Maria stared coldly at him. "Eighty million? You might as well just rob me."

Breaking a contract for eighty million? That was next-level audacity.

James pressed his lips together. "I already gave you the terms. It's your call."

With that, he turned and walked off without a glance back.

Maria chased after him. "Don't leave yet - we need to talk, properly."

She grabbed his arm, her tone sharp. "You're being completely unreasonable."

Some people glanced over at the sound of their voices.

Maria glanced around. She didn't want to become today's office gossip, so she pulled James back. "Let's talk somewhere private."

James didn't resist and let her drag him back into the empty meeting room.

Once inside, he stopped and looked down at her, his gaze dark and unreadable. "You really want out that badly?"

Maria shook off his arm. "Yes," she said firmly. "I'm done."

He hadn't hesitated when he agreed to the divorce back then - cold, clean, without an ounce of reluctance.

This time, she wouldn't hesitate either. She was completely clear about it now - no more ties.

But to her surprise, he didn't look angry. Instead, his lips lifted in amusement. "Be my secretary. Then I'll let you go."

Maria let out a low laugh, sarcasm dripping from her smile.

"Your secretary? Might as well just say you want me working for you again.

"Eighty million, right? Fine. Give me your account number."

If that much money could buy her peace, then so be it - money well spent.

James squinted at her like he was watching some kind of show, clearly doubting she had that much cash. He casually passed her his account info.

He picked up the contract she'd just signed and leaned back in his chair, slowly flipping through it like he had all the time in the world.

Moments later, his phone pinged. He'd actually received the transfer. James raised an eyebrow and gave her a long, intrigued stare. "Looks like you've been doing pretty well these years."

Maria smiled, her face bright and confident. "Thanks to you agreeing to the divorce. Turns out life's been great since you left."

That one stung.

His eyes dimmed for a moment.

She ran a hand through her messy hair and asked, "Am I free to go now?"

With that, she spun around and headed for the door, posture full of purpose.

James didn't react to her leaving. He just leaned back, lip slightly curved.

"You sure you double-checked the contract?"

Maria paused mid-step and turned her head.

He looked as composed as ever, slowly swiveling his chair and holding up the contract, spreading it out in front of him like he'd just won a game.

"What's wrong?"

Her heart skipped a beat, but thinking back, she was pretty sure everything was legit. "It clearly states that either party can terminate the contract with prior notice and mutual agreement. Which we just did."

She flashed a tight smile. "So? We had an agreement, didn't we?"

Still, something about this felt off - like escaping wouldn't be that simple.

"I changed my mind. Unless you come work as my secretary, I'm not letting you go."

"You." Her expression darkened, fists tightening. "You're seriously going back on your word?"

His eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief. "Yeah. What about it?"

Maria took a steadying breath.

"You have no shame.

"You agreed to the deal, I transferred the money, and you accepted it. If you go back on it now, that could be considered fraud. I'll have my lawyer handle it immediately."

James didn't even flinch. "I can easily send the money back."

Maria's hands clenched into fists. "Great. Then my lawyer will contact you soon."

She grabbed her bag and turned to leave, but James caught up and yanked her back, pinning her against the wall. Maria's patience snapped-she unleashed the skills she picked up at Shadowglint.

James was caught off guard, his brows twitching in surprise at her sudden moves. For a split second, he seemed impressed.

He smirked and fired back.

Soon enough, he had her pushed up against the wall again, using sheer force to pin her down.

With his chest brushing hers, James leaned in smugly. "You've got skills, I'll give you that. Too bad you're up against me."

Their bodies tangled, breath mingling, the air between them thick with tension from the scuffle-and maybe something else.

"James."

A soft, startled voice echoed from the doorway.

Amelia stood there, eyebrows scrunched, mouth gaping.

Unbelievable. She'd only stepped away for a minute, and here was Maria already all over James!

Startled, Maria shoved James off her hard.

She shook off his hand with a look of pure frustration, like this whole thing had just wrecked her day.

Seizing the chance while James was momentarily distracted, she stormed off. Just as she reached the ground floor, her phone buzzed.

It was Ella.

She forced herself to calm down before answering.

"Hello? Ella, what's up?"

"Mommy, come quick! We're at a restaurant near your office."

Her brows furrowed. "Didn't I tell you all to stay put at the villa?"

"But Mommy, we really wanted to see where you work. And plus, we were curious about the place you grew up, so me and brother came out together."

Maria couldn't stay mad. Ella's sweet little voice was like a soft pat on her frustrated soul.

"Please, come, Mommy~"

"I'm coming."

After hanging up, Maria stepped out of the building.

That's when she heard another set of footsteps behind her-too familiar for comfort.

It had to be James.

If he tagged along and saw the kids... that'd be a total disaster. He'd cling even harder.

Her face sank even more.

Instead of heading straight for the restaurant, she jumped in her car and purposely detoured.

Without realizing it, she ended up by the sea.

Families and couples were scattered along the shore, the salty breeze brushing her cheeks. The familiar scent instantly brought her back.

This was the place-where she first felt something for James.

Back then, she'd hurt her foot, and James had carried her all the way from the beach to the car. They were pretending to date, keeping up appearances for the family, but that day... her heart had slipped.

Maria leaned against the car window, taking in gulps of fresh sea air, telling herself maybe walking a bit would help.

Before she could step out, another vehicle pulled alongside.

She turned her head-it was James.

He parked, window already halfway down, his gaze drifting between her and the playful figures running across the sand.

Then he looked at her. "You remembered, didn't you?"

"You're overthinking it."

Whatever ease she'd started to feel vanished in an instant. Maria twisted her keys, deciding it was time to meet Ella and Ethan.

"Leaving already? Not even gonna walk around a bit?"

"Not if it means seeing you."

Just in case he got the wrong idea, she shot him a cold glance. "Don't follow me."

With that, she hit the gas and sped off.

James watched her car disappear, eyes narrowing slightly.

Maria had changed-so much. Gone was the subdued version of her; now, every word she said had bite.

Once she was sure he wasn't behind her, Maria finally eased up.

But when she reached the restaurant where Ella said they were, the scene that greeted her made her freeze on the spot.

The restaurant looked more like a surprise proposal than anything else. Colorful balloons and roses were laid out from the entrance all the way to the stage-super romantic vibes going on.

Sweet and dreamy background music filled the place, and a big screen kept looping pictures from Maria's daily life. At the bottom corner? A huge caption: "Blind Date Gala."

Looking around the room, it was packed wall-to-wall with men in suits, all seemingly eligible bachelors. The whole vibe was buzzing.

Right up front on a stage sprinkled with rose petals stood two adorable kids, each holding a mic. They'd just wrapped up a heart-eyes introduction of their mom.

The moment things quieted down, a man in the crowd raised his voice, "Didn't you say she'd be here in five? It's been what-twenty now? Your mom's still a no-show!"

Someone nearby chuckled, joking with a sly smile, "Yeah, kids, your mom didn't ditch you two at the altar or something, did she?"

A few folks found the kids cute and couldn't resist teasing.

Ella looked worried right away, but Ethan? Totally calm, ice cool.

"Sigh, I'm out. Got other stuff to do."

"Same here, got a meeting with a client later!"

Some actually started heading out, and as time ticked by, more followed. Ella looked more and more anxious.

Ethan held her arm gently, signaling her to keep it together. He raised his mic again and said,

"Mom probably had a last-minute thing come up, but she'll be here soon-no doubt. If you've got to go, it's chill. Still plenty of quality guys left here-missing one or two won't hurt."

That got some laughs from the crowd.

"Well said!"

"Kid's got some game."

Most of the people who were about to leave now decided to hang around and see what would happen next.

Seeing the crowd settle, Ethan turned to Ella, "Ella, try calling Mom again."

Ella beamed and pulled out her phone. But just as she was about to dial, she caught a familiar figure at the door out of the corner of her eye.

"Mommy!"

She waved excitedly toward the entrance, her whole face lighting up. "It's Mommy! Mommy's here!"

As soon as she spoke, every single head turned to look toward Maria.

All kinds of stares swept over her-curious, impressed, admiring. plenty of approving glances too.

Maria felt the intensity right away. She tugged awkwardly at the corner of her lips. this was beyond embarrassing.

Those two little troublemakers really went all-out with a surprise dating event?!

Everyone's staring made her want to disappear. She was two steps away from spinning on her heel and bolting-

But before she could move, someone caught her by the shoulder.

And then came a familiar voice.

"Oh wow, is this what a matchmaking party looks like."

It was Isabella. She laid a hand on Maria's shoulder, giving her a sly grin.

Taking her sweet time scanning the room, she teased, "The kids went all out planning this for you. You're the star of today, girl. Where you think you're going?"

Maria rolled her eyes hard and muttered under her breath, "It's bad enough those two stirred up a circus. Did you really have to block me too?"

Isabella grinned, eyes twinkling. "You're scared to go 'cause you're still hung up on James, aren't you?"

Maria's expression stiffened. "Of course not!"

Isabella arched a brow, teasing, "Then what's holding you back?"

Rolling her eyes, Maria snapped back, "It's just a blind date. Fine, I'll go."

With that, she strutted down the red carpet scattered with flower petals, high heels clicking, heading straight toward the heart-shaped area where Ella and Ethan stood waiting.

Seeing her trap had worked, Isabella exchanged a quick victorious glance with Ethan on stage-mission accomplished.

Meanwhile, outside the restaurant, a sleek Maybach was parked a few cars away from Maria's. Inside sat James, his sharp jawline catching the light as he lifted his head.

Did she really think ditching him was as easy as walking a lap?

James pulled out his phone, ready to call her out.

Then paused-only to realize he didn't have her number. Or even her on WhatsApp.

Inside, the blind date event was in full swing. Everyone seemed entertained-everyone except Maria, who was beyond bored but had to pretend otherwise. No way was she giving Isabella more ammo to laugh at.

She hadn't expected much from the event, but what she got still caught her off guard.

One guy brought up her education and suggested she should go for a PhD to keep up with him. The guy really mapped out her whole future, no joke.

Another felt she was "too tough to handle" and said, weirdly, Isabella seemed more his type. Maria shot Isabella a mock-serious look, "Yeah, you two vibe. Go for it."

Isabella just shrugged like a victim caught in chaos.

Then came the one who asked if she had siblings. Explained he didn't like people with brothers or sisters-too annoying, he said. Maria shot back with a smirk, "Cool. I hate mother-in-laws. Got a mom?"

The room broke into laughter. Someone whistled. A few folks cheered.

"Damn, that was savage!"

"She's got fire, I'm into it!"

Another tried digging into her past. She rolled her eyes, deadpan: "How's that your business?"

Then finally, one guy who actually seemed decent said at the end, "So, do I just wait to hear back?"

She barely had time to recover before it got weirder. A short, round man stood up and declared loudly, "I've watched your pics, your videos, and now you in real life. Honestly, you totally meet my standards."

Maria's face turned stormy.

Dude. have you seen yourself in a mirror lately?

And if that wasn't enough, the next guy was completely out there-not even on the same wavelength. His vibe was almost. surreal.

Maria screamed internally, "These people are unreal!"

She felt her patience-and possibly her soul-starting to crack. She was barely hanging on.

Then the door slammed open.

James stepped in, immediately taking in the chaos around him. He froze mid-step, face darkening like a brewing storm.

"What the hell is going on?"

That deep, commanding voice and icy presence instantly froze the room.

Silence. Not a single sound.

James's voice hit the room like a blast of cold air, instantly killing the vibe of the matchmaking event.

The whole place went quiet, tension slicing through like a knife.

The hotel manager rushed over, instantly breaking into a nervous sweat when he realized who had shown up.

He didn't even get a word out before James' blue eyes flashed with something sharp. "Clear the room," James ordered, his voice cold as ice.

"Y-Yes, right away." The manager didn't dare meet his eyes, let alone question the order. He quickly signaled the staff to start clearing people out.

Maria was standing nearby, stunned.

Whispers started buzzing around her.

"Who's that guy? He came in like he owns the place."

"He does. That's the hotel owner."

"What? Why's he kicking everyone out? Isn't this bad for business?"

"Who knows."

Maria paused for a second, watching James more carefully now.

Unfortunately, their gazes locked-his eyes were frosty cold.

Just that one look made Maria feel like she'd plunged into freezing water.

But James' harsh expression softened a little when he spotted her.

Still feeling on edge, Maria quickly looked away.

Knowing now that this restaurant was his property, Maria didn't plan to stick around.

She already wanted to leave, and his arrival made it the perfect excuse.

James took a step toward her, but Maria happened to turn and walk away that very moment.

To him, it looked like she was clearly trying to dodge him.

A flicker of darkness passed through his eyes as he followed her.

Before he could catch up, a little girl popped out of nowhere-cute as a button, standing right in front of him with her tiny feet firmly planted.

"Stop right there! This matchmaking was all for my mommy, and you totally ruined it!"

Right after that fierce declaration, Ella froze. Whoa. this man is so handsome.

Her big, sparkly eyes locked onto James. She pursed her lips shyly, her stern little face softening as a blush crept in.

Maria saw her daughter's lovestruck reaction and instantly got alert.

James looked stunned too.

Wait. did the little girl just call her "Mommy"?

He glanced at Maria, clearly thrown off.

Maria had already turned back and rushed over. She grabbed Ella's hand and tried to leave.

"Wait," James stepped in, his expression all kinds of complicated. His tone was sharp. "Maria, you have a kid?"

Maria didn't want to get into it with him and snapped, "Yeah, so what? What's it to you?"

Her voice wasn't friendly, and James' face darkened like someone had just thrown a bucket of cold soup in his face.

Seeing his reaction weirdly made Maria feel smug.

But of course, Ella had to ruin that.

Protected by her mom, Ella leaned forward with her head poking out.

"Mommy didn't marry anyone."

Her big eyes stared right at James, voice soft and curious: "Are you my daddy?"

Maria immediately snapped, "Ella! He's not your daddy!"

James frowned and stared intently at Ella.

Maria immediately reached out to cover Ella's head, nervous as hell.

He's starting to get suspicious.

James wasn't blind - her attempt to play it cool only made things more obvious. His eyes narrowed. "Is she my kid?"

Maria shot him a cold look. "Nope. I've already divorced her dad."

Ella blinked her big round eyes and looked at Maria like she'd just dropped a bomb. "Mommy, when did you ever-"

Maria quickly bent down and clamped a hand over Ella's mouth.

"Mmmmph!" Ella could only make muffled noises.

Still covering Ella's mouth, Maria scooped Ella up and turned to make a quick exit.

Watching her bolt like that, James became even more convinced - there was no way that little face wasn't a mix of the two of them.

Once they made it out of the hall, Maria let Ella go and pulled her phone out of her bag.

The moment her mouth was freed, Ella started chattering like a little bird. "Mommy, why didn't you let me finish? I don't even have a daddy!"

Maria let out a long sigh and fished out a pack of Skittles. "Sweetheart, have some candy first."

"Oh, okay!"

Ella nodded happily and instantly forgot what she was saying.

Seeing her distracted, Maria quickly tapped out a message to Isabella.

[Get Ethan out of here. Fast.]

Ethan looked way too much like James - just like he did when he was a kid.

If James saw him, game over. There'd be no way she could talk her way out of that one.

A ping. Message received.

[I'm in the middle of a game with Ethan. Can it wait a minute?]

Maria practically frowned her eyebrows off.

[Isabella, this is serious. You two can play later, alright?]

[Okay, okay, I got it.]

Even after seeing Isabella agree, Maria still wasn't at ease. She added another note: make sure Ethan wore sunglasses and a mask.

"Maria-"

Out of nowhere, James's voice came from behind.

Maria made a "shush" gesture at Ella.

Ella obediently nodded, her big clear eyes looking curiously at James.

James had barely stayed in the lobby for a minute when it suddenly hit him- he still didn't have Maria's WhatsApp. So he'd made a beeline after her.

He caught up in just a few steps.

Maria didn't slow down, holding Ella tightly, her shoulders tense.

Her tone was frosty. "What is it now?"

James stared at her, voice low and firm. "Add me on WhatsApp."

Maria raised an eyebrow, forced a smile. "And why would I do that? I don't see the point."

Seriously? After all these years, now he remembered he didn't have her contact?

There was a flash of sharpness in James's eyes. "Maria, swear to me this kid has nothing to do with me."

Maria barely had time to react when -

A man suddenly stepped between them.

"Excuse me, sir. You're way out of line."

He was tall, handsome, with a kind and gentle presence - the kind of guy that instantly puts people at ease.

Maria instantly recognized him - her old high school classmate.

An idea lit up in her mind. She put on a look of surprise and delight. "David, you're here!"

David barely had time to respond before-

Maria ducked behind him, chin high, and stared James down. "This man is her father."