Love, Betrayal and Revenge: Ex-wife's Irresistible Temptation

In the Golden Lion Hotel of H City

Mr. Shen was slated to be at the dinner party. Even before he arrived, rumors of his date had gone viral. The whole world knew about it. She was said to be the most heavenly beautiful woman.

When the party was already underway, the door to the banquet hall was opened again. The man and woman who walked in caused quite a stir.

As the two of them slowly strode into the banquet hall, the din rose. The guests were gossiping among themselves.

It was indeed Mr. Shen. He was dressed in a black suit with dark stripes and a pair of dark brown leather shoes. There was a beautiful woman on his arm.

The woman wore a black ankle-length evening dress and a set of sapphire jewelry. She had a delicate makeup on her oval face. The guests could feel her presence in the room. No one could ignore her.

When the partygoers got a good look at the woman's face, many of them gasped. They shot glances at Alina Tang, the hostess of tonight's birthday party, and James Xi, the man at her side.

The appearance of the woman in the banquet caused many to whisper among themselves. "Did you see that woman? Isn't that Maria Song?" one said.

"Yeah, you're right. That's Maria!" another confirmed.

"Oh my God! Isn't she dead? Why is still alive? She's a murderess! How could she have the gall to show her face again?" another guest chimed in.

"Speaking of her face, did she have work done? Since when has she become that hot?"

"Who knows? She is Mr. Shen's date. This should be fun!"

That all depended on one's idea of fun. At least things would be interesting.

Maria Song's sudden return not only amazed everyone in the banquet, but also frightened them, because the man she was with was James Xi's business rival, Norman Shen!

Not only that, Maria Song was the ex-wife of James Xi, the CEO of HL Group.

Both James Xi and Norman Shen tended to keep a low profile, limiting public appearances. They seldom showed up at these kinds of parties. But it made sense for James Xi to be here. Gossip of his upcoming engagement to Alina Tang had spread like wildfire. But as for Norman Shen, he wasn't here merely to celebrate Alina Tang's birthday, was he?

James Xi was a big shot in the finance world. Now his rival showed up with his ex-wife. The guests were excited. Who knew what else the night might bring?

Maria Song kept a graceful smile on her face the whole time. She walked up to Alina Tang in her seven-centimeter crystal high-heels, holding Norman Shen's arm.

Alina Tang was her older cousin. Six years ago, she destroyed Maria Song's vocal cords and made her into a mute.

And, now, six years later, the two were brought together, standing face to face.

Alina Tang was bowled over by Maria Song's dramatic change. Her heart skipped a beat. She tightened her grip on James Xi's arm and almost crushed the wine glass she held.

Under the watchful eyes of the other guests, Norman Shen took two glasses of red wine from the waiter. He gave one to Maria Song and kept one for himself.

He glanced at the smiling woman next to him, and then fixed his eyes on the expressionless man in front of him. With a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, he greeted James Xi warmly. "Mr. Xi, it's been a while! Did you recognize my date?"

Though the two men had their differences, Norman Shen was a gentleman through and through. If he were reluctant to do this, no one could tell. In the business world, only profits are forever, not enemies.

However, James Xi gave no indication he was pleased by this meeting. He kept his poker face intact. He didn't even look at the woman beside Norman Shen. He raised his drink and clinked glasses with Norman Shen. "Just a stranger."

James Xi had been working in the corporate sector for several years, and had been CEO for a while now. No one could deny that he was an imposing figure.

It had been six years, but Maria Song felt it hard to breathe when she was in front of James Xi again. This man had grown more mature, and his deep eyes were even more unfathomable.

The people in H City were deferent to Norman Shen. He might not be as powerful as James Xi, but he was no pushover.

If James Xi was ruthless and self-centered, then Norman Shen was shady and showed no mercy. The two men were more alike than they would ever admit.

James Xi looked noble and unapproachable, while Norman Shen appeared gentle and elegant.

"Stranger?" Taking a sip of his wine, Norman Shen was amused by James Xi's reply. A hint of slyness flashed across his smiling eyes, but he said nothing more.

Hearing James Xi's answer, the smile on Maria Song's face didn't change. It didn't matter. She would conquer this man sooner or later!

"Bring my birthday gift for Miss Tang," Norman Shen ordered his assistant behind him.

"Yes, Mr. Shen!"

Soon, the assistant handed a gift box to Alina Tang. "Happy Birthday, Miss Tang."

Alina Tang smiled elegantly at him. "Thank you, Mr. Shen."

Norman Shen nodded at her without saying anything.

As the host of the banquet, Alina Tang handed the gift to the housekeeper behind her and greeted the silent woman next to her. "Maria, you're back? Where have you been hiding yourself? We were all worried about you! How have you been?"

Maria Song put on a smile and looked into Alina Tang's eyes. "Thank you for your concern, Alina. I'm okay. I just went on a trip to relax."

Her tone was inscrutable. No one could tell how she felt.

Hearing her speak, Alina Tang was aghast. 'She can speak?'

Alina Tang was the foremost celebrity in H City. She quickly pulled herself together.

"Thanks to Mr. Shen, I'm doing okay." Maria Song's voice was soft and her eyes were misty. It seemed that she was moved by Alina Tang's concern.

But all was not as it seemed. The cousins seemed to be rekindling their relationship, but it lacked the verve of a real relationship. Their tones were flat, their words perfunctory.

Alina Tang nodded and turned to look at James Xi. She suggested considerately, "James, since Maria is back, do you want some time alone so you can talk?"

The man's thick eyebrows wrinkled visibly. He refused without hesitation, and there was a trace of disgust in his eyes. "No," he said. His voice was even more arrogant and colder than before.

Alina Tang noted his reaction. She was in a much better mood now. "Well, I haven't seen Maria for a long time. We have a lot to catch up on. James, Mr. Shen, excuse us."

After saying that, she grabbed Maria Song's wrist before she could react.

Norman Shen let go of Maria Song and nodded, "Go ahead."

Maria Song was dragged away by Alina Tang. Before leaving, she looked back at Norman Shen. She had a telltale glint in her eyes. She was having fun with this.

He waved at her, indicating he was good with everything.

Maria Song turned around and trotted to catch up with Alina Tang. "Hey, Alina, my heels are a little too high for this kind of pace. Can you slow down?" she asked cautiously, but got no response.

The two women left, leaving their two men with different thoughts. One hand in his pocket, James Xi swirled the red wine in his glass with the other hand.

Norman Shen looked at the man with a smile and asked, "What do you think? Maria's changed a lot, huh?"

James Xi cast him a cold glance and asked, "Mr. Shen, you must be bored. Don't you have someone else to bother?" They weren't on the best of terms, normally. And James wasn't much for small talk anyway.

"Not really." Norman Shen clinked glasses with him and drank the wine in his glass. "I heard you are going to get engaged to Alina Tang?"

Recently, there was a rumor in H City that James Xi and Alina Tang were to get engaged. It seemed it was true since James Xi was here at the party.

"Yes." James Xi saw no profit in lying about it.

Norman Shen nodded. After a while, he said, "What a coincidence! I was thinking of marrying Maria Song."

Although he could sense the provocation in Norman's tone, James was still indifferent as he answered, "Then, Mr. Shen, congratulations in advance!"

From afar, the two men could look as either friends or foes. It would be hard for an outsider to distinguish.

As Norman heard James' response, he smiled without saying anything.

Since they didn't have much in common, they promptly separated in order to socialize with other guests.

As soon as Alina dragged Maria to a corner, she loosened the grip on her wrist. With a cold look in her eyes, she stared at Maria and asked, "Why did you come back to H City?"

Maria rubbed her aching wrist and explained, "I didn't plan to, Alina. It was Mr. Shen who asked me to accompany him to the party. I couldn't refuse him, so I came."

'Humph! How could I not come back? I would be a murderess for the rest of my life if I stayed away forever,' Maria thought to herself, concealing her true feelings. Her sudden return to H City seemed unexpected to a lot of people. At the moment, Maria wanted to get Alina's guard down so that she could deal with her later.

Despite the softness in Maria's voice when answering the question, her timidity was long gone. Alina failed to notice this as her only focus was on finding out why Maria had returned so abruptly.

"You used to be mute. When did you recover?" Alina asked.

With a smile, Maria replied, "Right. I happened to meet a doctor who was able to cure me. Alina, don't you think I was lucky?"

After a few years without seeing each other, Maria looked even more gentle and delicate, far from the bold look suggested by her glamorous dress and makeup.

"James and I are about to get engaged soon. I advise you to forget what happened between you two in the past, or I'll make you disappear from H City for good." Maria could hear the obvious threat in Alina's voice.

'They're about to get engaged...' From an angle that Alina couldn't notice, Maria sank her freshly manicured nails into her palms, but her face remained unaffected. "Alina, please don't worry. I divorced Mr. Xi a long time ago. I don't hold on to any fantasy about him anymore. If there's nothing for me to do in H City in the next few days, I'll leave soon."

Alina nodded with satisfaction. "Good. At least you're still wise to know your place. Now, if you're done here, just leave. You're not welcome to my birthday party!"

"Okay! I'm leaving right now," Maria answered without any hesitation.

The next moment, several young ladies from high society came out of nowhere and surrounded Maria. A woman approached her contemptuously. "Oh, Maria Song! How did you manage to hook up with Mr. Shen?"

"In my opinion, Mr. Shen is dating her just for fun. How could a gorgeous man like him take a fancy to someone else's ex-wife?"

"You are absolutely right! Maria, what's the use of a murderess like you dressing up so nicely?" This time, a woman in a blue evening dress walked over to Maria and pinched her chin, raising it to look into her eyes. "I advise you to stay away from Mr. Xi and Mr. Shen from now on. You bitch don't deserve to even dream about men like them!"

As soon as their eyes met, Maria recognized the woman in front of her. She was Stella Qin, Alina's confidant and the youngest daughter of the Qin family's head.

Maria didn't say a word while she listened to their insults.

Realizing that Maria wouldn't respond, Stella Qin took two steps closer and provoked her further. "You know that Mr. Shen and Mr. Xi are sworn enemies. Yet you still dare to shamelessly hook up with Mr. Shen. You're doing this to attract Mr. Xi's attention, aren't you?"

Stella Qin looked at the other woman, and her jealousy got the best of her as she raised a hand to slap Maria in the face. "Bitch! You like to pretend you're this poor thing, but I'll show you...Ouch!"

Maria grabbed Stella Qin's hand still in motion and knocked her head against the wall, neither heavily nor lightly. Therefore, the expected slap sound never came, and it got replaced by Stella Qin's cry of pain.

Several people, including Alina, looked at the scene stunned. Alina couldn't believe that it was Maria who did this.

After Stella Qin's head hit the wall with a bang, she was in so much pain that it took her a long time to come to herself again.

Taking advantage of Stella Qin's helplessness, Maria pressed an arm against her neck and laughed hard. "A lady should never resort to force, but to reason. Miss Qin, when you wanted to slap me just now in front of all these people, was your intention to show them how rude you truly are?"

Maria didn't want to waste too much time or energy on Stella Qin. She was just a harmless fish in a pond, not her real target.

But despite her willingness to bear anything others had to say about her, she wouldn't allow being touched.

Alina was the first to come to her senses. Relying on her position as both Maria's cousin and James' fiancee-to-be, she scolded Maria in a low voice, "Let go of Stella!"

At the sound of her voice, Maria sneered in her heart. She was doing this to as a warning to Alina. And now, she wouldn't let go of Stella the second Alina asked her to. So, without releasing her immediately, she warned Stella Qin with a blank face, "This is the last time you try to touch me!"

Alina's face darkened as she realized Maria had ignored her. This time she had gone too far! "Let go of Stella now!" insisted Alina.

At that moment, Stella Qin had recovered completely from her shock. The throbbing pain on her head, however, only got her more furious. As she was still pressed against the wall, she struggled to free herself but failed. "Maria, let go of me at once, or I'll make you suffer!" she yelled.

Listening to her bark, Maria let go of her and patted the dust off her hands as if she had just touched something filthy. "I would like to see you try!"

The moment she saw herself free, Stella Qin rushed to stand behind Alina. Covering her bruised forehead with her hand, she said, "Alina, look what she did to me. It's your birthday party, but she came only to cause trouble. Let the security throw her out right away!"

Maria smoothed her neat hair and told them, "Don't bother. I'm leaving now!"

The only reason she had shown up to the party was to let people know that Maria Song was back in H City, and better than ever.

Over half of the most wealthy and powerful people in H City attended Alina's birthday party. After all, she was the most famous female personality in town. Obviously, Maria's goal had already been successfully achieved. So for what reason would she stay any longer? She wasted no time and walked towards the exit after that.

Noticing that she was about to leave as if nothing had happened, Stella Qin didn't want to let her go so easily. "Maria, stop!"

Compared to Stella Qin's blind rage, Alina was surprisingly calm as she stopped her friend. "Stella, calm down!" Alina knew that Maria's return was definitely not as simple as it looked. She must be up to something.

In fact, Alina had always thought that Maria was quite cunning. Otherwise, how could she defeat her two sisters and marry James back then?

Alina was determined to investigate Maria's intentions. She was going to be engaged to James soon and didn't want anything unexpected to happen before that.

After Maria walked out of the hotel, she got in a black limited edition car. Taking the back seat, she took off her high heels and leaned back with her eyes closed, deep in thought.

The tall figure in her mind was getting clearer and clearer. In the past few years, he had become more mature and charming than he used to be.

Soon, Maria opened her eyes and shook off those thoughts. Stretching out her hand, she took a cigarette and a lighter from Norman's storage box in the car. She skillfully lit the cigarette and rolled down the window to blow out the smoke.

As the smoke curled up, the woman's every move seemed quite elegant behind it.

In the silence, her phone rang all of a sudden. It was a call from Norman.

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."