Chapter 44

She hadn't seen him this furious in a long time—especially not over something that had to do with her. A quiet warmth stirred in Maria's chest, though she didn’t let it show. "But what about your partnership with him? If you go against him, won’t that mess everything up?" She remembered how much effort James had put into that deal. If he backed out now, all his previous work would go down the drain—not to mention the hefty breach of contract fee. "Screw the partnership. Even if he died, that wouldn’t be enough to make me feel better." The words spilled out, then he exhaled sharply. "This is my business. Leave it to me." Maria pressed her lips together. "Thanks." Her voice was so soft that James didn’t even catch it. Her injuries weren’t too bad—resting for a couple of hours should’ve been enough to get discharged. But James insisted she stay a few more days. Maria thought it was unnecessary and a waste of hospital resources, so she convinced him to let her recover at the hotel. He fina