Chapter 158: James Voluntarily Presents the Divorce Agreement
After Alice finished talking to James, she left. Ivan came to pick her up himself.
He scooped her up by the waist and carried her straight into the car.
After the two left, James stood alone in the same spot.
It took him a long while before he finally turned and got into his car.
After getting in, he didn't drive home. Instead, he sat in the car and took out his cigarette pack.
He pulled out one cigarette and rolled down the window.
Lighting the cigarette, he rested his arm on the window frame, his gaze quietly fixed on the night.
As time passed, his eyes grew more and more sorrowful, his whole being shrouded in sadness.
It wasn't until late into the night that James finally stubbed out his last cigarette, rolled up the window, and drove home.
After arriving home, he washed away the smell of smoke and went upstairs.
He didn't return to the master bedroom. Instead, he gently turned the handle of the guest bedroom door and stepped inside.
He walked in quietly and sat down by the bed.
Looking down, by the light coming through the slightly open door, he gazed at Mia on the bed.
She was curled up in a protective position, her breathing light and steady, sleeping deeply.
When she used to sleep with him, she needed a night light to sleep peacefully.
Now, there was no night light in the guest bedroom, and he wasn't in the bed either.
Yet she still slept soundly.
The Mia he thought couldn't live without him had successfully quit him.
James's nose tingled, his eyes instantly reddening, his heart pierced with pain.
It turned out he'd been wrong from the very beginning.
The one who couldn't let go was never Mia—it was him.
Night and day alternated, and morning light spread across the earth.
James, who had sat by Mia's bed all night, lowered his head and placed a reluctant kiss on her lips. Before she woke up, he got up and left.
...
When Mia woke up early in the morning, she glanced at the obviously sunken spot beside her.
It looked exactly like someone had sat there for a long time.
Her gaze paused on it for a few seconds before moving away. As usual, she washed up, changed clothes, and went to the office.
A busy day.
In the evening, right at quitting time, Mia's phone rang with an incoming call.
The distinctive ringtone made her pause while reading documents.
She reached for it and answered.
"I'm downstairs at your office."
James's deep, magnetic voice sounded in her ear.
Mia was completely speechless.
"Stay in the car. Don't get out," Mia warned him angrily.
What was James trying to do?
She didn't want anyone to know about her relationship with James at all.
After saying that, she hung up, quickly gathered her things, stuffed the half-read documents into her bag, and left the office.
Walking out of the building entrance, she immediately spotted the black Bentley parked not far away.
It was quitting time, so there were lots of people.
The men and women leaving work couldn't help but look at the luxury car, slowing their pace and discussing it in small groups.
As a result, more people gathered at the entrance than usual.
Mia stopped, took out her phone, and with a stern face, dialed James's number.
With her head down, she didn't see that the moment she made the call, the car door opened. James bent down to get out, his gaze landing on her. "Mia."
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just clear enough to reach Mia's ears.
Mia, who had wanted to call James and tell him to move the car to the subway entrance, angrily hung up the phone.
She stopped looking at him, pretending not to hear, and walked quickly forward.
After just a few steps, her wrist was caught by a large hand, and a familiar voice sounded in her ear. "Mia..."
Mia instantly felt everyone's eyes fall on her.
James's appearance was too outstanding—he was the center of attention wherever he went.
Even though most people didn't know him, people nowadays were all gossips.
Finding out James's identity wouldn't be too difficult.
"Let go, I'll get in the car."
Mia said in a low, annoyed voice.
The longer they pulled and tugged here, the more people would see them.
James cooperatively let go.
Mia strode to the car, pulled open the passenger door, and got in.
She slammed the door hard on purpose.
James, who was bending down to get in, wasn't annoyed. His eyes showed a hint of amusement.
Once the car door closed, it shut out everyone's gaze.
"James, what exactly do you want?"
Mia's face was cold, her tone unfriendly.
Whatever he had to say, couldn't he say it on the phone or wait until she got home? Why did he have to come at quitting time and hold her hand in front of everyone?
"Can you give me your time tonight? Come back to Luxe Haven and have dinner with me?"
James looked at her, his tone gentle as he asked.
"Just for this?"
"Yes."
"I don't have time."
Mia refused directly, reaching for the door handle to get out.
"Mia..." James leaned over and grabbed her wrist, closing the door again.
He didn't immediately lean back. Maintaining that position, he looked at her cold profile and said, "One last time, okay?"
His voice instantly became very low.
The end of his sentence carried a slight tremor.
Hearing this, Mia's struggling movements instantly stopped.
She suddenly turned to look at him.
He said one last time?
Did he mean what she thought he meant?
"Okay?"
James didn't avoid her questioning gaze, letting her clearly see his meaning.
Even though he'd made the decision since last night, he still wanted to delay it, even if just for one more minute. He'd wait until he couldn't delay any longer before saying it.
"Okay."
After confirming James's meaning, Mia responded quietly.
She gave up getting out of the car, withdrew her hand, and was about to fasten her seatbelt.
"Let me."
James moved faster than her. Mia didn't refuse and withdrew her hand.
She watched as he fastened her seatbelt with a gentle expression.
As he straightened up, he glanced at her.
Just like before.
The low mood from just now seemed like she'd heard or seen wrong.
The car started and slowly merged into traffic.
Since she wasn't eating at home, James had barely been eating at home either lately. Wilhelmina usually didn't buy groceries.
James drove Mia to a supermarket they used to visit often.
After getting out of the car, Mia walked straight ahead. James stepped forward and tentatively reached out to hold her hand.
Mia's hand stiffened, but she didn't refuse.
James's expression showed no change, but his grip clearly tightened.
The two walked into the supermarket hand in hand like a loving couple.
He pushed the cart with one hand and held her hand with the other.
When he needed to grab something, he'd let go of the cart, then push it again after.
He repeated this without finding it troublesome.
The hand holding hers never let go for even a second.
Neither of them could cook, so James just grabbed things randomly.
After shopping, he carried two full bags in one hand and held her hand with the other as they walked back to the car, only then letting go.
Half an hour later, they returned to Luxe Haven.
James closed the car door, went to the trunk to get the groceries, and naturally said to her, "Mia, there's a document in the back seat. Can you grab it for me?"
Hearing "document," Mia's heart skipped a beat.
Then she responded, "Okay."
She opened the back door and looked at the document folder on the other side, leaning over to reach for it.
The folder wasn't sealed. As she pulled it out from behind, the documents slipped out slightly from the folder, revealing the words: Divorce Agreement.