Chapter 431 A Laughingstock


    Half an hourter, Colby and yton left Augustine''s house.


    Augustine followed them to the door to see them off, while James remained seated in the tea room


    and continued to look at his phone.


    When the old man returned to the tea room, he took a look at his grandson and said, "James, you


    can do whatever you want. Charlotte, let''s go back to our room."


    As he spoke, he held out his hand to Charlotte, who was behind him.


    The elderly couple went back to their room arm in arm. Augustine snorted and said, "I don''t care


    about them." They had known him for so many years, but they still didn''t know how to respect his


    wife, so he didn''t see why he should care about them.


    Charlotte smiled but didn''t say anything. This matter had nothing to do with her. She wasn''t the one


    that Colby and yton had asked for help, so she had no reason to get involved.


    After leaving his grandfather''s house, James called Maria. "Do you want to attend the party hosted


    by Mu Group tonight?"


    "No, I want to spend time with Bob," Maria replied. She had been rushing to finish her work as soon


    as possible, so that she could go home early to be with her son.


    Unlike her, James was unreliable. He had picked Bob up from Augustine''s house, but after that, he


    had left him under Ethan''s care.


    "Okay," James agreed simply.


    Night fell. In the banquet hall on the first floor of a five-star hotel, guests raised toasts to each other.


    Everyone present at this party was either rich or powerful.


    A few minutes after arriving at the party and greeting acquaintances, James was about to leave.


    Just before leaving, he sent a message to Maria saying, "What do you want to eat? I''ll get it for


    you."


    "I want to eat durian. Will you get that for me, Mr. Xi?" Maria asked yfully.


    Every time she ate durian, James would avoid her like the gue. He wouldn''t get close to her until


    she brushed her teeth and the smell disappearedpletely.


    As expected, he replied, "You can eat it when I''m not around." He still wanted to sleep with her in


    his arms tonight.


    In response, Maria just sent him an emoji to show that she was rolling her eyes at him.


    When James strode out of the hotel, a woman rushed over and blocked his way. "Mr. Xi!"


    "Mrs. Zheng," he said, with disdain dripping from his eyes.


    He wasn''t surprised to see Rosa here, but he had no interest in talking to her.


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    Rosa, who was a little afraid of the man in front of her, took a deep breath to calm herself down


    before speaking. "I have something to tell you."


    "Mrs. Zheng, please make an appointment first. I''m very busy." After saying that, James was about


    to walk away.


    Rosa blurted out desperately, "Maria was an idiot. You didn''t love her at all, but she was willing to


    give up her studies and her dreams to be a housewife for you!"


    Her words sessfully caught James'' attention. He stopped in his tracks and turned around, but


    the expression on his face was unreadable.


    "She learned how to tie a necktie, how to cook, how to make coffee, how to deal with finance, and


    even how to match clothes specially for you, but what was the use? You never ate the meals she


    cooked for you, nor did you take a sip of the coffee she prepared. She didn''t want to distract you


    from your work, so she allowed Judy and the others to bully her, and never onceined to you.


    She lowered herself so much, all for the sake of a man who didn''t care about her at all. Wasn''t she


    the stupidest person in the world?"


    The reason why Rosa was saying all these things to James was that she simply wanted to vent her


    anger and disgrace Maria in the process. The flicker of emotion that she noticed in the man''s eyes


    encouraged her to continue.


    "It might seem like she has many friends and pursuers, but no one really loves her. In the past, you


    always wanted to kill her; Lawrence has no feelings for her; and Norman has someone he likes. The


    men wooing her are the ones who are attracted to her beauty. Maria is aughingstock!


    The Song family severed the rtionship with her. Her own mother thinks of her as an ungrateful


    child. I admit that you''re very kind to her now. But Mr. Xi, don''t you think it''s toote for you to


    reciprocate her feelings? Your affection means nothing to her now. Do you really think she still loves


    you and wants to stay by your side?


    She used to be so humble in front of you, and even in front of every other member of the Xi family,


    but you just turned a blind eye to that. What makes you think she wants to be with you now? Mr. Xi,


    you know nothing about women!" Rosa wanted to drive a wedge between Maria and James, just


    like Maria had done to her and Colby.


    James stood there quietly with his hands in the pockets of his trousers, not saying a word.


    "Mr. Xi, you''re feeling guilty after hearing what I said, right? You have fallen in love with Maria. But


    it''s toote. I''m certain she won''t stay by your side. The only reason she''s with you now is so that


    she can take advantage of your power to take revenge on everyone who hurt her. But Mr. Xi, don''t


    forget that you''re the one who hurt her the most. She will eventually turn against you.


    Someone mentioned a man about whom she mmed up even after being plied with three sses


    of wine. Let me tell you the answer. The man is you, Mr. Xi!"


    Rosa''sst few words seemed to set off an explosion in James'' mind, as if he was suddenly struck


    by a bitter realization.


    Fragments of memories shed through his mind.


    Long ago, he had asked Maria, "How do you know how to tie a necktie?"


    She had answered that she had grown up with a lot of men around her, so she had specially


    learned it. After that, she had even handed him a watch and a handkerchief to match the necktie,


    which made her seem so professional.


    It turned out that she had learned how to do these things just to please him.


    Not to mention her cooking and coffee-brewing skills, which he knew better than anyone else.


    James'' emotions were now so intense that they were seeping through his expression, much to


    Rosa''s satisfaction. She continued, "She walked into the wedding hall arm in arm with you, and she


    was left behind by you at the wedding. She was used of killing her own child. She was betrayed


    by her own family. She was divorced by you. Maria went through all those ordeals for you, but the


    woman you loved was not her. Mr. Xi, don''t you think Maria''s situation was pathetic?"


    Rosa remembered that, at that time, many people said that James loved Alina. Although Rosa was


    not sure whether it was true or not, she was sure that whoever James loved in the past, it wasn''t


    Maria. That was why she was so confident about her statement.


    James finally came back to his senses, and his eyes filled with coldness. "Who the hell are you?"


    How did this woman know so much about Maria?


    "Let me tell you the truth!" Rosa replied. Colby had already decided to divorce her, so she had


    nothing left to lose.


    "I used to be a maid in the Xi family. I knew Maria from the day she married you. That stupid woman


    used to take me as a good friend and tell me everything, whether it was about you or the Song


    family. But I didn''t want to be friends with her at all. She was so stupid!"


    Since James seldom came back home, and there were so many servants in the Xi family, he didn''t


    remember an ordinary maid like Rosa.


    With a mocking smile, Rosa continued, "I bet Maria will never tell you all these things from her own


    lips. But I want you to know what you missed back then.


    After everything that happened, it''s impossible for you to win her heart back!"