Chapter 197 Jennifer's Sudden Gentleness
"Ridiculous!" James said sternly. "What do you mean she's stealing your boyfriend? She doesn't even know who you are. Besides, when did I become your boyfriend? You're still young. What on earth are you thinking about all day?"
Maria shouted, "I don't care! She took you away, so she deserves to die! And I'm already grown up! Look!"
As she spoke, she puffed out her chest to show her "growth."
James quickly averted his gaze. Maria's figure was indeed alluring to him. But he still kept a stern face and said, "Childish! Who's talking about your figure? I'm talking about your mental age. You're still a little girl, always doing childish things."
"How am I childish?"
"Isn't this childish? What adult would cry and make a scene like you?" James said with a look of disdain.
Maria's face turned red with anger. "I only act like this because I see you. In front of others, I'm always very cold. And now I'm super capable. They all say I have maturity beyond my years!"
"What, you have maturity beyond your years? I think you're comparing yourself to the least capable of your peers."
The two continued to bicker, but Maria couldn't out-argue James. Finally, she shouted in frustration, "Unless you hide her for the rest of your life, I will definitely kill her!"
James's face darkened, and he became genuinely angry. He stared coldly at Maria.
"If you dare to harm her, I promise I will never speak to you again. You know my character; I do what I say."
Maria straightened her neck and stared back at James, but she quickly backed down. She sensed James's determination and knew he wasn't joking. She hated the woman who had taken James away, but she feared even more that James would ignore her in the future.
She became scared and started to sob. "It's so unfair. I looked for you frantically, but you ended up with another woman."
Seeing Maria compromise, James felt a sense of relief. At least Jennifer's life was spared. Otherwise, with Maria's personality, she would definitely take extreme actions.
James's expression remained stern as he continued, "You're so foolish, never considering the consequences. Have you ever thought about why I disappeared without a word?"
Maria was stunned. "Why?"
James said, "It was a task assigned by the family, and I had to complete it. Your arrival this time almost caused the mission to fail. Also, when you leave this room, you must tell everyone that you don't like me. You can't reveal my identity. If the mission fails, I will face severe punishment. Do you understand?"
But Maria wasn't so easily fooled. She caught the loopholes in James's words and kept questioning him. Fortunately, James was quick-witted enough to make up for his lie.
"From now on, you can't be so willful. Understand? You need to discuss with me before you act," James instructed Maria in a brotherly manner.
"Got it," Maria pouted and replied, much more obedient now.
"Alright, let's go out," James said as he stood up.
"Wait!"
"What?"
Maria threw herself into James's arms, hugging him tightly. James slowly relaxed his muscles, allowing Maria to hold him. After a full five minutes, Maria let go and said, "James, promise me you won't disappear suddenly again, okay?"
Looking into Maria's pleading eyes, James nodded firmly. "Okay!"
After leaving the presidential suite, James returned to the reception hall, where all eyes were on him.
The noisy scene quieted down at that moment.
James touched his nose and calmly walked towards Michael.
"Didn't he leave with Ms. Jackson? Why is he back?"
"I don't know. Is it over already?"
"Look at his dejected expression. You can tell he failed. He didn't win Ms. Jackson's favor!"
"Probably. Look at him; he is not handsome, poorly dressed, and just a loser. How could Ms. Jackson be interested in someone like him?"
"Most likely."
"Does that mean I have another chance?"
With their hopes rekindled, the young elites present began to discuss heatedly.
Jared's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at James, not hiding his jealousy and hatred.
During James's time inside, Jared felt like he was living in torment, his heart aching and anxious. He knew that if James really became the Jackson family's son-in-law, not only would Jared be unable to seek revenge on James, but he would also face the possibility of being retaliated against by James.
Now, he finally saw James come out. Jared noticed the dejected look on James's face, and all his negative emotions vanished.
'As long as James doesn't win Ms. Jackson's favor, everything would be fine.' he thought gladly.
Under everyone's gaze, James approached Michael. Michael couldn't wait to ask, "James, what's going on?"
Harmony, standing nearby, also gazed intently at James, lightly biting her red lips.
James shrugged and smiled. "Nothing. It's just like that."
Michael blinked and said, "Have there been no further development between you two? She seems quite interested in you."
James had already prepared his response and smiled. "What development? I have a wife. Although Ms. Jackson did invite me to be her guide and tour Lindwood City with her, I declined. It wouldn't be good if my wife finds out and misunderstands."
"Well," Michael said with a look of regret. "What a pity."
Harmony immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and her expression towards James softened considerably.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding guests looked at James as if he were an idiot. They thought he was a fool for not seizing such a good opportunity. If it were them, they would have divorced in a heartbeat.
Jared couldn't help but laugh out loud. He was completely relieved and deeply despised James, thinking he was too stupid to give up such a good opportunity.
Then Maria was about to leave. Roberts immediately stood up and bid farewell to Joe and the others. Before leaving, he gave James a deep look and then hurriedly left.
His departure further solidified the speculation that James had not won Maria's favor. Those who had been jealous of him were now beaming with joy, mocking James with harsh words like "a toad dreaming of swan's flesh", "Beauty and the Beast" and "not knowing his place".
Of course, James couldn't be affected by this. The consequence was just as he wanted it; otherwise, his peaceful life would be disrupted.
James didn't stay any longer. This time, Michael didn't stop him and even arranged for someone to send him back. James didn't refuse.
By the time he got home, it was almost midnight. Fortunately, he had brought his keys. Otherwise, he would have had to trouble Jennifer to open the door for him.
The lights in the hall were already off, indicating that everyone at home had gone to bed. James tiptoed in, closed the door, and then went to his room to get clothes for a shower.
Entering the room, he saw Jennifer on the bed, seemingly asleep. James felt an inexplicable sense of peace. Looking at the figure under the blanket, he suddenly realized that he had unconsciously adapted to this sort of life.
Just as he grabbed his clothes and headed to the bathroom in the living room, Jennifer suddenly said, "Where did you go? Why are you back so late?"
James's heart skipped a beat, and he replied, "Michael dragged me to a party."
Jennifer sat up in bed and turned on the light. She looked sleepy, her hair a bit messy, and she exuded a languid aura.
"Are you hungry? I left some food for you. Do you want me to heat it up?" Jennifer said, rubbing her eyes.
As he heard this, a warm feeling surged in James's heart. He couldn't help but feel touched. Jennifer hadn't shown such concern for him in a long time.
He wasn't hungry, but he instinctively nodded. "Okay."
"Alright, go take a shower. Don't go to the living room; just use the bathroom in the room," Jennifer said as she got out of bed, yawning, clearly not having slept enough.
James agreed and quickly went into the bathroom. Although he had deliberately removed any lingering scents on his way back, there might still be traces. If Jennifer found any traces of him, it would be a big problem.
Even though he hadn't done anything to betray Jennifer, such unnecessary misunderstandings should be avoided if possible.
James took a longer shower this time, washing himself twice with body wash to ensure there was absolutely no scent left. Only then did he come out and placed his clothes in a bucket to soak, thoroughly eliminating any traces.
When he came out to the living room, he immediately smelled the aroma of food. Jennifer had already heated the food and placed it on the dining table.
Seeing Jennifer's virtuous and dutiful demeanor, James felt a bit uncomfortable. Since their marriage, Jennifer had been very cold towards him and had almost never heated food for him.
This touched James a lot.
"Thank you," he said, somewhat flattered, and then sat down to eat.
Halfway through eating, he noticed Jennifer sitting across from him, resting her chin on her hands and quietly watching him.
"What's wrong?" James asked.
Jennifer shook her head and said, "Nothing, go on."
"Alright," James said, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off with Jennifer, though he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.
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