Chapter 445 A Vicious Beauty


    Colby''s case was way tooplicated. A lot of investigation would be required. Considering all this,


    how could he be put into prison so easily?


    Maria was quite calm andposed whereas Edith was ill at ease. In a panicky voice, she said,


    "Every day, there are peopleing to thepany and investigating the matter. This evidently


    shows that Colby must havemitted some severe crime and could be put behind the bars any


    minute. If he is taken away, how will my child be registered?"


    Maria took a deep breath and said, "You need to stop obsessing over Colby''s household register.


    Give it a rest. Suppose your child''s name appear on his household register today, things will be bad.


    If Colby is put into prison, it can impact your child''s future."


    Maria was right, but Edith wasn''t consoled. "This is all because of you! If you didn''t report on him,


    my child would have been registered as Colby''s son. If it weren''t for you, none of this would have


    happened!"


    Maria was rendered speechless. "Even if I didn''t do it, someone else would have done it. Sooner or


    later he would have had to pay the price. He can''t get away with his deeds."


    In spite of this rational exnation, Edith wasn''t convinced. "Yes, perhaps someone else would


    have done what you did. But remember that wouldn''t have had such a great effect. He would easily


    break free with the help of his money. You are different. You have Mr. Xi behind you as your backer.


    And we all know he is richer and more powerful than anyone. Colby is bound to lose against him."


    Maria was convinced something was wrong with


    Edith. She began to realize she was only wasting her time by conversing with her. In the end, she


    said, "I will do what I have promised you. If your son isn''t registered by the time Colby is put into


    prison, then I will make it a point to buy him a household register. Once that is settled, I hope we


    won''t ever have to contact each other."


    After saying that, Maria turned around and got ready to leave.


    Seeing this, Edith suddenly pulled her, trying to stop her from leaving. "Maria, don''t go. We haven''t


    reached an agreement yet."


    The woman was strong and Maria had difficulty shaking off her firm grasp. "Let go of me! If you


    have something to say, just say it, but don''t touch me!"


    As they grappled, Maria''s handbag dropped on the floor. The contents inside were scattered all over


    the floor.


    When the bodyguards heard the ttering sound, they pushed the door open and rushed in. In an


    instant, they pulled Edith away from Maria.


    Once free, Maria picked her belongings from the floor, smoothened her outfit and left the area under


    the protection of her bodyguards. She ignored Edith, who was screaming and vying for her


    attention.


    When she arrived at the vi, she learned that James hadn''te back yet. She sat on the bed and


    exhaled deeply, still reeling from the events that had just unfolded.


    Her encounter with Edith had been quite distressing.


    If she had the slightest idea about Edith''s character, Maria wouldn''t have cooperated with her in the


    first ce.


    ''Now I can only try my best to make Rosa and Colby divorce! Once that''s done, I will buy a


    household register for Edith''s son,'' she thought to herself.


    She gradually calmed down and went to the bathroom.


    The night was eerily quiet and she managed to get some sleep. The next morning, a gruesome


    piece of news hit the headlines in H City.


    It was about the homicide case that took ce in Sunshine Community.


    At first, Maria paid no heed to the news. However, when her ears caught the word Sunshine


    Community, she began to suspect something. ''Isn''t this themunity where Edith lives?'' she


    wondered.


    She clicked on the details and found that the dead person was surnamed Wang. She was 26 years


    old and was the secretary to the CEO of HM Group.


    In an instant, goose bumps formed on her skin. Her mouth was wide with shock. If not Edith, who


    else! Maria knew with certainty it was her.


    She tried to find out when this incident had urred. She learned it was half past ten in the


    evening. That would mean it happened an hour after she left Edith''s house.


    ''Had Rosa paid a killer to kill Edith?'' she thought suspiciously. After all, Rosa had previously paid


    killers to get her job done. Maria wouldn''t put it past her.


    It was almost time for dinner and her phone rang. It was Lawrence who was calling her. "Maria,


    where were youst night?"


    His question was very abrupt but she answered honestly, "I attended a business dinner and then


    went to Sunshine Community."


    After a moment''s silence, Lawrence took a deep breath and said, "You probably haven''t heard of


    this yet. But the evidence left at the crime scene makes it look like the murder wasmitted by


    you."


    Maria was at a loss for words. She couldn''t believe her ears.


    Once she was over the initial shocked, she asked, "So?"


    "I thought I had to let you know. I came across this news by ident. I guess the police will want to


    see you soon. I just wanted to give you a heads-up so that you can be mentally prepared for it."


    "I see," Maria replied.


    Then she changed the subject and asked, "How about Bob? Is he causing you trouble?"


    "He''s been having a good time. When he goes out, he is carried by someone; when he has meals,


    there is someone to feed him; when he goes to bed, luby is sang to him." Bob''s life was the


    epitome offort.


    Maria recalled her son''s sweet face and a smile crept onto her face. "That''s good. I''m afraid that he


    will have to be under your care for a little longer."


    "Well, I''m not the one taking care of her. Your son is very popr here. Everyone is fond of


    spending their time with him. Even my wife insists on going to bed with him." As Lawrence uttered


    thatst line, his face slightly took a tormented expression. Bob was very good, but his presence


    prevented him and his wife from making a baby.


    "Please pass my gratitude to Meagan. I can''t thank her enough for what she is doing." Maria


    decided that when she went out for shopping, she would make it a point to get something for


    Meagan.


    "You''re wee. I have something urgent to deal with. I think I will hang up now. Bye."


    "Okay."


    As soon as she hung up the phone, her phone rang again. She nced at the phone and saw


    James'' name.


    As soon as she took the call, he said, "I''ll pick you up right now."


    "What? Where are we going?"


    "We will go back to my ce. I''m on my way to yourpany," he said, his words sounding a bit


    like amand.


    Maria understood what was bothering him. "Does this have to do with Colby''s secretary''s case?"


    she asked.


    N?velDrama.Org copyrighted ? content.


    "Yeah." He couldn''t bear the thought of the police taking Maria away. Even thought it would only be


    a small interrogation, he didn''t want them to bother her. "Let''s talk about it after we meet."


    Every time something mildly bad happened to Maria, James would get an overwhelming urge to


    protect her. Should any harm befall her, he would hate himself.


    As soon as Maria got into the Harkim and left thepany, she caught sight of a police car. It


    stopped right in front of herpany.


    After knowing that Maria was not in thepany, the police had to look for her.


    The news gradually began to spread all across H City. Those who wanted to hurt Maria clung to this


    opportunity. Someone bribed media reporters and marketing ounts, trying to spread the rumor


    that Maria hadmitted the murder.


    It began to spread like wildfire on the Inte. As a result, Maria received an overwhelming amount


    of abuse.


    "This woman is so horrible. She not only killed her own son several years ago, but has restarted her


    old habit by killing somebody else again!"


    "I feel terrible for Mr. Xi! How did he get tricked into marrying someone like her?"


    "You don''t know how many people in the financial circle have suffered because of her. I have heard


    she is the one who stirred trouble for Mr. Zheng of HM Group!"


    "She''s a frightful woman. Looks can be deceptive. She is what I would call a vicious beauty!"


    Sitting in the Harkim, Maria put her phone away. She turned to James and said "If I run away, they


    might think I have indeedmitted the murder. They will mistake it for guilty conscience. I should


    cooperate and answer their questions."


    "You are now the CEO of DS Group. If you are taken away by the police, it won''t just be bad for you,


    but will also bring disgrace to yourpany." The negative impact of this would be a lot more than


    Maria anticipated. James thought it was his duty to knock some sense into her.


    "I''m not the murderer, but I did go to see Edith before she died. Isn''t it my duty to assist the police


    with the investigation?" she asked.


    "You have a point. But when you think of it, there are so many ways to take information from you. I


    don''t see why it is important to take you to the police station forthat."


    Maria was shocked as she heard him exin. She couldn''t help but wonder if it was good to be so


    stubborn.


    When they arrived at the vi, James asked Maria to rx and put her mind at ease. He also


    ordered her to stay away from her phone. He assured her he would handle everything. Before he


    left, he made it a point to send several bodyguards to guard the vi. He warned Maria against


    leaving the vi. He also gave strict orders to the guards, asking them to stop anyone who dared to


    approach her.