Chapter 3 Arthur

Maria slid the answer bar on the screen of her phone and said, "I'm in your car."

"Okay." Then their conversation was over.

Hanging up the phone, Maria tossed it into the seat next to her. The cherry on her cigarette glowed in the shade of the car. She stared at the hotel, lost in thought.

James had become even more difficult to deal with since she last saw him. She wondered what kind of tactics might be more useful—hard or soft.

Finally, she decided that both would be necessary to win his heart.

Before long, several people made their way through the parking lot. Norman, James, and their subordinates were walking to their cars.

James' car was parked nearby. It was a one-of-a-kind black Harkim developed by HL Group, worth tens of millions. It made its debut a year ago at the International Motor Show. Watching them arrive with the window down, Maria leaned back in her seat. Through the smoke, she made a note of Norman and James bidding each other farewell.

After the Harkim left, Norman's assistant got in the driver's seat, and drove the car over to where Norman waited.

The assistant opened the other door for his boss. After getting in, Norman glanced at Maria. "Did you have anything to do with the wound on Miss Qin's forehead?" Although he was asking a question, his tone hinted that he already knew the answer.

Watching the cigarette slowly burning to the end, Maria didn't deny it. "Yep. That was me."

"It's not your usual style."

She understood what Norman meant. She had let her off too lightly. "Just a warning," she explained indifferently. She would not be so gentle to Stella if she angered her again.

'What did Stella just do? She told me to stay away from Norman and James.

Interesting. Who does she think she is? She had the temerity to try and boss me around? You've gotten too big for your britches, Stella Qin!' Maria narrowed her eyes.

Silence reigned in the car. After arriving at the hotel where Maria stayed, the assistant stopped the car. She had already gotten out. Norman rolled down the window and said, "Now everyone in H City knows you're back. I have a lot of work to catch up with, so what you do next is all on you. Good luck, Maria."

Without looking back, Maria tucked her hair behind her ear and waved at him. "Got it. Thanks."

She was a bit more animated than most women.

Norman didn't say anything more. After watching Maria enter the four-star hotel, he ordered the assistant to drive away.

It was Maria's first night back in H City. Earlier, she had checked into this hotel room. It was more than 50 square meters, at less than 90 dollars per night. She'd get a huge discount if she decided to stay there longer.

Maria planned to stay in the city indefinitely. Room and laundry services made staying in the hotel better than renting an apartment of her own and hiring a temporary cleaner.

After scrubbing her face clean of make-up, Maria poured herself a glass of liquor and sat in front of the French window. Staring at the night scene of H City, she was lost in thought once more.

'H City, Maria Song is back! Cheers!'

Half an hour later, Maria left the hotel in street clothes after changing out of her evening dress.

It was August, the hottest month of the year there. By the time Maria left the hotel, it was almost ten o'clock at night. Everyone else would be getting ready for bed, or already fast asleep in their air-conditioned houses.

After paying the cab fare, Maria was left standing at the gate of a villa. She put her hands on the bars of bronze and looked through them at the villa and the courtyard beyond.

The three-story villa looked as brand new as it was six years ago because the grounds were well-kept. Raked leaves, mulched flowerbeds, seeded lawns, trimmed trees and bushes, not to mention keeping the trim on the house in good shape. It was exactly as she remembered. However, it was dark inside and no one lived there.

Maria stared at the window of one room in particular for a few minutes. Then she took out her phone and dialed a number. "Hello, John, it's me," she said after the call was connected.

John Zhou used to work for James' grandfather, and later for James as his personal butler. He had watched James grow up, and had been loyal to the Xi family all his life.

Hearing her voice, John Zhou was silent for a moment before he spoke. "Hello, Ms. Song."

Maria didn't beat around the bush. "I'm at the gate of Fairview Villa now. May I go in and have a look? Thanks in advance, John." Her attitude towards the old butler was as full of respect as it ever was, but her voice was more mature now, her tones measured. She was different, but he couldn't quite say why.

John Zhou didn't give her the answer she was hoping for. Instead, he answered, "Sorry, Ms. Song, but I need to ask Mr. Xi first. You know how he is."

"Yeah, I know," she said gravely.

In HL Group

The CEO's office, which covered an area of some two hundred square meters, was lavishly decorated. A dark gray wood desk with an array of hidden high-tech devices sat under the French window.

James sat at his desk, working. His white shirt was well-starched. A pair of Blu-ray radiation-proof glasses sat on the bridge of his nose, and his eyes were focused on the documents in his hands. Hearing his phone vibrate, James picked it up and slid the answer key. "Yes, John?"

"Hello, Mr. Xi." After greeting James, the loyal butler relayed what was going on.

Three minutes after her call to John, Maria received his reply. "Ms. Song, Mr. Xi said you don't deserve it!"

John said this like an emotionless robot, passing the original message from James to Maria in a professional manner.

'He said I don't deserve it! Ha!'

Maria smiled bitterly. "Thanks all the same, John."

She thought that John would hang up the phone right away, but before that, John Zhou added, "You should have stayed away, Ms. Song."

Hearing him hang up afterward, Maria was stunned.

She knew well no one would be happy she was back. But she didn't expect to be so unwanted that even a butler would tell her that.

Standing in front of the bronze gate, Maria kept staring at that one certain room on the second floor.

That room was originally the master bedroom belonging to James and her. After they moved in, James only stayed there every once in a while. Later, she and her son lived in the room.

'My son...' Maria felt tears welling in her eyes at the thought. Yes, this place used to be her paradise, but it also turned to be the hell that she finally was kicked out of.

"Mommy." A soft, sweet tone echoed in Maria's memories. In a trance, she could still hear the babbling and mumbling of her son, who was just five months old then.

Arthur was still young and had just learned to call her Mommy back then. He also knew how to say "Daddy," but he was more familiar with the word "Mommy"—Maria was the one who spent the most time with him.

Back then, James had just taken over HL Group. He was so busy that he could only sleep three or four hours a day. Besides, their marriage was not based on love, so James was gone most of the time. He might be there one day a month, if she were lucky.

Arthur's tender, fair face flashed in Maria's mind. His lovely peals of laughter echoed again and again.

'Arthur, my son...' Arthur was only five months old. Before he had a chance to experience everything life had to offer, he died. He'd lain in a cold grave for six long years.

Tears streaked Maria's face, and her aching heart felt like it had been rent asunder by an invisible devil's claws. Every time she thought about it, Maria found it hard to breathe, like she was being suffocated.

The dawn came. A brand new day began. The city gradually came to life. The workers in the city woke up to their alarms blaring. They ate breakfast, got dressed, and went to work. The older denizens gathered in community parks to get some exercise, practicing Tai Chi, group dancing, and working out. Parents tried to rouse their kids, softly at first, but shouting at them at the end. Kids were busy shoveling the first meal of the day into their mouths and getting ready for school.

After a slumber of less than four hours, James turned on his phone on the way to the gym. One of the messages was from John Zhou. "Mr. Xi, Ms. Song stood outside Fairview Villa all night."

There was no change of expression on his face when James read the text. He clicked back to check if there were any more important messages.

After an intense session at the gym, James received another message from John Zhou. "Mr. Xi, the cemetery staff spotted Ms. Song there. I thought you might like to know."