A Vengeful Ex-Wife novel Chapter 363

It was not Maria's place to interfere in this matter-after all, it was his business. "Norman asked me to go on a vacation with him because he wanted me to chaperone a girl. There's absolutely nothing going on between me and him."

James stared at her for a few heartbeats. "He said that he wanted to marry you."

Maria gaped at him. "You mean on that day when I returned to H City?" How could he still remember?

"That's right."

"Well, he only wanted to piss you off that time! Look, you two are enemies. You know that. He's got a childish streak, and it gives him great pleasure to get under your skin. Do you seriously think that he likes me?" Maria explained.

James kept silent.

For a while, he didn't say anything, and neither did Maria. Both lost in their own thoughts, the two of them listened to soft music and the sea breeze.

When the last course of their barbeque dinner was served, Maria pushed the plate in front of James and rested her chin in her hand. "In honor of you coming all the way here, James. A gift."

Hearing the amused implication in her voice, James stared at the sea cucumbers on the plate and said, "I can eat one, but can we go for a walk later?"

"Okay!" 'A walk? That's all? Fine.'

He picked up a skewer and placed the roasted sea cucumber into his mouth.

Maria watched his expression with a smile. "What do you think? Does it taste good?"

"Yes." The dish wasn't really to his taste, but he couldn't call it unpalatable, either.

After having their fill of the barbecued food and beer, Maria settled the bill.

He took off his shoes and socks and handed them to the bodyguard standing not too far away. "Don't follow us."

"Yes, Mr. Xi." The bodyguard turned around and left.

Hand in hand, the two walked along the shoreline.

Maria was wearing flip flops, and she had no problem walking on the beach.

"You haven't been on a vacation for a long time, have you?" she asked.

"No, I haven't." Given how busy he was with work all the time, it had been quite a while since he had last taken some time off for himself.

Holding onto his arm, Maria said in a soft voice, "Will you get up early tomorrow morning and watch the sunrise with me? We can also collect some seafood if we arrive here early. I'll cook it for you when we get back."

"Have you done this before?"

"Nope, but I've seen a lot of people come back with all kinds of seafood. I felt so envious of them." She didn't want to go to the beach on her own. It was a good thing that James came.

"I see." If he remembered correctly, the best time for watching the sunrise and collecting seafood was from 5 to 9 o'clock in the morning.

There were only a few people around at that time. Maria suddenly came up with an idea. She let go of his arm and stood in front of him. "James, how about I dance for you?"

He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for her performance. "Okay."

"Mr. Xi, what kind of dance would you like? Classical dance, Mongolia dance, ballet, and... peacock dance!"

"Classical dance." He could almost imagine her in the long, fiery red dress she was wearing, doing a classical dance.

"Okay!" Maria took a few steps back, kicked the flip flops off her feet, and launched into a beginning pose. "It's been a while since I last danced. Don't laugh at me!"

His eyes crinkling into a smile, he reassured her, "Don't worry." Maria glared at him suspiciously. 'He is going to make fun of me, I'm sure of it!'

Then, Maria started to dance, slowly gaining confidence with every step. She had gained some weight because of Bob, but she got back her figure after a period of exercise.

She swayed her hips gracefully under the moonlight.

Maria laughed and tried to shake him off. "There was no such a man. You actually believe what they told you?"

James stopped in his tracks. When she no longer felt him behind her, Maria turned around.

He was standing a few steps away, seemingly lost in thought.

Maria asked helplessly, "James, do you still want to walk or not?"

James grabbed her hand and led her to the cliff nearby.

It was not really a cliff, only a rather dangerous-looking outcropping of rocks that formed a ledge above the sea. The water was about three to four meters below the rocks.

The two stood close to the edge on one large rock, listening to the sound of the waves hitting the stones below.

In a sudden flurry of movement, he stripped off his coat, threw it to the ground, and stalked toward Maria.

Maria turned to see James approaching her with a straight face. A sinking feeling filled her. "James, what are you doing?"

He continued to walk toward her without answering her question, not stopping until Maria was standing right at the edge of the rock.

Maria turned around and looked down at the sea, which appeared like a devouring abyss in the dark night. In a panic, she gasped out, "James, don't mess around. We're a bit high up here. And it's dark tonight! I could die!"

Gently touching her cheek, he whispered, "Mia, do you know the price to pay for making me angry?"

"I can explain. The man I never talked about even after drinking three glasses of wine was actually—"

"You don't need to explain." James had been in a sour mood the entire evening.

Maria felt a twinge of fear as she stared up into those eyes. With her lips trembling slightly, she asked, "What do you want me to say?" Did he want to kill her? She wanted to call for help, but she wasn't sure if anyone would hear her.