Chapter 5 I Have A New Sweetheart

Maria and James were divorced, and Alina, his fiancee-to-be, was right there. Even if Maria's beloved back then was really James, it wasn't appropriate for her to say it out. Obviously, Stella's purpose was to embarrass Maria.

Ignoring her discomfort, Stella continued to provoke Maria. "Come on, Maria. Tell us who the guy was! We're dying of curiosity."

Maria took a sip of the beer and then put down the glass with a faint smile. "Who didn't have a secret crush as a teenager? Let bygones be bygones. He's married now, and I have a new sweetheart."

As soon as Maria said it, everyone started booing. They didn't believe her at all.

Seeing that Maria didn't fall into the trap, Alina came out with another idea. Silently, she refilled her glass with liquor and raised her head to look at the man sitting with an indifferent look by her side. Clearly, he wasn't interested in anything going on in that room. "James, I have a stomachache. I remember that Maria can hold her drink. I want her to have this glass of liquor on my behalf. What do you say?"

As the decisive man he was, James took the glass and placed it in front of Maria. Then he looked at her sharply and ordered, "Drink it!" Alina lowered her head, and the corners of her lips raised slightly. 'Let's see if you can get out of this now, Maria!'

Maria looked at the liquor bottle in Alina's hand. If she read it correctly, it was a limited edition of a Remy Martin cognac with 52% alcohol by volume. She stared at the full glass in front of her and then glanced at her heartless cousin.

At that moment, Stella added, "Alina just opened a limited edition brandy. Maria, I'm sure you've never tried such a refined liquor, have you?"

"Judging from Maria's shabby look, the Song family doesn't care about her very much. How could she ever afford to drink such a high-end liquor?" echoed someone close to them.

"Exactly!" said another one.

Under the many curious gazes, Maria walked up to James and took the glass of liquor he had ordered her to drink. With a smile, she said, "Actually, I don't mind drinking it. Maybe I'll ask you for a favor too someday, Mr. Xi."

Maria was very straightforward. Without saying another word, she gulped down the whole beverage in front of everyone's eyes.

The hot liquid flew through her throat and into her stomach as if she had just tasted some hot chili pepper. The strong heat stimulated her right away.

Putting down the empty glass, Maria coughed violently and picked up another drink at random in front of her. Not taking the time to see what it was, she poured it into her mouth quickly in order to ease her discomfort.

Compared with the brandy she had just had, whatever she drank afterward felt much better! At least, it greatly relieved the burning sensation in her throat.

However, the next moment, Maria realized that the room was awfully quiet. Even Alina seemed a little weird. 'What happened?' she wondered.

Soon, Stella answered her inner inquiry with a roar. "Maria! How dare you take Mr. Xi's drink?"

Unable to suppress the irritation in her throat, Maria coughed a bit more. Then she looked down at the empty glass in her hand and realized that it indeed seemed different from the others.

In it, there was a non-alcoholic beverage the bartender made especially for James. After all, he would be driving after the party.

The point was that he had already drunk a third of the glass before Maria grabbed it and gulped it down. In the eyes of the others, this was considered a very intimate gesture, which was often exchanged between two lovers. Hence, it was equivalent to an indirect kiss.

Under James' deadly gaze, Maria put down the glass with an awkward smile and foolishly said, "Mr. Xi, it's alright. I don't mind it. It's not like we haven't kissed before." 'Otherwise, where could've Arthur come from?' Her inner voice finished her words.

Everyone in the room was too shocked to tell whether she meant what she said or was completely accidental, including James himself, who was still staring at her.

If Maria was not mistaken, he had a murderous look on his face.

Bending her head slightly, she hurried to explain, "Oh no! I mean...I'm sorry, Mr. Xi. I didn't mean to do that. It's just a drink."

This woman kissed James before. At that moment, Alina wasn't the only one dying of jealousy. Stella also couldn't help thinking furiously, 'How could this bitch have ever kissed Mr. Xi?' "Maria, you did it on purpose! You are angry because of the drink Alina just gave you, so you are showing off, right?" Stella yelled.

If it weren't for James' presence, she would have slapped Maria hard across the face.

Maria humbly shook her head and answered, "No, I'm not." But at the same time, her inner voice declared otherwise. 'Oh, yes. You can bet I'm a show-off!'

Suppressing the surging jealousy in her heart, Alina put on a bitter smile and intervened, "Stella, stop it. Let's just forget it. I'm sure that Maria meant none of it. Now, Stella, please, tell the waiter to bring James another non-alcoholic drink, and remember to ask for a new glass." She deliberately emphasized her last words.

Maria was slightly flushed as she stood aside in silence. Stella glanced at her with a deadly gaze and stamped her feet, leaving to call the waiter.

Although Alina had sent Stella away to pretend she was on Maria's side, the latter knew that Alina was the reason why everything happened in the first place. However, as if she appreciated Alina's hypocritical act of kindness, Maria took a step back and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xi and Alina. I really didn't mean to make such a mistake. It won't happen again!"

James, who had been silent all this time, uttered coldly, Now that you realized your mistake, drink another three glasses of liquor as your punishment."

'Drink another three glasses as her punishment?' People around gasped at the sound of that. They quietly did the math in their heads and realized that a full bottle of liquor contained 320 milliliters, while a glass could hold about 150 milliliters. If Maria did what he told her, by the end of the third glass, she would have had more than a whole bottle of liquor. James was so ruthless that he wouldn't even spare his ex-wife for making a mistake. At this time, the room went quiet again. Everyone intently watched the exchange between James and Maria, wondering what would happen next.

As soon as the words fell from his lips, James took the brandy from Alina and put it in front of Maria.

Stella came back just in time to see the scene and cried out brainlessly, "How can you let her have such a good liquor? She's not worthy of it!"

James frowned slightly and asked impatiently, "Do you mean I can't afford the liquor?"

"I..." Only then did Stella realize she had put her foot in her mouth. She couldn't help but tremble with the fear of being the next who had to drink three glasses of liquor because she wasn't able to hold her tongue. Therefore, she rushed to apologize, "No! I didn't mean that at all. I'm sorry, Mr. Xi. As long as you're happy, I have no objections!" Her apology, however, was much humbler than Maria's.

Alina looked down and rubbed her forehead, ashamed of her friend's behavior. She thought Stella would eventually get herself killed by her own stupidity.

At that moment, Maria picked up the bottle of liquor and filled a glass for herself. "Okay. In exchange for your forgiveness, I will drink up to three bottles if it is necessary, Mr. Xi," she said as if she was trying to please James.

To everyone's surprise, James agreed immediately. "So let's make it three bottles then!" He seemed to enjoy watching Maria digging herself into a hole.

Maria couldn't help feeling frustrated. The man's unquestionable order made her want to slap herself across the face. How could she be as stupid as Stella and not keep her mouth shut?

Someone else, dying to please James, called the waiter, who shortly brought over a few more bottles of liquor.

Stella cast an arrogant look at Maria and put the three unopened bottles of liquor in front of her. "Ms. Song, now drink! Everyone is watching!"

Maria put down the glass she filled up earlier and took one of the bottles. Looking at James, she reunited the courage to ask, "Mr. Xi, after I finish these bottles, will you promise me one thing?"

Leaning back on the leather sofa, James squinted his sharp eyes at her and asked slowly, "Who do you think you are to demand anything from me?"

Maria was speechless. How dare he continuously embarrass her? He definitely wasn't a gentleman!

'James Xi, one day, I'll make you swallow your pride and bow to me!' she thought angrily.

A trace of resentment flashed through her eyes. Although it faded as quickly as it surged, James was able to notice it. His mouth twisted in a sneer as he coldly watched her start drinking.

No one dared to defy James' order and plead for Maria. While some believed it was her honor to drink the liquor offered by him, others were looking forward to seeing how she would make fun of herself after she got drunk. Nevertheless, everyone observed the scene with interest.