Chapter 9

"Since you walked in on your own, did you really think I'd just let you walk away that easy?" James's voice was ice-cold, making the air feel a few degrees colder. Maria didn’t even flinch. She shot back, just as cold, "So I get the wrong room and suddenly that gives you permission to act like this?" James had only meant to scare her a little, but she wasn’t backing down at all. "Do you talk this tough when you're explaining things to David too?" "Whatever happens between me and him—how’s that any of your business?" she snapped, especially biting on those last few words. But deep down, the pain hit hard. The man standing in front of her used to mean everything to her. And now, he was the one who wounded her the most. James’s jaw twitched, fists clenching until his knuckles went white. Maria, not wanting to waste another minute with him, leaned toward her brother and whispered, "Let’s just go. Ella’s home, probably waiting for us." Daniel Lewis was about to nod when James shot out a cruel line, his tone razor-sharp. "Carrying out your affair so well even your kid knows? Impressive." Daniel’s eyes flared red with rage. He turned on James, fuming. "You seriously got a death wish, don’t you?" He was at his limit. Just as he was about to step forward, Maria gripped his wrist tightly and blocked him with her body, muttering over and over to let it go. Seeing this only riled James up more. He scoffed, "If he’s that tough, let him take a swing." Maria’s glare was chilling. She locked eyes with James and said, "You’re gonna regret this." James snorted, "Regret what? Not punching him myself today?" Maria gave a bitter chuckle, didn’t even bother replying. When she came back to the country, she’d already pictured what might happen if James ever found out who Ella really was. At first, she figured he’d try to take the kid from her. But then she remembered, James never loved her—so he probably wouldn't care about their child either. Still, knowing how he was, he just might want custody. Because Ella had his blood. She couldn’t help but wonder—once James realized Ella was his daughter, and remembered what he’d just said today... how exactly would that make him feel? She stared him down, so intently that James started to feel uneasy, though he quickly masked it, wearing that stone-cold face again as he looked to Daniel. "From the way you two talk, you knew she had a family and a kid, and still decided to play side piece?" "Mind your damn business." Daniel snapped, now more convinced than ever that the divorce was the best thing that could’ve happened to his sister. He’d met James a few times before—and clearly, the guy didn’t remember him at all. And to throw out an accusation like that? It was obvious. His sister’s heart must be icy cold now. No way she felt anything for this man anymore. "Even if they got married abroad, bigamy’s still illegal. You ever thought about what this means for you?" James’s gaze grew colder — the guy in front of him was getting more ridiculous by the second. “She didn’t marry him. There was no marriage,” Daniel Lewis blurted out, then froze the second he realized what he’d just said. James’s eyebrow arched, clearly amused. He’d been suspicious about Maria and David for a while. They’d suddenly appeared super close. So now... Ella might not even be David’s kid? Reading the look on his face, Maria cut in, voice like ice, “Stop guessing. I didn’t marry David, but the child is his. He’s swamped with work back here, and I’ve been overseas. We just haven’t had the time — I came back this time to finally get married.” James’s expression immediately darkened. “You better not count on that happening.” Maria let out a sharp laugh, completely unfazed, then grabbed Daniel’s arm and headed for the door. Just as they reached it, she paused, nudging him to step out first — she had a few more words for James. The door opened, closed again. James scoffed at her figure. Giving her an out, and she still lingers? Maria spun around, crossing her arms in front of her with a sarcastic smirk. “You know, it’s wild to me — we were married for two years, and you never even recognized my own brother. Impressive, really.” James blinked, taking a step toward her, a flicker of shock—maybe even hope—crossing his face. “Wait, what? Your brother?” “That so-called ‘side piece’ you just mentioned is Daniel Lewis — my actual, blood-related little brother. We’ve been through everything together.” James was stunned. The two of them didn’t look anything alike… how could they be siblings? Now he remembered — she’d said she had a brother. There were a few brief meetings back then. But it had only been, what, five years? And he couldn’t even remember Daniel’s face. No wonder Daniel had looked at him like that earlier. James frowned deeply, a wave of guilt hitting him hard. Maria chuckled without humor. “Believe me or not, whatever. Just don’t show up in my life ever again. As for the contract — my lawyer will handle it.” With that, she turned sharply and left, not sparing another glance. James sat down heavily, emotions tangled up. Andrew walked over, sighed, and handed him a drink. “Here. Maybe this’ll knock some sense into you.” James drained the glass, fingers tracing the rim. “So, you think I messed up too?” Andrew paused, then said quietly, “You used to be impulsive, yeah… but even in your worst moments, you never dragged kids into it.” James dropped his gaze. Thinking back, he realized how big he'd messed up — not recognizing Daniel, and then dragging an innocent child into the fight. “I was wondering why you suddenly wanted to grab drinks. Now I get it — ran into someone from the past,” Andrew muttered, cracking open two more bottles. One of them he just handed straight to James.