Chapter 6 Punishment

Maria tipped the bottle up, drinking directly from it without a glass. She held her head high, earrings sparkling in the light. But a generous amount of translucent liquid spilled from the bottle, down her fair neck, disappearing into her camisole.

At that moment, she looked extremely hot. The men at the party couldn't tear their eyes away, gulping and loosening their ties.

'Damn! No wonder Mr. Xi married her. She's really something!'

After finishing drinking one bottle, Maria let out a belch that echoed throughout the room. She was still steady on her feet. She shook the empty bottle in her hand and looked James in the eye. "Ask someone to bring me some water."

Stella, who was enjoying the fun, pulled a long face. "Maria Song, are you crazy? Giving orders to Mr. Xi like that!"

Squatting in front of the table, Maria rested her chin on the bottle and tilted her head to look at Stella. "Oh, did I do that? Silly me! I apologize! Mr. Xi, could you please..." She paused to burp again. "...ask someone to bring me some water?" She seemed to be drunk and was slurring her words.

Gazing at her, James' eyes turned colder. "Go on!"

"Wow! You're so mean!" complained Maria, pouting like a kid, as if she was playing at being cute. Then she opened the second bottle. She stood up, took a deep breath, and tipped the bottle up. Her throat bounced up and down as she took a huge drink.

Alina didn't feel happy at all. Instead, she had mixed feelings and she couldn't tell what she felt. James was making fun of Maria, showing no pangs of conscience. At least it demonstrated he hated Maria. Alina would have thought nothing would make her happier. But she was definitely not happy.

Lowering her head, Alina thought for a while. Eureka! James was paying more attention to Maria than to her.

Then, under the watchful eyes of everyone in the room, Maria finished her third bottle of liquid.

Putting the three empty bottles together, she said to the audience, "Please excuse me. I have to use the restroom." She kept a quick pace, but still she staggered, and held the wall for support.

After rushing into a stall in the lady's room, Maria, who was unable to walk properly just then, took a moment to center herself. She leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.

James was such a bastard. One slip of the tongue, and she was forced to drink three bottles of hard liquor. Though she did succeeding in getting to James, she was furious. Humiliated.

At this point, her stomach rebelled. What she had downed was coming back up, a vile taste filled her mouth. Maria tried to get it all out. There was so much of it! When she finally left the bathroom, she was a mess. There were still tears on her face. She didn't know if it was because her heart was broken or because she drank too much. Regardless, her face was wet with tears.

After tidying up, Maria returned to the private room. James and Alina had left, and everyone else was walking out. After getting a great floor show, they realized everything was winding down.

Maria went back to the private room to grab her handbag. Stella was still there, waiting for Maria. Stella mocked her the moment she walked in the door. "You're really biting off more than you can chew. And you have the stones to seduce Mr. Xi again? Just give up. He could never take up with a murderess like you!"

'Maria Song is as cowardly as she was six years ago. Her son died because of her. There is no way James will remarry her,' she thought to herself.

Maria didn't say anything to Stella's vitriol. She leaned against the wall as a wave of nausea hit her. Beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead. If she hadn't almost fainted due to her stomachache, she wouldn't have let Stella go. That noisy bitch had been trying to get her goat all night. She crossed the line, but Maria couldn't do anything.

Watching Maria lean against the wall, saying nothing in reply, Stella took that as a win. Then she tidied up her dress, grabbed her purse, and left with a smug smile on her face.

As soon as Stella walked out, Maria slumped and slid down the wall she was leaning against.

Her stomach felt like someone had kicked it, and she needed to vomit again.

Maria took several deep breathes and tried to hold back. Unfortunately, she couldn't help vomiting right there. However, this time, she didn't spew alcohol. It was blood.

Fighting her weakness, she fished her phone from her handbag. Before she could dial a number, someone opened the door to the private room again. It was Alina. Hadn't she left?

When she saw Maria and the blood on the floor, she was startled, but then understood what had happened.

Alina slowly walked over to the mortified Maria. Without saying anything, she kicked Maria right in the belly with her high-heeled shoe.

It was a heavy blow. Maria groaned. The color drained from her face.

Soon after, she spat out a second mouthful of blood. The pain in her stomach made her dizzy. Cold sweat drenched her body and clothing.

Alina had forgotten her car keys in the private room, so she came back. She didn't expect to find a miserable Maria. After taking advantage of the situation, she picked up the car keys from a nearby table, turned on her heel, and left.

When Norman finally found Maria, she was lying on the floor and was so weak she couldn't raise her hand. When she saw Norman, she gave him a pale smile and greeted him weakly, "Hi, Norman. Sorry to bother you."

She'd been tense the whole night. She finally relaxed and blacked out.

Norman lifted her up and carried her in his arms. He needed to get her to the hospital as soon as possible.

Outside the nightclub, with Maria in his arms, Norman happened to bump into James and Alina. The two were about to climb in the car when they heard a greeting from James' assistant, Summer Jing. "Good evening, Mr. Shen!"

James and Alina turned around. They both focused on the woman in Norman's arms.

The blood on Maria's shirt glinted in the starlight. Her shirt was also wet with sweat. She looked terrible. James just ignored them, but Alina faked a worried look. "Gosh! Mr. Shen, what's wrong with Maria? Poor thing!"

Without stopping, Norman glanced at the expressionless man beside her and replied, "I don't know yet. I need to get her to the hospital. Please excuse me."

After saying that, he hurriedly got into his Bentley.

Norman and Maria roared off immediately. Alina turned to James. "I guess Norman cares about Maria a lot. I'm her cousin. Shouldn't I feel happy for her?"

Without answering her question, James got into the black Harkim.

Alina was used to his attitude. After all, James was a man of few words.

At least he treated everyone the same way. Alina thought so, anyway.

The next morning, in HL Group

A young man sauntered through the hallways near the CEO's office. He wore a white printed tee with an orange cartoon character, a pair of orange casual pants, and skateboard shoes to match his outfit.

Hands in his pockets, he let out a series of wolf-whistles and catcalls at the secretaries on that floor.

The employees all stood up and greeted him, "Good morning, Mr. Nan!"

"Mr. Nan, how are you doing?"

Ethan Nan raised his chin at them in response. Then he asked, "Is James in there, Summer?"

Summer Jing smiled. "Yes, Mr. Nan. Mr. Xi just got done with a meeting."

"Thanks." Ethan Nan quickened his pace and opened the door to the CEO's office without knocking.

There were few people in H City who dared to enter James' office without knocking. Ethan Nan was one of them. He was not only a close friend of James, but also an unruly man from a rich family in H City.

James stood in front of the window. When he heard the sound of the door, he turned and looked at the energetic young man. "Ethan, it took you ten minutes to get to the 66th floor. What? Did you take the stairs or something?"

Ethan sniffed and sighed exaggeratedly. "Your receptionists are so pretty. I had to stop and talk with those lovely ladies for a bit. And that's pretty good eyesight you have—you could see me when I was on the first floor."

Looking at Ethan with a smile, James didn't say anything. He just waved a pair of field-glasses at him. The answer was obvious.