Chapter 18: Competing for Favor Also Requires One to Be Worthy
In the end, Mia struggled hard, trying to break free from James's grip, but she couldn't.
With her head lowered, she quietly said, "I'm going to the restroom."
"Take your time."
James spoke gently and only then released her hand.
Mia had no mind to respond. She walked forward, just wanting to escape this suffocating place.
To find a corner where she could be alone and calm down.
She was really too confused.
Walking into the restroom, she pushed open the mother-and-baby stall, went inside, and closed the door.
She locked it.
Mia walked to the toilet, trembling all over, and slowly sat down.
After releasing the last bit of emotion she'd been holding onto, her body began shaking uncontrollably like a sieve.
Her hands resting on her knees clenched tightly into fists.
She closed her eyes and kept taking deep breaths.
She wanted to calm herself down.
Only by staying calm could she think clearly.
She was really too confused right now.
But the more she tried to calm down, the less calm she became.
From the moment she met James, images began playing in her mind like a slideshow.
Four years together, every little moment was right before her eyes, so clear.
She remembered their first meeting when she was still in high school.
That day, she had just gotten paid from her part-time job when her drunk stepfather stopped her, trying to grab her money for gambling.
She refused—that was her college tuition she'd saved up.
She wouldn't cooperate, and her stepfather, embarrassed and angry, slapped her across the face, grabbed her hair, and started beating her.
She protected the money against her chest, curled up with her arms around her head, and refused to give in no matter how much it hurt.
James appeared and saved her, wanting to take her to the hospital to get bandaged up.
At the time, she casually wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and said to him with a bright smile, "No need to waste that money. It's just surface wounds, I'm fine."
She was used to being hit.
She wanted to treat him to a meal, and he agreed.
He took her to a restaurant in an alley. The atmosphere was nice, but the place wasn't big—just a few tables.
Back then, she didn't know about high-end restaurants. She thought it would be cheap like where she usually ate, so she boldly ordered several dishes.
When the bill came, she was stunned.
Looking at the five-figure bill, she counted it several times with wide eyes.
James paid for that meal.
She felt embarrassed and said she'd treat him next time.
They exchanged contact information because of this.
After that, he often took her out to eat and never let her pay.
He said he liked seeing her smile, and eating with her gave him an appetite.
She had nothing that James could want from her, and being with him was easy and pleasant.
She didn't overthink it and happily ate meals with him. Having such a handsome friend made her meals taste even better.
The nearly perfect James had always cherished ordinary her like a treasure in his palm.
He had been good to her from the moment they met.
When they started dating, he was still just as good.
Even after he got her, he didn't act like those rich people online who just play with college girls and stop caring once they get what they want. On the contrary, he treated her even better.
After marriage, he still never changed.
She remained his precious treasure held in his palm.
It was because of his indulgence that she went from being very careful at first to later becoming "spoiled and willful," turning into a little woman who depended on him wholeheartedly.
If not for his tolerance, how would ordinary, plain her dare to be so bold in front of him?
He had been so good to her.
How could someone like James lie to her?
Impossible!
She thought about that night when she asked him about his relationship with Amelia and his expression at the time.
He had said so openly that they were friends.
He knew—she hated being lied to most of all.
How could he lie to her?
He wouldn't!
James couldn't possibly lie to her!
Right, absolutely impossible!
If he said they were friends, they must be friends.
It must be Amelia!
She was so calculating.
It must be her doing it on purpose, deliberately making her misunderstand James, trying to separate them.
……
At the door of the private room, as soon as Mia left, the cold air around James grew even stronger.
Amelia was satisfied with this result and said with a smile, trying to smooth things over, "James, let's go inside and sit."
James silently stepped inside and sat down on the sofa.
Amelia followed half a step behind him and discreetly gave Mabel, who was sitting in the seat closest to the door, a look.
Mabel was a new face to begin with, so no one paid her any attention.
While no one was watching, she pulled her friend Sable, who was sitting next to her, and they both got up and walked out the door into the restroom.
……
Louis and the others had come over after hearing the commotion at the door.
"James, sorry about that."
They knew James would bring Mia.
The reason they came today was partly out of respect for James, and partly because they wanted to meet this Mia they'd only heard about from him but never seen.
No one expected that the woman at the door just now was her.
Wasn't Amelia's type what he liked?
Wouldn't normal people look for someone similar?
How did he end up choosing someone completely different?
"It has nothing to do with you guys."
James said flatly.
With the understanding between good friends, they all knew what those words meant.
It had nothing to do with them, but for those who were involved, this wasn't over.
They didn't interfere and went back to the card table to continue their game.
Everyone else in the private room thought the matter was over.
Except for Louis and the other three in the core group, the others here weren't close to these people.
Regarding James and Amelia, they'd only heard rumors.
The families behind James and these five people could be said to control sixty to seventy percent of Imperial City's business world.
In Imperial City, for private gatherings, aside from the ones they arranged themselves, only Amelia had the ability to bring all five of them together.
This showed how high Amelia's position was in these people's hearts.
Especially the scene that just happened at the door of the private room—it shocked them greatly.
They used to think the rumors about how much James loved Amelia were exaggerated and couldn't be trusted.
But after witnessing it with their own eyes today, they could only say their thinking had been too narrow.
After Ernest humiliated Mia, Amelia casually said she'd give her some face, and the matter was over.
No wonder his wife got angry and ran to the restroom.
But she was really too clueless.
Not giving James face in public.
She should look at what her own status was, and what Amelia's status was.
If you're going to compete, you should at least see if you're worthy of competing.
……
Amelia followed behind James and sat down beside him, giving Ernest a look.
Ernest smiled obsequiously, immediately picked up the wine bottle on the table, filled his glass to the brim, and downed it.
He drank three glasses in a row.
After drinking, he said to James, "Mr. Smith, I'll punish myself with three drinks to apologize to you. You're a generous man—please don't hold it against me."
After finishing, he took an empty glass, poured a little wine into it, bent at the waist, and held it out to James with both hands.
"Mr. Smith, let me toast you."
James watched Ernest drink three glasses of hard liquor with cold, indifferent eyes, until he held the wine in front of him.
Amelia, sitting beside him, spoke up at the right moment, "James."
James moved. He slowly stood up and reached out to take the glass.
Ernest's face lit up with joy.
Not only was James willing to accept this drink, but he even stood up on his own initiative—didn't that mean he'd forgiven him?
If it wasn't someone he cared about, even if it was his wife, he wouldn't take it seriously.
But the next second, the knowing smile on Ernest's face froze.
He hadn't expected James's motion to take the glass to be fake.
As soon as he let go, the glass fell onto the table and shattered.
Everything happened too fast. Before he could react, his wrist was already caught by James's large hand and pressed down onto the table.