Chapter 137
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my tone not exactly friendly.
James withdrew his cold gaze, softening a bit when he looked at me: "Team building."
He paused, "Are you alone? Liliana said she came with you, didn't she with you?"
"She went skiing with friends." I didn't want to say more. "Thanks for earlier."
After thanking him, I turned to leave, but heard a commotion of footsteps.
That man from before had returned, followed by two people wearing resort security uniforms.
"That's him!" The man pointed at James, looking smug. "And this woman, they're working together to cause trouble and harass other guests! Kick them out!"
The two security guards stepped forward, looked at James, then at me, seeming a bit uncertain.
Anyone who could afford to stay here was either rich or important—they didn't dare offend people easily.
"Sir, Miss, this guest has complained that you harassed him. May I ask..."
James didn't even lift an eyelid. He just took out his phone and made a call: "Mr. Baker, I'm in the hallway by your hot spring area. Bring your people over here, now."
The person on the other end seemed to say something, and James responded before hanging up.
The man was still shouting: "Calling Mr. Baker? I know Mr. Baker very well. Here, he's the king, and I'm the prince. You call him over, you're basically calling backup for me. You're done for!"
In less than two minutes, a middle-aged man in a suit who looked like management came jogging over, sweat on his forehead.
He saw James first, his expression changed, and he put on a respectful smile: "Mr. Smith! You called me over specially, what can I do for you?"
Zachary Baker's respectful attitude toward James stunned both the troublemaker and the two security guards.
James pointed at the man: "This person harassed my friend. Deal with it."
"Handle it well, and I might consider letting you off. Handle it poorly, and you can get lost along with him."
Zachary's face went pale. He turned to the man with a stern tone: "Sir, we don't welcome guests with poor conduct here. Please pack your things and leave immediately. We'll refund your room charges and all expenses in full."
"Additionally, you'll be blacklisted. From now on, all properties under our group will no longer be open to you."
The man was dumbfounded, stammering: "You... he clearly hit me first. You're being unreasonable. I'm going to complain."
Zachary gritted his teeth with a look of frustration.
"Want to complain? Go ahead. Our biggest shareholder is right here. Tell him whatever you want to complain about."
"But think carefully. If you leave now, we can still see you out politely. Keep making trouble, and don't blame us for 'escorting' you out."
He emphasized the word "escorting" heavily.
The man's face turned ashen. He finally realized he'd messed with the wrong person and was eventually "escorted" away by security.
Zachary apologized to James repeatedly and promised to strengthen patrols and do his best to ensure every guest's safety.
James didn't give him a hard time, just waved him away.
Only James and I were left in the hallway.
"Mr. Smith, don't tell me it's just a coincidence that we ran into each other here." I pulled at the corner of my mouth, my tone slightly sarcastic.
James looked at me: "I didn't know beforehand that you were coming."
I didn't want to argue about whether he really knew or not. I stopped looking at him, tightened my bathrobe, and walked toward the secluded hot spring pool I'd spotted earlier.
Soaking in the warm spring water, my whole body relaxed.
I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth enveloping my limbs.
After a thoroughly relaxing soak, I had some hot drinks in the rest area and slowly walked back to the hotel room.
Liliana was already back, her cheeks rosy, her hair still a bit damp—she'd obviously just showered.
"Sophia! Are you back from the hot springs? How was it? Relaxing?" She squeezed in, looking excited. "Skiing was so much fun! Even though I fell a bunch of times!"
"Ethan skis really well, and Mr. Anderson, too. I was the worst. I need more practice so I can beat them."
Seeing her so happy made me smile too: "That's good. You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"No, no, I was bundled up from head to toe, totally protected!"
Liliana waved her hand, then leaned in mysteriously: "Guess who I saw when I got back?"
I was curious: "Who?"
"James!" Liliana lowered her voice. "He's here too! You didn't run into him?"
"I did." I briefly told her about what happened in the hot spring hallway.
Liliana's mouth dropped open: "Oh my god, how is that such a coincidence? You don't think he staged that whole hero-saves-the-day thing to get you to forgive him, do you?"
She rubbed her chin: "But knowing James's personality, he probably wouldn't stoop to doing something like that."
"It wasn't him."
I knew James—he wouldn't do that kind of thing.
"Okay, but Sophia, how did you feel seeing him?" Liliana was curious. "Angry or...?"
I said flatly: "Nothing."
"Alright, but I think James seems to..."
"Don't mention him." I cut her off. "What's the plan for tonight?"
"Ethan said there's a great mountaintop restaurant here with a night view. Let's all go to dinner tonight!" Liliana was enthusiastic.
That evening, the four of us went to the mountaintop restaurant together.
The setting was really nice—outside the floor-to-ceiling windows were rolling snow-covered mountains and a brilliant starry sky.
Ethan and Andrew were telling funny stories from their time studying abroad, with Liliana cracking jokes now and then. The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant.
Just as we were almost finished eating, a familiar and disgusting voice rang out.
"James, this place is really nice. Why didn't you bring me along when you came for team building? I'm pregnant and can't do anything; staying home is so boring."
"If I hadn't found out from your assistant, I would've missed it."
"What a coincidence, Sophia, Liliana, you're eating here too?"
Amelia was holding onto James's arm, standing by our table with a smile.
She wore an elegant cashmere dress, her makeup perfect—she looked like a wealthy wife.
James's expression was rather unpleasant. He seemed to want to pull his hand away, but she held on tightly.
Liliana's face immediately darkened. Andrew and Ethan also stopped laughing, looking at the newcomer with confusion.
I remained calm: "Yes, what a coincidence. Are Ms. Martinez and Mr. Smith here for dinner too?"
"Yes, the Smith Group is doing team building here, so I tagged along to relax." Amelia's gaze swept over the four of us, lingering especially on Andrew and Ethan's faces. A flash of knowing mockery crossed her eyes, but her smile grew even brighter. "Sophia, you have so many male friends."
"Bringing them all to the hot springs together—you must be very close. I wonder which one you prefer."
"How is that any of your business?" I said coldly.
Amelia drew out her words, full of implication: "Sophia is so popular. Not like me—I only have James by my side."
The insinuation was too obvious.
Andrew frowned, and Ethan's expression darkened, too.