrs. Zheng, what else did Colby give you?" Even Maria was moved by what James
what had done for her.
Rosa felt every word like a stab to her heart. What did an old man like Colby know of romance? He
only gave Rosa the position of Mrs. Zheng and a lot of money.
The position of Mrs. Zheng was undeniably important, but she couldn''t help but want more. Once
her material requirements were met, she wanted to be happy mentally.
Colby could never fulfill the romantic fantasies that her heart desired.
Little by little, the hand holding the gun aimed at Maria dropped. In a soft, defeated voice, Rosa
murmured, "Give my daughter back to me."
Ignoring her, Maria turned around, got into the car, and left the hotel.
Once she was inside the car, a long exhale left her. For ten years, she had been anticipating the
moment when she could make Rosa suffer.
Before leaving the US, Maria tasked a person to bring Ines back to the Zheng family residence and
another person to tip off the police.
In the apartment, Rosa sobbed as she held Ines tightly in her embrace.
Just then, the doorbell rang. It was the police. Apparently, someone reported that Rosa had called
them over a false charge.
At the sight of the little girl in the living room, the cops were infuriated. "Mrs. Zheng, was your
daughter here all this time? Why did you call the police to look for your daughter?"
Rosa tried to exin, "Officer, you don''t understand! My daughter just got back!"
At that moment, the maid interjected, "Ma''am? What are you talking about? Ines has been at home
this whole time!"
Confusion in on her face, Rosa whirled around to face the maid. "What do you mean?"
N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.
The maid told the police calmly, "I''m sorry to have bothered you. Ines has been at home all this
time. She didn''t go anywhere."
The cops'' matching scowls became even angrier. "Mrs. Zheng, we are all very busy. Please don’t
do such a thing again. Wasting police resources is against thew, do you understand?"
Shocked, Rosa was at a loss how to respond.
The cops did not believe her exnation and left the apartment angrily.
A loud p echoed inside the apartment. "What the hell were you saying just now?" Rosa yelled at
the maid, who was cradling her reddening cheek with one hand.
Without any fear, she replied, "I said, I''m quitting!"
Rosa immediately understood the situation. "Maria Song bribed you, didn''t she?"
"What are you talking about? I just don''t want to work here anymore. That''s it!" The maid went back
to her room and took out her belongings, which she had already packed into several bags
beforehand. Then, she marched out of the door without looking back.
Worried that she might scare Ines, Rosa held on to her temper and drew her daughter into her
arms. "Baby, where have you been these days? Did they hit you?"
The girl shook her head. "Mom, Auntie was very kind to me. She bought me delicious food and told
me lots of stories!"
''Auntie?1 "Which auntie are you talking about?" Rosa asked in confusion.
"Auntie Maria."
Rosa just stared down at her daughter, not knowing what to say.
In H City, James looked at the gaudy-looking pajamas in their gift box and asked helplessly, "Why
did you buy these things?"
Cooing over Bob, who was sleeping in her arms, Maria replied without raising her head, "What are
you talking about? Mine are in the same color as yours. These are couple pajamas. Don''t you like
them?"
The sleeping garments were all red and of the same style, with one set bigger than the other.
At the words "couple pajamas," the man wisely chose to shut up.
Maria continued, "I also bought couple pajamas for us when we first got married, but you didn''t wear
them. I was the only one who wore mine. I have no idea where those are. Now, to make up for the
regrettable memory of those pajamas, I chose the red color. Don''t you like them?" She did it on
purpose, but she would die before she admitted it.
-