A Vengeful Ex-Wife

Sandra came over, pretending to be upset. "Maria, I have no love for you anymore. I've asked you to go shopping with me so many times, and each time, you kept refusing me. It turns out that it was because I'm not as important as Ethan to you."

Maria put down Mona, and said to her sons, "Bob, Coy, Sandra is upset with me. Would you mind coaxing her for me?"

James, who had been silent all this time, looked at Maria's gentle appearance. How he missed to see her like this once more!

Shortly afterwards, Coy threw himself into Sandra's arms. "I can do somersaults for you!"

"And I can play the violin for you if you want," said Bob.

Not to be outdone, Mona said, "Watch me beat Coy in a fight! He is not a match for me."

The adults were amused by the little girl's claims. Naturally, Coy was embarrassed to hear it. "I'm still young, you know! When I grow up, I'm going to tie you to a tree."

Mona made a face at him. "My daddy will beat you up if you do that!"

"In that case, I'll ask my daddy to beat your daddy up!" said Coy.

"Then I'll ask my mommy to beat up your daddy and mommy," retorted Mona.

"My daddy can fly! And once he starts flying, your mommy won't be able to beat him," Coy refuted.

"Well, my daddy can fly, too! He can fly to the moon if he wants to!"

The adults in the area burst into laughter when they heard the two kids bragging.

At this time, the room was opened once more. It was Ethan who entered. He was wearing a formal suit, and there was a bridegroom's brooch on his chest.

Upon seeing Maria, he said to her, "I'm so sorry for being late, Maria. I just finished my duty. Please, have a seat."

After saying that, he gently led her to James' side. James pulled out a chair for her. Without giving her a chance to refuse, Ethan sat her down next to James.

Maria wanted to sit somewhere else, but Ethan said to her, "All seats have been occupied today. The room is full of couples, and we shouldn't separate any of them. Just bear with it and remain seated, okay?" With an awkward smile, Maria said, "I want to look after my children."

Ethan turned around and beckoned the two boys to come forward. "Bob, Coy, come here and sit next to your mom."

The boys ran over and Ethan took them to their seats. Now, the family of four wear seated together. Maria and James sat in the middle, while Coy was sitting between Maria and Mildred, and Bob was between James and Lawrence.

With a smile, Lawrence said, "Maria, you look after Coy, and James and I will take care of Bob."

'Can I refuse?' In front of all these people, there was

no way she could refuse. "Thank you!"

On the TV, there was a live broadcast of the new couple's wedding. Everyone watched it as they ate.

James didn't eat that much. He made sure that Bob was taken care of while he put food on Maria's plate from time to time.

The dishes that were served in their room took her diet into consideration. Most of them were vegetable dishes, so she was able to eat them.

When she saw that James put food on her plate, Maria ate all of it, for she believed that it was wrong to waste food.

After the wedding, Ethan returned to the room to drink with his friends. It was already past three in the afternoon when Maria left with them.

Her two sons led her to a brand new black car.

No matter what Maria said, her children wouldn't let go of her. She had been coerced into entering the car. James followed her in, and the driver started the car.

"You can drop me off at the next intersection. I need to go back," said Maria.

Leaning against the back of the seat, James looked at her and smirked. "Where are you going?"

'Does he not know where I'm supposed to go?' Calmly, Maria replied, "JT Nunnery."

"Why do you want to go back there?"

That smug look on his face was getting on her nerves. She wanted to beat him.

The following moment, James said, "Let's send the children back to the manor first."

"There's no way I'm going there!" she refused immediately.

She wasn't an idiot. If she were to step foot in his home, there was a big chance that she wouldn't be able to leave anymore.

At this time, Bob said, "Mommy, the maids don't treat Coy and me well. I want you to come with us."

The sound of his voice made it seem like he was genuinely sad, and it pained Maria to hear him like that.

"I want to be with Daddy and Mommy together. Mommy, I promise I won't be naughty anymore!" Coy looked at her with pleading eyes while holding onto a lion-shaped toy.

Annoyed, Maria looked at the man who had been silent for a few minutes. "James, did you tell your children to say these things to me?"

With an innocent look, he answered, "Of course not! You do know that I'm too busy to take care of them myself, right? I can only ask the maids for help. I had no idea that they'd be so gutsy as to maltreat my children!"

"Yes, Mom. They mistreat us, and I only have vegetables to eat. Haven't you noticed that I've lost weight?" complained Bob. He silently apologized to the maids in his head. He was forced to lie because he wanted his mother and brother to be with them.

Unexpectedly, Coy broke into the tears. "Mom, I'm scared of living in the nunnery. I like climbing trees, but if you bring me to Daddy's house, I won't have any trees to climb, and you won't beat me anymore." Maria couldn't believe her ears. Were her two sons really this miserable? Why hadn't she heard any grievances from Coy before?

Bob started crying as well. "Daddy said that Mommy often cooked delicious dishes for me when I was a toddler. I want to eat them again. Mommy, Coy and I want to live together, and we'd love to live with you and Daddy!"

"Mommy, I want to live with Bob,"

Coy echoed. Their crying made Maria's heart ache, and then her head hurt, too.

James took out his phone, dialed a number, and put him on speakerphone. "Gary, replace all the maids in the manor until my sons are satisfied with their care."

Gary sounded somewhat vexed. "But, Mr. Xi, this is the eighteenth batch of maids!"

"I don't care. Replace them all."

"Mr. Xi, perhaps you should just call Mrs. Xi and beg her to come back and take care of the boys. No matter how dutiful a maid can be, it will never amount to a mother's companionship."

Once more, Maria fell silent. She suspected that she had fallen into a trap, but Gary was right. No matter how great the maids were, their companionship would always fall short of a parent's love. It seemed that James was growing impatient now. "Just do as I say!"

"Yes, Mr. Xi."

Bob seemed to be inconsolable. "Daddy, I don't want the maids. They pay no attention to hygiene. I want Mommy."

"Daddy, I want Mommy too!" echoed Coy.

"Daddy."

"Daddy! Mommy!"

The two brothers cried incessantly.

And because of their wailing, it was deafening inside the car.

Maria looked at them and ordered, "Enough!"

Silence ensued in the car in the blink of an eye. The two kids stared back at her with tearful eyes.